ELENA + EUGENE

Here at Sophie Voon we have the huge privilege of getting the inside scoop from our brides on all things wedding related. From the table settings to the decor, colour schemes and the venue. So we couldn't help but get excited to hear about Elena and Eugene's plans for their wedding!

We met lovely Elena over a year before her big day, when she chose her dress in store with us in just 20 minutes! "Just over a year before my wedding I popped into Voon in order to escape a rain shower. When I mentioned that I was getting married, Sophie told me that I could try on the dresses without an appointment, and 20 minutes later I had found my dress!"

Finding the perfect venue for their special day proved to be a little more of a challenge however; "Eugene is from Canada, I'm from Scotland, we met in Australia and live in New Zealand. So we weren't short of locations. My father can't travel anymore, so we decided to have the ceremony in Scotland, the reception in Canada, and an after party in New Zealand."

One thing that was of great importance to Eugene and Elena was taking photographs with both of their families, as they weren't sure when they could next all be together. They decided a venue with a beautiful backdrop would be ideal for this, and so they opted for stunning Dunvegan Castle.

"We opted for Dunvegan Castle, which is an 800 year old castle literally just down the road from my family's house, and is where I used to walk the dog! We had the ceremony in a stone dais in the garden, cocktail hour in the castle dining room, and a picnic in a Victorian glasshouse in the gardens. It was Eugene's family's first trip to the UK, so they just loved the history of the place."

Elena wore a classically cut embroidered silk Sophie Voon gown, which made a beautiful statement against the rustic structure of Dunvegan castle. It's unique whimsical floral pattern worked perfectly with the castle's picturesque court gardens. "I needed the dress to make a statement, in order to offset the castle we were married at, but I wasn't comfortably with anything I'd seen.It was such a relief to find a dress with a simple cut which had real personality, and could hold it's own against the backdrop."

"I could move freely in the dress, feel like myself, eat a meal, and dance - all without feeling constricted or faint. It was a no-brainer. The only tricky part was telling friends and family that I had accidentally bought a dress without consulting them first!"

"The bold color of the dress combined with the colorful flowers in the garden, meant that I wanted to keep the theme minimal. I toned down the dress a little with a blue-gold obi, and Voon made Eugene a tie in the same silk. Then everything else was white with a touch of gold, from the bridesmaids dresses to the bouquet."