A Bride in Pronovias and Maids in Pale Blue for an Elegant Winter Wedding

Is there anything nicer than a crisp and sunny winters day?  Add a wedding and I think you’ve got yourself a picture-perfect occasion- today’s beautiful winter wedding is definitely a feast for the eyes.

Meet Tom, who owns his own business and Becca, a Primary school teacher, who married on Friday 17th February 2017 at Gate Street Barn in Surrey.

“We wanted our day to reflect us and to be a relaxed day that we could both enjoy.  We added personal touches including lots of ski-themed ideas- our guest book was a pair of old wooden skis that Tom sanded and all our guests signed them.  I wanted to keep things simple in terms of the colour scheme, with lots of whites and greenery for flowers.”

Photography by Jessica Reeve

Becca looked beautiful in a gorgeous lace Pronovias gown with separate sleeved bolero.  It’s romantic and timeless and suits her perfectly.

“I tried on every style of dress imaginable at my first few appointments, but came back to this dress again and again, after trying it on in two different shops.  It just felt right.  I loved the vintage feel of the all lace and it was very flattering.  I had the straps removed and a lace bolero made to go with it as well a veil handmade by Ami from Ami Elisah Bridal.”

On her feet, Becca wore a pretty pair of pointed-toe heels from Dune while in her hair, as well as her veil, she wore fresh flowers.  Her scent was Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel (which was a present from a friend who couldn’t be at the wedding- what a lovely thought) and for jewellery she chose diamond studs from Tiffany, which were a wedding gift from Tom.

The bridesmaids looked wintery and lovely in the Alara dress in ‘bluebird’ by TH&TH.

“These dresses were one of the best finds of the wedding. I found the TH&TH ladies on Instagram and fell in love with their dresses.  They hadn’t launched when I was looking so they came to our house to let my bridesmaids try on a range of dresses- they couldn’t have been more helpful.  All the girls looked stunning and had so many compliments throughout the day.  I wanted to wear one myself!”

Not to be outdone by Becca’s baking skills (check out the cake further down in this feature), Tom designed all the stationery for the day, incorporating the ski theme into everything and keeping the colour scheme simple using white and greys.   The table place names were all places the couple have skied together over the years.

Hair was by Poppy Newman, while make up was the work of Abbi Owen.

The beautifully classic flowers were the work of Bridal Flowers Direct, who were a recommendation from another bride who had married at the same venue.

“The florist was delightful to deal with and totally ‘saw’ what I wanted- lots of greenery – eucalyptus, baby’s breath, ivy and then cream roses and flowers.  She made the venue look even better than I had hoped.”

“Gate Street Barn was the only venue that we went to look at. When we went to visit, we fell in love with the whole setting and it seemed every question we asked or things we wanted, they were able to do (including allowing our dog Teddy to join us for our day). We liked that we had exclusive use of the venue and that there was a beautiful farmhouse on site for us to stay in. It was lovely the morning after our wedding to wake up and have lots of family and friends staying in onsite accommodation so we could all have a freshly cooked breakfast together.  It was the little touches that made it perfect for us.”

I absolutely love Becca and Tom’s proposal story- its so lovely, even if things didn’t quite go one hundred percent to plan.

“We met when I joined their group ski-trip in France and we got engaged in December 2015.  Tom had enlisted some friends to help him candle light our usual path for walking.  Out we went on what I thought was a normal late night dog walk and found the path all lit up with candles- this totally freaked the dog out and Tom ended up having to pick him up.  By the lake (and at this point it was raining) he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.”

The two little page boys looked very cute in Gap shirts, paired with Next jeans and Converse, while Tom and his groomsmen looked very smart and perfectly attired for winter in a grey woollen tweed suit from Next, paired with bike chain cufflinks, as he and most of his groomsmen are keen cyclists.

“My dad passed away a few years ago and not having him there to accompany me down the aisle was my biggest worry about the day.  What I would have given to have him there by my side.  I changed my mind many times about walking down the aisle and in the end I walked down on my own to ‘One day like this’ by Elbow, played by the Manor House Music String Duo.”

Becca and Tom chose two readings.  Becca’s sister read an excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louie de Bernieres, while her uncle read a poem called ‘I will be here’ by Stephen Curtis Chapman.  The last verse, which is my favourite, goes as follows:

We’ll be together and I will be here.
I will be true to the promises I’ve made,
To you and to the ones who gave you to me.
I will be here.

“I chose the first reading, as it was a favourite book of my dads.  The second was simply something we liked – the words felt right for us.”

The talent behind today’s lens was Jessica Reeve, a Lancashire based wedding and fine art photographer who also happens to be a friend of the bride.

“Jess was more than I could ever have asked for.  I met her on my second ski season and we ended up living together.  She is a really lovely person and I knew I wanted her to take our pictures as soon as we started planning.  Everything was very relaxed which was just what we wanted and the pictures are perfect.”

“We met Naomi from Rustic Blush Vintage hire a few weeks before the wedding and she provided a few last minute items to help finish off the venue – lots of tiny fairy lights, a blackboard that we decorated with flowers and used as a welcome, along with some vintage boxes and cases, to blankets for around the fire pit and cards.”

Catering was the work of Tandem Catering, who came recommended by the venue.  Becca tells us that the food was amazing and that everyone loved the ‘carve at the table’ option they chose. Favours were giant marshmallows for guests to toast on the fire pit outside- I love a toasted marshmallow so I would have been thrilled with this.

“I always wanted to make my own cake and I went for a semi-naked cake decorated with fresh flowers and eucalyptus.  The bottom tier was a classic Victoria sponge and the top tier was lemon drizzle.  I had planned to make it in advance but was ill the week before the wedding so it ended up being made in a bit of a hurry the day before.”

“The weather on the day turned out better than we ever could have asked for and you wouldn’t have thought it was February- the sun was out and our guests got to be outside.  Walking back down the aisle as husband and wife is a feeling that is pretty hard to beat.  Seeing all our family and friends together, the little quiet moments where we escaped just the two of us- the whole day was simply perfect.”

Evening entertainment came in the form of the Rollercoaster Band, who kept he dance floor full the whole evening.  Judging from the photos, a fabulous time was had by all.  The newlyweds had their first dance to ‘You look wonderful tonight’ by Eric Clapton, played live by the band.

“This was a track we listened to on the way back from a venue visit and Tom felt it described me!  It fitted perfectly.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Enjoy everything!  It will go past so quickly so make sure you enjoy it. Don’t worry about what anyone else wants or says – and don’t stress over little bits.  There were things I wanted to make or do and never got round to, no one missed them (and I didn’t stress out over them not being there) so just make the most of it.  Also make sure you take a moment or two just the two of you on the day.”

Huge thanks to Becca and Tom.  Has this beautiful day made you think about marrying in winter too?  Take a look here for some really stunning winter weddings we have had the pleasure of featuring in the past- I know summer is the most popular season, but I love a winter wedding (and spring, summer and autumn for that matter, but…) so its worth considering.  Think candles, warm mulled wine, possible frost or even snow on the ground, maybe a cloak?  So many possibilities.

Much love,

S x