An Essense of Australia Dress for an Elegant + Festive Christmas Wedding

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Lovelies, are any of you planning a festive celebration for your special day? If so, stick with me as I’ve got the most beautiful wedding for you which marries a wintry colour palette of blush, cream, green and silver with a few, elegant Christmassy touches.

Oh, and if smiles get prizes then I think that the lovely Sophie and Matt might just win. Primary school teacher Sophie and civil servant Matt chose 22 December 2018 for their wedding, which was held at Mary Harris Memorial Chapel of the Holy Trinity and Reed Hall, both on Exeter University campus where they first met.

Film Foster Filming




It’s so lovely to hear that Sophie found both Love My Dress and our private Facebook group (which you can join here) a source of ideas and support throughout her engagement.

“I visited Love My Dress often for inspiration. I liked the range of weddings published and heeded the advice of brides. I was added to the Facebook group by a friend and really appreciated posts from others who were going through the same Wedmin decisions and dramas. We sourced our confetti from Dollz Confetti after reading all the group’s reviews.”

Photography Freckle Photography

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“I’m a big fan of Christmas. I love the twinkly lights, Christmas trees, delicious food, carol singing and spending time with family; a Christmas wedding felt like the perfect time to bring all these elements together. We wanted to stick to a wintry colour scheme and chose a palette of blush, cream and green with a hint of silver. I imagined lots of flowers, foliage and Christmas trees.”

I think Sophie’s choice of gown is perfect for the winter celebration. An Essense of Australia gown from Bride to Be in Reading, it has the most beautiful full, swishing skirt paired with an illusion bodice covered in exquisite lace, finished off with a pale blush bow.

“I wanted something elegant, probably with some lace, but apart from that I didn’t have any specific ideas. After several internet searches I stumbled across the dress from Essense of Australia and tracked down a stockist.”

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“The instant I tried it on I felt this huge smile appear on my face and knew it was the one for me. I loved the illusion lace sleeves and tulle skirt, plus it was so light and comfortable.”

“The ladies at Bride to Be were so kind and knowledgeable, especially Tatiana who did the most skilful alterations.”

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Sophie added in a gorgeously-long veil, also from Bride to Be, with a touch of festive twinkle.

“Emma from the store had a hunch that the small crystals sewn into the veil would sparkle in the winter sunlight. She was correct.”

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The bride chose to wear ivory ballet flats from ASOS but forgot to wear her dried flower crown.

“As it was a winter wedding I didn’t want anything too difficult to walk in. I liked the simple design and cute bows. I had a beautiful flower crown from Dartmoor Flowers but forgot to put it on in the evening as planned. I’ve kept it and dried it as a reminder of the day.”

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Sophie looks so fresh-faced and pretty, opting for a natural look in keeping with her day to day style.

“I’m not a big makeup wearer and set out to find somebody who could create a natural look. I found Lips & Locks online and loved their relaxed and elegant style. Grace was brilliant.”

“At the trial she listened to my vague ideas and built the makeup layer by layer, talking through the options until we had found my look. On the day her calmness infused the morning. She and her assistant Leanne did makeup and hair for me, the bridesmaids and my mum. We all loved the looks they created.”

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These floral beauties by Deborah at Dartmoor Flowers have taken my breath away.

“I always knew that flowers would be an integral part of the day. I had come across Deborah’s flowers before we got engaged and phoned her immediately after we had secured the date. We were blown away by how beautiful the flowers were and Deborah’s signature ‘just picked’ look really captured the style of the day.”

“Deborah designed the ceremony decorations so they could be used at the reception. We had long foliage garlands for the pews which were then used to decorate the tables. The two Christmas trees at the altar were moved to the dance floor in the evening. Deborah’s attention to detail was second to none. She asked about my favourite flowers (anemones) and used them in our bouquets and in the chapel’s arch. She perfectly matched the blush ribbon on the bouquets to the bridesmaids’ dresses and wove beautiful flowercrowns using wax flowers.”

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For the guests, their first glimpse of the wedding styling was this gorgeous, calligraphed stationery by Samantha at Pear Paper Co.

“We were drawn to her elegant and minimalist style. She made the process so smooth and everything was delivered really quickly. She created our orders of service, welcome sign, table plan and place cards and they were all flawless.”

“My dad picked a great wedding car from Best Day Ever, an Austin A40 called Dyllis. The bridesmaids were chauffeured by Apple Taxis.”

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In keeping with the festive theme, Matt wore a deep green tie to complement his smart grey suit from Mickey at Tailor Made London.

Matt: “Mickey was the consummate professional and an incredibly skilled tailor. I’ve always wondered what a really great fitting suit would feel like and Mickey delivered on every level. With a beer in hand we spent hours deciding on the perfect fabric, and his help guiding me through things which I had never thought about was hugely appreciated. It’s going to be next to impossible to buy a suit from anyone else.”

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“Matt wore cufflinks gifted by his Best Man from Cuffs & Co and his grandad’s watch. He, the groomsmen and our dads wore the same tie from John Henric. It took a couple of attempts to find the right shade of green but it was worth it in the end.”

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The crisp, wintry day and its clear light have been recorded so wonderfully by Emma of Freckle Photography, whose work we’ve been lucky enough to publish so many times on these pages. I love the clarity of her photographs, as well as the intimate, unexpected moments.

“We love Emma’s bright, natural photography. From the outset, her enthusiasm and professionalism shone through. Emma has this magic quality of being able to put everyone at ease and it definitely shows in her photos. On the day she was non-stop amazing, picking the most perfect light for photos, capturing all the important details and risking life and limb to capture dance floor shots. We couldn’t recommend her enough.”

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Matt and Sophie also hired a videographer, Foster Filming.

“Ben was a relatively last-minute addition to our wedding team as we had ummed and ahhed over whether to hire a videographer. In the end we are so glad we did. Ben captured the joy of our day with his trademark laid-back style.”

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I’m a big fan of the bridesmaids’ elegant, floor-length draped gowns.

“We wanted to find a very light blush colour and found the perfect shade at Maids to Measure – the Isla floaty in cream soda. They chose glittery, blush ballet flats from Marks and Spencer and wore flower crowns of wax flowers and foliage from Dartmoor Flowers.”

“Our gorgeous flowergirl’s dress was from H&M. She loved the sequinned top and ruffled skirt. She chose her own cardigan, tights and shoes from Monsoon.”

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Matt proposed in February 2017 and the couple spent just under two years planning. As former university residents of Reed Hall, they definitely knew their venue well.

“The team at Reed Hall were so helpful in the run-up and were spectacular on the day. Nothing was too much trouble, they let us drop off all our bits and pieces the day before and they set everything up beautifully.”

“Our day was managed by our best man and maid of honour, plus our bridesmaids and groomsmen, most of whom have experience in running events. We are so grateful for all their help and hard work; they had everything under control.”

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As a former singer in choirs, having one at her wedding was important to Sophie. The choice of this particular choir was so very poignant.

“I was so pleased to find that Hospiscare have a choir. They are a wonderful charity who supported my nanna during her cancer treatment and at the end of her life. I contacted Fran, their secretary, and asked if they would sing in exchange for a donation. Fran explained the choir had never done a wedding before but would love to sing at ours.”

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“We got to know them really well, joining them for a couple of rehearsals. When my grandpa also lost his battle with cancer Hospiscare were an invaluable source of support for him, my family and me. Having them to sing on the day felt like a meaningful way to remember my grandparents.”

“The choir sang Ellie Golding’s ‘How Long Will I Love You’ as I walked down the aisle, Mcfly’s ‘It’s All About You’ and ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ as we signed the register and Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ when we left the chapel as husband and wife.”

“My dad walked me down the aisle which was a special moment. The University Chaplain Reverend Hannah Alderson stepped in to lead our ceremony at quite a late stage but got to know us really quickly and gave a beautiful personalised sermon.”

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“One of my favourite Christmas traditions is singing carols. We sang ‘The First Noel’ and ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’. It was such a fun way to bring the festive spirit into the day.”

The ceremony included traditional Church of England vows and two readings.

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“We chose ‘1 Corinthians 13’; it so brilliantly captures the elements of love. It was read by a close friend of Matt. Our second reading was ‘I Will Be Here’ by Stephen Curtis Chapman. It perfectly reflected how we imagined our marriage to be and the commitment we made on the day. It was read by a school friend of mine.”

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“We chose my engagement ring together from Beaverbrooks and loved their customer service and the range they offered so we went back for our wedding rings. I chose a skinny platinum and diamond band while Matt went for a brushed palladium style.”

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“Our ceremony was a real highlight. Seeing all our favourite people in one place, Matt looking so handsome in his suit and getting to make those promises to each other was the realisation of our dream. The love and excitement in the room was palpable.”

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Some unexpected time together after the ceremony was one of the newly-weds’ favourite parts of the day. I love the peace and happiness which radiates from these images.

“The plan had been to walk from the chapel to Reed Hall altogether but in the rush to move the foliage and Christmas trees we were left behind. Matt and I walked with only our photographer and videographer for company. It was a wonderful time for the two of us to be together. Some of our favourite photos were taken on that walk.”

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The hall holds a lot of special memories for the pair so returning here for their wedding, whose styling was inspired by the bride’s love of Christmas, was a simple choice.

“Matt and I lived in the same halls during our first year but didn’t properly meet until second year. We met in a room in Reed Hall having been the only two people to turn up to a work briefing, walked home together and that was it. Celebrating the start of forever in the place where it all began was magical.”

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Reed Hall had been exquisitely dressed for a winter-time reception and the guests were treated to steaming mugs of hot chocolate on arrival.

“Our friends and family collected about 150 glass jars which we covered in glitter and filled with candles. We used them to decorate the aisle and the dining tables. Matt’s parents collected pine cones to hold place cards and we hired a selection of umbrellas and blankets from Brolly Bucket. The blankets went down a treat when we went outside for sparklers.”

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“The talented team from It’s Your Day hung drapes in the hall and provided chair covers, extra foliage and a light-up ‘Mr and Mrs’ sign. We were lucky as Reed Hall already had gorgeous Christmas trees and fairy lights in situ.”

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Reed Hall handled the catering. I was really keen to have a hot chocolate bar for guests and they pulled out all the stops to set up an amazing station. Guests could have white or milk hot chocolate (with a dash of Baileys or whiskey) plus a huge array of toppings such as marshmallows and whipped cream.”

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“Matt has a notoriously sweet tooth so we had a range of festive treats plus a small cake for cutting. Harrie from Boo To A Goose created a beautiful and delicious selection; candy cane meringues, coffee and walnut bundt cakes, mince pies, mini gingerbread houses, chocolate orange brownies and sugar cookies. Luckily my mum packed us a selection to take on honeymoon as it had all gone within ten minutes of the cake being cut!”

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As dusk fell, the party got started with a first dance to ‘The Book Of Love’ by Gavin James.

“It’s a song we both love. As neither of us are big dancers we appreciated that it clocked in at just under three minutes!”

“Our evening entertainment was provided by Supersonic Sounds. Robin kept everyone dancing until the early hours. On our invitations we asked guests to choose their favourite song. It was so much fun to watch people own the dance floor when ‘their’ song came on.”

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Words of Wedded Wisdom

“‘Share the vision’. As the bride it’s so easy to shoulder the planning alone, hold all the details in your head and be the only person who has the overview of the day. However, on the day itself it’s often not you who makes the dream a reality!”

“By communicating your vision with everyone around you (suppliers, parents, wedding party and some guests) they can all take care of the realities so you can enjoy the day.”

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Such a beautiful, festive day, thank you so much Sophie and Matt for sharing it with us. You really mastered the art of weaving subtle festive hints into your decor to create such an elegant look and, from your smiles, it looks as if you had the best day together. Emma of Freckle Photography, I have to thank you too for allowing us to publish your work again. Lovelies, for more festive weddings please take time to browse through our selection here.

Ele xx

Credits & Thanks

 

Eleanor Crossland

Eleanor Crossland View all Eleanor's articles

Ele lives in the Lincolnshire countryside, close to the beautiful coast. A qualified Pilates teacher, she loves fitness, yoga, Pilates and has a healthy addiction to baking, writing and travel.

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