After weeks of rain and grey skies, at 4pm on the 4th of august, the sun shone over Yorkshire Sculpture Park as Sadie Clayton (in her breathtaking dress) and Liam Campbell delivered their wedding vows.
There’s no other way to describe it, it was a miracle. Bespoke sculptures designed by Liam’s Mum, artist Joanna Mowbray, popped against the green foliage in powder pink and Yves Klein Blue.
As the pair stood in contrast. Sadie in her bespoke white dress AND pink embellished veil and Liam in his custom made white double breasted sear sucker suit. After the ceremony with friends and family, the pair took a Land Rover tour of the YSP grounds, being snapped by friend and photographer against the backdrop of incredible art, from Barbra Hepworth, to Erwin Wurm.
The day was filled with colour, vibrancy and love. A truly incredible day to celebrate the start of the couples next chapter.
The Journey
I had one bridal appointment and tried ALL styles of dresses, from slinky to fully embellished to big poufy skirts, feathers, long train, you name it and not one hit the spot.
That’s when I knew I had to go back to my roots as a fashion designer and design my dream dress. I went all out, couture, empowering, bold, risky but also white, keeping an element of tradition. It’s funny because as time went on people were guessing what my dress was like, so many people guessed it’d be pink. How wrong they were.
The Vision
I knew I wanted it sculptural and backless, which those two words together can be daunting for any dressmaker. From the moment I sketched my design I knew that was the one.
Throughout my journey of fittings, I made minor tweaks to help with the construction to enable it to stay in shape whilst worn. I also designed a collar to compliment the dress. There were plenty of three-dimensional elements, a sculptural bodice with side fins complimented with a sexy caged strap backless back. The straps that were cleverly placed were to reinforce the silhouette.
The Decision
I found it so fun! I didn’t find it to be stressful, I enjoyed every moment and that’s because my team, the dressmaker and the stylist instantly got my vision and was invested as much as I was. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. The only bit I was nervous about was the skirt part, I had a huge petticoat with a hoop that needed covering with sunrise pleats. Meterage of fabric pleated shrinks to nothing, so it became very costly.
The Style Support
Yes, my bridesmaid stylist, she gets it. I’ve worked with her for years and I trust her opinion so much therefore every dress fitting I had she came along. Luckily, my dress maker and the stylist live in Brighton so that made it easier.
The Accessories
My lovely friend Kat Maconie is a renowned shoe designer, we have worked together in the past when I had a brand and therefore I knew I had to wear a pair of KM for the big day. I already own quite a few pairs from doing various events/filming etc so I asked if I could combine two styles of shoes together to create my perfect pair… she did exactly that. They’re so comfy, so me and so unique. Only one pair exists in the world!
I knew the exact veil I wanted, so my stylist’s friend (again based in Brighton) kindly said she would make it for me. She received my references and absolutely smashed it. She had full control of the embellishment placement but sent me pictures and videos of the whole process. The moment I put my dress and veil on together at my last fitting all of us (my team) were in tears. I was ready to walk down that aisle.
My husband bought me my jewellery that I chose from Missoma and I borrowed a beautiful diamond and Iolite ring from my Granny.
The Evening Look
The second dress had to be the complete opposite to my wedding dress and I knew exactly what I wanted from the day I went on the hunt for my perfect second dress. One of my bridesmaids is a stylist and the designer Jivomir Domoustchiev is a friend of hers, so we had a fitting at his studio and instantly knew that was the one to party on down with.
People kept asking what it was, all I said was “it’s not fabric!” My mum drove to London to collect both my dresses and was not at all surprised when she pulled the dress out of the box.
The Second Day Outfit
The second day was a spa day at the gorgeous hotel we stayed it. My outfit was a black silk dressing gown with ‘Wife’ displayed on the back with matching black Mrs Campbell slippers, which I still wear round the house now.
Advice For Brides
Definitely try as many dresses on as possible, even ones that you know you’d never wear, just so you know what to rule out.
Design your own dresses, then you know it’s perfect and in years to come you won’t look back and think ‘oh I wish I’d have had xyz’.
Favourite Photo Of The Dress
I have 3 that stand out:
- I love that you can see the contrast in fabrics and the sheer volume of the pleats, the sculptural detail of the bodice and the way it falls on the stairs. I love the fins at the waist and how prominent they are in this photo.
- I love how you can see the full silhouette of the dress, how it’s fitted, along with the sculptural bodice, then the pleats sprung and sculptured.
- I love that the sculptural bodice is captured, along with the shaping of the pleated skirt then the reflection of the back in the mirror, showing the caged straps, from the point of the collar.
Related Article: The Dress With Lydia Elise Millen
