Our beautiful wedding today takes us to Puglia, in Italy, where Miss Bush bride Emma married her husband Tom, wearing Suzanne Neville’s ‘Cezzane’ gown.
THE DRESS
Cezanne is a stunning classic wedding gown, featuring a soft chiffon skirt below a fitted lace bodice with exquisite scalloped neckline, nipped in with a delicate satin belt.
Emma tells us about her dress, and how she enjoyed shopping at Miss Bush;
“When I envisaged my wedding dress, I initially wanted to go for something figure-hugging and a little sexy. As soon as I tried any dresses like that on, they just didn’t look right on me. I started to realise that I can dress sexy any time I like but there’s only one day in my life (hopefully!) that I can truly feel like a Princess (sorry, I know that’s so cliché but it’s true) and wear something that I wouldn’t ever get a chance to wear again. I decided I wanted a dress that fit well, had some elegant sexiness to it but ultimately felt like a traditional wedding dress. As soon as I tried the Cezanne, I knew right away that it was the one. I absolutely loved the lace bodice and the cut at the arms and the way it cut down the front which showed a little cleavage but was also covered by the lace a little. I loved the buttoned back that comes with the Cezanne but I always imagined having an open back wedding dress and was getting married in Italy, in August and didn’t want to be too warm, so the team helped me to make it backless and it was perfect!”
“I brought my mum and my grandmother with me when I found the dress. I tried on nearly every dress in the shop before the Cezanne and, whilst the others were great, there was nothing like the reaction when the Cezanne was on. We just all knew, without having to say anything that it was perfect. I’m pretty sure they both cried! It was a real moment.
I think shopping for a wedding dress will always feel pretty special because these are the dresses you dream of when you’re younger and see other people wearing your whole life that, when it finally comes to be your turn, it’s such a special moment. But, working with Emma and her team at Miss Bush, felt like an extra special experience – firstly, you’re trying on your dress in an actual chapel so it really helps you to experience what it feels like to be a bride! – but, mostly, they’re so kind, warm and helpful that you never feel rushed or like you’re making a bad decision. I absolutely loved working with the team and was always excited to get there, not just for the dress but also to catch up with the girls!”
STYLING
We asked Emma to tell us about the accessories she chose to complement her gown;
“The dress really did all the talking so I didn’t want to do anything else in terms of styling the rest of my look! I chose to wear no jewellery as I wanted to walk down the aisle with nothing and then walk back with just my wedding band as I wanted that to be the most important piece of jewellery I wore all day as, to me, it was.
I always imagined I’d get a super special pair of Jimmy Choos for my wedding day and, whilst I did end up getting them, I chose not to wear them with my dress! Our ceremony was in an Olive grove and, whilst there was a runner down the aisle, there was a little walk across gravel and soil to get to it so I didn’t want to risk ruining the shoes or toppling over! I opted for a trusty pair of shoes from Office in the end and they were perfect! No one sees them anyway so I’d rather save my Choos for a time when I can show them off!”
ABOUT THE DAY
The stunning Italian setting made the perfect location for Emma and Tom’s day, which was a relaxed, happy occasion surrounded by family and friends. Emma tells us more;
“We had our wedding at a hotel called Masseria Le Carrube in a fairly remote part of Puglia, in Italy that is surrounded by Olive groves and near to the beach. We hired out the whole hotel which meant we had it to ourselves from Friday-Mondy which made everything all the more fun because we had a great rehearsal dinner on the Friday night in the local town which was beautiful and everyone came back to the hotel and partied on the roof and we didn’t have to worry about other guests. It was like a big group holiday the whole weekend!”
“We never wanted crazy or ornate decorations because the space itself was so beautiful on its own – everything white-washed with plenty of dark greens and some flowers and cacti – that we didn’t want to spoil it. The table decorations and the ceremony we only wanted to be styled with an abundance of candles (because it was going to be night time) and some white flowers but not much. I wanted simple elegance that felt natural (but definitely not rustic or farm chic!) The dress code was black tie.
On the Saturday we didn’t start the ceremony until 5pm as we wanted it to be at sunset so we had the day to chill by the pool and relax (although I was super nervous all day!) I had a big lunch at the hotel with my closest girlfriends, bridal team and mum and my husband went into the local town with his ushers for drinks. Our ceremony was in the Olive Grove on the grounds of the hotel so no one had to travel anywhere and we kept the space very natural as it was so beautiful on it’s own. We just added some candles, lanterns and white flower petals to the space. We decided to be unconventional with the seating and instead, set the space up like a cafe so people would get a glass of champagne on arrival and walk to a table of 2 or 3 seats and take their place to wait for the ceremony to start (we had waters and some snacks too). We turned our order of ceremony into a fan so that people could keep cool and we had a harpist playing beautiful music while they waited.”
“After the ceremony we had a jazz band playing soft music in the courtyard and everyone drank negronis or prosecco and we had some non-alcoholic cocktails too. I especially loved our escort cards which had everyone’s name hanging off a beautiful area to the side of the courtyard surrounded by candles and lights and they would choose their envelope with their name on and that would tell them which table they were seated at.
The dinner was in another walled courtyard that was styled in all green trees and olive bushes and again just lots and lots of candles and white flowers. The gorgeous star filled night sky and surrounding exterior of the building did the rest of the decoration and it worked perfectly. We gave every person a bottle of Limoncello that we designed ourselves which said “when life gives you lemons, drink it” which was a fun momento for people to keep.
We had a traditional Italian dinner of 5 courses which consisted of a starter, two pasta courses, a main and a dessert and the food was insane – it was a very important thing for my husband and I to make sure the food was good and memorable and we used the kitchen from a nearby 5 star hotel that was named best hotel in the world last year.
We decided to put the speeches in between the courses so people weren’t overwhelmed or bored and that also helped give people a break in between the food!”
“Following dinner, we took everyone up to the roof of the hotel for the cake cutting, everyone was met with a glass of champagne and, as we cut the cake infront of them, a show of fireworks started behind us – our planner timed this perfectly as they went off JUST as the knife touched the cake! It was a great moment and one I’ll never forget! Then the music started downstairs in yet another courtyard where the party started and cocktails and drinks were consumed in abundance and we partied the night away!
We also set up a piano in an olive garden just off from the dance floor with a tequila bar as we have a friend who is a great player and we stayed up singing and drinking there until the wee hours of the morning.
Besides crying with my mum when I put my dress on, my favourite part of the day was the cake cutting on the roof. It was just so memorable and our guests had no idea there was going to be fireworks and it was a fun addition to the night. I initially didn’t want a cake cutting as I thought it was too traditional and boring but my one certainly was not!”
FINAL WORDS
Emma gives some words of dress shopping and wedding planning wisdom;
“When it comes to the dress, go with your gut. You’ll have ideas in your head of things you’ve seen in magazines or online but there’s a chance that will all change when you actually try the dresses on. Go in with an open mind and don’t be too set on an idea and you might be pleasantly surprised and go for something you never thought would be that perfect for you.
When it comes to wedding planning, my best piece of advice would be to put an emphasis on the small details. That was SO important to my husband and I and it’s the stuff that people go home remembering about your special day. We made sure to have phone charging points dotted around, water stations on hand for the heat and flip flops for girls who are sick of their heels and want to dance. We had limoncello made up for people and my husband had tequila glasses made up and handed out to everyone during his speech. We also had our own logo made and put this on things like the menu, invites, order of service/fan etc.. and that made the whole thing come together and just look that much more professional.”
SUPPLIERS
Venue: Masseria Le Carrube
Photographer: TBC
Bridesmaid dresses: White by Vera Wang
Caterer: Borgo Egnazia
Thank you so much to Emma and Tom for sharing their wonderful day with us!
Leah x
