2016 has been a bit of a rollercoaster for us here at Miss Bush. Serious flood damage to the Chapel at the beginning of September was a bit of a low point, which created lots of additional work and added drama, but we got through it; looking back we can see that it was just a small blip in what turned out to be a pretty fabulous year!
Here are our highlights from 2016, with some words of ‘thanks’ to the amazing people that helped to make it all happen!
January
We started the year on a high, when MD Emma and her fiancé Marshy’s engagement shoot was published on Love My Dress, along with an article about wedding dress shopping from the unique perspective of boutique owner written by Emma.
This was the first of many collaborations this year with our brilliant go-to photographer, Nick Tucker, who provided Emma and Marshy with some seriously cool engagement photos with a high fashion feel, perfect for Emma’s dramatic Sharon Hoey gown.
More Miss Bush home team familiar faces were on hand to help with the shoot, with Carolanne Armstrong creating Emma’s stunning make up looks, and of course the incredible dramatic bouquet could only be the work of Gayle from Bloomingayles.
February
Our most popular post of all time was published and subsequently went viral in February and still continues to be one of our highest ranking posts.
’10 reasons not to take photos at your bridal shopping appointment’ is a must read for all brides who are considering taking some snaps whilst searching for their dream dress – read it here.
April
More exciting news from our MD Emma and Marshy who did a charity run in Brighton… and then went on to get married in secret straight after!
Nick Tucker was back to document the day, whilst Carolanne created more stunning make up looks for Emma and her bridal party, with Sharon Roberts on duty providing sleek, polished hair styling. Emma chose from two beautiful bouquets created by Rosie Orr.
Emma wore a bespoke Suzanne Neville gown with iconic Valentino rock stud shoes, creating a unique, edgy bridal look.
Look out for the full feature on Love My Dress on the 11th of January!
April also held another highlight in Emma’s diary, and one of the most important dates in the Miss Bush calendar; the yearly buying trip to Barcelona to view the latest offerings from our Spanish designers, Jesus Peiro and Yolan Cris, along with Annabel from Love My Dress.
July
In July we shot our 2017 Lookbook at the chapel with a brilliant team of suppliers including Nick Tucker photography, Joanna Brown photography, Bloomingayles, Carolanne Armstrong, Macco Hair and Rock & Raw Jewellery.
The lookbook features a diverse mixture of our hand-picked wedding gowns, showcasing the ever-changing and constantly refreshed selection of dresses and designers available at Miss Bush, all set in the sumptuously styled setting of our Victorian Chapel.
The team came together to create an amazing final product; a real work of art that truly captures the spirit of Miss Bush.
We’ll be releasing the full lookbook later this month.
For now, see more of the behind the scenes images shot by Joanna Brown Photography, here.
Our Sassi Holford Preview Event also took place in July, with brides in attendance to try and buy from the 2017 collection. Surrey wedding photographer Zosia Zacharia attended to photograph the event, providing us with some beautiful images of the chapel in action.
See all of the images from the event here.
September
The team headed up North to Harrogate for the Bridal Buyer Awards. It was a fabulous, glamorous evening, with the team relishing the chance to network and socialise with so many other brilliant industry faces.
Just days after we returned from Harrogate the chapel was hit by disaster. One morning after a particularly dramatic storm we opened the chapel doors to find the floor submerged in water. With significant damage to our fitting rooms, workroom and stock area we had no choice but to close the chapel whilst it was assessed and refurbished.
We were able to turn it into a positive though, offering our brides the chance to have their fittings in the stunning surroundings of Fetcham Park, a beautiful Grade II listed Queen Anne mansion based in Leatherhead, Surrey.
Filled with stunning handpainted murals, antique furniture and opulent furnishings, Fetcham Park is a truly luxurious and very special location and we hope that our brides who attended appointments there enjoyed their experience.
Thank you so much to the team at Fetcham for the warm welcome and for looking after us so well!
Fetcham Park image by Eddie Judd.
Only two days after the flood the entire team descended upon No.4 Hamilton Place in Mayfair, London, for a reader event in collaboration with Brides magazine. With a catwalk show packed with our standout gowns from the season along with some brand new signature dresses, the event was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.
October
Our annual Suzanne Neville designer day took place in October, with Joanna Brown returning to the chapel to photograph the event.
As usual it was hugely popular with our brides, who relished the chance to meet with the iconic British bridal designer to discuss their dress ideas face to face.
Our regular chapel florist Rosie Orr decked the chapel out in a display of dazzling autumn splendour, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere for all of our brides, whilst Andi Freeman Cakes and caterers Two Many Cooks delighted guests with delicious sweet treats and canapes.
See more of the imagery by Joanna Brown and read all about the day here.
We were also delighted to commission a film of the event, by Ashleigh Aldred which offers the perfect representation of what goes on at one of our designer days. Watch the video here.
November
Christmas arrived at the chapel, and we were so pleased to welcome to local Surrey photographer Rebecca Hudson along to photograph the process.
Florist Rosie Orr was back to transform the chapel into a winter wonderland, decking every available space with glittering fronds and and sparkly foliage. You can see the full set of images here.
Our brides!
Finally, the biggest highlight of our year is every one of the wonderful brides that we worked with throughout 2016 – from traditional ballgown style dresses and bohemian head to toe lace to crisp contemporary minimalism, every bride we’ve dressed has been unique and fabulous!
We’ve been so privileged to share a large number of their weddings with you here on the blog, and hope to share many more in 2017 – click here to see the archive of previous posts.
Happy New Year!
from all of the team at Miss Bush x
