An Essense of Australia Gown for a Charming and Handcrafted English Country Wedding

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I do so love the beautiful array of brides we feature on our beloved blog. Before I started writing for Love My Dress, and even now as I contribute to its pages and read about the glorious weddings described by my fellow writers, the thing that strikes me most is how much I want to be friends with the incredible ladies we feature. And Mrs Isabel Zarth is no exception.

The amazingly talented Isabel, an illustrator and designer of wedding stationery, wed her equally arty husband Caleb, a sunglasses and graphic designer, on 11th June this year at her parent’s countryside home. And to throw just a little more wonderful creativity into the mix, Faye Cornhill Photography, who happens to be one of our wonderful Little Book for Brides members, is responsible for the sublime images you see before you.

“I was inspired by the countryside around our home for colour.  I have always loved bees so I incorporated that into the designs of the order of service and invitations. For the flowers I picked roses to represent England and eucalyptus to represent Australia (where Caleb is from). I thought subtle pale pinks would go with the grey-green eucalyptus. I wanted everything to feel and look personal to us and be and where possible, handmade by us.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

These images so vividly portray a sense of delicate movement in Isabel’s lace Essense of Australia gown. My heart just about stopped when I first set eyes on those intricate eyelash lace sleeves, even more stunning against the soft folds of the veil made by the bride’s mother and her friend Jacqueline.“I bought my dress from Confetti Bridal Centre. I wanted a lace gown that was simple and elegant and that I could have a dance in, and this was all of those. My shoes were from Boden and I wore a flower crown by my florist Naomi Joy Floral Design and my bee necklace by Alex Monroe.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Another of our fabulous Little Book for Brides suppliers is responsible for Isabel’s soft curls and radiant bridal make-up. Laura Anne is a true artist and has enhanced Isabel’s natural beauty so perfectly.

Laura is brilliant. She was great at calming me down and kept us all laughing. She made me feel beautiful and yet still like me. My mum and the bridesmaids loved her too.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

It was always going to take a truly wonderful photographer to capture the bounty of creativity created by this gorgeous couple. Faye Cornhill, who specialises in fine art and portrait photography, has created such luminous, timeless images, which sensitively capture the love between Isabel and Caleb.

Faye is so talented, we knew from the first moment she was the one. She is bubbly and fun and she made everyone feel very comfortable and relaxed; she just fitted right in. We absolutely love the photographs – they speak for themselves. I feel she perfectly captured the laughter and love we felt on the day.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Isabel and Caleb’s beautiful suite of wedding stationery, embellished with their cute bee motif, has to be one of my all time faves – and all conceptualised and created by the bride. You simply must check out Isabel’s Instagram for the fast-evolving Bel & Bee.

“I am an illustrator and make postcards and prints and had never really thought about wedding stationery. When we got engaged I thought ‘what an amazing opportunity to try something new’ and I’ve loved every minute of it. I now hope to carry on doing it for others.”

 

“I tried to capture the mood of what I wanted the day to be. I love bees so made that our theme which ran through all the stationery and even onto my Dad’s Favourbrook waistcoat, as well as the cufflinks Caleb designed and produced, which he also gave to all the ushers and both Dads.”

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“I created simple save the dates. The order of service and information cards matched these with the bee to link them. For the main invitations I hand painted a portrait of Caleb and I, (while trying not to give to much away about my dress) which we then used as the basis of the design.  I also wrote our names in calligraphy, which I kept as a theme through the day.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Transport to the church was sweetly provided by Paul Leon, a family friend. St James’ is so full of light, and its church choir can only have emphasised the atmosphere as they serenaded Isabel and her father, Christopher, down the aisle with ‘I Was Glad,’ the same processional piece played at the start of the marriage ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

The bridesmaids look simply gorgeous in their soft grey David’s Bridal dresses, with pretty gypsophila adorning their hair.

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

“Caleb and I met at university – we studied at Loughborough. Caleb asked me to marry him at my favourite spot last August; at the top of Bray Hill in Cornwall, looking out to sea. We both wore coastal fragrances from Penhaligons to remind us of Cornwall.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

The aisles were studded with pretty blooms by Naomi Joy Floral Design, maker of Isabel’s dainty flower crown, the lovely bouquets and the groomsmen’s buttonholes.

Naomi did an absolutely amazing job. She really got the vision I was going for and it all looked absolutely beautiful.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Isabel’s wedding ring was made bespoke by Quay Proctor-Mears, a beautiful and unusual piece inspired by landscape and the sea – totally in keeping with her Cornwall proposal. Caleb chose a simple gold band from John Lewis to fit under his signet ring.

 

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Isabel and Caleb made traditional vows and chose the reading Love’s Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley for their ceremony:

The fountains mingle with the river 
And the rivers with the ocean, 
The winds of heaven mix for ever 
With a sweet emotion; 
Nothing in the world is single; 
All things by a law divine 
In one spirit meet and mingle.  
Why not I with thine? 
See the mountains kiss high heaven 
And the waves clasp one another; 
No sister-flower would be forgiven 
If it disdained its brother; 
And the sunlight clasps the earth 
And the moonbeams kiss the sea: 
What is all this sweet work worth 
If thou kiss not me?

 

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Caleb designed and produced his own cufflinks from the bee drawing that Isabel created for their invitations, such a sweet finish to his ensemble. He and the groomsmen look incredibly dapper in their matching morning suits, just as

 

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

The couple decided to hold their reception at Isabel’s family home, the billowing white marquee and snowy tablecloths positively dripping with abundant greenery and soft pink and white blooms.

“My godmother Emma Woods decorated the marquee, ladders and flower arch. She did an amazing job, we would never have been able to afford the flowers we wanted without her. I think most people would have looked at me like I was mad with all I wanted to do but she took everything on and it looked stunning.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

“I had always pictured getting married in the field at the end of the garden. Our garden fence came down and was repaired in the run up to the day, which turned out to be really good luck. I kept all these pieces of old wood and I created lots of different signs for the day.”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

We used a big piece to display our table plan. Caleb and his dad, Allan, handcrafted a beautiful bar and I got their permission, the night before the wedding, to hand paint our names on it to match our signs and wedding invitations. That was a bit nerve wracking!”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

The Great Food Company kept the day running smoothly and guests happy with  delicious food, followed up by a sugar-sweet, peony-laden cake created by La Papillon Patisserie. The subtle ombre effect of pink, gold and cream ties in beautifully with the floral décor; it’s *almost* to good to eat!

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

“Our band were The 88’s . They were fab and really set the mood! The dance floor was packed all night. They played at my cousin’s wedding and are one of the best live bands I have ever seen. They can sing anything, they’re so talented.”

“Our first dance was to ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers. It was tough to pick; we wanted something upbeat enough to dance to and to start the night on a high!”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Enjoy it – it goes so quickly. And get creative!”

Wedding stationery and illusrator Isabel of Bel & Bee wore an Essense of Australia gown for her English country wedding full of charm. Images by Faye Cornhill.

Such simple and vital words of advice from lovely Isabel! Our bride so enjoyed reading Love My Dress during her wedding planning process; finding oodles of inspiration as well as helpful information from our sister site, Little Book for Brides.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Isabel and Caleb for allowing us to share in the beauty of their gorgeously creative day, and of course our huge thanks to the star that is Faye Cornhill Photography for these simply stunning captures.

Love, Em x

Credits & Thanks

Emily Brown

Emily Brown View all Emily's articles

Emily covets all things Scandinavian and loves travelling, modern art, learning languages and living with her brand new husband and a collection of house plants as a Northerner in London

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