Hello lazy Bank Holiday friends. I hope you are indulging in your very deepest Monday fantasies today. My fantasy is simple; my bed (obviously), stacks of books and a plate of toast that stays hot, plentiful and slathered in peanut butter. It’s the little things. Every effort will be made to bring this joyous vision to life today whilst I finalise plans for my besties hen weekend that is now THIS MONTH. I will never attend a hen do without giving the organiser a bear hug, and will be the first to promptly respond to all hen related correspondence from this day forward- give me a wedding to plan any day!
Meet Ben and Anna, both hospital doctors, who tied the knot on the 18th July 2015 with a rural, cross county celebration. St Mary Magdalene Church, Herefordshire hosted their traditional ceremony followed by a reception at Upper Shelderton House in Shropshire – the home of their good family friends. Inspiration was found in their travel experiences, vintage countryside loveliness and Bananas. You heard me, bananas. Joyously celebrating their nickname (BenAnna – geddit?), these childhood sweethearts wove in super personal and hilarious nods to their life together. I love it when that happens.
Photography by Lucy G
Anna looked fairy-tale ready in her champagne Jane Bourvis gown, deciding on this delicately embroidered vision after a very moving moment whilst dress shopping. I adore the draped back; it adds such an elegant twist.
“I fell in love with Jane’s shop and her beautiful dresses made from vintage lace. Mine was champagne coloured lace with beading and a silk slip underneath. Every dress is unique and simply stunning. When I tried on my dress for the first time a song that was played at my grandmother’s funeral began playing and I knew that it was a sign I’d found the one.”
“We met at school aged 16 and we stayed together through university despite going to different medical schools (Ben in Edinburgh, Anna in Manchester). We eventually moved back to London in 2011 to start work and have lived there together since. Not long after our nine year anniversary we took a break from work and went travelling around the world for five months.
Ten ‘days into our trip, on top of an ancient, secluded temple in Bagan in Myanmar, Ben popped the question with a beautiful emerald ring. He had meant to wait until further into our travels but he was so desperate to hand over the responsibility of the ring to me that he brought the proposal forward!”
Matching the vintage lace loveliness of her gown, our bride chose antique accessories – this Jane Bourvis veil is made from lace that’s over 100 years old. As a beautiful tribute to her late Grandmother, Anna wore her simple pearl earrings and necklace. Encouraging comparisons to a golden halo, this waxed flower headpiece is also from Jane Bourvis– a fantastic cross over between opulent vintage and boho harmony for any brides partial to a flower crown.
“My shoes were from Dune, they matched the colour of the dress perfectly.”
If you like your dresses inspired by bygone eras, have a little peek at some more of our lovely brides wearing Jane Bourvis here.
Love My Dress has certainly made me think long and hard about my scent choice for the Big Day; I love the idea of a certain smell bringing back such special memories. Anna found her fragrance on her Hen Do, making it especially evocative of wedding excitement. “I wore Black Orchid by Tom Ford. I bought it on my hen do and it will always remind me of the build up to the wedding”
Complementing the golden tones of our Brides outfit perfectly, the Bridesmaids looked graceful in soft mint gowns from Ghost. Dried flower garlands from Artisan Dried Flower Company adorned their hair after Anna spotted a similar idea on this very blog. We’re here to help!
Anna very thoughtfully chose some unique Bridesmaids gifts – a great idea for those of you struggling with present ideas (especially if your girl gang differ in styles and tastes).
“I bought my bridesmaids a selection of vintage necklaces from my favourite vintage shop Mela Mela in Teddington. They all had the same precious stone in them but in different styles that suited them individually.”
Our Groom Ben rocked a very dapper blue suit from Without Prejudice after being drawn to the snazzy lining. He paired this with a tie and pocket square from Thomas Pink, shoes from Ted Baker and, of course, some banana cufflinks that were a gift from the Bride. Silly, personal touches like this bring a couples romance to life for me, they never fail to raise a smile.
Anna walked down the aisle with her Dad to the sounds of Pachelbel’s Canon. The couple chose two readings: Song of Solomon 2.10-13 and John Cooper Clarke ‘I Wanna Be Yours’.
“Jane Grove (sadly no website) provided our flowers. Jane and her husband Norman helped to make the garden at Upper Shelderton House so beautiful. Jane is also a very talented florist. She grew a lot of the flowers herself in the gardens. Everything she did was gorgeous but we especially loved the flower arch at the church that made our photos so stunning.”
Upper Shelderton House is the home of family friends Tricia and Andrew. Our happy couple made full use of the gloriously green setting with its beautiful grounds and far reaching views. Their marquee was filled with curiosities, banana table names (amazing!) and flowers that looked fresh from the garden. I especially love the wedding papel picado as a nod to the couples time in Latin America.
“We found lots of different tea light holders, medicine bottles and other knick knacks from vintage shops, summer fairs and friends’ houses in the run up to the wedding to decorate the marquee and the grounds.”
Being a very English affair in the countryside, one cake just wouldn’t cut it.
“We were very lucky to have three cakes all made by our very talented friends and family. Charlie made a beautiful naked cake filled with cream, jam and fruit; Jo made a tower of delicious macaroons and Anna’s Auntie Sue made a gorgeous fruit cake from Granny Bradley’s recipe which was decorated with banana icing!”
Guests got stuck in to catering by Heather Hamer and kegs of beer by Ludlow Brewing Company. Bride and Groom went on a sneaky trip to France a month or so before the wedding to take advantage of the cheaper wine prices (I’m checking my diary to do the same as we speak!). Nancy and Pearl played a relaxed set as a warm up for an epic wedding playlist full of guest’s song requests.
Lucy G was on hand to capture all of this sun soaked summertime joy…
“Lucy was recommended to us by another photographer and we are so happy that we found her! She was so fantastic on the build up to the day and on the day itself. She felt like one of our friends mixing with our guests but she took the most stunning photos that we will treasure forever”.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Enjoy every second of it because it really does fly by and don’t stick too rigidly to a schedule. Keeping it relaxed felt perfect for us. Also, although organising your wedding without the help of a planner or venue can be stressful it also means that you can mould it into your perfect day without any restrictions. So be brave and take the plunge!”
We firmly believe in being brave and taking the plunge here at Love My Dress, in fact, we actively encourage it. Did you see our recent post featuring a truly dramatic magpie wing headdress? Evidence that it’s best to be bold. Yesterdays From The Heart feature was equal parts inspiring and moving; an incredible story of selflessness and healing that I hope speaks to any new mothers out there struggling with Post Natal Depression. Chantal bravely opened her heart and shared her battle with this illness, reminding us that there is life at the end of the dark tunnel of depression.
Thank you to the new Mr & Mrs BenAnna (not their married name, I just couldn’t resist) and super talented Lucy for such a wonderful Bank holiday treat. Anna, you looked like a fairy princess and I adored spending time looking at these beautiful images. If you don’t want the nuptial nourishment to stop I highly recommend clicking here for more
Go forth and use your Monday wisely wedding lovers, I’m off to put the toaster on.
Emily xxx
Photographer – Lucy G
Venue – Upper Shelderton House in Shropshire
Dress – Jane Bourvis
Veil and Headpiece – Jane Bourvis
Hair – You Too Hair Salon, Ludlow
Make Up –Grace Amos at Grace Beauty
Shoes – Dune
Perfume – Black Orchid by Tom Ford
Groom Suit – Without Prejudice
Groom Accessories – Tie & Pocket Square Thomas Pink, Shoes Ted Baker
Bridesmaids Dresses – Ghost
Bridemaids Headpieces – Artisan Dried Flower Company
Groomsmen Ties & Pocket Squares – John Lewis
Rings – Bensons of Ludlow
Stationery – designed by Groom
Transport – provided by friends Craig & Sarah.
Catering – Heather Hamer
Beer Kegs – Ludlow Brewing Company
Festoon Lighting – Ruth Tilley
Papel Picado – Caoba
What a beautiful, ethereal bride – the soft gold just suits her so perfectly and I love the history behind the veil. And the little nods to her grandmother are just gorgeous. Such a sweet, hangover-curing read Em, thank you! X x x
Em, you’ve GOT to let us know how this hen pans out – I have images of you planning in bed with peanut butter in your hair and notebooks everywhere looking slightly manic but totally excited ? x x x x x x
You’ve pretty much nailed it Em! I will keep you posted xxx