A Floral Needle & Thread Dress for a Romantic + Multicultural Summer Wedding at Hedsor House

Although I sadly don’t have a garden of my own, I can’t tell you how much I’ve been enjoying strolling around my neighbourhood and local park recently, taking in all of the wonderful flowers just bursting into life at this time of the year.

Today’s dreamily romantic wedding celebration is a showstopper, and a must-see for any flower lover, because it’s filled with them, setting off the elegant country house venue to perfection. This is the wedding of Mr and Mrs Rahulan – Abbey and Rahul, who were married on the 15 June at the magnificent Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire.

Images by Olivia Marocco Photography

“We wanted a romantic, rustic feel, but we were really inspired by the venue, and worked with it to reflect our style, and the season. We had 142 guests, which was an intimate affair in comparison to our traditional ceremony of 750! We decided not to have a wedding planner as we are both very hands on and wanted to manage every detail of the event.”

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We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the beauty, creativity and affordable luxury of British label Needle & Thread here over the past few months, and so it’s wonderful to see one of their magical designs being worn by lovely Abbey. This one is a confection of tiered pink tulle with floral embroidery and embellishment.

“I wanted a dress that wasn’t too extravagant, and to have a floaty, boho yet elegant feel to it. I found a fluttery pink Needle & Thread dress with floral embroidery, which made me feel like a modern day Cinderella.”

“We began our search by narrowing down a list of our top 10 venues and took a whole week off work to visit them all. We attended the wedding showcase at Hedsor House, and we realised that there was no comparison. It was perfect for us; grand but intimate. From the scenic drive up to the house to the beautiful rooms we could explore, there were so many details we just fell in love with. ”

Abbey wore pale pink platform sandals from Dune London, a simple and elegant bangle, and hoop earrings (sadly no details about these), and fresh gypsophila in her hair.

I love the wonderful colour palette chosen for Abbey’s incredible bouquet, from the pale and creamy peonies to the pink and mauve roses, and delicate branches of waxflower blooms. It was created for her by Seventh Heaven Floral Design & Event Decor.

“We wanted an elegant, rustic feel that would marry perfectly with our venue. A mix of wild flowers and foliage, with soft pastel shades and a touch of burgundy.”

Ahead of the ceremony, Abbey and Rahul took some time together to enjoy a first look, with the charming gardens and exterior of Hedsor House serving as a beautiful backdrop.

Rahul was keen to choose a suit that would complement Abbey’s dress, and chose a handsome Paul Smith suit with a subtle tartan check, which he wore with a classic white shirt and pastel pink tie.

“It was during a surprise trip to Venice to celebrate my birthday and our 1 year anniversary that Rahul got down on one knee in a gondola, in front of the beautiful Basilica di Santo Maria Della Salute on the grand canal. We were married one year and three months later.”

Abbey was accompanied down the aisle by her dad, choosing Lia Ices’ song, Little Marriage, as their entrance music.

“We first met after we were set up on a date! After our first meeting, we were inseparable, and would try to fit a moment to see each other every day. Six months later, we decided to live together and then a year later we were engaged.”

The couple exchanged their vows underneath a spectacular floral arch decorated with all kinds of lovely blooms – roses, hydrangea flowers and bright crimson peonies, and fragrant eucalyptus alongside lots of other greenery. I particularly love the delicate, wispy, trailing fronds of asparagus fern.

During the ceremony, Abbey and Rahul gave rings to one another, too, which they both chose at Tiffany & Co.

The bridesmaids looked wonderful in matching pink chiffon and lace tea dresses from ASOS, worn with their own choice of shoes, gypsophila in their hair, and carrying pretty posies of flowers by Seventh Heaven Floral Design.

I’m always delighted when we get the chance to showcase the work of a photographer for the first time on Love My Dress, and today’s elegant, light-filled images come to us courtesy of Olivia Marocco Photography, supported by second shooter, Christophe Serrano.

“We met Olivia at the Brides: The Show, in London, and simply fell in love with her work and her style. We loved the fact that she is French, which added a little ‘Je ne sais quoi’ to our wedding photos. She was a pleasure to have during our special day. Professional, discreet, friendly, and she guided us throughout the day, which was amazing.”

“We had Murdo Mitchell perform for our drinks reception. We found him busking in Leicester Square during one of our weekend strolls. We stopped and watched him with awe, his beautiful tone of voice and charisma made us realise that he had play a part in our wedding! We are both definitely convinced he’s going to be famous one day.”

During the drinks reception, Abbey and Rahul both changed outfits – and don’t they both look sensational? Abbey travelled to India to find the perfect reception outfit – an exquisite ivory saree, embroidered with brightly coloured flowers in keeping with the joyful floral theme, by designer Sabyasachi.

Rahul’s super smart navy blue polka dot suit came from Paul Smith, which he wore with a funky print bow tie, chosen on the same day as his ceremony suit.

The warm-hued wooden panelled dining room at Hesdor, with its lovely full length windows, was decorated beautifully for Abbey and Rahul’s wedding breakfast. The incredible floral arch served double duty, moving over to take centre stage behind the top table.

Dining tables were filled with flowers, as well as rustic logs, mosses and succulents dotted between candles, and colourful stationery from Menaka Card.

The grand main staircase was partially covered in another magnificent display of abundant summer flowers and foliage, which also spilled and trailed over the nearby table where a showstopping four-tiered pink ombre cake by Cutter & Squidge stood.

After delicious drinks and canapes, Abbey, Rahul and their loved ones sat down to a wedding breakfast feast by event caterers, Payal.

“For the evening dancing, we chose to have a DJ combined with live percussion and saxophone, from Ear Candy. It was a joy to have such interactive musicians, who came into the crowd and joined in the fun. Our first dance together was to Ben Howard – Only Love.”

“We couldn’t choose a favourite part, as the whole day was just amazing.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Make sure you look around enough so you know you’ve made the right choices.”

“Visit wedding shows and use apps such as Bridebook to keep on top of what you need to do, and make sure you are keeping with your budget. Give yourselves enough time.”

Abbey and Rahul, many congratulations to you, and a huge thanks for giving us this wonderful glimpse into your lovely day. Thanks also go to photographers Olivia Marocco and Christophe Serrano for their truly lovely images.

If you’d like to see more magical designs by Needle & Thread gracing our pages, then do take a look right here.

Until next time!

With love,

Laura