A Backless Watters Wedding Dress and Pretty Pink Peonies

It’s hard to believe that November is here next week! Winter is well on its way but today it’s an unseasonable 22 degrees. I hope that you all get chance to get outside and soak up as much of this beautiful, vitamin D-giving sunshine as much as possible. I have a long walk followed by a cup of tea, planned with a friend before I teach Pilates this evening. Bliss!

Let’s rewind a few months to July this year and meet Jess and Dave. Both Primary School teachers, Jessica and David Edwards met on their Nottingham City SCITT teacher training course back in September 2012 and started to date the following Easter. They married on 29 July 2017 in a civil ceremony at the beautiful Bridgford Hall, West Bridgford and celebrated with a reception at The Embankment, Nottingham. Beautiful tones of blush pink and navy blue, inspired by the sapphires in Jess’s engagement ring and her love of peonies, ran through the day and came together in the beautiful florals.

Having been to a number of weddings for friends and family, Jess had a clear idea about the look she was aiming for. She took her favourite ideas from these weddings and added her own twist. The stunning flowers which Jess and her bridesmaids carry, wear in their hair and which also adorn the tables, are the work of Floraldeco.

Photography Helen King Photography

This elegant, figure-hugging gown with its intricate lacy bodice and cut-out back is ‘Lenora’ by Watters Twoo.

“I wanted a dress that didn’t have a big skirt or train. It ticked all the boxes and I was in love with the detail in the lace. I just felt amazing wearing it. Finding it wasn’t easy, but I was drawn back to Carla’s Brides because she was really genuine and cared about the dress picking experience. My dress wasn’t in the first time we visited but I saw it on her Instagram feed when it arrived and wanted to try it on.”“Our florist Rebecca of Floraldeco created the flowers for my sister’s wedding. She is a very talented designer and we completely trusted her knowledge and creative eye. Our only requests were thistles because we just love them and we wanted the blue to be a theme; peonies because they were the first flowers Dave gave me handpicked from his garden and sweetpeas because that is what my dad used to call me (he passed away when I was eighteen).”

“We knew it was a big ask asking for peonies at the end of July so we weren’t sure if Rebecca could source any. When she showed me my bouquet on the wedding day I was amazed. I had two huge open peonies exactly like the ones Dave had given me. The timing of them opening was perfect and they looked incredible. At the front was an elegant, curved sweetpea which Rebecca had grown in her own garden for me. I was so pleased.”

I love the relaxed and natural curly style of Jess’s long hair, with that divine floral headpiece by Floraldeco holding her veil in place. Jess borrowed the veil from her sister Julia. The shorter waist-length is perfect to show off the open back of the gown and create a carefree feel. The bride wore bespoke earrings made by Goldsmiths, which have such a lovely meaning behind them.

“Dave had them made from the remaining stones (diamonds and sapphires) from a ring that his great-aunt Stella had passed on to him. My engagement ring is made with these stones too.”

 

Venue choice for this bride was easy, as Dave had already booked the Registry Office and The Embankment before proposing. Jess had clear ideas about where she wished to marry and Dave definitely delivered for her.

“Last summer we spent the holidays walking along the Jurassic Coast from Weymouth to Sidmouth. On our route from Lyme Regis to Seaton, we stopped and had our Cornish pasty in a wild flower meadow, overlooking the sea. After routing around in his bag (the ring was safely hidden in the first aid box), he got down on one knee and proposed. It was perfect. After he pulled some champagne out of his bag. It was then he told me it was already booked for the following year.”

“As a child I would visit Bridgford Park with my family and friends and watch the brides come out of Bridgford Hall in their wedding dresses. I loved that they were having an extraordinary day and I was having an ordinary day, playing in the park. When I heard they were renovating the hall last year, I knew I wanted to be one of those brides.”

“The Embankment is a recently refurbished and restored venue. It’s the original Jesse Boot (Boots the Chemist) office and dispensary. We had visited the pub a few times as Dave is a huge Castle Rock and Real Ale fan. It’s beautifully decorated and has all the original features.  I had never been upstairs to see The Lord Trent Room until after he had proposed.”

Dave’s crisp navy blue suit, worn with a discreet blue tie, was found at Hugo Boss. His buttonhole – combining thistle and rose – adds a lovely pop of freshness. Jess walked down the aisle with her mum, to Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’, chosen by her mum.

“We’re very close and she means the world to me. I was just in a state of complete and utter happiness. I was so excited to see Dave.”

For readings Jess and Dave chose ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare and ‘Wild Awake’ by Hilary T. Smith.

“We had recently visited Stratford and enjoyed listening to a performer recite it at Shakespeare’s home. And ‘Wild Awake’ sums up real relationships. It’s beautifully written and the use of metaphors to modern-day life is cleverly used.”

Wild Awake, Hilary T. Smith

People are like cities: we all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between sidewalk cracks, but most of the time all we let each other see is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square. Love lets you find those hidden places in another person, even the ones they didn’t know were there, even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves.

After the ceremony, the guests travelled in a wonderful red London Bus to The Embankment. Its venue room – The Lord Trent Room – is light and airy and not what you would expect from a pub at all.

“I wanted a venue with character and charm within a short distance of West Bridgford. Dave wanted somewhere that served a good selection of beers and we knew we wanted to make the most of having the summer holidays off together to go on holiday/ honeymoon which meant keeping wedding costs down.”

The couple chose photographer Helen King to capture their special day. Jess cleverly chose suppliers she knew about and loved because of her sister’s wedding.

“Helen is an incredibly talented and artistic photographer. She managed to take two slightly awkward people in front of a lens and create photographs we will treasure for a lifetime. I was amazed at how a simple setting can be captured in a way that provokes different emotions.”

“She had photographed my sister’s wedding and, though she was working tirelessly all day, it was like she was a guest. She takes a genuine interest in your story and truly loves what she does. I am recommending her to all my newly engaged friends!”

  

The couple let the room’s beauty and elegance sing, adding just posies of flowers and lots of foliage and highlighting its Boots history too.

“Dave’s uncle Nick has a collection of glasses bottles which he dug up from various sites over Nottingham. Some are medicine and beer bottles that we thought would link well with the venue as it was Jesse Boot’s dispensary and is now a Castle Rock pub.”

Wedding favours were scratch cards and a donation to Cancer Research.

“We gave everyone a scratch card as it’s an Edwards tradition to put one in birthday, Christmas and other occasion cards. We made a donation to Cancer Research as Dave recently lost his grandmother to cancer and his mum recently battled it too. I also lost two of my grandparents to cancer.”

The elegant gold calligraphy place names were written by Jess’s bridesmaid Kathleen, whilst a family friend made this magnificent tiered naked cake.

“Pinterest was my life when I first got engaged. I spent hours scrolling through the wedding pins looking at different styles and themes. I loved the look of the naked cakes and my mum’s friend, Teresa, made it for us. It was delicious and the sponge was perfectly moist and spongy.”

Before dancing the night away to live music by Phil Rostance and the Marshall Band, the newlyweds and their guests had a feast of proper pub grub cooked by the venue.

“Phil Rostance and Ben Marshall went to school with Dave and all his mates. They were absolutely brilliant and I spent most of my evening on the dancefloor. They created a buzz and everyone I’ve spoken to have commented on how much they enjoyed the music and the band. My uncle Ed belted out the end of Delilah and we performed a bunny hopping conga to Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’.”

The couples first dance was similarly fun, with the guests getting up to join them on the dance floor to ‘Out of the Woods’ by Foals.

“It’s a band we both like and we wanted something to bop along to. We were nervous about dancing in front of everyone so we pulled everyone onto the dance floor by the chorus.”

 

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Book a band. To get everyone on the dance-floor and create the party atmosphere you need great music and people who are entertainers. Dancing the night away with all your friends and family is the way to top off the best day of your life!”

Jess and Dave, thank you so much for sharing your summer celebration with us. I hope you had a fantastic honeymoon together in the USA and Antigua and wishing you a very happy half-term too. It’s been a delight to share these light-filled, relaxed images by Helen King – so thank you for allowing us to publish them today.

Have a lovely day everyone

Ele xx