A Ribbon & Roses Wedding
I
first came across Ribbon & Roses on facebook when I was in England. Lots of friends had "Liked" the
site and I was interested to find out what the buzz was about. The website was completely different from any
other online shop – pretty, whimsical and enchanting. There were lots and lots of beautiful things
that I would have loved for myself or to give to friends, none of which I'd
seen on the high street or elsewhere online, and all were really well
priced.
I
was particularly drawn to a beautiful long blue silk dress. I flicked between the thumbnails (front long
view, front top view, long back view) again and again. I loved it from every
angle, but I didn't have an occasion to wear it...
When
work posted me to Singapore for 6 months I met up with a friend who was also
living there. She was wearing a gorgeous
white cotton embroidered top – I had enormous outfit envy. She told me it was made by “an awfully clever
friend of a friend who had set up her own company and was designing beautiful clothes
from Singapore” and we both marveled at the genius of the venture. "Ribbon & Roses, if you've heard of
it?" I went back the website and
continued to ogle at the beautiful silk dress.
My
boyfriend, Mark, joined me for Christmas in Singapore and Santa brought a
wedding proposal. We were flying high
with excitement (at iFly Singapore)!
Occasion or no occasion, I was in the mood for celebrating and I
FINALLY hit the "checkout" button.
The
dress arrived the very next day to work, wrapped in tissue paper and
accompanied by a gorgeous Ribbon & Roses embroidered bag full of lavender (still
hanging in my wardrobe).
I
dashed to the bathroom to try it on. The
material (100% silk) was stunning, incredibly smooth and had a velvety finish.
The dress was very flattering at the waist, beautifully light and easy to
wear. The skirt drop was long and
generously cut, so the dress had a fabulous swing to it. The colour was a dusty navy blue. I instantly adored it and couldn't wait to
try it on properly at home. When I got
home I realised its full potential – as a bridesmaid dress.
At
that point in time I hadn't really settled on a theme or colour for the wedding
– I like things to be natural and rustic, loose rather than structured and my
preferred colours are fruits of the forest (blueberry, raspberry, lavender
etc.) and Mark is also a fan of navy blue.
Buying the dresses off the shelf meant that there was one less decision
to make and, given that the dress was not one of thousands produced for the
high street, I was confident that it would look bespoke.
My
bridesmaids were: my sister Caroline, my school friend Jenny, Mark's sister
Nicki and my “godsister” Holly. They all
loved the dress and looked absolutely stunning on the day. The navy blue was the perfect backdrop and
made the bouquets stand out even more brightly in the sunshine.
[By
Twisted Willow incorporating flowers from our garden]
Mark
gave each bridesmaid a present on the morning of the wedding, a white pearl
coupled with a gold antique charm – each charm was different and personal to
the bridesmaid. Nicola, who is a Squadron Leader in the RAF was given a tiny
gold whistle, to keep us in line, and, as Holly’s father was our chauffeur,
Mark gave her a gold car. Choice was a
little limited so Mark gave my sister a little gold cow (slightly tenuous but she
does take a keen interest in Dad’s cattle!).
Thankfully she didn’t take offence and loved the quirkiness of the
present!
[Jeweller:
Howards, Stratford upon Avon]
Dad’s
tractor was the carriage for the bridesmaids and, to our surprise as we left
the Church, emblazoned on the front hay bale was a large sign “Four
Pippa Middletons") – intending to outdo Pippa Middleton in the shapely
bottom stakes! You can judge our success
for yourselves:
Pippa vs. Caroline!
…so
the wedding is over but the memories are vivid.
A truly amazing day and Mark and I are still sharing and reliving
moments from it.
I
regularly return to the Ribbon & Roses website and sometimes I have the
good fortune to find an excuse to hit the checkout button!
[White
Collar Boxing Singapore 2012]
Keep up the good work girls! Gorgeous clothes
Lots of love
Joanna xx
My 3 favourite things:
1.
Sweets (nature's pick me up)
2.
Laughing (the type that shakes
your belly)
3.
Poirot (David Suchet all the
way!)
