Bridal Styling For an Anglo-Italian Wedding with A Contemporary Twist

Updated: Aug 8

I was lucky enough to be a part of a fantastic wedding recently – the wedding of my sister Elizabeth and her now husband Anthony. They had a traditional church wedding at St Peter’s Church, Alfriston. A glorious reception followed at The Georgian Riding School, on the picturesque, English country garden estate at Firle Place.

Off-the-shoulder wedding dress with bridal hair in a bun, with pearl headband

It’s hard to encapsulate the spirit of the day in a single blog post. So I want to focus on just a few of the many highlights! And how can we talk about highlights without mentioning Elizabeth’s spectacular wedding dress, a tasteful callback to classic 50s/60s European romanticism and the Hepburn/Bardot-inspired style trends that were synonymous with that golden era. The dress, by Vagabond Bridal, with its demure, off-the-shoulder neckline and fitted silhouette, alongside the groomsmen’s suave black tie attire, was the embodiment of Tuscan excellence. Classic Italy, with a contemporary English twist.

Of course, my own personal highlight was having the privilege of getting my sister ready on her big day!

Elizabeth wore a Victoria Percival pearl-studded headband (Venus Pearl) and my job was to create a bridal hairstyle that would perfectly complement (but not overpower) it, as it was to be the focal point of her hair. I crafted a simple yet polished bun (not an easy feat when your subject has copious amounts of hair!) and connected the style from the front with a sweep, the headband sandwiched between to hold its weight securely atop her head. In keeping with current bridal style trends, I slotted a few pearl pins into the bun so that it wasn’t all party at the front! We left out her highlighted money piece for face-framing, tonging it away from the face on either side to mimic the natural contours of the face. It was a breathtaking moment when I got to attach her beautiful bridal veil from Twigs And Honey and the look truly came together.

The secret to Elizabeth’s hair holding all day (right through ‘til the fireworks!) was all in the prep. I coated her hair in Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray, a workable hairspray that’s brilliant for creating shine, before applying heat. One of my go-to liquid hairsprays, Schwarzkopf Silhouette Pump Spray, was then used to mould the twisting sections over her ears and the headband. Volume was created at the crown by both crimping and teasing in a sprinkling of KYK Magic Dust.

Whilst I tend to specialise in romantic wedding hairstyling nowadays, I gifted my sister her wedding day makeup, packing in lots of luxurious goodies into her soft glam, dewy skin look. Elizabeth’s skin prep essentials were Weleda “Skin Food”, Embryolisse “Lait-Crème Concentre” and a myriad of Paula’s Choice favourites. Her base was a mix of NARS “Sheer Glow” and Bobbi Brown “SKIN” foundations. We added a spritz of the coveted ICONIC London “Prep-Set-Glow” Shimmer Spray, dusting it across her face and décolletage for a sun-kissed finish. Her eyes really were a focal point: Charlotte Tilbury “Eyes To Mesmerise” (Rose Gold) was melted over her eyelids, teamed with Fenty “Flyliner” and “No Lash-Lash” Sweed Lashes for added impact. Her lipstick choice was a classic bridal nude-pink shade – “Pillow Talk” by Charlotte Tilbury.

A special mention must be given to the dream-team glam squad of Charis Tyrrell and Katie Adamson, who took on bridal party hair and makeup. For a group of ladies with varying hair textures, hair colours and skin tones, they did an awesome job of marrying all of our styles together. We were all part of the hugely talented team of suppliers who partook in realising Elizabeth’s epic wedding day vision!

With thanks to the listed suppliers:

Photography: Emily Rose Hamilton

Venue: Firle Place / Blue Door Weddings

Planner/Design/Stylist: Anemone Style

Videographer: Lara Elliott

Florist: Fig & Flower

Catering: Circa Events

Cake: Bunston Bakes

Dress: Vagabond Bridal / Heart Aflutter

Bridal Robe: Viola Bespoke Bridal

Bridal Accessories/Earrings: Victoria Percival

Veil: Twigs and Honey