Morning b.lovelies!  I’m really excited to bring you this week’s real wedding, not because of the stunning autumnal copper & rose colour palette (it just so happens to be in keeping with our very first Style Guide issue!), or that it’s exceptionally pretty (it is!), or that it’s hosted at one of our favourite venues (that too – Fetcham Park!) but because today we’re sharing the story of the suppliers who made Rachel & Rob’s wedding perfect. I’m a big believer that the best wedding suppliers are the one’s who are not only talented, friendly and passionate, but those who will go above and beyond to make sure you and your guests have the best day possible.  If that means looking after your maid of honour’s new baby so she can enjoy her meal in peace, they will. If it means driving around half the country to find crushed ice at 6am on the morning of your wedding because another supplier has let you down, they will.  These are just two true stories I’ve heard from some of my favourite suppliers recently, and I assure you there are many more just like this!

With stunning photography from Eddie Judd, here’s Rachel & Rob’s wedding ~ the supplier’s story.

The Bride’s Look – by Tania Stephenson-Oliver, and Severin Hubert from The Hepburn Collection

I met Rachel after a friend of hers recommended me – I love getting recommendations!  Once she had chosen her beautiful dress, and the colour of her bridesmaids dresses, we booked a trial so I could play with the style and pretty autumnal palette of her day.  Rachel wanted a pretty, natural and flawless look.  After the base, I used warm neutral tones from the Bobbi Brown long-wear cream eye shadow range – a must for wedding days as they are smudge proof and last all day, with a fantastic range of colours!  I added a warm glowing cheek colour, and we finished with a subtle, natural lip.   Make up is such a personal thing, I really wanted her to feel natural and beautiful on her wedding day.  I worked with Sev Hubert from The Hepburn Collection who created a loose-yet-elegant up do with a delicate diamante detail, showing off Rachel’s gorgeous sparkly earrings and necklace.

The ceremony was held at the Catholic Church of Our Lady & St. Peter in Leatherhead,

The Venue – Laura Caudery from Fetcham Park

Rachel & Robert found us online, and as a local couple were interested to find our more about Fetcham Park.  As I welcomed them into the house, of course they fell in love!  They were particularly reassured by the amount of time and support we could give them with the planning of their day. Nearly all of their suppliers are ‘Laura Loves’ partners, my hand-picked list of trusted suppliers.  The big difference with ‘Laura Loves’ from other supplier lists is that our suppliers don’t pay to be featured, and I don’t take any commissions.  This transparency means our couples get the best service!

For me, it’s really important to get to know a couple so that I can give them the best advice.   I am passionate about detail and about providing a bespoke service and I think that’s what particularly appealed to Rachel and Robert – the time I spent getting to know them meant that I could suggest suppliers that I knew they would enjoy working with, and ensure their day was everything they wanted. 

A wedding like Rachel & Rob’s is the perfect example of the brilliance of the Laura Loves suppliers – each and every one of them is the best at what they do and it was a beautiful day, as Rachel says ~

“We can’t thank Laura and her team enough for helping to make our wedding day as special as it was. Fetcham Park is such a stunning venue, however, it was the Parallel Venues team as much as the venue itself that told us it was the perfect place to hold our wedding.  Nothing was too much trouble in advance or on the day and we always felt Laura and Frances wanted things to be just as perfect as we did ourselves.“

 

The Flowers – Steph Turpin from Fairynuff Flowers

We were recommended to Rachel and Rob by Laura Caudery at Fetcham Park. They then checked out our website and blog, and got in touch.  Lots of brides (and grooms) do have firm ideas about flowers, but Rachel and Rob were open to suggestions, and didn’t have specific flowery thoughts for their wedding day, but did want to use seasonal blooms. So after looking through my portfolio, and picking out certain flowers, colours and styles that they liked, the designs just naturally came together. 

The couple really wanted to work with all the gold at Fetcham Park, and the bridesmaid’s dresses. We used Pinterest lots too. A resource which I think is brilliant for couples who don’t have set ideas about how they want their day to look. I pinned lots of pictures, both of my work, and other ideas, and we worked together from there. Rachel carried a handtied bouquet of Quicksand, Vendella and Peach Avalanche Roses, along with Achillea, Dahlias, Scabious seed heads and berried Eucalyptus, with her two gorgeous maids having smaller versions. The boys had wired buttonholes of Vendella Roses, Scabious and berried Eucalyptus. We used matching blooms for the stone bowls on the tables, and the large urn in the Shell Room, with lots of gorgeous seasonal foliages.

I love it when brides get ready at Fetcham Park. In between hair, make up and dress, Rachel kept popping down to see the venue, and all the details we had talked coming together. Having a lovely chat with the bride before she got in to the car to whisk her to the church was a fab moment too.

The Cake – Krishanthi Armitt from Cakes by Krishanthi

Rachel and Rob met me at Tea on the Terrace, which was hosted at Fetcham Park in July 2012.  They loved my cakes and the sweet treats and so asked me to come on board for their wedding.  They wanted something very classic and romantic which would fit in well with their choice of flowers, colour theme and the interior of Fetcham Park.  The cake was to be set up in the Salon room which is a decadent space swathed in creams and golds.

Rachel instantly fell in love with one of my existing designs which is a four tier cake.  I suggested that we design a 3 tier cake incorporating all the details.  As part of the free consultation I offered to sketch a couple of designs and from which they chose the final piece. They selected two different flavours for the tiers – fruit cake covered with marzipan, a chocolate torte layered with morello cherry preserve and dark chocolate ganache.  I loved seeing how the cake fitted perfectly in with the rest of the deco when I went to set it up.

The Photography – Eddie Judd Photography

Rachel and Rob approached me after being recommended by Laura Caudery their venue’s organiser. I do love Laura’s way of recommending suppliers – she has invested alot of time getting to know the personalities and work of all the people she puts forwards to her couples to ensure they get a great level of service. They were very nervous about having their photographs taken, but as with all my couples they realised that it can be fun when we spent a lovely couple of hours together on their engagement photo shoot. All my couples receive a ‘signing frame’ from this shoot to have at their wedding upon which guests can leave messages of love and congratulations.

On their wedding day, I aim to tell the story of their day – from all the little details that time has been invested in to the emotions of the guests. I also love to get some stunning bride and groom portraits for the newlyweds which quite often turn out to be the favourite images that get proudly framed at home.  I absolutely loved photographing Rachel and Rob’s wedding day, they were clearly loving their day and they really did have the most amazing list of suppliers to make sure everything looked and ran smoothly. Perfect!

To get in touch with any of the suppliers featured in Rachel & Rob’s wedding, click the links below.

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Suppliers Photography: Eddie Judd Photography // Venue: Fetcham Park // Florist: Fairynuff flowers // Makeup: Tania Stephenson-Oliver // Hair: The Hepburn Collection  // Dress: Mamfii Bridal // Bridesmaid dresses: Kelsey Rose // Suits: Six Reigate // Cake: Cakes by Krishanthi  // Stationery: Ivy Ellen // Catering: At Home // Evening DJ: Matt Maurice  // Car: Bowfield Car Hire