Jessica wear Essense of Australia and a Pearl Veil

Tell us about the proposal…
The proposal was totally unexpected. On the edge off a cliff on Burgh Island, south Devon. I was taking a photo of the sea, Billy said “Jess” I turned around and he was on one knee. I will never forget his smiley little face looking up at me as he said, “Will you marry me”. I found out later that he had planed a champagne picnic on the beach but had to revert to plan B as there was a downpour of biblical proportions. The rain was so intense all we could do was laugh, a lot. We had a pint of ale and shared a packet of crisps in the Pilchard inn on Burgh island instead. Once the rain cleared up, he suggested we explore the island. I couldn’t understand why he was so keen for me to (unwillingly) scale down a slippery cliff face. Turns out he thought that was a beautiful spot for a proposal. Never have downpours and pints of ale been so romantic.

Where did you get married and how did you pick the venue?
We got married at the beautiful and atmospheric Stone Barn in Upper Windrush near Burford. We both new that we wanted a laid-back vibe for the day and that there needed to be lots of candles. Stone barn was only the
second venue we viewed and we both knew instantly that it was ‘the one’. How could you not fall head over heels in love with the place! The carpet of twinkly lights covering the ceiling, the open BBQ kitchen and masses of
candles nestled in the nooks of the old stone walls. The whole team, in particular Clayton who looked after us were superb and couldn’t do enough for us, throughout the entire planning process and on the day itself.

How did you find our Boutique?
I heard Madi on the Rock My Wedding podcast. I had heard horror stories of peoples experiences and Madi came across so well, I thought, I trust her! Madi also said something that really struck a chord with me when
she suggested brides come alone. That isn’t the status quo but I knew deep down I wanted to do that first appointment by myself to get my head straight and Madi made me realise that was ok. Els, who looked after
me, made me feel an instant sense of calm and I knew I’d find my dress that very day.

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What made you decide your dress was the one & what did you love most about it?
I went in looking for something quite figure hugging and lacy and very quickly realised that wasn’t what I wanted at all. Els pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to try on a whole range of different styles. Then it clicked when I tried on a classic dress with a contemporary twist, from Essence of Australia. It fitted perfectly with a nipped in waist, ballgown skirt and beautiful buttons down the back. It felt timeless and I fell in love instantly.

How did you accessorise
I always knew I wanted a veil, and I had the exact one in my head, I just couldn’t find it. Madi and the team understood exactly what I was after and had it made for me. It was without doubt my favourite part of my outfit. It
was a cathedral veil with blusher face covering and the entire thing was covered in tiny pearls. I then found the perfect pair of contemporary heels from &OtherStories with pearl detailing to match. My jewellery was designed and handmade by the wonderful Tara Osbourne who created the most beautiful pieces in harmony with the contemporary, pearl brief.

Did you have Bridesmaids?
You could say I had a whole troop! It was important to me that I was surrounded by my favourite people on the morning. My mum, sisters, best friends, and nieces. I wanted everyone to be comfortable and so I let them
choose their own outfits. My only requisite was that we keep to a neutral palette. They all did a wonderful job choosing with a mixture of long dresses from Ghost, ASOS and Maids to Measure. Our flower girl Cora was in a dress made by her very talented Nanny and my two nieces went for contemporary two pieces with ballet shoes.

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What did your groom wear?
Billy wore a gorgeous navy, tweed three piece from The Vintage Suit Hire Company. He had the option to purchase his which was great and hire the same suit but in grey tweed for his Groomsman. Billy accessorised
with a crisp white Ralph Lauren shirt, navy textured tie and brown Chelsea boots from Church’s.

We both LOVE a party and so we knew one day wouldn’t be enough, we wanted to party all weekend with our nearest and dearest. We planned a welcome dinner with our bridal party and families at the Curious Wine Cellar in Northleach with Tacos provided by street food masters Phatboys and we had just a little too much fun. Nothing a delicious breakfast at the Wheatsheaf in Northleach couldn’t fix which, is where the girls and I stayed and got ready for the big day.

Stone Barn is a rustic venue with a contemporary twist and needs very little styling as it has so many beautiful features. We wanted to compliment not detract from that with eucalyptus, lots of candles and simplistic black and
white stationary. The ceremony was beautiful with a big open fire and candles everywhere, just as I imagined, my favourite moment. It felt like just the two of us in the room and finally all the months of planning had paid off.

Music, dancing, and food are so important to us and so they were our main focus. Food is no worry at Stonebarn. The huge open BBQ fires delivered delicious dishes of sirloin steak bricks with frites, bearnaise sauce and
watercress salad. Our band SFX – a high energy band with rap vocals – and late-night Gin ’N’ Juice bar kept everyone going until the early hours.

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We spent our wedding night at the New Inn, Coln St Aldwyns and invited all our guests to join us the next morning (afternoon) for bloody marys and to share stories from the day before. The New Inn were really accommodating and served food all day for our guests to eat when they were hungry. Andrew James played an incredible set, and we danced the rest of the night away drinking mescal margaritas!.

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Suppliers below:
Wedding dress & veil – https://www.thebridalboutiquewarwickshire.co.uk/
Bridal shoes – https://www.stories.com/en_gbp/index.html
Bridal Jewellery – https://www.shoptaraosbornejewellery.co.uk/
Grooms Suit – https://www.vintagesuithire.co.uk/
Grooms shoes – https://www.church-footwear.com/gb/en.html
Rings – https://tustains.co.uk/
Stonebarn – https://crippsandco.com/stone-barn
Curious Wine Cellar – https://curiousaboutwine.com/
Phatboys – https://www.facebook.com/Phatboysstreetfood/
Wheatsheaf – https://www.cotswoldswheatsheaf.com/
New Inn – https://www.thenewinncoln.co.uk/
Hair – https://www.facebook.com/aliceoliviahair/
Makeup – https://www.facebook.com/makeupbylucycook/
Wedding cake – our beautiful friend Anna
Photographer – Jamie Dodd https://www.jamiedoddphotography.co.uk/
Videographer – Ryan Yapp https://rolling-film.com/
Stationary – Retropress https://www.retropress.org/
Table plan – Wedfest https://www.wedfest.co/
Florist – Go Wild Flowers http://www.gowildflowers.com/
Band – SFX https://www.wedding-bands.co.uk/acts/sfx
Musician – Andrew James https://www.andrewjamesmusic.co.uk/