When Mr Silver and I got married on the 18th of May it was the happiest day of my life…
The day was just truly amazing and everything was perfect…
…but to be honest it was also a relief…all the planning was finally over, everything was checked off our to do list and we could finally relax.Weddings aren’t just about endless champagne lunches with your bridesmaids, there are so many logistical considerations and ‘boring’ stuff to worry about too. Though, one fun aspect of wedding planning was attending the wedding fairs…trying cake and cocktails, admiring beautiful dresses and shoes and getting new ideas for entertainment.
The very best wedding fair that I attended when I was engaged was Spring Quintessentially Wedding Atelier, a brilliant showcase that gathered all the ultimate in luxury wedding brands under one roof. I was again invited to the Autumn showcase, but this time as a member of the press rather than a bride-to-be.
Quintessentially are first and foremost known a luxury concierge and lifestyle management service, but the relatively new
wedding planning branch takes the exceptional service that the company is known for, so that you can really trust the person planning your special day. At the Atelier, brides can meet these exceptional planners and gain a first-hand introduction to the luxury suppliers that they use.
I think every girl would agree that THE DRESS is one of the most important things about getting married and as soon as I walked into the gorgeous venue in Temple Place I headed over to speak to
Phillipa Lepley who was also my wedding dress designer.
Phillipa is one of London’s leading wedding dress designers, she uses only the finest fabric and the work on her dresses is totally meticulous. I know first hand, that after 10 fittings, my dress fitted absolutely perfectly and I couldn’t have been happier with it.
Other dress designers exhibiting were Suzie Turner:
A fabulous couture wedding dress designer whose looks took a twist on the traditional.
And there was also a designer who needs no introduction….
Nicki is an award winning designer of bridesmaids, flower girl and pageboy outfits. Her designs are second-to-none, which is why she was chosen as the designer for the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
The wonderful Nicki also created the most exquisite outfits for our nieces and nephews on our wedding day.
The little girls looked beautiful and of course, felt like princesses. And the boys were the perfect little gentleman.
Next, I went on admire the beautiful cakes and favours by luxury cake designer
Fiona Cairns.
Fiona designed and created the incredible cake for the Royal Wedding.
My stunning wedding cake was created by
Peggy Porschen, another leading London cake designer.
Our cake was
created completely bespoke and Mr Silver, myself and my mum chosen the colour, design and flavour. We actually had three different types of cake: strawberry and champagne, salted caramel and the traditional fruit cake.
Our wedding favour cookies were made by the talented team at
Cakes by Robin, and I’ve honestly never tasted better cookies.
When I walked into the next room, I realised I’d found the best room….
The shoe room!! Shoes by
Harriet Wilde are known for their unique designs, gorgeous embellishments and comfort. Shoes can also be made totally bespoke for something really different on the special day.
Here’s a snap of my wedding shoes and their signature red soul.
In the next room was beautiful and delicate lingerie by
La Perla.
Because what goes underneath your dress is clearly just as important.As is hair and beauty, and
Gina Conway were there at the Atelier offering makeovers and beauty advice.
The salon offers various different packages to make sure that the beautiful bride is fully pampered on her big day. The packages include absolutely everything you need, as well as hair and make up they offer facials, mani / pedis and waxing. You don’t need to be getting married to head to the salon and the ladies were telling me about some exciting developments that they have coming up so watch this space for news.
There were several florists exhibiting at the Atelier:
And
Wild at Heart by one of London’s leading florists Nikki Tibbles. As you can see all the florists had stuck with reds and pinks, giving the room and warm, cosy Autumnal feel.
One of the aspects of our wedding that received the most compliments was the floral design. The wonderful and incredibly talented Rob Van Helden styled everything including:
The Chuppah
The bouquets
The centrepieces
And all the other table decor such as the candles. I cannot recommend Rob more highly…the flowers completely set the tone for the day and everything was exquisite. Even Elton John calls him a genius!! He’s a very lovely person too!I believe another really important thing to set the tone of the wedding is the save the dates or the invitations. It’s the first thing people see so it should really represent you as a couple and how you want your wedding to be.
I loved the stationery by Ruth Kaye Design it was so classic and contemporary. And the company can fulfil all your wedding needs, as well as invitations they print table cards, place settings and menus as well as napkins, candles and goody bags.
Cutture offer a slightly more quirky invitation design.
The company specialise in laser cut invitations and can create anything bespoke, from an image of the wedding venue to an illustration of the couple’s life together.
And finally the food…
The wonderful event was catered by Caper and Berry who specialise in making every wedding and event unique to the individual. Mr Silver and I didn’t hire in a separate caterer, we used the in house caterer at The Dorchester, and the tasting was certainly one of the most fun aspects of preparing for the wedding.
Visiting the Quintessentially Wedding Atelier is a fantastic opportunity to meet top wedding planners and see all the top luxury brands in one place and I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet and mingle with them.
