Let's hear all about it...
Laura, firstly tell us about your dress?
I fell in love with my dress as soon as I seen it on pearls and laces Instagram page. My dress was made by the fabulous Eva Lendel and in the style ‘Aretta’. Before, I could never picture myself in a dress before until I laid my eyes on it! I knew I always wanted a dress that was different to anything I had seen before on other brides but just never knew what that ‘different’ was. I had travelled down to Pearls and Lace on one earn to try this dress on, never tried any dresses on before and didn’t know what to expect. Just in case I was disappointed or didn’t like the dress, I tried on another 2 dresses. Don’t get me wrong the dresses were absolutely stunning, but I just knew they weren’t for me. As soon as I tried on my dress I felt emotional and I just knew this was the one! It was beautifully fitted with off the shoulder sleeves and was covered with sequins and beads. Perfect for a Christmas wedding. I also loved the fact it had an over skirt which made the dress have 2 styles in 1! I wore the overskirt for the marriage ceremony and then took the skirt off to party in the evening.
On the day of picking my dress I had my mum, one of my bridesmaids and my granny. Everyone knew it was ‘the dress’ as soon as I had it on. Sadly, my granny passed before my wedding day so I am so thankful to have had her there that day when I said yes to the dress! Knowing she had seen me in my dress brought me a lot of comfort on my big day. She loved the day out in the pearls and lace shop sipping prosecco and eating away at all the lovely nibbles the girls had put out for us. It’s a lovely memory to have shared with her.
On the day, everyone told me my dress was beautiful but also very ‘me’. Finding a dress where you both feel amazing and yourself in is priceless.
How did you style your dress?
I have always loved the glam but elegant bridal look. I styled my dress with a cathedral length scattered diamanté veil from the Pearls and Lace shop and added an extra touch of adding my married name and wedding date in embroidery to the bottom of the veil. I also added a Pearl and diamanté headband to compliment the dress, in which I got made and added in some pearls from a necklace my granny had gave me which meant I had a bit of her with me on my day! I finished off my look with the classic Chanel Pearl drop earring. I didn’t want my flowers to take away from my overall look so I just went with plain, classic white roses and greenery, tied up with my bridesmaid colour.
Tell us about your bridal party?
With having a Christmas wedding I felt I couldn’t not go with velvet bridesmaids! I had 3 beautiful bridesmaids who wore hunter green velvet dresses that I got from Rosies Closest just outside Newry. The fabric was so rich looking and I thought green was something different than red at Christmas. I added simple jewellery- a gold dainty bracelet and pearl and gold earrings to match their gold glitter shoes. There was a split up the side of the dresses which I think needed a shoe to be proud to show off and I mean, when else can you wear gold glitter shoes if it’s not Christmas?!.
I have always loved the classic tux look for the men so that’s exactly what I went for and again, I think it looked great with the velvet green bridesmaids. I really wanted my groom to wear a black velvet tux jacket but just couldn’t get him persuaded!! To make him stand out a little from the rest of the men, I added a waist coat which completed his overall look.
I can’t not mention my fabulous looking mum also. My mum is very trendy and from the get go I knew we would struggle getting her kitted out as she never wanted to go for the typical MOB look. After a few stressful shops, we got her sorted in Blush Boutique in Belfast which I must add the dress she wore wasn’t from the MOB section, instead by the designer Kevan Jon. It suited her to a T! As a present to her also, I got her a simple headpiece made again using some pearls from my granny’s necklace that she had gave me.
What would your advice be for other brides to be?
I really was a bit of a stress head leading up to the wedding and for what reason I don’t know because I was so organised. So I really would tell any Bride to not stress and try enjoy every moment because it all goes by so quick! I would also say to only focus on yourself and your partner and not to worry about others as it’s your day and a day you want to remember for all the right reasons. It’s easy to get caught up on wanting to please everyone else and ensuring they have great day but really all that matters is as long as you and your partner have had the best day.
What was your most memorable moment of your special day?
I loved the whole wedding morning prep. There is no better feeling than getting ready to marry your best friend!! I had all my favourite people round me that morning getting glammed. All went so smoothly and surprisingly I didn’t feel overly nervous that whole morning. I felt beautiful the morning of my wedding and couldn’t wait to get to the church. I think when the day came, I just loved every second and wouldn’t change a thing. I just can’t believe that it’s all over. Would do it all over again in a heartbeat!!
I can’t thank the girls in Peals and Lace enough. From arranging an appointment to the final dress pick up all went so smoothly. The girls know exactly what they are talking about and will give their honest opinion. The day in the shop was such a lovely experience. The shop is so beautifully decorated and has so many dresses and accessories to have a nosey at. I live quite a distance away so when it came to ordering my veil, it was no bother for the girls to send it out to my house with no issues whatsoever. I will always recommend Pearls and Lace to any upcoming brides.
