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wedding newswww.thisistotalessex.co.uk/ido

wedding newswww.thisistotalessex.co.uk/ido

Ask Kelly... Wear it likea charm

The joy and stress offinding the right dress

REMEMBER the little silver horseshoes people would give to thebride to carry with her bouquet – and bring her luck - on herwedding day? Fans of retro chic will love these pretty necklaces byAstrid & Miyu that effortlessly update the old tradition with just a hintof bling.

Choose from a cross, a horseshoe and a very quirky wishbone –and at £24 each, they will make lovely on-the-day gifts for a gaggleof bridesmaids too. Go to www.astridandmiyu.com for moreinformation.

Bride-to-bride CarlyHoldsworth marries NicKonstantinou in March 2014 atSt Nicholas Church in SouthOckendon with the receptionat Park Inn by Radisson inNorth Stifford.

“Hi Kelly, in hindsight, are there anyaspects of the planning that youwish you’d allowed yourself moretime for?”

Kelly says...Hi Carly,Despite only spending seven and ahalf months planning our big day, wereally researched every last detailthoroughly before making decisions.

It helped that we went on aweek-long holiday just after we gotengaged and spent the time talkingthrough our likes and dislikes.

By the end of that week, we knewthe direction we were heading in, thecolours and themes we wanted, andthen it was just down to lots and lotsof research.

Picking professional andunderstanding suppliers has helped.

We have been in regular contactwith our photographer (Town andCountry Photographic), florist(Poppies Designer Flowers) andvenue (Leez Priory), as well as myhair and make-up artist (Olivia FerrerHair and Make-up) to talk through allour ideas and questions and to havepractise sessions.

I would advise any bride to have aclear plan of what they want beforethey start making bookings.

It’s all too easy to be pulled andpushed in directions you don’t wantto go in, so being very clear of thelook and feel of your day is vital.

Bird’s Bridalwww.birdsbridal.co.uk01245 348749Adore Bridalwww.adorebrides.co.uk01245 356399Anthony Formalwearwww.anthonyformalwear.co.uk01277 651140Truly I Dowww.facebook.com/trulyido

Leez Priory, Chelmsfordwww.countryhouseweddings.co.uk/leez-priory01245 362555Town and CountryPhotographicwww.townandcountryphotographic.co.uk0208 502 3293Rainbow Clubwww.rainbowclub.co.uk

01392 207030Poppies Designer Flowerswww.poppiesdesignerflowers.co.uk01245 495851Olivia Ferrer Hair andMake-upwww.oliviaferrer.com07951 455659Culford Farm Cottageswww.culfordfarmcottages.co.uk

01284 728334Cloisters Cateringwww.cloisterscatering.co.uk01284 728378Clarice Housewww.claricehouse.co.ukColchester – 01206 734301Neil Baxter Photographywww.neilbaxterphotography.com07843 012253

Kelly’s contact book

I n the second planningdiary of bride-to-beKelly Clark, the future

Mrs Robertson reveals howfinding the right dress canbe just as methodical as it isheartfelt.

EACH time I’ve bought a newhome, I’ve had that feeling themoment I’ve walked through thedoor. That feeling that this is theone and that I simply must buy it.

So, when I went hunting for mydream wedding dress with mymum and best friend Sam, I waskind of expecting that very samesense of excitement.

For some brides, I’m sure there isthat heart-stopping momentwhere you look at yourself in adress, the tears streaming as youimagine saying your vows in thatvery outfit. It didn’t happen forme and I wish someone had toldme this might be the case.

Living in Chelmsford, my firstshopping trip was to Bird’s Bridalin town. I’d had an idea in myhead for many years of what typeof dress I’d wear on my big day –I’d imagined a huge tulle skirt, astrapless bodice with flatteringsweetheart neckline. That wasthe style of dress I’d alwaysdreamed of and the only typethat ever caught my eye so I wasadamant I’d only need one quicktrip to find what I was after.

In fact, I tried on some 20beautiful gowns in Bird’s, all ofwhich were lovely, but none gaveme that feeling. When wewalked the few paces along theroad to Adore Bridal, I wasmentally exhausted and the fivedresses I tried on there weresimply a blur.

My first shopping trip did feature

tears, but sadly they were tearsof disappointment that nightwhen I got home. I was certainI’d find my dress quickly and wastormented by thoughts maybe Ihad already found it and simplydidn’t respond in the way I hadexpected.

Two shopping trips later and it hitme. As I realised dropped waistsdidn’t suit me and that too muchembellishment just aged me, Ifinally got the eureka moment I’dhoped for. As I described what Inow knew to be my ideal dress, itdawned on me I’d tried on thatvery dress back at Adore on dayone!

On a second trip to the shop,mum was already in tears as theshop assistant pulled thestunning gown from the rails. As

soon as I climbed into the 1950sstyle gown, I simply knew thiswas my dress.

Once the dress was on order, Iset about completing the lookwith a pretty pair of heels fromThe Rainbow Club and acustom-made garter from Essexbased Truly I Do. But, I’m sorry,you’ll have to wait for a futurecolumn to find out what dress Ichose...

With silver already picked as thecolour for our bridesmaids, myfiancé Mark was keen to find aclassy grey suit for himself, hisbest man, nephew and usher.

Iain from Anthony Formalwear inBillericay assured us he couldfind the perfect look and hedidn’t disappoint. We wanted tosteer clear of the traditional

wedding look and so the slim,light weight suits were simplyideal. Teamed with a striking –and “different” – patterned tieand my handsome groom wasall set for the big day!

Bridal dilemma... thehen weekend

Just like everything else aboutour wedding, I wanted my henweekend to be “different”. I’vebeen to Dublin and Brightonfor drunken pole-dancinglessons and bar crawls. At theage of 34, I didn’t want thatfor my celebrations.

Instead, I gathered up my ninevery best friends and headed toCulford Farm Cottages, just anhour up the road, near Bury StEdmunds. The complex ofthree beautiful cottages is on aworking farm and we madetwo of them our home for theweekend.

The Friday night was all about

dressing in our little blackdresses – plus the obligatory hensashes and leopard print veil -and being taken care of byCloisters Catering who sent achef and a waiter to serve uscanapés and a delicious meal inthe largest of the cottages.

There was something veryspecial about sitting around ourown private dining table withmy closest pals, sharingmemories of years gone by andtoasting my future married life.

A day of pampering lay in storefor us on the Saturday, withrelaxation and numeroustreatments for everyone atClarice House, in Bury, beforewe returned to base for ourgirls’ night in – where my henswore fun leopard print onesies!

The whole weekend wascaptured by Neil BaxterPhotography who had beenhired as a gift from my friends.

THE SEARCH IS ON:Kelly goes dresshunting in Adore Bridal

PRETTY HEELS: Kelly foundhers in The Rainbow Club

CLASSY: Mark found the grey suit he wanted in Anthony Formalwear

SOMETHING DIFFERENT:Kelly and her friends spenta weekend away in Suffolk

for her hen party