A Jenny Packham Gown for a Spanish Beachfront Wedding

If there is one type of gown absolutely guaranteed to send me green with envy, its a Jenny Packham.  The beading, the glamour and the amazing cut of her gowns always have me swooning.  Today’s wedding features not only a Packham bridal gown but the lucky bridesmaids got to wear her designs as well.  Let me whisk you away to Marbella and a wedding in the Spanish sunshine. Meet Liz, an estate agent,and Neil, a business owner, who married under the sun on Friday 3rd June 2016.

Liz and Neil wanted a venue that could offer both a relaxed beachside wedding and a party atmosphere for the evening and Purobeach Marbella in Laguna Village, Estapona had the best of both worlds. Liz looked beautiful in her dress and headpiece by Jenny Packham. It’s so good to see the couple booked our Little Book For Brides member, Barney Walters, to photograph their wedding too. Take a peek here for two other real weddings lovingly photographed by him. The couple also chose to have their day filmed by Leanne Perrins of Blooming Lovely Films.

“I found Barney online and loved his style of photography which is why we originally chose him, but he genuinely offers so much more than that and was the most professional person we dealt with throughout the whole planning process.  Our pre-wedding shoot was essential and made us feel at ease with Barney and with being photographed which made all the difference on the day. Barney’s advice was priceless, his service is above and beyond even down to buying the lighters for our sparkler send off.  Most importantly I can honestly say there isn’t one photograph I don’t like and too many I love. Every time I look at them I see something new; Barney helped make our special day last a lifetime.”

“I always knew it was the dress I wanted, it was the one I kept going back to and when I finally tried it on I knew it was the dress.  I felt comfortable in it and I knew that would be key to me looking and feeling good on the day.  It was way over budget but Neil never questioned it as he understood the importance of the role of the dress. I had so many complements about it so it was the right choice.”“Neil and I met through work and got engaged after seeing each other for about eighteen months.  We then bought a house and spent the next few years renovating it so the wedding was put on hold.  Seven years later we finally tied the knot.”

On her feet Liz wore a pair of Kurt Geiger heels, while for jewellery she chose a Jersey Pearl bracelet and pearl earrings from Tiffany, which she and Neil bought on their first holiday to New York.  To finish, she wore perfume by Jo Malone and her Mum’s own wedding garter.

Neil looked very smart in a Ted Baker suit, worn with shoes from Hugo Boss and a Rolex watch.  His cufflinks were from Mont Blanc and were a wedding gift from Liz.

Liz walked down the aisle with her twin brothers, one on each arm, to ‘Tenerife Sea’ by Ed Sheeran- as she said herself, perhaps the choice was a little ironic considering they were in Spain but she loved the song and chose it anyway (which is exactly as it should be).

“Some Spanish traditions were incorporated into the ceremony which was really nice and our minister was hilarious too- our guests loved him. We had to drink a local sweet Spanish wine (which tasted awful) and we had to drop coins from my hand to Neil’s and then back again to symbolise our equality.”

The couple exchanged wedding rings handmade by a friend, George, who has a workshop in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.

     

“Deseos Florist, was recommended by the wedding planner.  We wanted simple white flowers.  My bouquet was white roses and gypsophila and the button holes for Neil and the groomsmen matched these.  We opted for candles on the tables rather than flowers, as the reception would be in the evening we thought this was more fitting.”

The lovely bridesmaids also wore dresses by Jenny Packham, paired with shoes from New Look and earrings from Ted Baker, which were a gift from Liz and Neil that morning.

    

For entertainment the couple chose a saxophone player to perform during the reception drinks and along with DJ K-Miss in the evening.

 

Catering was the work of Purobeach and the beautiful cake was made by a local baker.

  

 

“We didn’t intend to have a first dance.  The plan was that after we cut the cake, the first song played would be ‘You got the Love’ by Candi Staton and everyone would join us on the dance floor.  However we ended up dancing on our own while everyone stood in a circle around us and clapped.  It made for some good photographs though.”

“It’s so hard to choose a favourite moment.  When we were having dinner with the sun setting on the beach in front of us, I took a moment to look around and take things in for a second.  I looked at all of our friends and family that had travelled so far (some for days) to share our special day with us and felt completely overwhelmed.  That moment stands out in my mind.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Don’t compromise for others, it’s your day and you will never please everyone.   Also, be ruthless with your guest list and don’t invite anyone out of duty or obligation.”

So many thanks to Liz and Neil for sharing their wonderful wedding day with us all, and thanks also of course to the man behind the photographs, Barney Walters.  Are you considering a destination wedding?  While it honestly doesn’t matter if it pours on your big day (it chucked it down for mine) it must be reassuring to be as sure as you can be that the sun will shine, so I can definitely see the attraction in getting married abroad.  Take a look here for some past destination weddings.

Much love,

S x