An Essex Wedding - Mar/Apr 2017 (Issue 79)

51 Sophie & Ben’s useful contacts Photographer , Philippa Gedge Photography philippagedge.com; Venue , Layer Marney Tower layermarneytower.co.uk ; Bride’s dressmaker , Lucy Can’t Dance lucycantdance.com; Bridal boutique , Rock the Frock rockthefrockbridal.co.uk ; Bride’s accessories , Pelican Rose Bride etsy. com/uk/shop/pelicanrosebride and Forever Soles foreversoles.com ; Bride and mother-of-bride’s make-up , Emma Brooks Make Up emmabrooksmakeup.co.uk ; Bride and bridesmaids’ hair , Bridal Hair by Jennie bridalhairbyjennie.co.uk ; Groom and ushers’ suits , Moss Bros moss.co.uk ; Man-of-honour suit , ASOS asos.com ; Groom’s accessories , Van Buck vanbuck.com ; Ushers’ accessories , MenLau etsy. com/shop/menlau; Bridesmaids’ tops , Blue Inc blueinc.co.uk; Bridesmaids’ skirts , ASOS asos.com ; Groom’s rings , Ernest Jones ernestjones.co.uk ; Bride’s ring , Audry Rose loveaudryrose.com ; Invitations , Child Paper Co childpaperco.co.uk ; Band , Electric Ocean electricoceanband.com ; Catering , Millins Butchers millinsoftiptree.co.uk ; Tipis , Events Under Canvas eventsundercanvas.co.uk Sophie & Ben WEDDING OF THE YEAR “All our suppliers took so much pressure off us and we trusted them completely to do a great job,” – Sophie Philippa, our photographer, arrived to a house full of girls and my man-of-honour getting ready – she fitted right in and was great! We loved seeing it all come together. We’d had a lot of conversations with different suppliers, so it was great to see everything finally materialising in the lead-up to the big day. We wanted our flowers to have a wild look, as if they’d been collected from a meadow and our florist Ann Elcock pulled this off perfectly. We didn’t want a traditional cake and adored the look of the naked bakes adorned with lots of fruit and wild berries. From the start, we knew we wanted our day to reflect our personalities and all the quirky things we like – the outdoors was a big part of the day and the tipis gave it a really informal and fun vibe. Rock The Frock was ideal for my style and taste as it specialises in boho and alternative dresses, which also suited our theme perfectly. I quickly found the one , by local dress designer Lucy Can’t Dance. Sophie and Ben won the fifth round of our competition and are through to the final. Here the bride tells us more about their big day...