Pippa Middleton Marries James Matthews

It was dubbed the society wedding of 2017 and judging by the photographs and the media euphoria surrounding Pippa and James wedding on Saturday, it certainly lived up to expectations.

On Saturday 20^th May Pippa Middleton and James Matthews officially became man and wife at St Marks Church, Englefield in front of a host of high-profile guests. Their stunning invitations with delicate floral detailing set the scene perfectly for a quintessentially elegant countryside wedding.

Just before 11.30am, a vintage Jaguar Mk IV car arrived up in front of the 12^th-century church carrying the page boys, flower girls and the Duchess of Cambridge.

The pageboys, dressed in gold-coloured breeches and shirts caused a little stir as they larked around on the steps of the church, causing the Duchess of Cambridge to hush them which raises that well-debated question as to whether to have children present at a wedding. The bridesmaids wore cream dresses with sashes by childrenswear designer Pepa & Co.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge who wore a silk peach dress designed by Alexander McQueen and matching hat by Jane Taylor perfectly complemented the bridal party.

Pippa shortly followed accompanied by her father Michael in an open-topped vintage Jaguar.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, there had been much speculation as to designer of Pippa’s dress. All was finally revealed when Pippa arrived wearing a spectacular lace bodied, high neck wedding gown created by British designer, Giles Deacon. The silk cotton lace was hand-appliquéd, and the bodice was embroidered with pearl detailing over an organza and tulle underskirt. The figure hugging design was finished with cap sleeves and featured a heart-shaped keyhole back and perfectly complemented her petite frame.

The bride also wore a delicate bespoke tulle veil by milliner Stephen Jones, a Maidenhair fern tiara by Robinson Pelham and bespoke ivory satin pumps by Manalo Blahnik with pearl detailing. In a nod to the ‘something old’ rule Pippa wore the same Robinson Pelham pearl earrings which she wore for the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011.

Earlier last week we had predicted that Pippa’s blooms would have a very natural and romantic feel to them, seemingly we were not wrong with the lychgate and archway dressed in beautiful blush pink and white blooms by Chelsea-based florists Lavender Green. The stunning floral arrangements comprised of peonies, roses, astilbe, wax flower, and masses of greenery.

Inside the church, flowers spilt out of the window sills and the tops of the stone pillars. Two large rustic arrangements perfectly framed the entranceway to the alter where the couple exchanged their vows.

Pippa’s bouquet was a little smaller than we had anticipated but beautiful nonetheless. In a recent interview with Brides Magazine, Sue Barnes founder of Lavender Green Flowers spoke of the design process and said:

“The style of the bouquet is always dictated by the style of the chosen dress and most importantly the silhouette of the bride. For more petite brides we design much smaller bouquets. It can be a disaster if a bride is swamped by her bouquet, as it is important not to hide the size of their waist and their tiny frame. “

After the ceremony, guests attended a champagne reception at the stunning Englefield House. Around 3.45pm the happy couple were seen leaving the estate in a racing green 1961 E-type Jaguar driven by the groom, James Matthews for their evening reception held at Pippa’s parents home in the village of Bucklebury.

The evening reception was hosted within a stunning glass marquee erected within the grounds of the Middleton’s Manor house.

Just before the sun set the guests were treated to a spectacular flyover by a World War II spitfire followed by the wedding breakfast which is said to have included trout and Scottish lamb.

Later on, guests partied the night away into the early hours of the morning whilst footage of the happy couple was beamed across the rear of the Middleton’s manor house.

By Helen Eriksen Wedding and Event Design

HELEN ERKISEN IS A TRUSTED MEMBER OF 5 STAR WEDDING DIRECTORY. VISIT HELEN ERIKSEN PROFILE