Waxflower Bridal Real Brides // Noomi in Bowen Dryden
What a story Noomi and Josh's wedding turned out to be! When the Bristol-based creative couple got engaged at the tomb of Georges Melies - an illusionist and early pioneer of cinema - they knew their wedding day would be inspired by the aesthetic behind his film Voyage to the Moon. Throw in some references to the Smashing Pumpkins Tonight Tonight music video and the couple had themselves a wedding theme that was totally unique and so totally THEM!
To say Noomi came to be quite late in her planning process would be an understatement - this chilled-out chick contacted me no later than the day before her wedding. Yep, you read that right! After trying on the dress she'd originally designed, she realised she didn't feel like herself in it. Two days before her wedding! Queue a frantic search for a replacement. "Two days before the wedding I tried on my final dress and I just didn’t feel right," Noomi told me. "I’d picked a romantic, sweetheart neckline and a floaty dress made of lilac tulle. The gown was absolutely stunning, but it was very girly and quite traditionally bridal in shape. All my bridesmaids were wearing sequined 20’s style dresses or very bold, rock and roll looks. And I felt like a Disney princess. Basically, I’d commissioned the wrong dress."
I don't know about you, but I believe that when some things are just meant to be, even the most stressful of situations will come right in the end. "I ordered 4 gowns on same-day delivery," Noomi continued. I tried on a bunch and nothing was working. I had almost given up when I found one dress online that I loved, the Gilded Lilly by Bowen Dryden, but of course 48 hours prior to the wedding is not much time and I wasn't sure where the nearest stockist was." Turns out the stockist was Waxflower Bridal, of course, and we happened to be a 10-minute drive from their wedding venue - the beautiful Wye Valley Garden.
In a more serendipitous turn of events - not only did we carry Gilded Lilly, but our sample just happened to be in Noomi's size! What followed was a 9am appointment the very next day. I must say, I felt quite nervous in the lead-up. In my 10 years working in bridal, I hadn't had quite so much of a fashion emergency as this one! I pulled as many alternatives as I could in case it didn't fit, all the while knowing that really, it was fruitless; I could hear on the phone just how much Noomi has her heart set on Gilded Lilly.
She came to the boutique with her A-team - her mum and her maid of honour. "My stomach was in absolute knots," Noomi said. "If it didn’t fit, I would have to wear the other dress whether I liked it or not. I was praying to Hecate that the zipper would close. It did. I looked in the mirror and just immediately burst into tears. I didn't feel like a princess, I felt like a queen. I felt powerful and confident and I just knew it was the right one."
When I tell you that Gilded Lilly fit Noomi like it was made for her, I'm not exaggerating - it was literally as if it had been made with her measurements in mind. Sometimes, you don't find the dress - the dress just finds you. And this is one of those occasions where it was just meant to be!
So not only did our beautiful Noomi give me one of my most memorable client appointments to date, but her and Josh's gorgeous day also featured in the September/October issue of Rock n Roll Bride Magazine! Noomi is the epitome of a Rock n Roll Bride - she didn't do tradition for tradition's sake, she wasn't afraid to go against the grain and was unashamedly herself throughout her whole wedding planning process.
Big love to the wonderfully talented Maria Madison for these gorgeous images. If you're inspired by Noomi's warrior princess vibe for your own wedding, and would like to try Gilded Lilly, get in touch now. Love Kathy xo