Your Sussex Wedding - Feb/Mar 2019 (Issue 77)

REAL WEDDINGS 39  couple met, Lady Patricia after Jessie’s gran, King Richard III after Adam’s grandad, William Shakespeare after his other grandad, Hogwarts Express for the bride’s love of Harry Potter and Evening Star after the train Adam was building. Centrepieces were three ribbed jam jars filled with delicately scented pale pink, green and ivory English country garden flowers, each decorated with a complementing organza ribbon, which the mother- and sister-of-groom meticulously tied into bows. All other floral arrangements were created by The Box Tree Company. Jessie says: “I desperately wanted peonies as they’re my favourite, but we were told it was the wrong time of year. However, on the day, our florist managed to get a few and put them in my bouquet.” Fatcakes baked the four-tier showstopper, which was covered in fondant icing, had a lace ribbon tied around each layer and beautifully hand-crafted cascading sugar roses complementing the bouquet. A feast of flavours, the foundation tier was carrot cake, the second was chocolate, the third was passion fruit drizzle and top was gluten-free lemon drizzle. Jessie remembers: “I only got some of the carrot cake layer, which I was very sad about. We still have some in the freezer.” The cake-toppers were two porcelain cats that travelled all the way from the U.S. One said “I do”, and the other said “me too”. Guests were gifted oh-so cute heart-shaped shortbread with J ❤ A and the wedding date, all neatly wrapped in cellophane with a pale pink organza bow. LOOKING THE PART The stunning bride wore an ivory fishtail dress with a low back from Isabella Grace in Tunbridge Wells. Jessie says: “I’d driven past it on the A26 many times and noticed how beautiful the window displays were. I always hoped I’d find a dress there one day.” Having originally discovered the style online, it materialized that the boutique stocked the dress of her dreams. She visited four stores beforehand without falling in love with any of the other designs. The chosen gown was Emily , incidentally Jessie’s middle name, by Kenneth Winston. This was accessorised by kitten diamanté heels from Paradox London, a long-length single tier and a diamanté hairpiece. The groom was dressed to impress in a navy Lounge Lizard suit by Ted Baker. The bride says: “We found it online together, so we both take credit for choosing it!” Adam also wore an ivory waistcoat from the same designer allowing him to stand out from his groomsmen, who wore the navy equivalent. After many months of browsing for bridesmaid dresses, Jessie chose a full-length, strapless, chiffon number with ruching on the bust in English rose. “None of them liked pink, which was an issue,” Jessie explains. “But they all looked beautiful.” One thing they did all agree on was that the dresses should be strapless, so that was settled. TIME TO CELEBRATE The newlyweds celebrated with a knees-up, supplied by the Brighton Ceilidh Collective. “They were amazing,” Jessie says. “They encouraged lots of people to get up and dance, many of whom wouldn’t have otherwise done so.” Adam was skeptical when Jessie initially proposed the idea, remembering what a good time she’d had at her