Emerald and Gold Star Embroidered Dress

What was your engagement like?
Perfect! We had just got off a ski lift in Big Bear, CA when Michael said ‘let’s take a picture. I, of course, refused to take off my skis, helmet and poles, forcing him to propose to me in all my ski kit. I made him do it again farther down the mountain!

How did he propose? Did you Propose?
Was it romantic? Or not?

It was funny and romantic. I was so surprised, I first said ’No! Really!’ And then he finally asked properly and everyone on the top of the mountain cheered. My sister was there making a video. She later said he handed her the phone on video, not photo, which made her realise that was the big moment. She said she thought, ‘don’t mess it up, don’t mess it up!’ As she prepared to make the video.

What was the ring like? Did he choose it, did you?
He designed it himself! He worked with a jewellery designer for months before the proposal. He picked out the stones, setting, everything. He knew I didn’t like/want diamonds, so the main stone is a white sapphire and it’s beautiful!

Had you always dreamed of your wedding?
Not exactly. I never really thought I’d be like the crying, cooing girl who dreamt of myself in a white dress and veil. But when Michael and I started talking about what a wedding could be like, I knew that I wanted it to be like us. I wanted it to be relaxed, fun and full of great food. We started looking at pubs with gardens and eventually found a venue that just felt like home. We walked on site and just knew.

What was the vision for the wedding?
We wanted something with indoor/outdoor space in a beautiful setting. And we wanted it to feel natural and comfortable, not fussy. I knew that I wanted a band, great food and lots of games. Basically, we just wanted to enjoy our day with our favourite people. We kept the guest list relatively small (under 70) and had family and friends pitch in to help where we could (Michael’s dad was the DJ. My grandpa was the officiant). We made all the decor ourselves. We had board games, llamas, pages to colour in (for the adults and the kids!) and a polaroid photo booth. The band was one we’d seen at a beer festival we go to every year and the desserts were made by my favourite bakery.

Was there a theme or idea that you wanted to incorporate?
Llamas! Haha seriously, though, we had llamas. I also knew I wanted it to be inclusive of all our family members and personal, which is why we had our siblings and close relatives participate in the ceremony.

What were the most important elements to you visually? Flowers?
Hand-made bunting and signs. I re-learned to sew. Michael learned to do wood prints. We made EVERYTHING from the bunting to the signs to the centrepieces. We had fairy lights in alcohol bottles alongside little jam jars (collected from a year of grocery shopping) filled with wildflowers. Michael made the chuppah we stood under to be married, and a garland of ivy, thistles and hops brought it to life. The florist added little bits like maple leaves and acorns to the arrangements to make it autumnal, natural and unfussy.

How did your dress fit into the vision?
I knew I didn’t want to wear white. It wasn’t me. I also knew that I wanted something that felt like me - only on my best day possible - and would make me feel comfortable. I was excited about colour and I wanted to feel like myself.

Did you always know what you wanted to wear, or did you look for lots of inspirations first?
Ah, Pinterest, what did people do before you? I looked at a lot of dresses. On Pinterest, I looked for inspiration in terms of style, fabrics and embroideries. I also went to too many dress shops and tried on too many dresses. But it helped me understand what I liked, what worked on my body and showed me things I might not have considered before - some of which made it into the dress.

Why did you choose a bespoke dress?
All the reasons above. Plus, the things that I knew I wanted: v-neck, t-shirt sleeves, not too ‘wedding-y’ were just not available in the same dress. One shop owner said to me ‘you’re just going to have to get it made’. But I also kind of knew from the beginning that bespoke would be the right fit for me. I wanted to feel connected to my dress. I also wanted to avoid catastrophes I’d heard about from friends about sizing and tailoring. With a difficult body type in some respects, I knew I’d feel more comfortable this way. I also LOVED your dresses! I think I looked at your website a month after I got engaged (before the Pinterest board was even a thing) and fell in love with your style, your approach and the loving way you described the process of creating each dress. I could see that you really cared about each person and what they wanted.

What were the important elements of the dress? Fabrics, embellishment, colour, silhouette, fit?
Many things above, but also emerald green (*sings shiny noise*). I love green. It loves me. I tried on an emerald luxury gown and was like yep, this makes me feel more myself than every wedding dress I’ve tried so far. I knew that I wanted to incorporate colour somehow. Even if I went with white, I wanted some sort of colour embroidery.

I also wanted to avoid a train, so that I could walk on the grass and dance and play without being hampered by a whole mess of fabric. My favourite element from trying on wedding dresses were the little tucks around the bust, which gave shape to the bodice, without being too fussy. The embellishments were stars and ferns and beauty of all kinds. At the last minute, we added a little gold sequinned baseball, in memory of my dad, which is still one of my favourite elements of the dress.

The raglan sleeves were exactly what I’d hoped for and the ankle-length showed off my sparkly sneakers perfectly. I also wanted a slit up the side because I am my mother’s daughter. The whole thing was just perfect.

Did you choose a dress style that was typically "you", or did you want to choose something that only a wedding would give you the opportunity to wear? Something people wouldn't expect?
No one expected it (I mean, it was green) but everyone loved it. Most of the comments I got were ‘it was so you!’ Which is exactly what I wanted. I also wanted to be able to wear it again. I haven’t yet, but I really really want to!

How did your dress make you feel?
LIKE A PRINCESS. And like myself. Only better.

What were your favourite elements of the dress?
See above!

How did you accessorise your dress? Veil, jewellery, shoes, anything else?
Gold sequinned Keds with an emerald ribbon bow from the satin of the dress instead of laces. I also had an emerald and gold hair wreath, a mix of old and new (some borrowed) jewellery and the traditional henna on my hands.

How did you style your hair and makeup?

Same as before, like myself, but better. My hair was up in a complicated bun, with little braids snaking through and the hairpiece circling. It was relaxed, pretty and romantic. My friend did my makeup, so we tested many things together before the final look, which was understated, but finished. She did a great job!

Who was your photographer/videographer?
Photographer rebeccavalephotography.co.uk/ was AMAZING. I kind of just want to be her friend, she was so great. We had a friend take videos of our speeches and ceremony.
https://www.rebeccavalephotography.co.uk/wedding-photography-blog/froginwell-vinyard-wedding