Jumpsuit The Jetset Diaries
Bag Rae Feather
Shoes Castaner
Glasses c/o STATE Optical co
Bangle c/o Edge of Ember
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Affordable Wedding Dresses
Not everyone has the budget for a huge couture wedding dress, or even multiple dresses. But every bride should have her wedding dress dream experience. So I hope these options will help you find 'the' dress or another dress and still stay within budget.
A short dress
I wore a shorter dress for my religious service. I loved the idea of something shorter for one of my experiences. It felt grown up and appropriate for the service that was a huge lifelong commitment for Matthew and I.
I have found there are lots of options for shorter wedding dresses that come either from the high-street or online stores. This little one reminded me of a Valentino dress. Sadly it’s not available anymore but I have tagged some other options below instead.
The key with anything you buy off the rail for your wedding (or any big event) is to have it tailored. I find it can even be helpful to buy a size bigger to guarantee there is enough fabric for any customisations, whether that’s using some hem for a belt, or just taking it in exactly to suit your figure. Often your local dry cleaner will offer a tailoring service, it’s worth asking around who is good. Finding a tailor in your neighbourhood you can rely on is so important.
The long dress
Most girls dream of a long wedding dress. The romantic look. However, you get engaged and think it will cost a fortune to get that dream to become a reality. Now I’m not going to lie to you, there is a big gap (well more like an ocean) between the quality of a wedding dress you can buy off the rack from, say ASOS, verses a custom-made gown from a luxury designer. The cut, fabric and experience will obviously be superior at a designer. However that doesn’t always matter. Maybe this is your second or third dress, maybe the dress just isn’t what you want to spend your budget on. Whatever the reason I wanted to show you with a bit of alteration and good lighting a cheaper dress can still give a wonderfully stunning bridal effect.
This one is from ASOS, but there are great options from Needle and Thread, Three Floor, Self Portrait and Halfpenny London available now.
The suit
Suits and jumpsuits are so chic for a bridal look. I really wanted to wear a new look Dior inspired suit for a part of my wedding but I couldn’t find one. That said there are some super sleek and sexy trouser suits and jumpsuits that are more masculine but are still soft and modern. I love the idea of the Bianca Jagger bride. I wore a camisole (which is actually a dress) under the suit here, to cover my modesty a bit more, but if you’re in a tropical country or just bold, a bit of tape could keep you in but let you really reference Bianca Jagger. I love the idea of a bit of hatters net or a more modern veil with a suit.
Stella McCartney does great suits, this one is from Massimo Dutti. You can get net like this from VV Rouleaux or Peter Jones.
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The Hair
My hair was done by Avos Hair. She’s lovely and affordable. She’s based in London but travels internationally for brides so contact her for enquires.
Daylesford is an incredibly chic, organic brand, based in the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds is home to their organic farm which produces much of their stock. In the very English tradition of the farm shop, Daylesford opened their own store on site. A number of Cotswold stone estate cottages and barns were lovingly restored to house the homeware store, farm shop, restaurant, clothing store, spa and rental properties. It’s the most carefully undone and painfully tasteful collection of buildings you will find west of London.
My maid of honour, Thea, arranged for us to go (as she knows I love it for a pre-hen party) for a little day trip with some of my favourite people. We had a yoga lesson in their beautiful wooden beamed barn studio, a delicious lunch at the restaurant and then a little look around the shops, followed by lovely long walk around the farm land. It was a blissful day.
Some of my favourite Daylesford products (also found in the London stores) are their vine tomato fragrance, their glassware, wooden boards and their preserves. They also make stunning Bamford bath and body products that they use in their spa. I really love the look and smell of them, so natural and soothing. Well worth a look if you havent seen them before. I love the hand wash and the massage oil.
