Valentina’s dream lace and silk bespoke wedding dress

Caroline Arthur | Posted on May 6, 2017 |

Now, my lovely readers, I freely admit to being a little in love with the Italians… I have a degree in Italian and spent a year in Florence in my 20s. So when Valentina first approached us about making her luxurious bespoke bridal gown, I couldn’t wait to dust off what was left of my shaky Italian.

This creative bride turned out to be so relaxed and had such lovely ideas – she involved her family and it was truly a collaborative experience, as the ideas for this gorgeous bespoke dress evolved.

Valentina and Andrea were married at Leez Priory in Essex – a stunning wedding venue with a grand sweeping façade and breath-taking landscaped grounds – just the perfect setting.

Every detail of the wedding, and Valentina’s wedding outfit was chosen with care. Being devoted beautiful-shoe-fans, we were delighted when the bride un-boxed these beauties at her first fitting. It was hard to concentrate on pinning the hemline when faced with these toes peeping out.

We find we get to know a bride pretty well during the course of designing and making her bespoke wedding dress, but often don’t meet the groom. So it has been wonderful to see the photos and see how this close-knit family were all part of the wedding.

The wedding flowers were a gorgeous dusky pink and ivory, with plenty of silvery green, designed by talented florist Springfield in Chelmsford.

Getting ready is such a special time for every bride, and here Valentina checks she is happy with every detail of her gown before setting off.

Meanwhile, this wonderful image of Andrea captures perfectly that moment before he sees his bride walking down the aisle.

Another fabulous image capturing the anticipation and excitement of the gorgeous bridesmaids and Valentina’s mother, watching her and her father arrive in the bridal car.

This beautiful hand-tied posy off-set Valentina’s gorgeous ivory gown perfectly…worth every moment spent on perfecting the exact length of those wonderful corded lace sleeves.

Another beautiful moment of an excited bride and her thoughtful, proud father in that gorgeous Bentley.

The groom and groomsmen all wore midnight blue tailored suits and looked wonderful with their pale pink rose corsages.

The groom enjoys a luxurious motoring moment.

A very proud father

A wonderful image of Andrea’s family, living the moment.

A beautiful detail shared by the groom and bride.

You can feel the joy and love in this gorgeous image of man and wife, surrounded by family and friends.

Time to celebrate.

One of the first moments together, coming out of the ceremony – beautiful.

Love

A breath-taking setting for this handsome couple to enjoy a few moments together.

The four stunning bridesmaids all looked gorgeous in the most luxurious combination of midnight blue velvet and chiffon.

My favourite of all the photos…I just LOVE this image of the absolute love and joy between this beautiful family. We had the pleasure of meeting both Valentina’s parents at her fittings, and they were just as they look in the picture – proud of their beautiful girl, so happy for her, encouraging, supportive and always positive. Wonderful.

Valentina and Andrea took some time to enjoy some set-ups after the wedding – I love this intimate image of the bride and groom.

A wonderful setting to show the intricate luxury of Valentina’s handmade gown in that beautiful lace and silk, with the wonderful tulle and lace veil.

A proud groom with his beautiful bride.

Valentina chose every aspect of the design of her dress, from the fabric to the skirt shape, to the sleeve style, and even the exact position of the lace scallop at the neckline – perfect.

The original sketch of Valentina’s gown. It was her lovely sister who suggested the beautiful feature at the front of the skirt where the organza was gathered up, to show off the stunning silk front panel beneath.

If you’d like to try designing your own gown, this is giff below is how Valentina began her design – why not have some fun and try it out!

Thank you Valentina for your kind words:

“I absolutely loved my dress! Caroline and Louise brought to life the vision I had of my dream dress. It was so nice to be able to tweak and change it to make it completely my own”