Real Bride Spotlight: Hannah Wands

Here at Vicki’s Bridal Boutique, we love nothing more than hearing our Vicki’s Bride love stories from the proposal to the big day.  So we want to share the love with our readers and hopefully offer you a bit of Real Bride inspiration. Today's Real Bride Spotlight is the lovely Hannah, who has offered to share her and Rob’s story with us and of course tell us all about their beautiful wedding. 

So tell us, how did your partner propose?

First thing in the morning at Mawgan Porth beach; we had headed there for a day bodyboarding, and we're enjoying a coffee perched on a rock in the early morning sun. Rob distracted me and got down on one knee! 

When and where did you get married?

We got married on the 3rd June 2023 at The Oak Barn, Frame Farm in Benenden, which is about 15 minutes from where we live.

What colour/theme did you go for?

Lots of greenery with creams/whites; we wanted it to reflect an English country garden, so everything was free flowing, and we incorporated herbs, with a little nod to Rob's Scottish heritage with green thistles. We used stocks on the aisle, which smelt amazing! 

One bit of advice for couples planning a wedding?

Start early! You can never book a supplier too soon, especially in the post-covid wedding world. Spreadsheets will also be your best friend!

We love that piece of advice!

Now, Shopping for your dress….tell us about it?!

There was only one place I wanted to shop, and that was Vicki's! I had visited once and was sure I had found my dress, until a new collection arrived.... I returned and really did find the one! It was such a lovely moment. I had been a bit nervous about wedding dress shopping, but you guys were amazing and made the experience so lovely. 

Thank you! And it really was a moment that we won't forget, either.

So tell us; Highlight from your big day...

The moment I walked into the barn for our wedding breakfast and saw the flowers Perinda set up; I was completely overwhelmed by how beautiful the place looked, it was better than I ever could have imagined.

Your favourite photo from your big day, professional or moment captured by a guest.

It’s so hard to choose! But I love this one of Rob and I, walking back to our guests after going off with the photographer for a photoshoot late afternoon. I had asked Rob to help me carry the veil, and he hooked it over his shoulder. Completely unplanned, but looks amazing! 

OMG, that really is a beautiful moment captured. Thank you so much Hannah for being our real bride spotlight this month. We absolutely loved your photos and Juno by Kelsey Rose really did look stunning on you with the gorgeous Horse Hair chapel length veil by Nieve Couture. We wish many years of making beautiful memories as Mr & Mrs Wands.

Lovely in Lace Wedding Dresses

It’s no secret that through-out history, brides have looked lovely in lace wedding dresses, but these days that does not mean that you have to go for a vintage bridal look when wearing lace. We are going to look at our favourite lace trends at Vicki’s Bridals Boutique, from your classic vintage lace to the new modern laces being created, to the use of lace placement and ways to add lace into your bridal look. 

Let’s start by looking at the full lace dress (personal favourite of mine). Bridal Lace wedding dresses are all about personal taste, and speaking from experience you could be in love with one lace dress and really dislike another, you have to find your lace style. In the past couple of seasons Kelsey Rose have been creating their own laces for a more modern bride, one of our favourites being their ‘falling rose’ lace, which they used on the Thea dress. This is lace is a large, bold pattern, but the lightweight tulle and contemporary cut makes her soft and subtle. 

Hazel by Ellis Bridals offer a more traditional all over lace wedding gown look with an elegant fit and flare silhouette and ¾ length sleeve with a puff shoulder. This is a gorgeous heavy lace with iridescent sequins sprinkled throughout to deliver a beautiful subtle sparkle. And though a more traditional style wedding dress, lace definitely speak more to the current bride. 

Doing the reverse, Alisha by Nieve Couture is a great example of taking a delicate vintage lace but adding it to a modern cut with the exposed boned bodice. To marry the past and present. 

Lace is the guaranteed timeless bridal trend, but of course full lace is not for everyone. So here are a couple of different ways to wear lace on your wedding day;

Half-and-half could be the perfect alternative for you, whether that be a beautiful lace bodice with a soft chiffon skirt, such as Sicily by Kelsey Rose or a structure crêpe bodice with a soft floral lace a-line skirt as found in Bree by Ellis Bridals. 

Placement lace is another beautiful way of doing lace without going full lace. Demi by Nieve Couture and Natalia by Ellis Bridals are perfect examples of this. With their delicate lace bodice which gradually soften down the hip and with detail continued throughout the skirt with gorgeous placed applique lace motifs. 

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature" by Coco Chanel

Cut out lace has been a big trend for the past couple of years now, making lace a little bit sexy. With cut away backs, illusion sleeve and statement lace cutout trains. We adore Mauve and Lottie by Ellis Bridals which showcase this lace trend perfectly, combing all of the above seamlessly.

But something you may just want a small nod to the traditional lace trend, which can be achieved with simple lace sleeves or trim on your dress. Or even with your accessories whether that be with lace detail in your veil or, at Vicki's we love the bridal trainers from The Perfect Bridal Company, Oakley and Cameron which are the perfect combination of old and new. So every bride really can look lovely in lace.

Bride of the Month: Bonnie Lett

The lovely Bonnie came to us back in November 2022 in the search for her ‘Yes to the dress’ moment. And honestly, we had such a fun appointment, full of so much laughter. Throughout our whole time working with Bonnie, we just loved having a catch-up with her and her mum. So we were so pleased when she agreed to be our bride of the month and share with us all the details of her gorgeous winter wedding.

How did your partner propose?

Funny story that… he didn’t! We both agreed that we’d like to get married, so we went and chose my engagement ring as a team. No regrets! It meant I got to choose the ring I wanted!

We love that!! Married is all about doing life together, so why not start as you mean to go on. So lets talk wedding...

When and Where did you get married?

We got married in December (2023) at The Secret Garden in Kent. It was stunning, and the venue was everything we could have dreamed of! It all ran like clockwork, the staff were amazing, and the main thing was… it didn’t rain! Christmas was always on my radar for marriage as it is my favourite month of the year and my husband didn’t really kick up a fuss about it, so we agreed on a lovely winter wedding. 

What colour/ theme did you go for?

My husband and I are quite plain and like neutral vibes, so that is what we went for. White and forest green, perfect for winter! Our table names were named after flowers as we are very fond of our garden and into flowers!

Perfect winter vibes. What is one bit of advice for couples planning a wedding?

Organise early and stay calm! We had no stress with organising our wedding. From organising the venue, to finding our dress/suit and booking different suppliers, we were so relaxed throughout because we ticked things off early and kept track of everything as we went!

Honestly, we could not agree more... More time, less stress! Now the fun bit, Shopping for your dress...

Tell us about it?!

I honestly didn’t think wedding dress shopping could be so easy. Megan and Hannah were my first appointment, after some online research, which resulted in me finding my dress, shoes and something for my hair. They made the process super easy and were so relaxed. They supported everything I wanted to do and even though I knew which dress I wanted from the get go (after seeing it online) they suggested I try on a range of dresses to make sure I knew for sure! The boutique is stunning and hold a huge range of beautiful dresses with all different prices. I would highly recommend shopping at Vickis!

It means so much to us that we can be our brides safe space!

Tell us what was the highlight from your Big Day?

Our highlight… gosh there were too many! I think we both enjoyed seeing each other at the altar the most, though. What a magical moment when you both feel a million dollars! 

That is so sweet, we love love! And lastly, your favourite photo from your big day - professional or moment captured by a guest. 

Thank you so much for sharing with us, Bonnie. Honestly, we love having you as part of our Vicki's family and hope you love every moment of married life.

Wedding Day Credits:

Hair - @BlowDrysKent⁠

Make up - @al_makeupx⁠

Photographer - @daniellukeweddings⁠

Venue - @secretgardenkent⁠

Dress - Fleur by @vickisbride @kelseyrosebridal⁠

Head piece - @vickisbride @thebobbypinuk⁠

Shoes - @vickisbride @perfectbridalco⁠

Flowers - @flowerartuk⁠

Bride - @bonni3haynes