A Crystal Headpiece and Sparkling Ear Jackets for a Family-Focussed, Rustic-Glam Celebration

Helloooooo lovely ladies! How on earth is it February already!? 2017 seems to be moving at breakneck speed and I’m so excited for everything that the year ahead holds for Tilly Thomas Lux. I’ve just relocated to a wonderful light-filled studio where I’m able to hold appointments for bespoke commissions. It’s such a treat to have my own creative space and inspiration just seems to trickle in through my windows like stardust at the moment - so little time, so many sparkly little ideas!

Today I’m so so happy to be sharing the beautiful wedding day of Kim and Sam with you. These two beauties wed on 2nd September 2016 in rustic-glam style at Rivington Hall Barn in Horwich and the gorgeous bride wore not one but two bespoke Tilly Thomas Lux creations. She’s a bride I instantly fell in love with - designing her custom pieces wove me inextricably into her story and the history of her love and her family in such a special way.

“We wanted something between a summery and autumnal wedding and as our venue was a barn, we wanted a rustic element including trees and branches. I also really wanted some glamour - candles, sparkles, lights - so we went with a bit of both. We used Red Floral Architecture to help us bring our wedding ideas to life - Mat, the owner, knew exactly what we were after and on the day it was like a dream.”

Kim’s journey to finding her wedding dress is one filled with sentimental poignancy, history and serendipity. To her grandparents delight, Kim asked to wear her gran’s stunning lace gown, still crisp white after years in a loft, wrapped in a sheet and blanket and popped in a suitcase. A perfect fit, and so significantly full of meaning and years and years of love; I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

“My dress. Where do I even start?! I was supposed to be wearing my gran's 57-year-old witchcraft lace, A-line style dress on the day. It was handmade for my gran and when I got it, after all those years, it still had confetti inside it from the day my beautiful gran and my wonderful grandad got married. The dress is absolutely breathtakingly stunning and it fit me like a glove. I wanted to have some alterations done, which my grandparents wanted to pay for as they wanted the dress to be their special contribution to our day.”

“Sadly, the lady who was altering my dress had some personal things going on at home and things just didn't go to plan. It was too late to take it anywhere else, so a couple of weeks before the big day I rang one of my very special friends in a panic and she took control of the situation. She booked me into a few wedding dress shops that same day, took her credit card (we were fairly poor at this point and hadn't budgeted to buy a wedding dress last minute) and to my absolute amazement, the first dress I tried on in the first shop that we went into, made me feel something I never expected to feel after the sadness of not being able to wear my gran's dress.”

After many emotional tears and the subsequent trying on of twelve more dresses, Kim and her lovely friend went back to that first fitted, lace Mori Lee beauty to find it was in the sale; reduced that week from £1300 to £750. Its glamorous train, gorgeous scalloped neckline and pretty embellishment perfectly complemented Kim’s blue-soled dreamy Blue by Betsy Johnson glittery silver stilettos.

When Kim first contacted me about creating her bespoke headpiece, it was sadly off the back of a very unfortunate experience with another designer, so the desire to craft her the custom design of her dreams was all the more powerful. Kim went on to commission earrings to sit alongside her bespoke crystal headpiece, subtly enhancing the glamour of the embellishment on her dress.

“My best friend found Tilly Thomas Lux for me. I had decided that I wanted a head piece, an unusual one that sits at the back of the head with rows of crystals either side hanging in a U-shape. The lady who designed the piece that I had taken inspiration from was based in America but when I contacted her, she wasn't helpful in the slightest. I was completely heartbroken because I had had my heart set on her piece since my husband proposed five years ago.”

“I told my best friend who set to work hunting down someone who could help. She contacted TTL and explained my ordeal and Sally was just a delight. She was reassuring, knowledgable and so helpful. That was when my TTL journey started and it was the best wedding decision I made by a LONG shot, just perfection. Sally was hands on from the word go. As soon as I instructed her to go for it with my piece, she went to work on it almost immediately and her prices were extremely reasonable for the incredible quality, time and effort that she put into the piece and on top of that, for how informative she is throughout the whole creative process.”

If you could see the fiery blush of my cheeks right now you’d see first hand how incredibly happy and proud it makes me to know that I’ve been a happy part of a bride’s journey. Running a small business is such a personal and beautiful thing and at time very challanging - I am invested in my greatest passion, my dizziest daydreams and my unwavering desire to help women realise their own unique beauty. It’s a rare and incredible gift that I treasure more than I could ever explain.

“Sally is an absolute ray of sunshine in your most stressful time. She's kind and gentle and understanding and treats you like a friend, which is just gorgeous. She constantly keeps you up to date with photos, videos and emails to let you know how it's going and to ask you how you are and how your wedding plans are coming. She even sent me my head piece before she set the stones in place so that I could first try it to check the fit during my hair trial.”

“When I received my pieces, Sally sent a beautiful little hand written card wishing us luck on our wedding day and telling me how much she enjoyed working on my piece. I would recommend this talented woman to absolutely anyone - I'm absolutely honoured that she agreed to make my piece for me. Watch this space, this business is going serious places! I know it!”

The very gorgeous Kim and Sam chose DSB Creative to capture their day; they just loved the unstaged, journalistic style of his photography, perfectly complemented by the film-making prowess of James Wray. Hiring the right photographer to document all those incredible moments is just so important, it’s something I hear time and again working in this industry. Kim was sweet enough to share one of her most treasured wedding day memories with me (I just had to share it with you below) - a moment so heartfelt and moving that it’s making me want a big bar of chocolate and a cuddle!

“My favourite wedding moment was when my husband got down on one knee in front of our daughter and promised to love her for all time, that he would take care of her always, and put a ring on her finger. I had zero idea that he had planned this, it was a surprise to everyone and there wasn't a dry eye in the whole place. Our daughter cried her eyes out! It was a beautiful moment that we will treasure as a family for the rest of our lives. I love it because Darci (our daughter) always refers to the day as ‘our wedding’ not ‘mum and dad's wedding’ - she sees it as her day too and I love that.”

I can’t thank Kim and Sam enough for allowing me to share the details of their day - brides like Kim truly are at the beating, glittering heart of Tilly Thomas Lux. I can’t wait to meet more of you beauties in my lovely new studio, or maybe even at A Most Curious Wedding Fair in Shoreditch, which somehow seems to be next month. Look out for me if you’re there - I’ll be the one covered in sparkles. And dog hair.

With love and sparkle,

Sally x