Our Brides – Louise

I get a lot of brides who are worrying about the great British weather wrecking their big day, which is totally understandable, especially in this part of the world. So here’s the gorgeous Louise, proving that even wedding-morning downpours don’t have to put a dampener on the celebrations!

There’s so much to love about these two and their story: meeting at sweet 16, their natural, minimalist wedding style, Louise dancing with her dad, and a certain drunken auntie’s antics during the speeches!

Congrats Louise and Chris! We do dog-sitting as well you know…

Jess x

THE LOW-DOWN

How would you sum up the style of your wedding?

A relaxed, boho garden party – full of fun and love!

Where and when did you tie the knot?

Skipbridge Country Farm, Green Hammerton near York – 8th June 2019.

And what was your wedding dress?

Graal by Rembo Styling with some tweaks (plus sleeves and minus front split) with the Rembo Luna cardigan, aka the ‘wedding cardigan of dreams’, aptly named by our photographer!

THE LEAD-UP

How did you two first meet?

When we were 16 at GAP in York Designer Outlet, but we didn’t go on our first date until we were 23! 

What about the proposal? When, where, how?

In the south of France on 8th September 2018 (9 months to the day when we got married). On a little bridge in a port village called Port Grimaud after an evening stroll. Just the two of us 😊 

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?

Yes! I tend to know what suits me and I knew I wanted something boho and not too ‘wedding-y’. I didn’t want to look like a different person on my wedding day so I knew something simple would suit me perfectly.

I also knew I really wanted a short sleeve because I find the shape suits me well. I found Rembo Styling’s dresses on Pinterest and knew that fitted with exactly what I wanted. I did try on a number of Rembo dresses as I loved them all, but the one I chose (called Graal) was the one that ticked all the boxes!

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

Pretty easy really as I knew what style I wanted. The hardest thing was finding a dress which had all the qualities I wanted. But that’s when Jess at Alexandra Anne showed me that changes could be made to make my dress perfect and unique.

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

When I knew I could make the changes, I knew it would be unique. Also the quality of the material and craftsmanship was gorgeous and I felt exactly how I wanted to feel…

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

A bit panicked by the price as I never planned on spending that amount on my wedding dress. However you can see where the price comes from due to the quality of the dress. But the dress itself I never really worried whether it was right – I loved it and I knew it was the type of thing my husband would love.

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

Try enough styles so that you can confidently say you’re satisfied with what you eventually go for and feel you’ve had the full experience.

Have fun with it and don’t panic if you don’t find it right away.

THE BIG DAY

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

I wanted the whole look to be really simple.

I wore flat little rose gold thong sandals with pearls, and I hadn’t planned on wearing any other jewellery other than my mum’s old pearl earrings. However, on the morning of the wedding my husband gave me a gift of a silver necklace and bracelet. The necklace was two linked rings with our names engraved. The bracelet was a simple chain with a round tag with my NEW initials on 😋. I loved them and they finished the outfit off perfectly.

I also had the gorgeous Rembo Styling Luna cardigan which I adored.

I had my hair in loose curls with a halo plait and flower crown. 

And your bridesmaids?

I decided not to have bridesmaids. I firstly didn’t want to create a formal look with my friends in matching outfits, but also I felt that my friends were there because they were closest to me. I didn’t feel I had to name them bridesmaids for them to know that. It felt so much more relaxed that way.

What do you remember about the morning?

Firstly feeling disappointment about the weather! It was an outdoor wedding with a tipi and I had dreams of a glorious summer party. It unfortunately rained but after my disappointment in the morning I quickly got over it and knew we’d have a fabulous day irrespective of the weather.

Other than that, it was a little stressful but funny and hectic at the same time. We had a tiny cottage with so many people clambering over each other trying to get ready. All I wanted was to see Chris again!

Who did your hair and makeup?

I had a mobile hairdresser from York called Charlotte do my hair and I eventually decided to do my own makeup, which I’m really pleased about.

I was really happy with my makeup in the end and it was very ‘me’ – quite minimalistic. I didn’t want to have too much makeup on and look back on photos and think it didn’t suit me.

Who took your wedding photos?

The amazing Sarah Beth (Sarah Beth Photography) and her partner Kurt as videographer.

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

We followed some traditions such as my dad walking me down the aisle.

We made our own playlists for each part of the day (pre-ceremony, ceremony, day and night) which made it very ‘us’.

We wrote our own vows which made it very personal, and emotional!

We had our dog at the wedding too which I think was quite different but he was an absolute star all day and makes most of our photos! When we got to the point of saying the ‘I dos’, he was howling in the audience which was hilarious!

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

I felt amazing although unfortunately I couldn’t let the train go because the ground was so wet! My Dad had to hold up my train, but when I got to the top of the aisle, I was able to swoosh it out in all its glory.

Irrespective of the weather challenges, I absolutely adored wearing the dress. Chris’s reaction was perfect and I could see him getting emotional when he saw me.

THE MEMORIES

What are your favourite memories of your wedding day?

Honestly… everything. The day couldn’t have gone better and I wish I could re-live it.

Seeing Chris at the top of the aisle and feeling completely serene when I got to him was a moment I’ll never forget. It’s true what people say about everything else fading away in that moment.

Seeing all our favourite people in the world in one place and having a great time with us was unforgettable.

What gave you the biggest laugh?

So many things! I’ll list a few…

Chris’s best man Tom’s speech was hilarious, or Chris’s aunt who was so drunk she answered the phone in the middle of Tom’s speech shouting “TAXI?!?!”. The whole room couldn’t compose themselves after that.

Seeing the state of all our guests the next morning was pretty priceless.

The heavens opening as soon as our vows starting and all guests quietly popping umbrellas, and the best man bringing the rings over and just hanging out in the rain because he didn’t want to make a fuss!

What got the tears flowing?

Between Chris and I, our vows choked us both up.

A few tears shed during the speeches (Chris stopped himself during his).

Weirdly, I set off when I had my dance with my Dad. The song we had (Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton) is sentimental to us as, when my Dad was being treated for cancer in 2008, the song came on in the car and he said if he got to make it to my wedding, he’d like to dance with me to it. It meant a lot that I was able to have that moment.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to a new bride-to-be, what would it be?

Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy every second. It is the quickest day of your life so try and take it in.

Also… a videographer is absolutely worth the money. It captures emotion and moments you just can’t remember with a photograph. I’m so glad we decided to do it.

And last but not least, where is your wedding dress now?

Somewhere being cleaned! My mum researched it while we were on honeymoon as she couldn’t bear to look at the mud stains anymore!

THE RECAP

Dress

Graal by Rembo Styling

Accessories

Luna cardigan by Rembo Styling
Dune sandals
Silver necklace and bracelet from husband on the morning
Mum’s pearl earrings

Venue

Skipbridge Country Farm, Green Hammerton, North Yorkshire

Photography

Sarah Beth Photography

Hair and makeup

Hair – Hair by Charlotte
Makeup – me!

Decor

DIY!

Tipi – Papakata

Table and aisle flowers – Grown by a local nursery (I pre-made flower pots out of twine-wrapped bean tins) and some milk churns which we had either side of the pagoda for the ceremony.

Table décor – Lots of glass candles I had collected, ivy, bunting and a lot of fairy lights! My husband also drew a map of the venue for a personalised touch. I made a table plan on an old wooden ladder and hung luggage labels for each person. I also painted a pallet with the order of service and decorated it with flowers and ivy.

Flowers

Bouquet, button-holes and flower crown by Carol Winn (Selby)

I wanted it to be very simple, so all green and white. The flowers were peonies, white roses, gypsophila and eucalyptus.

Stationery

DIY

My husband designed the invitations, table numbers and thank you cards which we had printed. I created a website for RSVPs and wedding info.

Table plan theme

In terms of guests, people who either or would get on well with each other.

In terms of the naming, we did important numbers to us: the date of our wedding, the age we were when we met, the date of our first date, the number of days we’d been together, etc.

Caterers

Nova Scotia (BBQ… best food ever!!)

Pizza Social (evening pizzas)

We also had an ice cream bike filled with ice cream and sorbets we’d bought. We also skipped the wedding cake and had a Krispy Kreme wall instead 😋

Entertainment

Matthew Stephens – Guitarist, singer and DJ

First dance song

Ben Howard – Only Love

Have you gone la-la for our Lou-Lou?