A Tadashi Shoji and BHLDN Dress for a Long Distance Love Wedding

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Ladies, prepare your girliest sighs. The wedding I’m sharing this morning channels timeless romance, sprawling estates and ballerinas growing up to be bohemian princesses. It basically fulfils every one of my childhood dreams (bar appearing on Time Team- don’t ask) and turns me into a total heart eyed emoji. Settle down for your Tuesday treat with a cup of tea, something sweet and relax into the warmth of historic splendour and rose petal laden nuptials.

Jannicke, a university librarian, and Luke, a freelancer became Mr & Mrs Barnes on 25th July 2014. They chose Wrest Park in Bedfordshire to celebrate their international love story in gilt edged, awe-inspiring fashion; this is a venue with some serious star quality.

“We did most of the planning ourselves which was both extremely fun and challenging as I was doing most of the decision making in Norway. Thankfully Luke was in the UK so he could coordinate some elements and attend meetings. Wrest Park’s French chateau style was a big inspiration on the styling of the day, the colours and rooms are just so beautiful with so many incredible details. Cream, pink and gold were also a theme throughout the day.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Revelling in the magnitude of picture perfect photo opportunities dotted around Wrest Park was Photographer Matt Penberthy. The diffused, misty light surrounding the venue and rich, warm colours of the interior have been captured beautifully; Matt has made the atmosphere and love palpable through his softly lit snaps. It’s no wonder then, that we feel Matt’s impressive camera work worthy of a place on our hallowed Little Book for Brides site, your one stop shop for picking the perfect supplier squad. You can see more wedding wonderment captured by Matt Penberthy by clicking here.

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

“Hiring Matt Penberthy was one of the best decisions we made. We had only a few hours with Matt but he immediately felt like an insider and was incredibly relaxed and friendly with an amazing eye for detail. It was a pleasure having him there with us and we feel the photographs captured our day perfectly. We would recommend him to anyone.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.This magnificent venue is cared for by the English Heritage and comprises of a 19th century mansion and 90 acres of widely celebrated gardens and woodland. Amazingly, Wrest Park was used as a hospital throughout World War 1; how incredible to hold your special day in a venue steeped in such a rich and varied history.

“I knew I wanted somewhere really magical and timeless to get married. When I first discovered Wrest Park, it reminded me of something out of Versailles and I knew it was the perfect place. We had huge help from the in house co-ordinator Nikki Fhalora which was invaluable.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Seeing Jannicke looking so delectable in her Cypress gown by Tadashi Shoji certainly eases my online dress purchase nerves. Jannicke ordered this bohemian inspired vision from BHLDN, knowing, just like I did, that it was the dress for her as soon as she saw it on screen. I adore the cinched in shape and beaded details and have lost many an hour fawning over BHLDN‘s wares.

“I immediately fell in love with my dress as soon I saw it. I knew I wanted something different, not a traditional white gown and especially loved the intricate beaded vines embroidered on the front and back. I was worried about not having a chance to try it on as I was buying online but did contacted the shop to talk through my measurements and they advised me on which size to order. When I first tried it on it fitted perfectly so I was very lucky.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

 

Very poignantly, Jannicke’s father walked her down the aisle while her sister played the violin.

“It was a very special moment to have him walk with me down the aisle as he sadly passed away 5 months later. It is a lovely memory I treasure now that he is no longer with us. Matt also captured several perfect photographs of this moment which I’m so thankful for. My sister played Secret Garden – Celebration on the violin. It is a joyful song and Secret Garden is a Norwegian and Irish duo, so seemed fitting for our day (my husband is a quarter Irish). She also played a different song as we were walking out Mindy Gledhill- Anchor.”

 

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

The happy couple were spoilt for choice when it came to deciding which magnificent room to tie the knot in. Deciding to live the dream and get hitched surrounded by rows upon rows of books; the Library only needed the addition of a sprinkling of rose petals and their nearest and dearest.

“We felt the venue was so beautiful and spoke for itself that we did not need much decoration in the ceremony room. We chose to have our ceremony in the “Library”, it has the most beautiful golden details, and the ceiling the most amazing paintings. The rose petals added to the aisle was the perfect subtle touch.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

It’s always so lovely to have a little insight into someone else’s love story. I think if you’ve found yourself on the pages of our wonderful blog you can appreciate Jannicke & Luke’s tale of knowing they had found ‘The One’ and making it work, even when you’re not in the same country.

“We met at University. We were on the same course but never really spoke until the last hand in day of our final projects in the third year. After a month of getting to know each other, I was supposed to move back to Norway and Luke was moving home to his parents. After two months apart, I moved back to the UK, as I knew this was the real thing.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

“We got engaged 3 years later at his family’s holiday home in Loch Lomond, Scotland. He took me out on an icy morning walk to our favourite little bridge and he had a long speech prepared but all that came out was the big question. We were engaged for just over a year and a half, before tying the knot. Most of our engagement was spent living in different countries due to our jobs at that time, so we travelled back and forth a lot. Luke took the big step and moved to Norway with me after our wedding.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Championing some amazing high street finds, Jannicke’s bridesmaids wore dresses from H&M while our bride added some Accessorize earrings to her look.

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Heightening the romance, pretty pink blooms from Wild Orchid Designs were the order of the day.

“Lorraine at Wild Orchid Designs was wonderful. My favourite flowers are peonies, but they were out of season so Lorraine suggested the beautiful David Austin roses instead which turned out really well. She also scattered rose petals down the aisle at the venue, which added a romantic touch.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

“My tiara was handmade in Australia. I went for golden tones to go with the colours on the wedding gown.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Our bride bravely did her own makeup after watching an online Bobbi Brown tutorial to achieve the desired soft and romantic look. Cheeky hair salon plaited Jannicke’s hair the day before, adding some detail to her flowing, ethereal locks.

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Fond childhood memories and a passion for ballet inspired our brides choice of footwear, pairing both comfort and designer style.

“I wanted a relaxed feel and was a little worried about ruining the train of the dress with heels as it is made out of very fine silk, so I chose to wear flats. I used to dance ballet, and still love it, so when I discovered the Chloe ballet flats (which look like ballet shoes) I fell I love! I first saw them on Pinterest and they were very hard to track down. In the end, I managed to find some Bloomingdales in the US and my friend’s aunt who lives there helped me get hold of a pair.”

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Luke looked handsome in his Slaters suit paired with Ted Baker tie and pocket square.

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Make sure you follow your heart and do what you want. I think the best bit is throwing together your favourite things and do it your own way. Even though it might seem difficult at the time and you get advice from everyone, stay true to what you want. For me anyway, it made it feel a lot more personal then and was something truly to remember forever.”

Jannicke wore a gown by Tadashi Shoji, from BHLDN, for her Wrest Park wedding to her husband Luke. Photography by our littlebookforbrides.com member, Matt Penberthy.

So wise! If you stick to throwing together your favourite things, your wedding will always be as personal and unique as you are. It’s been a pleasure sharing such a sumptuous, fairy-tale day; thank you Mr & Mrs Barnes for allowing us to be a part of your celebration. Another huge thank you to Matt Penberthy for allowing us to swoon over your beautiful photographs.

So, has anyone else noticed the wedding season is well and truly upon us? My diary is full of hen weekends, weddings and increasingly frantic to do lists. Is it normal to already be looking forward to my honeymoon so that I can bask in the glow of having nothing to do? I implore my fellow 2016 brides to make full use of Love My Dress in this crazy exciting/ slightly surreal time. Chat through concerns with likeminded lovelies on the private Facebook group, find solace in Words of Wisdom from the other side and feel that last sparkle of inspiration from our pretty-impressive-if-we-say-so-ourselves archives. Immerse yourself in this wonderful community and remember what’s important: starting a marriage with your favourite person on earth.

Wishing you all wonderful weeks, if you see a group of wayward hens in Bath this weekend come and say hello!

Emily xx

Photographer –Matt Penberthy
Venue – Wrest Park in Bedfordshire
Wedding Dress –Cypress gown by Tadashi Shoji purchased from BHLDN
Shoes- Chloe Ballet Flats
Accessories – Bride la Boheme Tiara, Accessorize earrings
Groom – Slaters suit,  Ted Baker tie and pocket square
Bridesmaids-H&M
Florist- Wild Orchid Designs
Catering – Harts

Emily Colwill

Emily Colwill View all Emily's articles

Emily daydreams by the sea in North Cornwall, owns more pyjamas than clothes and is still very confused when referred to by her new married name.

3 thoughts on “A Tadashi Shoji and BHLDN Dress for a Long Distance Love Wedding

  1. I love love love those ballet flats. And getting married in a library is the dream! I’m so in awe of brides planning from abroad, serious wedmin skills must be developed! Emily, I think we all need an elaboration on the time team thing! X x x x x

    1. Haha! Emily’s first paragraph made me smile and then the paragraph about Jannicke’s dad made me so sad. I’m so pleased that there are such lovely photos of the two of them walking down the aisle together and that he knew that she was happy and settled with her new husband. Looks like a wonderful day with a beautiful colour palette and some well sourced internet finds. Best wishes to the happy couple on their new life together in Norway – gratulerer! xx

      1. I don’t think there’s any need to expand on my strange formative years! Lets just say I was a big fan! I agree Katie, so moving that Jannicke got to share that moment with her Dad, I’m glad it was captured so beautifully by Matt Penbarthy. xx

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