#45 Always Look On The Bright Side

October 2, 2024 Jessica Seaman

Our Brides – Jade

“I knew I didn’t want a traditional dress. I toyed with the idea of separates or a jumpsuit but felt I’d regret not having a dress. I actually saw Nola by Charlie Brear on Jess’ instagram and immediately messaged to book an appointment”

THE LOW-DOWN

How would you sum up the style of your wedding?

Laid back, festival style party!

Where did you tie the knot?

We did our legal ceremony at Bridgford Hall in West Bridgford, Nottingham with just our witnesses. Our actual wedding day was at Warren Farmhouse in Forest Town, Mansfield.

And what was your wedding dress?

Nyika by Charlie Brear

THE LEAD UP

How did you two first meet?

We briefly met at a gig that Tim was playing. The guitarist in the band, Sam, was marrying my friend Leah and so they set us up to be sat near each other at their wedding.

What about the proposal? When, and how?

We were on holiday in Cornwall. We’d had a gorgeous day walking and eating some lovely seafood, went back to our campsite where Tim suggested a BBQ, swim and mojitos on the beach. After a swim in the sea, with a mojito in our hands Tim popped the question on the beach as the sun was starting to set!

THE DRESS

Did you have an idea of what you wanted when you first started looking for your wedding dress? And did you stick to it?

I knew I didn’t want a traditional dress. I toyed with the idea of separates or a jumpsuit but felt I’d regret not having a dress. I actually saw Nola by Charlie Brear on Jess’ instagram and immediately messaged to book an appointment – unfortunately due to Covid my appointment kept getting postponed but I still had this dress in mind!

I actually went to another bridal shop two days before my appointment at Alexandra Anne and tried some other styles and thought I’d changed my mind, but as I’d been going on about Nola for so long Jess suggested I did still try it on – however she didn’t have a Nola in stock so I tried on Nyika with a skirt over to get the idea... but actually preferred Nyika on her own and immediately knew this was the one for me!

How did you find the whole experience of searching for the right dress?

Daunting to start with – there are so many gorgeous dresses out there and they all look huge on the hangers! It’s hard to know where to start but once I started trying on different styles it became easier!

What was it about your dress that made it ‘the one’?

I loved that it was different to anything else I’d seen – relaxed and romantic. I just adored it!

How did you feel once you’d made the big decision?

I didn’t want to take it off! Jess let me stay in it while she did the paper work so I really got a good feel of how it would be on the day!

Do you have any top tips for other brides out there shopping for their bridal gown?

Don’t panic, try on lots of styles and if there’s a dress you keep looking at then definitely try it on, even if you think you’ve changed your mind.

THE BIG DAY

Tell us more about your outfit on the day. How did you complete your look?

I switched out the belt that came with the dress and had a pearl/sequin belt, as picked out by Jess. I wore a dried orange/peach flower crown in my hair and had blue shoes. My mum lent me some pearl drop earrings as my ‘something borrowed’ and Tim bought me a pearl bracelet as a wedding gift (he didn’t know my belt had pearls or I had pearl earrings, so good work on his part!)

And your bridesmaids?

I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable so let them all pick their own dresses. They were all from ASOS Design and were sage green. They also wore gypsophilia in their hair and I asked them to wear whatever shoes they felt comfy in. I bought the older bridesmaids some small silver earrings to wear, and a silver bracelet for Tim’s younger sister.

What do you remember about the morning?

I woke up at 5.10 and couldn’t get back to sleep! It was so relaxed getting ready, everyone was chilled and we had good music playing, a few glasses of fizz and some nice breakfast to start the day… then all of a sudden it was almost time to go and a bit of a last minute rush to get into dresses and get off to the venue! I travelled to the venue with just my Dad and we chatted about all sorts of non-wedding things, including car services and MOTs!

Who did your hair and makeup?

Hair – Harriet Harvey

Make Up – Paige Bowmer at Zoo

Who took your wedding photos?

The Crowthers Photography and Film

Did you follow any traditions? Or was there anything unusual about the ceremony?

We didn’t really want a traditional wedding, and so there wasn’t much we stuck to! Our outdoor, humanist ceremony was led by the lovely Trudi Maloney and was so personal to us; we had so many lovely comments about it saying it was the best ceremony some of our guests had ever seen!

How did your dress feel when you were walking down the aisle?

Amazing! It flowed beautifully and was so comfy and perfect for the time of year, the sleeves gave me a bit of coverage when the wind blew.

THE MEMORIES

What are your favourite memories of your wedding day?

So many! We’d really imagined this relaxed day, and after a few minutes to ourselves after our ceremony we walked over to our reception marquee and saw all our guests mingling, some sat on the grass with a glass of fizz, some with their shoes off already, and all chatting on a beautiful sunny day… it was everything we wished for.

Another favourite for me is when my dad got everyone singing ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ in his speech, and also to complete the festival feel, we had an ‘open mic’ section in the evening where many of our musical friends got up and performed for everyone. So fun!

What gave you the biggest laugh?

Having to climb over a stile in my wedding dress and heels after our couples portraits, Tim forgetting what to say in our vows and repeating himself, and finally when my nephew George gave a big cheer midway through the speeches and got everyone to join in!

What got the tears flowing?

I cried when we came down the drive in the car, pretty much the whole way through my vows, and when Tim gave a toast to my Grandma who passed away in early 2021.

I also absolutely sobbed the next day when I had to pack my beautiful dress away!