Phillipa Lepley bride Lara

When Lara began the search for her dream dress, she knew she wanted to find a “timeless, not trendy” wedding dress. Lara says, “After trying on various dresses at different bridal stores, I realised that I wanted my dress to be special and something that I could only wear once in my life! When I found Phillipa Lepley, it felt like the pieces were starting to fall into place.”

Lara’s Phillipa Lepley corseted dress was intricately hand-embroidered with maiden’s fern, primrose and orchid detailing throughout the classic, feminine silhouette. Lara says, “I always wanted to wear a dress that I would look at pictures years later and still love. When I tried this particular one on, we both fell in love with it! I love its timeless design and I’m sure I’m going to love it as much as I do now when I look at it years later.”

A stand-out feature of Lara’s couture wedding dress was the expertly engineered detachable collar and sleeves resulting in a strapless gown for the evening of her wedding. Lara says, “I always wanted to wear a dress that had a neckline but didn’t want to spend the whole evening in it – partly for comfort and partly for a dress that could transition into an evening look. Phillipa Lepley’s team solved this problem right away by offering to design the dress to have a removable top. The team’s flexibility and their ability to understand my vision so clearly made me decide to go with them.”

Lara chose a plain silk tulle veil to complete her bridal look, with bespoke personalisation of her and her husband’s initials monogrammed in appliqued silk organza. Lara says, “My highlight was my veil. I had an LY Heart embroidery on it which was simple but the most personal touch to my dress.”

Lara attended a series of fittings appointments at The Shop in the heart of Chelsea, London, where she witnessed her bespoke design come to life throughout each stage of the couture process. When reflecting on her experience, Lara says, “I remember how excited I was before each fitting to see what had been done at the next step and I genuinely enjoyed going to all my fittings. I was fortunate enough to have my best friend join me on most appointments and our final appointment, when the Phillipa Lepley Team taught us how to get into the dress, is still such a funny memory between me and my best friend.”

After waiting two and a half years and postponing their wedding three times due to the pandemic, Lara and her husband were beyond thrilled to finally marry in the south of Turkey at a stunning resort called Dmaris, commencing with a ceremony overlooking the sunset. At the beginning of Lara’s wedding planning journey, her wedding planners, @candanvarnali, @cvclifestyle and @nickspanswick, requested to see her dress before developing the design concept for the rest of the day to ensure the dress was beautifully complemented. Lara says, “The wedding theme was black and white, with white linen tablecloths and napkins embroidered with black and white floral motifs. They did a spectacular job in making sure the dress fit in perfectly.”

When asked how she felt wearing her wedding dress, Lara says, “It was my first time wearing a dress that had a corset inside it, and I must say it was the most comfortable dress I have ever worn. It was perfectly sculpted, easy to walk in, and once I took the detachable top off it was the perfect dress to dance in as well! The weight of the dress was definitely not felt. I loved how the team tailored the dress to my exact body shape! I loved how the team kept on asking me if I felt fully comfortable in the dress throughout our fittings.”

In the early stages of creating Lara’s dress, the embroidery artwork was mapped out onto a 3D miniature paper doll and presented to Lara to approve. As a finishing touch to Lara’s Phillipa Lepley experience, the team gifted the paper doll to Lara to keep forever. Lara says, “I am getting a plexiglass made for it and will have it displayed in my living room!”

Photography – Inga Mendelyte @ingaphoto, Can Kinalikaya @ckfilmphoto

Wedding Planners – Nick Spainswick, CVC Lifestyle

Phillipa Lepley is recognised globally as a leading British wedding dress and eveningwear designer, renowned for bespoke couture dresses of the utmost luxury. Her wedding dress shop in London, Chelsea, has over 50 dresses, all of which have been made in England from start to finish at her atelier.