Nothing makes me jump up and down with joy more than when a bride and groom infuse their Big Day with their unique style and all the things they adore….

And that is exactly what Francesca and Mark did for their wedding in November 2009, choosing a stylish 1920’s/30’s theme and surrounding themselves by the people they love.

Now clearly we worship W-days here at RMW HQ and delight in all the Real Weddings we post for your viewing pleasure, sometimes though the photography really really shows the pure unadulterated emotions of the day and we get a little teary and choked up.

This folks is one of those weddings.

All of the perfect images are courtesy of Lawson Photography.

Mary Jane’s

My shoes were called ‘Grace’ and were an ivory, leather mary jane style. I bought them from Rachel Simpson. They had a smallish heel and were extremely comfortable all day.

Retro Glamour

Whilst at the Jo Thorne event I met Sev and Roz from The Hepburn Collection. I showed Sev my ‘mood’ book which had a few different 1920/30’s hair styles in it and he got straight to work, showing me what he could do. I really liked what he did so after getting confirmation that he was willing to travel from Surrey to Bournemouth I booked him to do my wedding hair. On the day he gave me a real retro glamorous look – blonde, shoulder length and wavy with loads of volume.

My make-up was done by Sharon Ross who was recommended to me by my neighbour. I was really pleased with the finished look – brown smokey eyes, false eye-lashes (to add ‘drama’) and red lips to go with my short, red nails.

Valerie and Sarah

My dress was called ‘Valerie’ and was by a UK designer called Sarah Arnett. I wanted a silk, 1930’s style dress to fit in with the theme of my wedding however I’d been having difficulties finding one that I felt good in as most of the styles from that period are bias cut – not the best style for someone who’s pear shaped!! However, this dress was a twist on a bias cut as it fitted at the hips and then dropped straight down to the floor rather than going in below the hips and back out again at floor level. It was also silk and 1930’s style – perfect!

Sarah Arnett stocks her dresses at a number of bridal shops around the country (listed on her website). The dress itself was everything I’d hoped for and more.

A Sweet Avalanche

Our flowers were done by Parkwood Florist in Bournemouth. I had a trailing bouquet with sweet avalanche roses. The ladies had single avalanche rose button holes, Mark had a double avalanche rose and white bouvardia button hole and the men had white bouvardia button holes. Our tables centres were 80cm tall, clear glass lily vases filled with robellini palm leaves and peacock feathers.

Big Day Jewels

I bought a tiara, bracelet, earrings and necklace from Jo Thorne. I chose to buy my jewellery from Jo after going to one of her open days at her studio in East London. Her jewellery is all solid silver and handmade. She also uses a lot of mother of pearl and cubic zirconia (which is what I chose). I loved her pieces because they are pure quality and a real investment that can be passed down to other family members. A lot of the other pieces of wedding jewellery I’d seen were really tacky and cheap looking so it was a real relief when I discovered Jo. The pieces I chose also had an art deco influence which again fitted in with my theme. I also have to say that Jo is a lovely lady and really helpful.

Expressing Personal Style

The wedding was a black tie do. Mark’s best man and the two dads both wore tuxedos (my dad opting for a cream double breasted dinner jacket). They all bought their own suits.

I had ‘best ladies’ rather than bridesmaids. They bought their own dresses which meant that they could express their own personal style. They all looked absolutely stunning. One opted for a black, beaded knee length dress (1920’s style) and the other two opted for long slinky dresses (1930’s style), one in scarlet and the other in gun-metal grey.

Reminiscing on the 20’s and 30’s

We were keen for Mark to stand out from the crowd. He is not normally one for wearing suits and wasn’t overly enthusiastic with going for a full-on 1920’s/30’s look (he’s an understated kind of guy!). After much searching we found Marc Wallace (based in Parson’s Green, London) and he had a black 3-piece suit made-to-measure. Marc’s collection at the time was described as ‘reminiscing on the 1920’s style, together with a contemporary urban chic’. This was absolutely perfect for us as it gave Mark the modern look he wanted whilst keeping my obsession will all things 20’s/30’s in check.

He teamed the suit with a white Marc Wallace shirt which had a subtle floral self pattern and a white tie. Paying that bit extra was well worth it as the suit fitted Mark perfectly and he looked so sharp!! I don’t think he ever believed he could feel that good in a suit (being a jeans and t-shirt guy normally).

We have all the extra details and to-die-for couple shots coming up in part two so stay tuned – it’s vintage at its very best.

Big Art Deco Love

Charlotte xxx

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