Before we dig into the wedding details, allow me to begin with a little back story. Recommendations are the lifeblood of a wedding business. I can (and do) splash cash on the biggest adverts, wonderful social media environments and a drop dead gorgeous Chapel. From reading my blog you may have got a clue about who I am, know my most deeply held passions & seen me engage in fiercely fought arguments. The Miss Bush traits of integrity & independence are championed & prized as highly & coveted as deeply as the finest dresses & the coolest trends and by our engagement online we’d like you to know our story, my story, before you chose to shop with us.
Regardless of all of this, a word from a friend is the surest way for us to meet new customers and this is precisely how Becky came to be at Miss Bush. A friend, the amazing Debbie, told her about Miss Bush & I. “How do you know Debbie?” Becky asked… “Oh. through the kids…” I lied. Given my legendary frankness, so extreme that any PR (apart from Tamryn) would throw in the towel, what’s with the fib?
Who is Debbie then, if not a friend of mine? Debbie and Becky know each other through a PHD course in Psychology. Dear Reader, in 2013 Debbie was my therapist. Why did I not just admit this out loud to Becky? Why, as it is her chosen discipline, did it not trip off the tongue as easily as the other personal truths I am happy to share?
A while ago, whilst researching an article on retailing and the preservation of High Streets, I came across a small article by Alain De Botton and the resonance has remained both personally & for Miss Bush.
Alain De Botton noted that;
“the high street will need to focus on all the things that cannot be done online – which chiefly means, things that involve the body or the social self.”
Restaurants and beauty therapists fall within this category, so too bridal boutiques where an appointment is seemingly about buying a dress until you become privy the innermost confidences of the bride. I know that my job is part stylist/part therapist so why was I so reluctant to admit to my own therapy?
This year has been exciting, challenging and stressful. I could have done with the lovely Debbie and my weekly hour of solace. I was lucky, blessed, to get 20 hours of free counselling from Debbie as she was seconded to my GP’s surgery to gain her practical hours in the field for her degree . The NHS makes is almost impossible, ordinarily, to get a therapist and the lack of funding on mental health provision appals me. Locally Victorian mental health hospitals have been turned into housing at Brookwood and, ironically, a wedding venue at Botley’s Manor. Whilst there is excellent provision privately the cost is prohibitive.
Alain de Botton calls for the demystification of therapy, for a highly visible High Street presence and for ‘shops’ for the soul.
“Therapy remains a minority activity, out of reach of most people, too expensive or simply not available in certain parts of the country… we tend to assume that therapists are there solely for moments of extreme crisis – and are a sign that the visiting client might be a little unbalanced, rather than just human.”
Read more here.
Therapy was wonderful for me. I would go weekly; along with a regular massage & a personal training session were the cost not prohibitive and it the taboo still surrounding it stopped it being easy and affordable to access.
This is not a treatise just a little step towards taking away the taboo. Simply talking about the subject can help bust myths just as I do in the bride-o-sphere about the lack of six packs in women and the falsehood of flat stomachs.
Becky, if that is not an advert for yours & Debbie’s chosen career paths…
So onto the wedding! Becky’s wedding was in the Surrey Hills in Shere, the most beautiful picture perfect location with the most gorgeous natural beauty in Becky. The photos do not do the location or the bride justice. That ‘myth’ about perfect bodies and flat abs? There is always an exception and it is Becky.
Becky is wearing Bronwyn by Maggie Sottero, a bias cut slip dress with a classic corded lace over lay, delicate buttons and a ribbon sash. It is a dress that doesn’t overwhelm the wearer and has the X Factor. The ‘everyone wears it differently’ and no two brides look the same in it.
I have suggested often to brides that the slip can be worn alone as a shimmering sheath dress and I hadn’t seen anyone have the confidence or the figure prior to Becky. Testimony to this fact comes from Becky herself,
“My now husband’s face when I walked in the church was one I will never forget, although that was rivalled by his face later in the evening when I walked in when I had taken the lace layer off and was just wearing the silk under lay of the dress -lets just say he was a little stunned! It was priceless.”
It was an absolute pleasure to help Becky and it went somewhat to repaying my debt of gratitude to Debbie
“I just wanted to email you to thank you all, so much, for helping make my wedding day so wonderful by making my gorgeous wedding dress. I was so incredibly happy with it and it was down to all of your hard work!”
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The dress: Maggie Sottero Bronwyn from Miss Bush
Images: Lucy Tanner
Emma Meek, MD of Miss Bush
Miss Bush is Surrey’s leading designer bridal shop
