A rustic yet stylish venue met with vintage detailing for a delightfully personal summer wedding celebration for real bride Cheryl and her groom Billy in the heart of Sussex.
Beautiful unscripted moments were caught on camera by photography team Nick & Jaz from Velvet Storm Photography. The creative twosome captured honest and natural exchanges between the newlyweds and their wedding guests, all presented through thoughtful composition and use of light.
Cheryl wore a long 1920s style wedding dress from designer Justin Alexander, featuring vintage-inspired pearl and crystal bead embellishments and floaty cape effect sleeves. She bought the dress in a sample sale at Angelica Bridal in Camden Passage, London at a price significantly lower than the retail price, and then arranged to have it altered by seamstress and designer Emma Guard Design based in Worthing, West Sussex, so it was the perfect fit on the big day.
Her hair was styled into a stunning low updo by Amy Rawlings Bridal Hair Stylist. Featuring soft curls and loose tendrils, the romantic chignon was also adorned with a delicate pearl hair comb centrepiece. Cheryl's bridal beauty look was completed with natural make-up tones, applied by her friend Rebecca Hill.
Our bride accessorised her look with heels from the wedding shoe collection at ALDO, and beautiful jewellery by us.
Making the most of the low v-shaped back of her wedding gown, Cheryl picked our sterling silver pearl back drop necklace lariat for wedding 'Charlotte'. The long pearl drop fell elegantly down her back, accentuating the exquisite detail and cut of her bridal gown.
She completed her wedding look with our simple but stunning freshwater pearl stud wedding earrings 'Priya', complementing the other pearl features in an understated way.
Adding her own unique and personal touch to her bridal flowers, Cheryl said:
'I created my own bouquet with flowers handpicked from my Grandma's garden, as she had sadly just passed away, so it was our way of having her with us.'
The couple had a humanist ceremony under an old oak tree in the wooded garden at The Artisan Bakehouse in West Sussex. The bakehouse is a gorgeous little venue, made up of charming quintessentially English cottages, nestled at the foot of the South Downs in a village called Ashurst.
The non-religious ceremony was conducted by celebrant Jane Blackman which incorporated a 'hand-fasting', as well as exchanging their own vows.
'Love is not for sometimes, love is for all times, for you and for me.'
Cheryl's engagement ring and wedding ring were handmade and created by the wonderful Posh Totty Designs team in Brighton, and were the focus of the 'blessing of the rings' during the wedding.
Following the ceremony, the bride, groom, and guests were treated to a feast at the countryside venue:
'All the food was handmade by Lou and Les at The Artisan Bakehouse. We were treated with a BBQ buffet banquet teamed with fresh salads and lots of wholesome extras including freshly made breads, followed by handmade pizzas in their traditional wood fire over in the evening. I didn't have a traditional cake, but a stack of handmade brownies!'
Taking inspiration from Pinterest, Cheryl and Billy carried out their own wedding planning, with the help of Lou and Les from The Artisan Bakehouse. They also had some extra help from Debbie at Showtime Events who helped to decorate the venue so beautifully.
'We foraged! We had jam jars and vases filled with eucalyptus and cow parsley and gypsophila.'
Once the pizzas were eaten and the toasts were finished, the happy couple then enjoyed their first dance together to 'Mirrors' by Justin Timberlake
Describing their most memorable moments of the day, Cheryl reflected:
'Everything from our guests, to the setting to the food, it couldn't have been more perfect for us.'
After the wedding, the newlyweds took a lovely beach break in Tenerife and have plans to travel to Iceland later this year as the second part of their honeymoon.
Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful images of your wedding day Cheryl and Billy. The pearl details looked truly stunning. We wish you both all the very best wishes for your marriage.
