Jo + Si
#&FLREALBRIDE FEATURE
THE PARADISE
When we first came across Jo and Si’s wedding pictures on Instagram, we almost dropped dead. The moody winter weather gave the photos such a vibe and for a minute we thought we had stumbled across a styled shoot and not a real wedding!
The couple had a simple and minimalistic vision for their wedding with a Christmas Holiday atmosphere, and chose Middleton Lodge Estate for their venue. With its exposed brick work, large black feature arch windows and greenery running along the walls, it was the most perfect venue for a Christmas wedding. Jo chose our PARADISE gown , and wore it off the shoulder with a simple veil and statement earrings. We absolutely love how she styled this gown and the high fashion statement it made! Our fave part of this wedding is her bridesmaids reaction- Jo went with her gut and switched her wedding dress at the last minute, and we advise all future brides to trust your own style instincts!
The Deets:
Bride: Jo
Hubby: Si
Photographer: Rebecca Kerr @rebeccakerrphotography
Location + venue: Fig House at Middleton Lodge Estate, Richmond, England
Bridal boutique: Ghost Orchid Bride, Hull, England
Accessories:
Earrings (Freshwater Pearl Strands) - A.B. Ellie HDWR
Bracelet - (Personalised gift from Si on wedding day) - Monica Vinader
Hair/makeup: Catherine Elizabeth Burdett @catherineelizabethmakeupartist
Shoes: Karen Millen (Tie Ankle Strappy Leather Heeled Sandal in cream)
Cake: No cake
Flowers: Sprig and Thistle @sprigandthistle
Describe you and your guy? How did you meet?
We're both pretty easy going and enjoy the simple things in life. However, we are both from completely different backgrounds. I'm a teacher from the city and Si is a farmer from the countryside. We enjoy eating out, cosy country pubs, weekends away and spending time with family and friends.
We met through our mutual best friends over a decade ago. However, it was not until their wedding twelve years later in 2019, when we both happened to be single that Si decided to make his move. Asking me to dance coupled with long conversations, I was initially oblivious to his advances and it wasn’t until a month later that we finally went on our first date. Living over two hours away from each other, dating was difficult and could only be done on the weekends but Covid struck and we made the decision to move in together. From moving in, leaving my job and moving away from home, we never looked back and a year later, Si proposed on the scaffolding of our new home in September 2020!
How did you know he was The One?
From very early on in our relationship, I just knew. It was unlike anything I'd ever had before; I could see a future with him and I was so excited for what was to come. Life just seemed easy and effortless with him. As well as finding him ridiculously handsome, our connection was instant from our very first date. He's the most caring, supportive, hard working person I know and I knew instantly he's the only person I would want to do life with. This made saying yes when he proposed on the scaffolding, the easiest decision I've ever made.
Describe yourself. What do you do? What is your regular street style?
I'm easy going and family-orientated and love nothing more than spending time with family and friends. I'm a teacher but currently work outside of the classroom planning and making educational resources. My regular street style is very simple. I'm a jeans, t-shirt and trainers kind of girl and love chunky knitwear in the winter! I rarely get dressed up so when I do, it's normally for a special occasion - even then, I like to keep it simple and minimal.
What made you fall in love with your &FL dress and where did you find it?
Well, I didn't actually find the Paradise gown until two weeks before our wedding believe it or not?! I had already bought two previous dresses but neither felt like my dream dress!
I found my dress in a bridal boutique in Hull, in the UK, called Ghost Orchid. Katey, the owner of the boutique, was amazing from day one of stepping into her store! I had previously visited this boutique several times and tried on several different dresses from other designers but hadn’t yet found ‘the one’ and Katey didn’t stock the Paradise gown at those times.
It wasn’t until I saw pictures of the gown and text Katey to ask if it was in stock two weeks before the wedding that she said I could go in and try it! As soon as I put it on (even though it was far too big), I knew I had found the one! The fashionable, simple look of it was exactly what I had always wanted and the soft scuba fabric felt amazing! I had never tried on such a comfortable dress! The way the dress fell also made me fall in love with it - it gave me that column effect, fitted in all of the right places and hung softly at the bottom. I have always loved wearing off the shoulder tops and this dress was perfect to create this timeless look! Knowing how much I wanted this dress, Katey kindly allowed me to buy the sample and after two alteration sessions, I picked up my dream dress with a week to spare!
What is your bridal style?
I always knew I wanted my wedding dress to reflect my usual style - simple with no fuss. I wanted something plain yet elegant and fashionable - I never wanted the traditional bridal look. The material was always a major factor for me. I had always looked at silks before finding the Paradise gown with its soft scuba fabric and wanted a dress which screamed quality. How the dress fell was also really important to me. I wanted a column style dress which was fitted but didn't want a mermaid fit! I guess you could say I was very fussy in the search for my minimalistic dress!
Describe your wedding- any inspiration or themes you were your drawn to when planning?What was the vibe?
Si and I are very similar in our style - we like to keep things simple and minimalistic and this is what we wanted for our wedding; a simple yet sophisticated look with white roses and foliage and no bright colours. As it was close to Christmas, we also wanted lots of candles to create that Christmassy atmosphere.
Our venue, Middleton Lodge Estate, was stunning and rustic and didn't need much decoration to be honest which again suited the simple style we were looking for. With its exposed brick work, large black feature arch windows and greenery running along the walls, it was the most perfect setting for us!
Sprig and Thistle, along with our wedding coordinator, Ashleigh, made our vision a reality and created the most classy and sophisticated setting for our wedding. I opted for white long stemmed roses for my bouquet and the tables were filled with green foliage, several candles and white draped chiffon runners. The most amazing archway to our wedding venue was created from the roses and foliage and finished off our magical setting.
In terms of vibe, it was a relaxed vibe with only 50 people - we wanted to keep the wedding small and intimate with our nearest and dearest.
Fave thing about your day? Any surprises?!
This question is possibly one of the hardest to answer but one of the best parts of our day was the fact that our closest family and friends were all together under one roof! Looking round throughout the day and seeing the happiness on everyone’s faces is something we will always remember and we are forever grateful to each and every one of them!
Every part of our day was incredible from beginning to end and I enjoyed so many special moments: getting ready with my mum and bridesmaids, walking down the aisle with my Dad, seeing the look on Si’s face as he stood there, hearing the speeches, our first dance and partying with everyone!
As well as being surrounded by friends and family, the best part of my day was actually marrying Si! As nervous as I was for walking down the aisle (I’m not one for being in the spotlight), I loved every minute of that walk as the moment I saw Si’s face, I instantly felt relaxed - it is a moment I will never forget!
Another favourite part of the day for us both was our photographs. Both Si and I were excited yet really nervous for these as we are not used to being in front of the camera but our unbelievable photographer, Rebecca Kerr, made us feel so comfortable and created the most intimate shots we could wish for. We are yet to see the whole collection of photographs but we are in love with the previews so far! Rebecca captured the intimate yet timeless look we had always hoped for!
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was revealing my dress to my bridesmaids as I hadn't told them about my last minute dress change two weeks before the wedding, choosing to keep it a surprise for the big reveal! Their reactions on the photo say it all!
What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage to me is about spending the rest of my life with my favourite person. It is about beginning the next chapter of our lives together and hopefully, if we are lucky enough, starting our own family one day. Through the highs and lows, I know we are a team - we will always be by each other's side and always have each other's backs.
What's the one piece of advice you could give to brides?
Enjoy every single second of your day and take in every moment. Everybody says how fast it will go, but you never realise just how fast it does go. If you can, take a moment with your groom to take it all in. Don't sweat the small things about your day - nobody else will know and ultimately, it will be the best day of your life!
Life post-wedding means ....
Living in our bubble of bliss, reminiscing on the best day of our lives, hosting Christmas for both sides of the family, looking forward to our honeymoon and simply looking forward to doing life together and what's to come!
Words by Jo