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ELLE Weddings
ELLE WeddingsPictures and tips to inspire...
If you’re planning a wedding, or even if you’re not, poring over beautifully styled wedding pictures can prove quite addictive.
But how do fashion girls do weddings? From the prized designer wedding dress to the dream venue, Team ELLE – along with a few industry friends – were only too happy to share their stunning pictures and stories.
Whether you dream of a big budget destination wedding, or a modest affair styled with DIY touches, click through the ELLE Weddings gallery for insider tips and inspiration...
Patricia Campbell, ELLE Commercial EditorLusan Mandongus for a Devon country house party wedding…
The Dress'Shopping for the dress was easy as I had a clear idea of what I wanted: figure-skimming silk with delicate touches of lace, a low cut back, and a dramatic train. Luckily, I found it in the shape of this soft, romantic Lusan Mandongus gown, purchased at a Morgan Davies sample sale. A few alterations sealed the deal: I changed the neckline from OTT cowl to a simple scoop and added transparent lace cap sleeves to echo the ethereal quality of the gown’s tulle overlay.
Seb, my husband, looked equally dashing in his Tiger Of Sweden suit and burgundy tie - a stylish alternative to a m
The Veil and Garland
'We were having a church ceremony, so I thought it wise to temper the raciness of my gown’s low-cut back with a demure veil. I chose a single layer, full length style, which cascaded to the floor in perfect symmetry with my gown’s chapel length train. In my hair I wore a garland of silk flowers, custom-made by Finnish eco designer Minna. For a more undone, bohemian feel, I opted for tumbling waves instead of the classic bridal up-do.'
The Bridesmaids
'My four bridesmaids were only too happy to swap floating chiffon and empire lines for something with a bit more personality. They readily bought into my Mad Men meets SS12 Louis Vuitton vision, so much so, in fact, that it was one of the girls who found the winning dress: a lace, off-the-shoulder number from Asos that was demurely sexy. The nude, blush-pink hue complimented the understated tones of our bouquets, while the underskirt gave the dresses a bit of volume without veering into prom territory, which can sometimes look a bit costume. The girls loved them and looked so striking on the day.'
The Venue
'Our incredible venue, in Devon, was one of the defining elements of our unforgettable wedding weekend. Imagine taking charge of a grand country pile for the weekend – the sort that the BBC might use as a backdrop for their latest costume romp – and filling it with your favourite people. That’s pretty much the size of our wedding, and we lost count of the number of guests who asked, ‘how did you find this place?' on the big day itself. Most of the wedding party stayed for the weekend, so the night before, we had a long-table feast in the dining room, while guests pitched-in to help with final preparations: anything from hanging fairy lights in the trees outside, to styling the reception rooms.'
The Bouquets
'Marrying in July, I knew we’d have the pick of the season’s best blooms, so in my mind, there was no excuse not to have locally grown, non-chemically sprayed flowers.
Emma Vowles created the bouquets – she's based in one of my favourite Devon towns, Totnes. After exchanging ideas on Pinterest, she came up with this beautiful, blousy arrangement of peonies, baroness and menthe roses, with stocks and wildflowers – all in soft, faded hues. It perfectly encapsulated the natural, unstructured look I wanted.'
The Venue Flowers
'For the rest of the flowers, I opted for a semi-DIY package with local flower field JW Blooms. It meant that the night before the wedding, my friends and I spent a lovely couple of hours arranging posies in makeshift vases around the venue. At the church, there were hanging jam jars of flowers in lieu of traditional pew ends, and back at the venue, the florist decorated the grand pillars in the dancefloor area with floral garlands and hanging lanterns. The fragrance of this meadow of beautiful flowers throughout the venue was truly otherworldly, and is one of the defining memories of my wedding day.'
The Decorations
'Seb and I worked equally hard to get every detail right for our wedding, gravitating towards the tasks that interested us most. For me, that ended up being the styling.
I hired vintage crockery from Devon Vintage China for the tables and, over a series of making days at my house, friends helped me decorate old jam jars with ribbon and lace, ready to act as vases for flowers, or tea light holders. We also created reams of paper garlands, and I constructed a hanging table plan for the meal.
Seb took care of the place settings, gathering images of each of our guests and designing individual cards using Moo.com. It acted as a bit of a conversation-starter at the tables, and was a lovel
The Meal
'We wanted our wedding to strike the balance between formal and informal. We decided on a traditional sit-down affair for the meal, and small, local supplier Dartmoor Kitchen did a great job, using only sustainably sourced, seasonal ingredients.
For the evening food, we opted for classic West Country fare in the shape of Tom’s Pies. They were gobbled up in a flash!'
The Photographer
'We were thrilled when Laerke Feld Andersen agreed to shoot our wedding. The designer and photographer is a dear friend of ours and over the years we've worked on a number of projects together, either in a fashion capacity, or through shoots with Seb’s band. We actually got engaged at Laerke’s wedding in Copenhagen, so it was very poignant that she should end up being our wedding photographer. Her pictures are considered without feeling contrived: she has a great eye for those little nuances that might go unnoticed, but yet really tell the story of the day. We will treasure our pictures forever.'
The First Dance
'Our friends were taking bets on the song we’d dance to, certain that it would be an indie classic or an obscure electro number. But in the end we opted for a romantic, slow-paced ballad that we both have a soft spot for: Be Careful It’s My Heart. It was penned by classic Russian-American composer, Irving Berlin, and sung by Frank Sinatra.'
The Party
'Our venue had a refreshing non-stuffy attitude, so we knew we’d be able to throw a great party. Family and friends took their turns to DJ, their set lists keeping us dancing all night. But were the real highlight - tearing through ‘50s rockabilly, indie classics and archive David Bowie - Seb even surprised me by joining them on-stage to play guitar at one point! Later, we all piled into the intimate speakeasy-style bar, where we drank elderflower champagne and Gatsby-era gin cocktails, inspired by nights out at our favourite London bars. Even as the fir
Christina Simone, ELLE workflow director.A chic J.Crew gown for a smart New York wedding...
The Dress‘My dress was by J.Crew. About a month or so before the wedding, I decided it looked a little plain, so I bought a sash in a similar fabric from AmieNoelDesigns on Etsy Weddings. A local seamstress sewed it onto my dress when I arrived at my parents' house in New Jersey, two weeks before the big day.’
The Venue
‘Our wedding reception took place at The Lighthouse, which overlooks the New York City waterfront.’
Sarah Blackwell, Senior Press Officer, L'Oréal Professionnel.Oscar De La Renta for an idyllic Italian wedding.
The Dress‘I wore an Oscar De La Renta wedding dress with a Vera Wang sash and a Toni Federici veil, all purchased from Browns Bride (12 Hinde St London, W1U 3BE). My shoes were by Christian Louboutin. My husband chose a suit
The Bridesmaids
‘I chose simple, dove grey column dresses for my bridesmaids, which looked beautiful against the bouquets created by our florist Annalisa Mazzi (marieloufiori.it) I carried a simple bouquet of white peonies, while my bridesmaids had white peonies with muscaro, lavender, sage, cineraria maritima and violet sweet pea. The flower girls wore headdresses of Gypsophila and muscaro.'
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