Real Bride: Isobel & Rob

#kindlingbrides

"I was proud to be a Kindling bride wearing the Orion gown.

When I first got engaged, I felt a bit underwhelmed by many of the offerings on the market until I discovered the dreamy dresses by Kindling Bridal. I loved all of Kerri’s designs because they beautifully mixed tradition with a more modern edge, which was exactly the image I wanted for our wedding day.

It could not have been more lovely to make the trips up to Hebden Bridge first to try on lots of dresses and later for fittings. Kerri could never do too much, making adjustments to the style to suit me, and made the whole experience so special. I’m forever recommending Kindling Bridal to my engaged friends.

On the day in my Kindling dress, I felt totally relaxed, comfortable and beautiful, something that doesn’t happen very often! Only a very special dress can make someone feel all those three things at once!" - Isobel

Wow, it’s been a little while since I posted on this journal! Being quiet on here certainly doesn’t mean things have been quiet in the background though, since the last blog post (which is embarrassingly long ago) I have had a baby (who is now a toddler!), launched a new collection, a new website, and had the privilege of making a whole load of dresses and separates for some more wonderful brides, who’s weddings I can’t wait to share with you. But before that, I have a backlog of incredible real brides that I am so excited to share. Lets call it ‘from the archives’, although, if I’m honest, they all feel like yesterday to me anyway.

First up is the lovely Isobel , and what a pleasure it was to make her Orion gown. She was an absolute dream to work with, coming to her appointments with her lovely mum and sister, always with such a positive and calm energy.

She fell in love with the Orion Gown, and we made it in a beautiful corded lace, and she opted to ditch the long train and have a straight hem all the way round, which looked so elegant. The Orion Gown has a lot of lace in the skirt, so even without the train it has that beautiful drama that you'd expect from a wedding dress, and it made it that little bit easier for her garden reception.

Isobel & Rob married in their hometown in Nottingham, and Isobel's family home made the most perfect backdrop for their marquee reception. Their garden surrounding the marquee looks like an absolute dream! Isobel teamed her Orion Gown with a lovely white floral headband, which perfectly complimented her relaxed hairstyle - she looked like an elegant, bohemian dream. Her flowers provided a juicy explosion of natural colour, which were a lovely contrast with her bridesmaids' coral dresses and white posy combinations.

The photographs are stunning, and the amount of beaming smiles from their day look like absolute joy!

When/where did you get engaged? 

We got engaged at our house in April 2018. It was the first really hot Friday of that really hot summer. We were just about to go to the petrol station to buy some booze, Rob gave me a funny look and then just asked me at the bottom of the stairs.

What did you most + least enjoy about planning your wedding?

I loved imagining the day and being surrounded by our family and friends. I also really enjoyed dress shopping. I found making some of the decisions hard because there are so many ways to do a wedding and you only get one go. I’m also not a detail person, so I knew the vibe I wanted for the day but worried about getting there.

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?

I loved the whole thing, but the ceremony was very special. We laughed the whole way through. I got my vows wrong, Rob’s hands were so sweaty I couldn’t get the ring on for ages and then some of our musical friends sang so beautifully while we were signing the register. Then at the reception, Rob did a fantastic speech - reading a very funny poem that he had written for the occasion, which is a tradition on my mum’s side of the family. It was brilliant and had everyone in hysterics.

How did you find your dress, and how did you know it was 'the one'?

I found Kindling Bridal through an Instagram trawl. When I first started looking, I thought that most of the dresses looked the same and nothing really grabbed me. I really like the Kindling dresses because they are unusual and have quite traditional elements, but also feel very current. Coming to Kerri’s shop was my first wedding dress experience and it was just lovely. I left really liking two dresses and then tried on a lot more dresses and kept on thinking about the Orion gown.

Favourite part about wedding dress shopping? 

Sharing it with friends and family and making a day of it!

Least favourite part about wedding dress shopping? 

I found finally committing to a dress quite hard! Plus the energy required to constantly get in and out of different gowns!

Any tips for current brides to be?

Just relax and enjoy it. There is absolutely nothing like it - it is so special. I still think about it every day 6 months later. It has been so lovely to share that joy with friends and family both before and after the big day.

Photographer - Jenny Macare

Make up and hair - Beauty Temple

Flowers - Elizabeth McKenna Flowers