Choosing a wedding dress was one of the most exciting parts (if not, the most exciting) in the build-up to planning a wedding. To be honest, I still can’t believe a couple like us pulled the wedding off! But I think all the help I had from my mum and sister made such a difference, and they really took the pressure off me by lending a hand to sort things out.
It’s quite unbelievable how many things go into planning a wedding, even if you have a relatively small, relaxed one like ours! We had 60 guests who were all family, opted out of a few traditions (post to come on that one I’m sure), but it was still extremely time-consuming, as you can imagine.
Anyway, lets talk about the dress…
I got my beautiful dress and veil from the Harrogate Wedding Lounge, and it was purchased for me by my sister as a gift, which was such a kind and extremely generous thing to do, and something I’ll never forget.
I tried lots of different styles of dress on, and originally wanted something the opposite of this. I wanted something relatively plain, not fussy or show-stopping, loose and simple. But as soon as I tried those types of dresses on, they didn’t feel like my wedding dress. They didn’t make me feel the way I wanted to feel.
This was the second to last dress I tried on (I think I tried 8 in total) and I just knew it was the one. I imagined our wedding day with me wearing this dress and now I can say it was a dream come true. Cheesy but it did feel like the stars had all aligned when I tried this on.
It was romantic, it was elegant, and I felt like a real life princess. Like I was ready for my happy ending.
My shoes I actually got super cheap from Amazon as you couldn’t see them, but they were just some flat shoes with a bit of sparkle on, and were really comfy to wear all day too.
I wore my sisters earrings as my something borrowed, my late Grandma’s brooch on my bag as something old, the dress shop gave me a personalised garter that had a blue heart on, and my parents got me a diamond Swarovski bracelet as something new.
I told my hairdresser I wanted loose curls and my hair to feel very natural, and I kept my makeup low key too. I was really focused on the fact that I still wanted to look like myself, just the best version of me to ever exist! Which I think I managed.
The only makeup items I bought that I didn’t already have to use were a fancy YSL lipstick in a peach shade, a makeup setting spray so it would last, and a primer.
Dan rented his suit with the majority of the male wedding party and we chose a grey with a pale pink tie to match the rest of the decor and flowers.
As you can see, it was a lovely afternoon for me and Dan to get a bit of quality time together while having some photos taken by Emily Hannah Photography. We had Ryan from Riff Raff Photography for our wedding video, we haven’t received it yet but I can’t wait until we do! They were both so amazing to work with, and gave such a relaxed, calming presence.
Tomorrow’s post is the last one of wedding week (I know right!) for the evening reception. BUT, in the next few weeks I’m planning to do a lot more wedding content giving different tips and tricks that we picked up along the way.
See you tomorrow!