Did I ever tell you how incredibly lucky I feel to do this for a living? Writing about gorgeous weddings, scrolling through eye-dazzling images of love and joy all day long? It’s a pretty special way to spend the days, and I’m feeling incredibly blessed this week with such dreamy content to share with you! Today’s couple are stunning Phoebe & Ed, who married at Childerley Hall in Cambridge and chose our friend and top UK wedding photographer Richard Skins to capture their day. Phoebe’s dress is just….. ahhh I don’t even have words: it’s more beautiful than beautiful has ever been before!

“I fell in love with my dress pretty much instantly; it was the dress I felt the most myself in and could 100% see wearing on the day. I remember walking out of the shop the first time I tried it on and saying to my bridesmaids, ‘I think I might have just found my wedding dress’. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after, which confirmed it was the one for me. The designer is Anna Kara, at Morgan Davies Bridal, Hitchin.

The dress itself is relatively simple, which is one of the things I love most about it, but it meant I could go slightly more dramatic with the veil. I ended up choosing a custom length and buying some extra pieces of the applique used on the dress to sew onto the bottom of the veil, which made it a real custom piece. Again, because of the simplicity, I wanted something sparkly in my hair and after a huge amount of research went for a bespoke headpiece from Tilly Thomas Lux. She was amazing and took the time to work with me on the design. I love that it is a one off piece and something that I can keep forever and continue to wear. For the shoes, I wanted to buy a pair that I would wear again and ended up choosing a very versatile (and incredibly comfortable) pair of heels from Stuart Weitzman.

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.richardskinsphotography.co.uk/

With 2nd photographer for the day Emil Boczek

How did you choose your photographer?

Wedding blogs were our primary source when it came to choosing a photographer, they showcase so many talented artists and give a great overview on how a photographer captures the day as a whole. We both wanted a more documentary approach to our day which helped narrow down the choices a bit and from there we started to look at the work featured on their own websites before choosing our favourite.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

We could not have been more thrilled with Richard, in every aspect. We knew at once from our very first conversation that he was exactly the right person for us and had understood what it was we wanted. On the day he was amazing, taking the time to get to know the venue and somehow being there in the moment but never imposing. It was when we received the first few pictures back though that we were able to see how brilliant he had truly been.

Tell us about the moment you saw your wedding photos for the first time?

It was such a rush of pure joy, we couldn’t stop smiling for days! They were everything we could have ever hoped for, a true representation of the day and exactly how we remembered it. We also loved how Richard had taken the time to be amongst the guests and not solely focus on us.

Wedding venue:

Childerley Hall, Cambridge –
We are very fortunate that my mother’s family home is also a Wedding venue. It meant so much to both of us to celebrate our marriage there and have the ceremony in the same church as my parents.

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

A traditional English wedding in a beautiful family setting

Your wedding style or theme:

Childerley was a huge influence on us, we were lucky enough to have the wedding at my Grandmother’s home which is the most beautiful quintessential English setting and we were very conscious that we wanted to work in harmony with it. Neither of us are flashy or over the top anyway so we tried to keep a simple, understated elegance theme going throughout. One thing we knew we absolutely wanted from the get go was an Apres ski themed bar for the after dinner, which worked out brilliantly and added an extra bit of “us” and uniqueness to our day.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

It was a real mixture. There were elements we wanted to keep local which google and wedding blogs were fantastic at helping us find. The band we had seen at a friends wedding a couple of years before and were fantastic, every generation was on the dancefloor all night and the caterers had worked with Chiderley and our family for years so knew everything inside out.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Prioritise what is important for you as a couple. There is so much that you can spend vast sums of money on and you can really get caught on in the commotion of planning the greatest day ever. Ultimately though, you don’t need to spend top whack on everything for it to be amazing.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

For us, having a really fantastic band and photographer were important so we compromised on other elements such hiring in trees for the Church rather than having large floral arrangements. We are so pleased with did, the band was such a highlight for us and our guests and the photographs are what we shall continue to look at forever.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

We were very lucky that an old boss of Ed’s is a designer and offered to design our wedding stationary as a wedding gift. He did the most fantastic job and created something so personal to us which set the tone for the whole wedding.

And what did the groom wear?

A traditional morning suit from Oliver Brown in London. They offered such a fantastic service helping Ed choose every piece and having it tailored so it fit him perfectly.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

I found this perhaps one of the more difficult decisions, I went back and forth for ages on colour and style, worrying that the bridesmaids wouldn’t like the chosen dress. Ultimately I went with my initial instinct, a simple and elegant floor length green dresses from an American company, Show Me Your Mumu, which suited and flattered everyone.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

I knew I didn’t want the stress of trying to do my own hair and makeup on the day, worrying that I hadn’t got it perfect or it somehow wouldn’t look right in the photos. Victoria of Victoria Percival was amazing, she kept me looking like me but at my absolute best. She offered the most fantastic service, staying until the evening meal which meant I didn’t look in the mirror once during the day as she was always on hand for any touch ups.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

The gardens at Childerley are known for their roses and we wanted to bring that into all of the florals. We decided quite early on that we’d keep it simple with a basic colour palette of green and whites, as we didn’t want to try and outdo the gardens. Becky at Feather and Ferns was the absolute dream florist; she understood instantly what we were going for and importantly what we didn’t want, always being mindful of the budget we had set. She offered fantastic suggestions that really elevated our initial ideas and adapted to any changes or last minute additions we made, nothing was too much. She is so talented at what she does and one of the nicest and hardest working people we met.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

Not really, we were so fortunate that every part of the day was already beautiful as it was. From the church, to the gardens and barn at Childerley. We only wanted to enhance what was there, especially for the barn, so we kept it simple choosing long tables to emphasise its length and added a few extra festoon lights. Our biggest decorating efforts went into the bar and dance floor as that all had to created from scratch.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

Ed proposed on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, which we gave a gentle nod to by using the Isle of Skye tartan as ribbons on the bouquets and buttonholes and using it again as napkin ties, it was only small but it meant a lot to us that it was there. The bar was the biggest homemade element with many hours in the week spent painting crates, making signs and hanging snowflakes; it was one of our favourite moments of the build-up as we were able to work on it together as a couple and create something that was unique to us.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We knew we wanted a cake that could be served as the desert and would be eaten. Lemon drizzle is Ed’s absolute favourite so it seemed silly to go for anything other than that. Jess at One Part Love created the most delicious cake using lemon curd and buttercream to give it some richness and decadence for the occasion. Almost every guest commented on how delicious it was, even the ones who admitted to never normally eating cake.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

During the champagne reception we had Alison Russell, an incredibly talented silhouette artist, go round and create guests silhouettes. It was such a nice addition to that part of the day and gave guests a small memento to take home.
For music have what makes your happy, whether it’s a 10 piece brass band, Spotify party playlist or 2 guys with a guitar. If you’re having a good time, your guests will as well.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Try and figure out what is important for you as a couple and go from there. Having small checklists worked really well for us as it broke things down into manageable sections, rather than one overwhelming event. Don’t get too wrapped up in the planning, we tried to have evenings after work and weekends when we didn’t think or talk about any wedding details, it was very freeing.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being with each other and knowing that they will be by your side for life. It also makes me beyond happy getting to call Ed my husband and be his wife.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Cake – www.onepartlove.co.uk
Florist – https://featherandferns.com/
Photographer – https://www.richardskinsphotography.co.uk/
Band – http://www.supatight.co.uk/
Silhouette Artist – http://www.alison-russell.co.uk/
Venue – https://www.childerley.org/
Makeup Artist – https://victoriapercival.com/
Headpiece – https://www.tillythomaslux.com/
Dress (Anna Kara)- https://morgandaviesbridal.co.uk/
Groom’s outfit – https://www.oliverbrown.org.uk/

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