Lucy’s Sunflower Wedding In Stella York

How did your partner propose?

On top of a Mountain in Yosemite National Park. He got down on one knee during a photo.

What’s the best piece of advice you received in the run up to your wedding?

Spend as much time as possible together on your wedding day- so simple yet so many people forget to do this.

How did you go about finding your wedding dress?

I took some recommendations from a friend on bridal shops to visit. I tried on a range of different styles, even the ones I didn’t think would suit me, before deciding the style that suited me most.

How many dresses did you try on before you found ‘the one’?

10 in total including all the different styles. I honestly could have worn them all as they were all so beautiful. I nearly didn’t try mine on as I didn’t like how it looked on the hanger however was persuaded to do so and am so glad I did.

Do you know the name of your dress designer?

My designer was Stella York, I had seen dresses online by this designer and liked them all but didn’t think they would suit me.

What made you fall in love with the dress that you chose?

When I tried it on for the first time it felt as though it had been made for me! It was totally different to what I thought I would choose but felt comfortable and I really did get that instant feeling of it being the one. Plus my Mum and Bridesmaid cried so that helped! I loved the lace back and fishtail.

Did you wear a veil and/or any other bridal accessories?

I kept things fairly simple – I didn’t want a veil as I didn’t want to hide the details of the dress.

Tell us a little about your wedding day – the vibe, what inspired you, etc.

We wanted to make sure the wedding had bits of ‘us’ included throughout such as our cats and our love for travel. We used pinterest and instagram for ideas but we were also really lucky to have talented friends who are musical, illustrators, make up artists, florists ETC. Most of all we wanted everyone to have a good time so included plenty of games, a lovely ‘carve your own roast’ including funny aprons and bets/bingo on the speeches. Sunflowers were a big theme of the day and invites and My mum made metres and metres of bunting!

What was your favourite moment from the day itself?

It is so hard to pick out a single moment. There is nothing that will ever compare to having all your friends and family and people that love and care for you in one place at the same time. The day was filled with so much love and laughter, seeing everyone so happy was amazing. The highlight would have to actually be marrying Joe. We had been together for 12 years by the time we got married, I kept waiting for the nerves to kick in but had nothing but excitement.

Is there any advice you would be happy to share with other brides?

It honestly is the best day of your life and nothing else matters. There may be people that can’t come. There may be decorations you can’t use as it is too windy (this happened!) Things may change or go wrong on the day but it will still be the most perfect day. Try and take moments to take it in and enjoy every second as it goes so fast! Enjoy the build up just as much as the wedding, have days out for dress shopping and food tasting and celebrate every decision. Most importantly, remember that it is all about YOU and your partner and not pleasing other people.

Are you taking a honeymoon and if so when (in relation to your wedding, ie, immediately after, or sometime later) and what are your plans?

We went on a Spa Break Minimoon the day after the wedding, this was lovely to take time to reminisce and digest the wedding. We then went on our honeymoon 6 weeks after our wedding. We went to South Africa and Mauritius- highlight was definitely Safari!

Would you mind sharing details of any other suppliers you used?