Today’s couple, Georgie and Anthony, brought inspiration from their planned Portuguese wedding to their new, Suffolk wedding day, with gorgeous results.
On 28 August 2021, chartered surveyors Georgie and Anthony wed at Wilderness Reserve, Sibton, Suffolk. Subtly influenced by the couple’s original plans for a Portuguese wedding, the day was classically elegant with touches of Mediterranean blue and pure white. The classical, elegant vibe of the day was the perfect match for Helen Cawte’s light-infused, fine art photography. If you love her style, you can see more of her work here on Love My Dress.
Location & Venue
Wilderness Reserve was the first venue my sister sent me the day we got engaged and we absolutely loved it. The setting is so beautiful and we loved how flexible they were as a venue. They allowed us to use whatever suppliers we liked and we really were able to treat the venue like our home for the weekend.
Our original plans were to get married in Portugal so we tried to have little nods to Portugal throughout the day. Our cake was decorated with classic Portuguese tiles and we kept the Portuguese blue running through other aspects like the candles and guest book.
Bridal Beauty & Accessories
I discovered my hair and makeup artis, Sally Kvalheim, through Love My Dress.
My shoes were Loeffler Randall and my veil was also by Suzanne Neville.
I borrowed my earrings from my mum for the day. It was nice to wear something that belonged to her and I liked that they had a bit of colour in them. I also wore a bracelet that Anthony gave me on the morning of the wedding
The Look
The staff at the Suzanne Neville flagship store in Knightsbridge London were fantastic and really looked after me through what was an exceptionally busy time for them. Harriet was great at dealing with my indecision and squeezed me in for some extra appointments when I had a last-minute change of mind.
I loved the lace pattern on my dress.
Planning in a Pandemic
Our original wedding plan was sadly not possible given the restrictions on travel at the time. We postponed the wedding to June 2021 but when Portugal went back onto the red list, we decided to give up on those plans altogether. We ended up with a pretty awesome Plan C though and I’m so grateful we did!
Luckily, our wedding date ended up going ahead, almost restriction-free.
Photography
Helen Cawte is an absolute star. We first met her in Italy when she photographed my sister’s wedding. She is just exactly the kind of person you want with you on the morning of your wedding (and the rest of your day) – calm, super-friendly and very talented. She could not have been more accommodating of our constant changing plans and we are so grateful that she was able to be there to capture our wedding.
We are so happy with the many photos we have from the day.
Bridesmaids
The four bridesmaids wore flowing gowns in the palest blue from Maids To Measure – a Love My Dress recommended supplier
Note form the Editor: take a look at Maids to Measure’s latest collection recently shared on Love My Dress.
How They Met
After six months of secret dating, the office rumours were confirmed and the rest is history.
We got engaged in 2019 in Cornwall. We both had holidays in the same place as children so it was a great way to combine our childhood memories. We ended up being engaged for two years.
Videography
I came across Gorgeous Films on a wedding write-up on Love My Dress and I am so glad I did. Gary was so discreet on the day, I almost forgot he was there. He managed to get some incredibly special moments on camera and we had so much fun watching the different films back.
A few people have asked me whether it’s worth getting a videographer and I would say 100% yes, especially when you have this talented duo on your side.
Anthony chose to wear a dapper morning suit that he already owned, with a tailor-made waistcoat from Tailoring at 93 and a vivid blue tie from Reef Knots.
He had his suit tailored especially for the day to give it a new lease of life.
Reception, Decor & Detail
Our wedding breakfast from Lettice Events was served at long tables, decorated with fresh flowers and tall blue candles. I may be biased but it was the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding. They were a dream to work with. Holly and everyone at Lettice just know what to do.
I loved the idea of having an abundance of flowers. Kim of Figa & Co. knew the venue like the back of her hand so was so helpful at recommending what would have the most impact. She created an amazing floral border around the stage as well as using Wilderness’s bikes to create some stunning arrangements that we placed at the entrance. We wanted big and blowsy and she certainly delivered.
Evening and Dancing
Music for the day came from The Fabulous Hurricanes via Rattle & Shake and we took to the floor for a first dance to ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Try and enjoy the run-up as much as possible because it’s all part of it and the day itself goes so quickly.
If your budget allows, having someone there on the day that you can totally trust to bring your vision and plans to life and co-ordinate the other suppliers on the day is worth every penny – be it an on-the-day co-ordinator, a wedding planner or someone from the venue. Holly from Lettice Events was an absolute hero for us and we loved having her there.
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.
