September 4, 2017
As Autumn draws in, we reflect on previous weddings this year, and have been chatting to the team about how glorious Pippa Middleton and James Matthews wedding was. We are lucky to work with some of the best wedding venues, experts and suppliers across the UK, so we thought it would be fun to write a blog on how to “Pip Your Wedding!”
The wedding day was held in May 2017, set in the glorious English countryside with several heirs to the throne and the cream of high society in attendance. The ceremony took place in St Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire. Pippa wore a Giles Deacon gown and the church was filled with breath-taking floral displays followed by an extravagant reception including magnums of champagne and a five-course sit down meal.
It’s fair to say Pippa and James spared no expense, with rumours the whole day cost over £1.2m pounds.
The Dress
Ellie Sanderson is an award winning, designer wedding dress shop, located in Beaconsfield and Oxford. Ellie shares her thoughts on Pippa’s gown
“Pippa looked utterly radiant in her modern style dress with delicate shoulders and high neck. Dresses with incredible back detail are bang on trend and so was Pippa, with her fabulous key-hole back.
Pippa chose a British designer to make her gown. Giles Deacon is a genius couturier who skilfully managed to encapsulate Pippa’s style with her dress. The dress was modern in style with a rather traditional feel using gorgeous soft cotton lace. Giles chose a perfect shape for Pippa’s slim frame and height. The bodice was perfectly fitted and skirt seamlessly floated.”
Pip Your Dress: For a similar style of gown, Ellie recommends Jesus Peiro who is known for clean lines and modern style using traditional fabrics. Jesus Peiro gown and accessory collections are stocked in Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutiques, and dresses start from £1,895.00
Mother of the Bride
Carole Middleton, the mother of the bride, also used the opportunity to highlight British designers, with Carole wearing Catherine Walker & Co. Carole has a classical elegant style wearing soft pink to match the floral theme of the wedding.
Pip Your Mum: Rachel Warren, Marketing Consultant at Brand28 reveals “soft pink dresses are all the rage this season, and can be found on the high street. We’ve found similar style coat dresses from Ted Baker and Phase Eight starting from £250.00”
Sister of the Bride
In-keeping with the pale pink theme, The Duchess of Cambridge wore a peach dress by Alexander McQueen, the perfect choice for a sophisticated look. Whilst an Alexander McQueen dress will set you back thousands of pounds, we just love the peachy pinks coming from Top Shop, and you can bag a similar style dress starting from £26.00 upwards
The Flowers
Lavender Green Flowers designed the floral displays for the wedding, including the stunning arrangement for the church archway.
The wedding flowers included peonies, sweet pea, freesia, waxflower, green bell, rosies and alchemilla mollis. We asked florist Matthew Taylor from the premier Fabulous Flowers for his insights which he shares for the first time below…
The Bouquet
White bouquets never fall out of fashion with lots of technical wiring. It is delicate and full of work but made to look simple, the delicate flowers picking up the lace detail in Pippa’s dress. The bouquet used seasonal flowers native to the UK which is very popular.
Flower Girls
The gypsophelia flower girls head-dresses were perfect for a country wedding, with the tiny flowers never failing to make an impact and are still very fashionable for weddings.
The Church
Arches are a real show stopper, and the floral lychgate at the church was simply stunning. Pippa opted for a natural feel with lush trailing foliage and lots of scented roses which would have perfumed the air as they were brushed passed.
Reception
Whilst the reception has been closely guarded, it looks like there were tall table flower displays sitting above the eye-line to give fabulous impact when entering the room.
Pip Your Flowers: Matthew reveals “When it comes to flowers at your wedding, recreating Pippa’s looks are all achievable. It’s a brilliant idea to blow half your budget on one or two show stoppers like the arch that guests will remember and talk about. Having a floral archway also provides a stunning backdrop for picture perfect images”.
It is claimed that the flowers at Pippa’s wedding cost £16,000. Fabulous Flowers are known for their stunning floristry and a flower archway starts from £1,000.00.
The Venue
The reception was held in a glass marquee in the back garden of the Middleton family home in Bucklebury. The dazzling marquee was decorated with an on trend “enchanted forest” theme, featuring a plethora of trees decked with purple fibre optic lights.
Primrose Hill Farm
Pip Your Venue: Primrose Hill Farm is located on the borders of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, and is perfect for those wanting to re-create the glass marquee feel of the Middletons. The venue offers a modern setting with an expanse of glass walls and a simple vaulted interior of lime washed timber. Primrose Hill Farm has natural open spaces with stunning panoramic views across the farm and open countryside to be enjoyed and explored. Offering complete privacy, weddings start from £2,500 for midweek hire and £5000 for weekend hire.
John Jeffries (JJ) of Primrose Hill Farm shares his thoughts on the venue and styling…
“The stunning glass marquee would have given uninterrupted views of the countryside beyond, providing the most fantastic and contemporary atmosphere. The use of natural decor such as native trees and foliage together with the abundance of daylight connects the interior space to the outside with stunning effect.”
Images of Primrose Hill Farm
Caswell House
For those searching for a romantic Cotswolds barn wedding venue, look no further than Caswell House. Set in 450 acres of picturesque countryside, Caswell House is an exclusive venue nestled in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside.
Offering stunning medieval barns that are sensitively renovated with care and attention to reflect their original features, character and beauty, giving a contemporary rustic feel.
This gorgeous venue features an ancient orchard, walled gardens and extensive lawns stretching down to the picturesque moat.
Images of Caswell House captured by Neil Hanson
The Food
From 20,000 canapes, magnums of champagne and asparagus spears, guests dined on the bride and groom’s favourite foods, provided by caterers Table Talk and Blue Strawberry.
Pip Your Menu: Anthony Robinson Co-Founder of Indulgence Boutique Hospitality shares his expertise on how you can create a similar style of food for your wedding…
Canapes and Grazing Tables
Nothing smacks of sophistication tempered with a laid back friendly family feel than Pippa and James canapes and grazing stations. It’s a great way to start a party and gets groups moving and mingling bringing everyone together and creating conversation pieces and opportunities to break the ice. Indulgence love this style of eating and see this as totally on trend for 2017/18. Try mixing the Mediterranean with British produce to create some seriously scrumptious treats. Enjoy this with Magnums of Nytimber Sussex Champagne or even William Chase Rose.
The Main Event
For a quintessentially British wedding the choice of Lamb is just perfect for Spring or Summer. Paired with Asparagus, Hollandaise Sauce and Moorish dauphinoise you have a sure fired crowd pleaser for a more formal event. If you want to keep the informality running through the event then why not serve Slow Roasted Shoulders of Lamb to share with a herby salsa at the table with big bowls of beautiful seasonal salads and buttered Jersey potatoes.
Pudding
Refreshing chilled Strawberries, Raspberries and a soft Roasted Vanilla Pannacotta served in a Champagne Coupe for effect would top this menu off perfectly.
Anthony and the talented team at Indulgence have created the perfect “Pip Your Wedding” menu, a classically British menu with a modern grazing feel, using ingredients sourced from local food heroes, starting from £60.00 per head.
The Party
The reception was said to be organised in ‘two tiers’. After the initial champagne reception, guests freshened up before a second separate evening event, allowing for that all important re-charge and dress change ready to party into the early hours.
Pip Your Wedding Reception: Jo Robinson, Co-Founder of Indulgence Boutique Hospitality highlighted “this is an ever-popular feature in weddings. We are seeing more and more couples asking for a two-tier wedding reception, which means that the wedding can spread across the whole day without being too tiring. The bride can slip into a second outfit, have a quick make-up refresh and spend some quiet moments with her new husband before partying the night away with friends and family.”
Pip Your Wedding: To conclude, Pippa Middleton and James Matthews wedding was an elegant and sophisticated affair, bringing together the best of British tradition with a modern twist.
The team at Indulgence Boutique Hospitality were delighted to see so many on trend statements which will no doubt be reflected in future weddings.
Images below captured by Lucy Davenport
We would like to give a huge thank you to the wonderful Ellie Sanderson, Fabulous Flowers, Primrose Hill Farm and Caswell House for their input and expertise in helping create this blog
Love the team at Indulgence x
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