Sydney in Galia Lahav for her Wilderness Reserve Wedding in Suffolk, Inspired by the English Countryside

Sydney and Marcus’s September wedding at the breathtaking Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk was a day filled with love, laughter, and unforgettable moments.

Inspired by the enchanting beauty of the English countryside, their celebration perfectly captured the couple’s vision of a relaxed and elegant affair. Sydney chose a beautiful gown by Galia Lahav, discovered at Browns Bride in London. The intricate lace and whimsical wildflower appliqué complemented the natural surroundings, with a palette that echoed the charm of Suffolk’s magical rural landscape.

As the golden light of late summer bathed the reserve, guests gathered beneath a beautiful stretch tent, surrounded by colourful blooms that were reminiscent of Marcus’s childhood garden. The bride later changed into a glamorous number from Retrofête, and a super sexy pair of fishnet boots – adding a fun twist for the evening celebration.

Film by Pretty in White and photography by Emily Tyler. Enjoy!

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Bridal Beauty & Accessories

I wore a waterfall veil from Peter Langner with a bit of sparkle and blusher. My headpiece was the ‘Marlow Hair Vine‘ by Olive and Piper and I wore the Kimono shoes by Hetty Rose.

My perfume was Elie Saab, Le Parfum Essentiel. I normally don’t wear perfume, so I wanted something subtle, but also floral, fresh, and light. Something that would smell like the end of summer in a field.

Most of the jewellery I received and wore on the wedding day were gifted to me or family heirlooms.

I hired beauty specialists Boho Beauty Box and Emily Chantal.

My bridemaids wore BHLDN dresses, with matching gold cultured pearl blower bracelets from RS Pure.

The Ceremony

My dad accompanied me to the ceremony. First and foremost, it was very special that our pastor from DC agreed to come all the way out to the UK to perform our religious ceremony.

We have grown so close with our church in the US and it just wouldn’t have been the same without our pastor being there. Additionally, when I first took Marcus to my church in DC, he was really impressed with the contemporary Christian worship music throughout the service.

Worship is one of our favourite parts of church, so we wanted to incorporate the contemporary Christian style of music that we both really like. Our wedding planners found a local church that sang worship music like this and they agreed to play at our wedding ceremony, which was also very special. 

We decided to not tailor our own vows and instead wrote private letters to one another to read before the wedding ceremony. 

Our readings included Bible Verse: Song of Songs, 2:10-15 and an extract from The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.

My engagement ring and wedding band are by Lucy Jade Sylvester. I love nature, and Marcus chose this jeweller because all of her jewellery is casted from actual branches and real pieces of the natural world.  Marcus’s ring was by Alan Wood. This jeweller was recommended to me by a friend and he worked with me to create the perfect custom band that had the mountain line of the view from our cabin in Virginia on it. He was absolutely amazing to work with.

We hired pianist Paul Arnold Pianist and Fields Church worship band for ceremony.

Photography

When looking for a photographer, we wanted to find someone that had a documentary-type style who took more candid photos, especially as we had never had professional photos taken of us before.

We chose Emily Tyler because we could feel the personalities of the people through the photos she took and we loved her editorial style. 

How They Met

We met at our graduate program in Washington, D.C. He sat next to me in international development in the Arab World, and asked me on our first date after the first semester.

We were dating for about two years before he asked me to marry him while on a scenic walk in Scotland.

We were engaged for almost two years, so it was quite a long engagement, but definitely worth it because it meant planning was less stressful.

Marcus wore a custom morning suit, from Apsley Tailors in London. I got his cufflinks from a jeweller closer to where I grew up in Michigan and they were made with Petoskey stones which are only found in Michigan. The jeweller was Becky Thatcher.

Our wedding planners created a floral design based on our first chat about the wedding. I told them I wanted a colourful, country look.

They pitched a design that focused on seasonal and local blooms, that used a meadow feel to develop a laid back, romantic look. They secured our florist, Rose & Berry Flowers to create all the amazing displays and bouquets. 

Evening & Dancing

Our evening band was Uptown Showdown who we booked through Boujee Music. We also hired Fox & Braces DJ for the after party. Our first dance was to the track ‘I Just Love You’, by Roo Panes.

This has just always been a special song between us. Something we listen to on car rides, when we are cooking or hanging out at home, so it felt appropriate. 

My favourite part of the day was at the end of the night when I finally got a chance to just stop and look at my husband and let it fully sink in that we were married. It was a level of bliss that I can only equate to the most lovely dream or what I imagine heaven feels like, and I find myself playing that feeling over and over again. 

For the after party, I wanted something more fun that would move as I danced the night away. All the Retrofête dresses are so cute, so it was hard to choose, but I loved the fringy beads of the dress I ended up with and the fishnet boots were an amazing last minute addition. They were my maid of honour’s (sister’s) idea, so I think she deserves a shout out!

Words of Wedded Wisdom

The biggest piece of advice I have is to be organised and have a game plan for the ‘tear down’ after your wedding day. I don’t think a lot of couples think about what happens after their wedding (except for maybe how they are going to cure a hangover), and for us it was a big weekend full of festivities.

I’m not exaggerating when I say my stuff was everywhere. I lost my phone (of course), I had my sister in law’s shoes, there was a change of clothes and my bridal robe in my parent’s room, my actual wedding dress, shoes, and all accessories were strewn all over the room that my husband stayed in the night before… you get the picture.

It took us so long to get our stuff all sorted out and to make sure we had everything before our check out time. In short, don’t underestimate the power of a good morning after plan and just try to set yourself up for success by being organised!

Also, When exclusively hiring a luxury estate for an entire weekend, I think the idea of a ‘budget’ pretty much goes out the window!