Vicki's Top 5 Satin A-line Dresses

The satin A-line is a timeless bridal look and a staple in most wedding designer's collection year after year. Here at Vicki’s Bridal Boutique in Tenterden, we wanted to share Vicki's Top 5 Satin A-line Dresses across our designers Freda Bennet, Ellis Bridals, and Nieve Couture. So here goes…

Lauren by Ellis Bridals is one of our newest additions as a part of our 2024 Ellis Bridals collection. We just fell in love with her stunning classic style paired with a modern racer neckline and keyhole back. The gorgeous mikado fabric holds a beautiful structured silhouette. Not forgetting the detachable bow to allowing you to stamp your own style on the dress and…last but not least it has the pockets!! And what bride doesn’t love a pocket.

Audrey by Nieve Couture is a Vicki's Bridal Boutique classic and if you read our Real Vicki's bride spotlight on Jennifer, you would have seen her modelling it beautifully on her big day. This stunningly simple wedding gown is perfect for any bride looking for a timeless, modest bridal look on her wedding day. With her high neckline, A-line skirt and button detail all the way down to the bottom of the train, finished off with a thin sparkle belt, which adds a little twinkle. Because what bride doesn't love a little sparkle! We must not forget again the little matter of her pockets! (Can you guess we are a big fan of the bridal pocket!!)

Milan by Freda Bennet is a classic A-line for the modern bride. With her square neck line in Freda Bennet’s signature cloque textured fabric. She perfectly marries both the traditional and playful side of any bride. Her extra thick waist band works wondered on all body types, making any bride feel amazing - which is the most important thing!! She also makes the most amazing sound when twirling the night away. 

Ada by Ellis Bridals may feel a little familiar, with inspiration for her taken from Princess Kate's wedding dress she wore on when she married Prince William back in 2011. With her delicate lace sleeved bodice married with the soft plain satin A-line. She really is a timeless classic, and if she is good enough for a princess!

Last but certainly not least, one of our newest additions, Romily another gorgeous Freda Bennet gown. This exquisite satin A-line adds a little fun to a true classic with her nod to the current 3D flower bridal trend we are seeing everywhere at the moment, with her flower puff sleeves. We just love the mix of two wedding styles. Her pleated corset and sweetheart neckline creates an ultra famine shape, with her A-line skirt enhancing the waist.

Let us know which is your favourite of Vicki's Top 5 Satin A-lines, or is there another one of our gorgeous dresses you think should have made the list. If you think one of these stunning Satin A-lines could be in your Top 5 don't forget to book with us at https://www.vickisbride.co.uk/book-an-appointment.

Real Bride Spotlight: Jennifer

Jennifer’s appointment was a real ‘when you know, you know’ kind of appointment. Her love for every moment of planning her wedding and to be honest every moment of her wedding after is what we live for! Todays Read Bride Spotlight is the lovely Jennifer, So we knew she would jump at the chance to share her wedding journey with us. 

 How did your partner propose?

On a chaotic Valentines day, just 6 months after I caught the bouquet at a friend's wedding. We were both starving hungry, he brought home takeaway pizzas as our Valentine’s Day tradition. Just before we were about to eat, he gives me a gift to unwrap, I unwrap a beautiful wooden box and open it to find a ring I immediately burst into tears. We never did eat the pizzas. We just drank a bottle of champagne. 

Takeaway Pizza date nights are the best! Especially with a ring involved!! So on to the big day …When and Where did you get married?

On the 2nd September 2023, in my local church at our home on the farm. The first day in a long time for the rain to stop, we woke up on a misty warm morning where the sun broke through and shone all day, it felt just like a spring day in the peak of summer. 

 What colour/ theme did you go for?

Dark green and white with a marquee full of hops and my sisters home grown dahlias for our traditional English wedding. 

Stunning I’m sure you all agree …One bit of advice for couples planning a wedding?

Enjoy every moment of stressing, planning and organising, you’ll miss it when it’s over. Your day will be perfect no matter what, because you’re marrying the love of your life and the day is just about the two of you, and everyone there is cheering you on loving you too. 

We couldn’t agree more, best advice… So, Shopping for your dress... Tell us about it?!

Most people can’t wait to go dress shopping but it was the one part of organising our wedding day I was least looking forward to. My mum and sister saw Vicki's bridal boutique whilst driving through Tenterden and told me about it and so I started looking at their Instagram, after a couple of months later of constant scrolling I booked an appointment. As soon as I walked into Vicki’s bride with my mum and sister, Megan greeted us with the biggest welcome and told me to relax and enjoy the experience. I instantly saw a dress that looked like the style and fabric I imagined myself wearing. Megan said to have a look around and pick out anything I liked, so I went straight to pick her off the rail. I had seen on their Instagram page a two piece which was the reason I booked the appointment, however, after trying it on, it wasn’t the one for me. I went on to try another which was lovely but I wasn’t quite set on. I then tried on the one I had first seen hanging on the rail and I knew it was ‘the one’ it made me completely relax knowing I had my dress ‘Audrey’ and so I just had fun with the process and tried on 5 more, when else will you be able to spend the morning trying on as many wedding dresses as you can?! 

And that is exactly what dress shopping should be! Highlight from your Big Day.

Every moment I loved, each for their own reason. The chill in the morning, walking around the marquee whilst it was quiet and still, before everyone turned up to do all the finishing touches. 

Getting ready with my 2 bridesmaids, MUA and hair stylist in our own room upstairs listening to my family who were downstairs laughing and getting everything ready for the day. 

Having our photographers turn up, James and Hannah Ireland (@jamesirelandphotography),  who were both so lovely, feeding us with little snippets of what was going on at the marquee and what the groom and his groomsmen were doing. 

After photos outside our farmhouse the day goes past so quickly you have to soak up as much as you can. 

Maybe the biggest highlight is being able to breathe after walking out of church, being alone with my HUSBAND whilst heading back, to walk into our beautifully dressed marquee with everyone cheering and celebrating you as the new Mr and Mrs Lavis! 

Honestly welling up reading this, exactly what your big day should be. Your favourite photo from your big day - professional or moment captured by a guest.?

How can I pick just one… 

Supplier of the month: A Touch of Kent

Kick-starting our Supplier Of The series, we are chatting to the lovely Sam and Katie, from A Touch of Kent. And getting the low down on why they started and what they have to offer you on your big day.

Tell us about you and your business

We are Sam & Katie, and we launched A Touch of Kent in September 2022. Specialising in luxury and modern wedding styling, floristry & signage. We are always striving to modernise the wedding industry and encourage couples to be bold and different. Based in Maidstone, Kent, but we travel all over the UK for weddings. 

What made you decide to start A Touch of Kent?

I, Sam got married in July 2022 and enlisted Katie to help with her wedding flowers and styling. I had booked with a stylist which was dictated by the venue. When I went to visit my stylist, I was handed a brochure and told to pick what I wanted. Well I didn’t want what was in the brochure, I wanted to show the stylist my Pinterest board and inspiration pictures and for her to make the magic happen. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. I left feeling very disheartened and not convinced that I was going to get my vision. Katie agreed to help me get the venue ready the night before and the morning of my big day. Together, we made mine and my husband's dream wedding come true. 

The following week, we sat in the garden with a bottle of wine talking about the day and how amazing it was. This is when Katie told me that she had so much fun and said, ‘I’d love to do this for a living, making other people's visions and dreams come true’. The following day, I called Katie and said ‘We’ve registered a business, we’re called A Touch of Kent, and we’re going to just go for it’. We both had ‘real’ jobs at the time, I worked for the ambulance service and Katie as Cabin Manager for 18 years. We assumed A Touch of Kent would be very slow starting as the industry was ‘over-saturated’, so we kept being told. Boy, how wrong were we! Fast-forward 18 months, and we’re fully booked for 2024 and have opened our very own florist/showroom in Maidstone and are both full-time for A Touch of Kent. It’s been a crazy whirlwind, that’s for sure! 

What’s been your favourite wedding so far and why?

It’s difficult to pinpoint a favourite wedding to be truthful, each and every one of our clients had such wonderful visions. But if we were to pick one, it would be a wedding we did at The Cave, Canterbury. Simply because the couple trusted us enough to give us free-reign on their entire day. They showed us their vision, and we ran with it. We were allowed to be as creative as we liked, and they loved all our suggestions. They booked every element we offer, floristry, signage and styling including full tableware setup. It was such a magical day for everyone involved. Even now, they are our biggest cheerleaders and the most supportive couple you could imagine. They were our clients, now they’re our friends. 

What services do you offer?

We are a multi-service company. With 3 suppliers in one, we provide full venue styling from candles to tableware. We offer full floristry in fresh and artificial. From all these elaborate floral displays you see on Pinterest to your boutonnière, and we also offer full wedding signage, that’s from table numbers, place names to welcome signs and seating plans. Our couples love that we offer so much, as the communication between suppliers when organising a wedding can become very overwhelming. So when they find just 1 supplier who does it all, it is perfect! 

What can couples expect from you as apart of their wedding?

From the initial e-mail, right through to your wedding day, you’ll receive our exceptional level of customer service and honesty. After the initial e-mail, we’ll invite you to our showroom for a meeting to generate a bespoke quote just for you and your partner. The communication lines are always open right from enquiry. We’ll meet with you 2–3 months before your big day to finalise your wedding plans and details. We liaise directly with the venues to organise set-up times and access so you’re not encountering additional stress and e-mails. If there is something we don’t provide as part of our service, we’ll do the leg work to get quotes for you to minimise all the various communications. Then, we’ll show up on your big day, make the magic happen and leave you feeling amazed that you’d had the day of your dreams. 

We pride ourselves in just being us. We’re honest and open. If we think something won’t work, we’ll tell you. We’ll give you advice and our opinions. We spend the time to get to know who you are as people and implement those subtle personal touches on the day. 

Lastly, but most importantly, what's the best way for couples to contact you?

If you’d like to book A Touch of Kent for your magical day, get in touch via e-mail info@atouchofkent.com or on our website www.atouchofkent.com.

Pop over to Instagram & give us a follow - www.instagram.com/atouchofkent