Phillipa Lepley bride Polly-Anna

Phillipa Lepley bride Polly-Anna was married at her family home in Malta in a bespoke wedding dress made from the finest ivory Italian duchess satin.

A contemporary and architectural front and back square neckline with narrow straight straps sitting on each shoulder creates an elegant, minimalist look. The bodice and corseted waist was defined and moulded to Polly-Anna over a series of fittings at The Conservatory in London, Chelsea, to ensure precise definition and positioning through the waist.

Deep folds of fabric creating beautiful box pleats beginning at the waist resulted in a full, circular skirt full of voluminous movement.  The positioning of the pleats was a design feature carefully considered by couture designer Phillipa Lepley to ensure the definition of the waist was not comprised, and rather enhanced, by so much sumptuous fabric in the skirt.

The couture wedding dress included hidden pockets in the pleats, as well as petticoats in the skirt to create extra volume before descending into a long, bridal train. The grand ballroom-style skirt creates a beautiful and proportionate contrast with the smooth, corseted bodice. Polly-Anna completed her look with a family heirloom veil.

For welcome celebrations the evening before her ceremony, Polly-Anna opted for a much more fluid, silk crepe princess seam dress. The duchess satin theme of her ceremony dress was hinted at in this first bridal look with an oversized duchess satin collar, expertly hand-draped to sit elegantly just off-the-shoulder. The silk crepe highlighted Polly-Anna’s silhouette, with a defined and corseted waist descending into closely fitted lines forming gentle transitions through the shape of the skirt. With no bridal train, this exquisite evening look was perfect for dancing.

Photography: Alex Bramall

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.