A Wilden Bride Dress For A Lovette’s Winter Woodland Wedding

It goes without saying that I adore our gorgeous wedding blog – it has the power to make me smile until my cheeks hurt, laugh out loud and often cry happy tears. But every now and again, a wedding appears on these hallowed pages of love that stops me in me tracks because it’s just. so. awesome. The wedding of our beautiful Lovette Jac, a freelance writer and creative fashion and lifestyle consultant, to her bearded beau Stu, a documentary camera man (um power couple much?) on 21^st November last year is just one of those incredible celebrations that you’d consider disguising yourself as a distant aunt to try and attend. Over to Jac (one of the most creative brides I think we’ve ever featured) to introduce you to their incredible winter woodland wedding, photographed by Amy Shore and featuring the most divine bridal separates by Wilden Bride London.

“Our two venues really solidified the idea of a winter woodland wedding. We aimed to use as much of the natural surroundings as possible to influence the look of the day, with leaves and intertwining vines being the starting point. We set about creating our ‘winter wedding weekend’ by seeking out rustic props, using wood and tree trunks wherever possible and settling for rich winter shades with accents from each of our favourite colours – pink (me) and orange (Stu) to keep the day colourful.“

With Jac’s background in fashion there was never going to be any doubt that this was going to be one stylish wedding; and I haven’t even started on the bride’s jaw-dropping bespoke ensemble.

Jac wore no fewer than three pairs of shoes throughout the day; Rupert Sanderson Elba Glitter heels, silver Boden ankle boots and finally Nike Air Max metallic trainers for ceilidh dancing (which Stu used to propose to Jac, but more on that later).

Just like this lovely bride, who’s beautiful nuptials we featured recently on the blog, Jac had her doubts and sleepless nights about commissioning a custom made dress. But on her wedding day, despite an accidental last minute weight loss (a timely reminder from our bride to look after yourselves ladies) and a few aisle stumbles (I’m definitely going to stack it as I walk down the aisle), Jac was ecstatic with her dream outfit and totally indebted to the wonderful Charlotte of Wilden Bride London, one of our Little Book for Brides designers.

“We’re both quite creative and with only a small budget to play with, we opted to try and create a fun, relaxed and rustic celebration packed full of personality. After getting engaged we came up with three words to describe the day we wanted; simple, stylish and homemade.”

“We definitely achieved the homemade, with nearly every part of the wedding created by us or our family and friends, and I like to think that in places we had some style, but I quickly came to realise that ‘simple’ isn’t a word that really exists in wedding planning so certain tasks did require a bit more time and effort than we’d originally planned.”

“Having worked in fashion for many years, the dress was probably one of the most important decisions I felt I had to make, and quite honestly the whole idea of it terrified me. How would I possibly choose from all of the beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, wonderful creations out there? In short, I fell in love with all the dresses. In the end I switched up my wedding outfit four times to create different looks.”

“I sat down one day and sketched an idea for the dress of my dreams. I had ideas of looking like an ethereal woodland nymph with leaves, vines and flowers from the forest floor trailing behind me and a flowing cape falling from my shoulders. Then, knowing I’d want something fun and Carrie Bradshaw inspired for the party that I could dance in easily, a second skirt with maximum twirl ability came into play.

It was my Mum who suggested I look into having my dress made for me and not long after that I found Charlotte at Wilden Bride through Love My Dress. I knew she was the girl to bring my sketch to life and on the day, I got a lovely surprise when putting on my dress and realising Charlotte had sewn mine and Stu’s initials into the sleeve – it’s those little touches that made my wedding outfit so special.”

Jac stacked rose gold, silver and opal-set rings from Ivy Nixon alongside her bespoke Stephen Einhorn engagement ring and Ivy Nixon Jewellery wedding band and Stu chose a palladium band. Jac also wore her mum’s wedding ring on a back chain; a lovely sentiment to carry with her on the day.

“My shoes were the first wedding related purchase I made and I bought them about two weeks after getting engaged and before knowing anything about what I’d be wearing on the day – I just loved them. I found them (new and still in their box) for an absolute steal on Vestiaire Collective; a vintage and designer re-sale site which is definitely worth a look for any brides looking for designer accessories for their wedding day *bookmarks immediately*. I also found a gorgeous Iro silver leather jacket later down the line when I was searching for a coat to keep me warm once the ceremony was over, which ended up totally making my outfit.”

“Seeing as I wasn’t having a veil, I wanted something fabulous for my hair. I found Samantha Walden who specialises in vintage tiaras and headdresses and asked if she would create something bespoke for me. What she came up with is beyond beautiful, I honestly wish it was acceptable to wear a tiara every single day as I am so in love with mine. She even went to the trouble of sourcing a vintage opal brooch to have as the centrepiece after I’d told her this was my favourite stone.”

Samantha also made small hair pins for Jac’s best girls which combined beautifully with fresh blooms supplied by Jac and Stu’s florist, Sophie. The bridal party had their hair styled by Gillian from Pin Up Hair in Glasgow; I’m besotted with Jac’s tousled up-do (the brief was ethereal-as-if-she’d-been-living-in-the-woods-for-a-few-days) and her dark berry lip; make-up expertly applied by her friend, Rosie.

 

I’d never have even thought to combine deep, rich wintery tones with pops of brightest colour but my gosh doesn’t it work like a dream? I’m immediately drawn to the abundance of velvety rich blooms and the gorgeous contrast with the bridesmaid’s unique outfits. Jac selected soft cashmere sweaters from Boden and paired them with full hot pink skirts from Coast and sparkling H&M necklaces; totally channelling Olivia Palermo.

Stu wore a bespoke Prince of Wales suit in navy from Gresham Blake, an orange bow tie and pocket square, and bright orange socks from Sockaholic, which he and all his guys wore with their suits.

He also fell more than a little in love with his Chester brogues from Loake and I don’t blame him one jot.

“As a proud Scot, getting married back home was a no brainer for me and luckily something Stu had always been more than excited about. After a couple of months of online searches, endless meetings and lots of miles clocked up we were no closer to finding anything that had the character and charm we desired within our small budget.

“We were beginning to despair a little when we stumbled across Emilie and Julien’s wedding on Love My Dress and immediately fell in love with the laid back look of Dalduff Farm, and were beyond pleased to find that the costs were very reasonable. We got in touch straight away and booked an appointment to visit them three days before Christmas.”

“Even arriving during drizzly rain at 4pm on a winters day when the sun had already set, we immediately loved the place and saw so much potential. We then visited the cottages at Balbeg Estate nearby, which held up to 36 people comfortably (more than enough room for our #TeamWedding) and were blown away by the pretty cottages and the amazing scenery and everything fell into place.”

After originally pencilling in a March date (just 12 weeks from when they’d visited) for their intended springtime nuptials, Jac and Stu finally settled on the alternative November date available at their venue to allow them a little more planning time. They were wed just over a year after their engagement in a beautiful outdoor winter ceremony in the woods.

“In Scotland we have the luxury of being able to marry anywhere and we’d always had our hearts set on outdoor nuptials in the middle of a forest with no fuss – our ‘wedding in the woods’ was my favourite part of the day and so beautiful.”

“My Dad walked me down the aisle while my brother played the guitar and this was a really special part of the day. I walked down the aisle to Holocene by Bon Iver; my brother learned it especially and it was beautiful. He also wrote a song for us as a surprise and played this at the end of the ceremony as we were announced as husband and wife.”

“We had a Humanist ceremony, which meant we could write our own vows and make the whole thing really personal. Our Humanist was Evonne McLaughlin of the Humanist Fellowship of Scotland and she was absolutely brilliant. We kept our vows a secret from one another and this made them all the more special.”

Jac’s best woman and Stu’s brother both did readings which were kept a secret until the day itself. Jac can’t recommend this enough and I’m so glad my fiancé and I have asked our lovely friend Amber to surprise us with her choice of reading at our ceremony.

The couple married under the most gorgeous floral arch created by I heart flowers, who they found via Glasgow Wedding Collective. Florist Sophie also create the bouquets filled with gorgeous dahlias and Juliet roses as a seasonal alternative to Jac’s favourite peonies as well as winter berries and abundant foliage.

“Sophie is such a lovely lovely person and made the whole experience of sorting flowers out a joy. She was more than happy to work with us, even on a small order and she did a better job on the arch than we could have ever imagined, I nearly burst with joy at the sight of it.”

Something that made me nearly burst with joy (you know, other than a sparkling blush toned tiara, beautiful dress and the fact Jac’s brother played her down the aisle to one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever) was discovering that these stunning, reportage style images are the handiwork of the truly lovely Amy Shore. Amy has captured raw human emotion, stunning landscape and intimate unseen detail in the most sensitive way. I’m feeling happier than ever before that in 11 months time it’ll be this talented woman photographing our mountaintop Tuscan nuptials.

“Finding a photographer was one of the first tasks on our list as it’s something Stu and I are so passionate about. We knew we wanted to go for documentary style fine art photos as this was the style we both really loved.”

“With a rustic Scottish setting we wanted photos that were atmospheric and could show off the scenery to its best. A friend passed on a recommendation for Amy, and we both had a gut reaction to her work after browsing her website.”

“Amy’s style is fly in the wall and captures the day almost from behind the scenes, and we loved the emotion and atmosphere from her shots. She also got really excited about our day along with us, which I think helps so much.”

“Amy and her assistant Liam were great fun to have around on the day, and fitted in seamlessly with our guests. We got over 800 photos back from them and they’d captured things we weren’t even aware of and some really special moments. One thing I would say is to make the time for your ‘couple shoot’ and don’t rush. I think we were both so eager to be with our guests, or conscious that people were standing in the cold waiting for us that we didn’t take enough time out for just us.”

Jac’s words make me more certain than ever to plan in some time for some just married shots; so many of our brides have treasured these just married moments and the opportunity to bask in the ‘woah, we did it!’ glow.

Jac and Stu have been officially added to our ranks of wonderful couples who met via online dating; they met nearly seven years ago on My Single Friend. Neither of them dreamed that the profiles set up for them by their friends would lead to a first date where they instantly felt a connection, let alone a marriage proposal in the entirely deserted Hampton Court Palace maze.

“Stu suggested a trip to Hampton Court Palace one week as an idea for a post on my lifestyle blog, telling me he knew someone who worked there and would allow us early access to the maze to take photos.”

“After proceeding to get lost amongst the paths and with Stu acting a little more strange than normal, I stumbled across a clearing in the middle which had a beautiful arch decorated with photos of us, a bottle of champagne waiting in ice and a pair of shiny metallic trainers with which he then used to get down on one knee and propose (he knew I’d want to choose my own ring).”

“After I’d got over the shock of it all, I of course said yes and those very trainers were what I wore to dance the night away at our wedding.”

Jac and Stu hired coaches to transport everyone from the ceremony to their secret wedding party; they only gave guests the address for the ceremony to add a little mystery to the day. They held their handmade, light-filled reception at Dalduff Farm where James and his team allowed the couple to transform the barn into a dreamy rustic haven and also fed the wedding party with the most delicious winter’s day meal served in the style of a relaxed sharing feast.

Guests were warmed up with hot mulled cider upon arrival and later tucked into a desert tables laden with goodies baked by an overwhelming number among them. Finally Jac and Stu kept any late night tummy rumbles at bay with pots of macaroni cheese, christened ‘Jacpot’s Macpot’ (an almgamation of Jac and Stupot – their nicknames), which guests enjoyed outside by the light of a fire pit and sparklers.

“For our flowers at the barn we ordered from a wholesale site and arranged them ourselves. We also ordered lots of ivy trails and greenery and decorated the window sills, door frames and tables with this to bring the woods inside. If you do opt to do your own flowers, only do as much as you can handle and make sure you have plenty of willing hands to help. Also if it is winter I’d advise arranging them at least two days before as a lot of our buds hadn’t bloomed in time because it was colder.”

“We handled all of the décor ourselves and this was the part of wedding planning that I thoroughly enjoyed. We stuck to the rustic woodland vibe and visited car boot sales and charity shops whenever we could to pick up bits and pieces to style the barn with – everything from old watering cans, to wooden crates, tin baths, rugs, cake stands and ceramic urns got collected and stored in our tiny flat in the lead up to the wedding. I made all of our wedding signs after taking a calligraphy class with Quill London, which was a task I really loved.”

Jac and Stu opted to forgo a table plan and gave gingerbread couples baked by the bride’s mum as favours, iced with orange bow ties and pink tiaras. I love how many of their friends and family helped in the creation of their rustic styled reception, right down to the slices of tree trunks used to display the cakes, supplied by Stu’s tree surgeon friend and the glorious wedding cake made by Stu’s dad’s wife.

“Stu’s Mum and Stepdad were a huge help and sourced everything from an old wooden door to vintage rugs for the aisle and even made us wooden crates. We collected old frames, sprayed them rose gold and displayed memorable quotes and photos from our relationship around the walls of the barn. We had a ‘polaroid replace your name’ station, a ‘slow motion video booth’ (as Stu is a camera man he wanted to do something different from a photo booth) and I made confetti push pops and we have some great footage of guests jumping and dancing around while colourful confetti falls around them.”

Jac and Stu chose not to have a first dance and instead touchingly dedicated that part of the evening to Stu’s nan and grandad who were celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary. They had a last dance instead (something Jac had read about on Love my Dress) to ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac.

“For the evening entertainment we had a traditional Scottish ceilidh band to start the night off. It was total chaos as half our guests were English and had never done this type of dancing before so hadn’t a clue what they were doing. It made the whole thing even more fun though and I felt like I spent the whole time in fits of laughter. Then my brother and his band played a set of some of our favourite music – from Foo Fighters to Oasis and Bob Dylan – and did a great job. At one point two of my uncles even got on stage to do a rendition of Maggie May. We finished the night off with a Spotify playlist we’d created full of all the best party tunes.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“I wish we hadn’t tried to take on quite so much ourselves. Yes we cut a lot of costs and overall I loved doing all of the creative and crafty elements but I’ll admit that it did get the better of me at times and I’m still plagued by a lot of the things that didn’t end up looking quite as I’d imagined. Try really hard not to get sucked into the ‘Pinterest dream.’

As far as the day itself; if your venue isn’t nearby where you live, accept that you won’t have as much control over things and can’t plan as much in advance so might have to forgo certain elements on the day. If you are having a DIY wedding, don’t underestimate how much work it is and have a really good team with you to get stuck in both before and after the wedding (no-one tells about the pack down the day after!). Task other people with jobs for the day and don’t leave anything in your hands as chances are you will forget.”

“Finally one for the brides – whatever you do don’t compromise on getting the right underwear for your dress. Whatever it costs, wherever you have to ship it from, get something that provides support, gives you shape and makes you feel amazing. Make sure you eat, sleep and take care of yourself in the run up.

Lots of things went wrong on our wedding day, and many things didn’t pan out as we expected but ultimately I have to be thankful for all the things that did go right. Despite everyone telling us we were mad to attempt an outdoor wedding in Scotland in November, we had our woodland ceremony underneath the trees with snow on the hills behind us and the sun (yes sun!) shining down on us. Everyone we love was with us, friends and family worked tirelessly to help us create a magical day and I got to end it as someone’s wife, which is really what it’s all about.”

My hugest hugest thanks to Jac (who you can find via her lovely blog, Instagram and Twitter) and Stu for sharing their beautiful winter woodland wedding with us, I’m positive you’ll have inspired a whole host of brides to be.  And a massive thank you too to the lovely Amy Shore Photography for the truly captivating images. Brides, if you want to see more work by Amy on our blog, explore this gorgeous Cornwall wedding and for oodles more winter wedding inspo, look no further than here.

Happy Monday,

Em x