Galia Lahav Mermaid Style Wedding Dress For A Luxe Barn Wedding

Bomb.Shell. That's the only way to describe gorgeous Megan, who is radiant in Mikaella Bridal and then utterly dazzling in a Galia Lahav mermaid dress for the evening. This pair married during the incredible heat wave earlier this year, and I'd totally understand if you thought Longbourn Barn was in Provence, not Warwickshire. As well as fabulous fashion and stunning decor, this wedding features a gin bar, so it was always going to be up our streets. Megan and her mum loving created this grey beauty from a bright pink burger van and we're glad they gave it a classy make over. You can hire it now for your own big day! Ready to see it (and gorgeous Megan) in action? I thought so!

Galia Lahav Mermaid Style Wedding Dress

Megan & Tom: I have always loved looking in the windows of bridal stores, and was waiting for the day that Tom finally proposed so I could explore further. Yet, when the time finally came, the prospect of trying on dresses was slightly daunting as I was 3 months post-partum and I was a long way from my dream wedding body. The first store I went to was The White Boutique, in Leamington Spa. I tried on several styles and eventually fell in love with a classic Mikaella crepe gown. The combination of the guipure lace and crêpe material, mixed with cap sleeves and keyhole back with Swarovski buttons was a dress I had never envisioned, however when I tried it on ‘I just knew.’ After leaving the store, I knew I had found the dress I wanted to marry Tom in, however I had a burning desire to keep looking for my something ‘extra’. Over a glass of prosecco, or two, my mum, maid of honour and I, decided that I should continue looking for a potential second dress, but agreed that it should be a secret and had to be something that was completely different to dress number 1. It was then I saw a post on Tilly Trotters Instagram about a Galia Lahav trunk show. Now, I initially met Sian from Tilly Trotters when I was pregnant at Compton Verney’s wedding fayre. I absolutely loved her (and her sister) and promised I would look in TT when the time came. Following the insta post, I emailed Sian and booked my appointment. BEST DECISION EVER. I could not take my eyes off the Galia Lahav dresses, so picked a few to try. It was then that I fell head over heels for a beautiful embellished mermaid dress, with a low back. The dress was made of geometric embroidered net and crystal embellished accents. It was everything that I had dreamed of! I had even pinned it on my Pinterest. I was sold. Dress number 2 purchased.

Groom In Black Tie

As we opted for a black tie theme, Tom wore a tailored blue tuxedo from Moss Bros. The tailoring enabled him to have input in the detailing of his dinner jacket by choosing the material, colour, lapel, style of buttons and type of lining. The dinner suit was paired with a pair Mulberry cufflinks and medium sized Lanvin bow tie from Farfetch. His Black Patent Dress Shoes were from Moss Bros.

The Ceremony

The ceremony took place at St Peter and Pauls Church, Butlers Marston which was a 2 minute drive from the reception venue. Both Tom and I love small, quaint churches and when the owners of Longbourn Barn Estate recommended their local church, Tom and I knew this was where we wanted to get married. We kept the décor in church simple with a welcome sign that my cousin/bridesmaid Jess has designed, then had flowers on each pew and a large floral arrangement that my mother in law made the day before. The traditional ceremony was perfect, starting with The Distractions acoustic duo playing Hallelujah down the aisle. Our family friend, Karl read a biblical reading, which was then followed by another close family friend, Lyndon, reading a poem he had written called ‘Love’. This went down amazingly! Lyndon is super theatrical and got the guests involved.

The Venue

Longbourn Barn Estate was the perfect venue for our wedding reception, the vast countryside views mixed with the French feel barn made for a romantic and elegant backdrop for the day. Although the venue itself is a barn, I wanted a formal, glam and ‘non typical barn’ theme. Having the barn as a blank canvas and with it being available 5 days prior to the wedding, I was able to fulfil my vision on décor.

The Flowers

My florist Karen Morgan, from Passion for Flowers created the most beautiful centre pieces for the tables. Upon our first consultation, I explained my vision for the day, and Karen completely hit the nail on the head. The head table comprised of a full length full floral and foliage runner intertwined with tealight candles, on the trestle tables we created a tall design on a gold metallic stand, with hanging glass baubles with tea lights. The 2 stands square stands one at each end of the table were draped with flowers and foliage, with a connecting metal pole with the hanging baubles on. A lush floral and foliage ring which circulated a metallic vase were the centrepieces for the rounded tables. There were arches either side of the head table which we hung Faux flowers and arranged pillar candles.

The Entertainment

Both families absolutely love music and a great band, so it was imperative that my mum and I found one for the big day. After exploring the internet long and hard, and attending numerous wedding events, we eventually stumbled across ‘The Distractions’ at the NEC wedding show. Their unique mashups of old school garage and RnB initially got our attention, and after listening for 30 minutes we were completely sold, so booked the duo for the ceremony and full 7 piece band for evening reception. We booked the wedding around the band - we loved them that much. As guests arrived for the drinks reception, we had a lovely country singer called Paris Georgia who we found on Last Minute Musicians. Paris fitted in absolutely perfectly on the day and the guests loved her.

The Food & Drink

Tom and I are massive foodies, and therefore chose Myles Matthews from A Chef For All Seasons, he created a bespoke menu for us. It was so much fun having Myles round to cook for the family, showcasing his work. The 4 course meal on the day was delicious! My initial plan for welcome drinks was to have a prosecco bike. After a weekend away, I had several messages from my mum talking about an old burger van. Long story short, we bought the burger van and converted it into our amazing gin bar for the wedding day. I loved converting the van into our gin bar, as it meant we had a unique bar for our wedding, but it also was a lovely mother/daughter project.

The Photography & Film

I followed The Vedrines (Tina and Ismael) on Instagram as I loved their style of photography - light, relaxed and fun. After a few email exchanges I knew they would be the perfect choice for myself and Tom. We had such fun shooting our engagement pictures which helped us get to know the pair, it also made us feel so much more comfortable in front of the camera in preparation for the big day. They created the most beautiful photos of our special day. Their attention to detail and laid back nature, resulted in fantastically natural shots that Tom and I can cherish forever. Tom and I absolutely loved the guys at LIAV (Life Is Art Visuals), the team were with us from the early morning preparations until late evening, they were uninstructive and completely blended into the day. We received our social media highlights reel when we were on our honeymoon in Skiathos, which seriously took our breath away. Being able to sit back and watch the full day back is something we will value forever.

{Watch The Film}