The love you find in fairy tales can be difficult to find. We can create our own fairytales and find the true love who will be the keeper of our soul and the holder of our heart. Looking through Franny’s photos is breathtaking as the love between her and Fenton can be seen in every photograph.
Their wedding is the sort of wedding where you can run away and forget your troubles and solely focus on the present. Franny’s wedding took place on Tarifa Beach in the south of Spain. It’s the perfect setting for a beautiful “Native Wedding.”
Franny came across The Mews Notting Hill because her Bridesmaid is a stylist. Planning on falling for a backless, tight dress, Franny thought she found the one immediately after trying on her first dress at The Mews. In fact, the dress her friend chose was the dress that made her feel like the “fairytale bride” she wanted.
Franny’s dress happens to be by the designer who initially caught my attention at The Mews, the very talented Rime Arodaky. The stylish, bohemian-meets-rock dresses are irresistibly mesmerising. Any lover of the French style who also loves a subtle mix of elegance and edge will love Franny’s dress. Wow doesn’t she looks stunning?
Franny and Fenton’s wedding was a beautiful, intimate, wild and free wedding. It’s a wedding where I almost find myself being envious about. I love how relaxed, dreamy and freely souled their special day was.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I am half Polish, half Italian, and spent my time whilst growing up between Switzerland and Spain. I run a healthy lifestyle business with my husband called Native Highs!
How did you meet your Groom?
When i lived in Hackney Wick my housemate at the time said a friend of his had just moved into a warehouse round the corner and invited him over for dinner. He warned me in advance that I would likely fancy him! It was a Monday night and I was half flustered, due to the nobody flirts on Mondays rule, and half excited because this never happens. Sure enough, when I got home he was already there, and he walked in off the balcony and I thought… oh my housemate knows my type. After a terribly spicy meal cooked by me and long chats he was leaving. I stood up on the sofa to give him a hug goodbye (hes 6ft 3, I am 5ft 3) and as soon as we hugged we knew…it was magic. We hugged for an extra long time, which was weird as we’d just met but it felt so right!
How did you come across The Mews?
One of my bridesmaids is a stylist (Frederica LovelPank) and she insisted we try The Mews first, and booked us in!!!
What styles were you channeling whilst dress shopping?
I’d say boho…but really in my head I was aiming for backless and fitted. So not so boho when I think about it! But there was a lot of dresses I’d seen online in the US that were wildly expensive but hitting the mark as tight and boho…
Tell us about finding your perfect Wedding dress?
Well our FIRST official wedding dress shop was at The Mews, and we were all VERY excited. I picked four dresses, and then my friend picked one more. I tried on the first which was backless and tight (as planned) and everyone cried. We thought we’d found it.
Then we went through the others, boho, baggy, lacy… and my friends all said “you always wear things like this”. Finally, I tried on my friend’s choice – the one I didn’t even pick out. Before I had even seen myself in the mirror, the girls were convinced. As soon as I saw myself, I knew that this one was ‘the dress’.
AND it really was! On the day when I put it on I fell in love with it all over again, and kept it on for the whole day…I genuinely felt like a fairytale bride.
Where did your wedding day take place? Were there any themes or inspiration behind your day?
We got married on Tarifa Beach in the south of Spain! The wedding was called “A Native Wedding” and the theme was very much boho chic. I am also a freelance graphic designer so I made us a wedding logo, and the Wedding books. Everything was in line with Native American Indian symbols and traditions. We did a hand tying ceremony on the beach, and the guests were seated on moroccan blankets on a sand dune to create an amphitheatre style. We were at the bottom between two palm trees. Our wedding colours were Anish Kapoor red, and white and then plenty of greenery. Our Celebrant wore a pink suit…he is a dear friend and poet called Conrad Gamble and he married us in amazing style and wrote the most beautiful poem!
We had a giant Art Wall for guests to paint on which we will hang in our home for years to come! And also kissing corner and selfie photo booth for guests to add their polaroid into the wedding book!
Day two of the wedding had a tribal theme and was in the Spanish hills with a giant paella for everyone to tuck in to!
What did he wear?
Fenton’s outfit was breathtaking..
His outfit was from Morocco; a traditional cream jabador which is a tunic and pants matched with a djelleba a type of kaftan also in cream! He made it slightly more fitted and changed the trousers for a pair of palm tree printed navy blue and gold trousers!! He also wore no shoes just like the rest of the wedding party!
What was your favourite detail of the day?
Just after we were officially married the guests made a tunnel on the beach so we could walk through them in the direction of the sunset. They threw confetti and just before we walked through were passed a green and blue smoke grenade. As soon as we got through the tunnel of guests we set them off, plumes of blue and green smoke surrounded us as we ran off towards the sunset!! It was so magical, I can barely remember the moment, I just remember the feeling!!!
What advice would you give out to a bride to be about finding the perfect dress?
Don’t be afraid to try a dress that isn’t what you have been imagining since you were the age of 5! My dress was completely not what I had imagined and it was exactly what I wanted!
Words of wedded wisdom?
Don’t be afraid of your dress…wear it for the whole day and night, let people spill drinks on you and roll around in the dirt!! Who cares. LIVE in that dress for the happiest most important days of your life!!
