Suzie Bonaldi and her husband Ryan Hurley tied the knot in not one but two weddings this autumn. One, a civil ceremony in Sussex, full of friends, comfort food and fur babies and the other a symbolic blessing in Ibiza with a magical Es Vedra vista behind them.
The Journey
My dress journey was definitely not the classic rom com moment where you see once dress, try it on, cry and it magically also happens to be on sale in your size. But that’s not to say it wasn’t thoroughly enjoyable! I tried on well over 50 dresses on my bridal journey, in a quest to find something truly special that felt different to anything else I’d worn before. I’m blessed to have worn so many stunning dresses in the past for work and so I wanted to be sure whatever I chose felt like the most special of them all (a hard task when you’re competing with Couture dresses).
The Vision
Being short, sweet and a lover of consuming a lot of food, I knew my dress style was going to need to elongate my figure in some way, but also be able to hide a food baby. Before I even began trying on dresses I knew a princess style dress would be perfect for this criteria. However I did make sure to try on as many styles as possible just to make sure I wasn’t missing out! This is how I found my dress for my civil ceremony. It was completely unlike anything I thought I’d go for but it skimmed my silhouette so well that unless I stood next to my husband I didn’t look 5’2 and I didn’t look bloated after the wedding breakfast!
The Decision
The hunt for the perfect dress is never without it’s ups and downs but on the whole I loved the experience and once I entered the Halfpenny boutique it only became more enjoyable from there.
I knew I’d found my dress the moment Kate put the ruffle rose skirt over my head to sit on top of a hundred layers of tulle. I loved the fluffy texture it added and it was so different to anything I’d worn before! Paired with a corset top which had an almost “undone” finish to it to contrast the busy skirt. It was the perfect mix of messy and girly which just felt so appropriate for me.
Style Support
As an artist and expert in her field I leaned heavily on Kate (Halfpenny) for her styling advice, from the addition of the veil sleeves on my Ibiza dress or my choice of earrings, right up to the flowers for myself and my bridesmaids.
The Evening Look
Whilst I adore my main look for our ibiza ceremony, we did have a suspicion it might start to feel a little heavy as the day went on. I came prepared with the Molly mini dress from Halfpenny to switch in to should the moment arise. Surprisingly it wasn’t the weight of the dress but the heat that got me. Those 100 layers of tulle under the dress work beautifully as insulation but on a warm evening in ibiza it finally became a bit much and I made my switch!
The Accessories
My shoes were all so special to me, for our ceremony I had a pair of Sophia Webster butterfly wrap sandals – a nod to my Nan who I wish could have been able to share the day with us. Having this little touch felt like I had her there with me. For the evenings I switched out to the most comfortable wedding shoes ever!! I designed two styles of shoes with the Charlotte Mills team. Taylor – a mesh polka dot court shoe with a slingback and Lucia – a satin sandal with sparkly ankle chain and a large structured bow on the heel.
The Second Outfit
My welcome dinner and beach day outfits for our wedding were so last minute and casual – I barely have any photos! For the welcome dinner I wore an odd muse halter neck top over a Nadine Merabi maxi skirt with a train. It was so simple but so impactful. The beach recovery day called for a no fuss, comfy vibe – an ivory swimsuit (of course) and linen trousers.
Advice For Brides
Do – have as many dress try ons as possible – you never know what you’re going to fall in love with and it could surprise you! Also have as many re-sees as you need to make sure it is in fact the one.
Don’t – feel pressured to take anyone and everyone with you to your try ons, especially early on. I limited myself to two people at a time to avoid too many opinions and I was very selective on who those people were. Sometimes in order to listen to our own gut instincts we need to cut out the noise (I mean this figuratively but it also works literally!) so smaller groups who know you super well and aren’t going to push their preferences on you are so important.
Favourite Photo Of The Dress
From the moment we found our venue I knew the beach below would be the perfect mid-wedding escape to watch the sun set. In October the sun sets slightly further in so you get the most amazing colours. Once I chose my dress and I knew the ruffle texture of the skirt would contrast the rocky surroundings so beautifully. The images came out even more beautifully than I expected and I knew it was going to be so pretty so that’s saying a lot! We still can’t believe they’re our wedding photos!
Bride: @suziebonaldi
Dress: @halfpennylondon
NEXT READ: The Dress With Annie Vischer
