Hearing the personal stories of brides and reasons behind their wedding choices is one element of writing for Love My Dress that I absolutely love. Today I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Sarah to these pages.
As a creative consultant in the wedding industry as Sarah Shuttle Creative, her outstanding talent shines in her impeccable styling for her frosted, wintry celebration. It’s also a real joy to share the work of one of our talented Little Book wedding directory members, Catherine Blades Couture, so what are we waiting for? Engineer Andy and Sarah, a brand and web designer, and creative consultant on photoshoots in the wedding industry, wed on 4 November 2018 at Hampshire’s Froyle Park.
Their sophisticated day wove together hints of 30s glamour, a black tie dress code and magical wintry elements for a classically elegant feel. The couple were captivated by Froyle Park’s sense of glamour and, drawing on her creative talents, the bride styled and planned her own day.
I’m delighted to hear that Sarah turned to British dressmaker Catherine Blades Couture for her romantic, lacy and oh-so elegant gown which really highlights her beautiful curves.
Photography Hannah McClune Photography
Catherine Blades is a highly-valued member of our Little Book wedding directory, and we love not only her luxurious gowns but also her warm, personal approach. This dress was made to fit just four weeks before the November ceremony and what a beautiful item it is; just look at those exquisite lace sleeves.
“My dress was bespoke by Catherine Blades and it was an amazing experience. She was beyond helpful and understanding of my insecurity over my weight, had solutions to all my ‘problem’ areas and, as I was losing weight through the whole countdown, we only started the actual making of the dress four weeks before the big day!”
“I loved the way it fit me at the waist and flattered my curves. It was a perfect fit for my proportions and I felt like a princess. The skirt was a heavyweight duchess satin and it was so elegant.”
Hair stylist and make-up artist Liz Patey created the bride’s glamorous up-do and radiant make-up, as well as styling the bridesmaids. They dressed in floor-length gowns from Watters, in two different styles and two slightly different tones of blush pink for a soft, romantic feel. For warmth, they added cosy Beverley Edmondson Millinery faux fur stoles and stowed their essentials away in Katie Loxton clutch bags.
The dress was set off to perfection by the pure white veil, also by Catherine Blades Couture. In a nod to 30s styling, Sarah added an exquisite pair of Emmy London shoes with Art Deco-style beading.
Back in 2014, Andy and Sarah clicked online on Match.com and instantly fell for each other in real life.
“We had both just joined and as soon as we met on our first date we knew we could cancel our memberships. We went to an Italian restaurant at lunchtime and we laughed so much it went on for hours. We bought our own house in 2017 and a month later Andy proposed.”
“He’d had a bespoke ring made by Jason Charles Jewellery and had it hidden for two months, waiting for the right time. The ring is a three-stone ring with an emerald-cut diamond at the centre and two sapphires (my birthstone) either side. We were engaged for 15 months before we got married.”
The couple’s civil ceremony was held inside Froyle Park, in a room so elegant and beautiful it needed little other than more roses and an aisle runner from Beau Blush Events. Sarah entered on the arm of her father and walked down to meet Andy as live string quartet Quattro Strings played Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’.
“Our first was an extract from ‘The Bridge Across Forever’ by Richard Bach.”
“A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other.”
“No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.”
“The second was ‘A Blessing for a Marriage’ by James Dillet Freeman.”
Sarah and Andy each selected simple wedding bands from H. Samuel.
“We just wanted plain bands, mine platinum and his tungsten.”
The newly-weds were floating on happiness after the ceremony, and you can see their joy in these beautiful portrait shots taken outside the manor house and in its beautiful gardens with the leaves just turning.
“After the ceremony I was just ecstatic… seeing everyone I love in the same place having just married the man of my dreams.”
Sarah, and each bridesmaid, carried a bouquet of blush and cream roses interspersed with silvery green foliage and white baby’s breath, all in keeping with the overall look of elegance and magic. They, and the rest of the decor flowers, were created by florist Tarnia Williams.
“I chose all roses because they are classic – exactly the look we were going for.”
Froyle Park’s location on the Berkshire/Surrey/Hampshire border suited the couple perfectly as their families live in the area. Its historic setting was also the perfect foil for Sarah’s dream of an elegant, subtly era-inspired celebration.
“As soon as we drove in we fell in love with the beauty and quiet grandeur of the venue. I asked Andy to pick his suit out of three ideas, and he chose a Marks & Spencer tuxedo. It was a winter wedding so I wanted to bring in the classic black of the suit with a frosted, magical vibe.”
“I brought in elements with echoes of 30s glamour – not so that it was ‘themed’ but so it was sophisticated (you can’t beat that era for classic elegance!). To balance out the black I chose neutral colours with a hint of softest blush for the bridesmaids. This flowed through to the flowers.”
“To bring in the wintery feel I chose silvery foliage – eucalyptus and especially dusty miller for the frosted look. I then took that to my cake designer who recreated the flowers and foliage in sugar. We used antique silver candelabra on every other table (so a high-low variance) with taupe candles, and the place glowed with warm candle light. I also incorporated the black tie theme into the stationery by using black velvet ribbon on the menus.”
I’m in love with these fine art, light-infused photographs from the talented eye of Hannah McClune Photography.
“Hannah is an incredible photographer. Not only is she friendly, warm and experienced, she also is the best at capturing a mixture of fine detail and real emotion and moments.”
The manor’s dining hall and tables look simply splendid with their fresh flowers, sparkling glass and silverware, where the guests sat down for a wedding breakfast from White Truffle Events. The focal point of the room, though, has to be the divine dessert table, created in partnership with Hayley Elizabeth Cake Design.
“Our florist Tarnia Williams sourced the candelabra, candles and glass tealight holders and the top table Louis chairs were from Academy Furniture Hire.”
Sarah designed the elegant stationery suite herself, choosing a striking monochrome, bordered style.
“I designed them and Betty Lou Design got them printed and put them together with ribbons and wax seals.”
“Hayley of Hayley Elizabeth Cake Design is a client and friend and her cakes are unparalleled. We decided to go big and have a dessert table including three cakes, white chocolate pyramids with silver leaf, iced biscuits with the wedding date on, meringue kisses and cookie pops.”
“The cakes were classic vanilla, luscious lemon and ultimate Belgian chocolate. She created sugar flowers and foliage to match the wedding flowers and we used taupe shimmer, white sequins and various edible effects to create a frosted, stylish dessert table.”
The bride’s beaded, Deco hair comb and elegant drop earrings and necklace all came from Donna Crain and her fragrance was a combination of Jo Malone scents.
“I layered Peony & Blush Suede perfume over a body lotion of Velvet Rose & Oud. I wanted something I’d never had before so I went for a wedding appointment at Jo Malone in Windsor.”
Sphere Entertainments were on hand to play for the evening party, after a romantic first dance for Sarah and Andy.
“It was Bryan Adams and ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You)’. Second though was my husband’s choice, ‘Just The Way You Are’ by Bruno Mars, because he said it sums up exactly how he feels about me.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Plan a wedding that suits you, not necessarily what’s on trend. You’re the one who will have the wedding to look back on in twenty years’ time and if you remain true to yourself then I believe it will have a timeless quality.”
“I 100% recommend a professional videographer if you can afford it as it really does bring your day to life all over again when you watch it.”
“Don’t necessarily just go with the venue’s recommended photographers. Do your research on who suits you as everyone’s photographic style is different.”
“And finally, accept that something will probably go wrong but it won’t ruin your big day!”
Sarah and Andy, please accept my congratulations and thanks on behalf of all of us at Love My Dress for sharing your celebration here. You pulled together something so beautiful and breathtaking and it’s been a real pleasure to share it. Thank you, of course, to Hannah McClune Photography too. If this wedding has put you in the mood for more winter inspiration, please do make sure you head here to enjoy these other weddings.
Ele xx
