Introducing ‘Poppy’ - Available to purchase at Andrea Hawkes.
Reading the title of this blog post, I can’t quite believe it’s real.
When I designed my wedding dress with Andrea, I never dreamed of it being something other brides would be able to choose for their wedding day too.
Following our day, having experienced the dress fully and not only how wonderful it made me feel, but how it truly did embody the perfect wedding dress to me in so many ways; it felt totally natural and exciting to discuss with Andrea the potential of offering it to other brides.
Of course my wedding dress is my perfect dress, but I hope it will speak to so many of you, too. When trying on dresses from other designers, I loved so many – but I never had that ‘aha’ moment of finding ‘the one’. And I think with hindsight I can put that down to knowing exactly what I wanted, and it just didn’t exist yet. To have been able to bring my vision to life is something I’ll treasure forever. And to know that Andrea loved my design enough to bring it into their offerings is the greatest compliment and biggest privilege.
So from today, you can book in an appointment at Andrea Hawkes and selected stockists, to try on Poppy – my wedding dress.
Named after my Nan, who loved to sew. She actually handmade my bridesmaid dress for my mum and dads wedding, and I know she’d be so proud me and this collaboration. I wish I could share it with her in person, but having the dress named after her feels like I’m honouring her memory in the best way.
I think what most women want for their wedding dress is to feel like the very best version of themselves. And for me that meant: simplicity, comfort and elegance. Poppy doesn’t have structure in the way of boning or corsets – I wanted her to feel like a second skin, to make space for movement and flexibility whilst still being supportive, functional, and practical in design.
But allowing for comfort didn’t negate style – Andrea and I worked meticulously to ensure Poppy was a dress that works with your body, making you feel sexy, sophisticated and effortless. Every detail, from the stretch and drape of the bias cut silk fabric, to the cross-over spaghetti straps has been curated with style and practicality in mind. I wanted to create a dress that was completely timeless - something for the ages, that can be handed down and reinvented time and time again.
Everything Andrea creates is done in-house at their London studio, which was one of my favourite things about the process. The beautiful sustainable silks were all downstairs in the workshop, I knew who was cutting my pattern and who was sewing my dress. And when it came to creating the sample for the showroom, it felt even more special that I could be part of that in person too. There’s something very special about the personable approach Andrea brings to this industry and it feels an absolute privilege to have my own wedding dress be part of that.
Poppy will be available in all standard sizes, but also on a made to measure service, so you can ensure she works for you in exactly the way you want her to. And a sample will be displayed amongst their other collections in the showroom, ready for you to try on from today.
To know that some of you may choose my dress for your special day is an absolute honour. It’s very emotional for me sharing something so close to my heart with you, and I truly hope that Poppy will make you feel like utter magic on your wedding day. I am bursting to see you wearing her out in the real world and to be able to share in this experience with you all is beyond amazing.
And thank you so much to Andrea. For trusting in me and for allowing me this space to share our creation. I’ll be forever grateful.
Book your appointment at Andrea Hawkes here.
And read more about the design process of my dress here.