Lucy & Jarek’s Combermere Abbey Wedding | A Real Annabel Sarah Bridal Bride
Every bride who walks through the doors of Annabel Sarah Bridal becomes part of our story, but every now and then there is a bride who leaves a particularly big mark on your heart.
Lucy is, quite possibly, one of my favourite brides ever.
From our conversations before we had even met, to the moment she travelled all the way from Manchester to visit our bridal boutique in Alcester, Warwickshire, there was just something so special about her. She came to her bridal appointment completely alone, trusted me to help her find the one, and when we eventually found her wedding dress, we both stood there and cried happy tears because she looked so unbelievably incredible.
It was so her.
And perhaps one of my favourite parts of the whole story? Lucy kept her wedding dress almost completely secret. The only people who knew anything about it before her wedding day were me... and her wax lady!
Lucy is genuinely one of those beautiful people who is just as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside, and seeing the photographs from her and Jarek’s wedding at the stunning Combermere Abbey was incredibly special.
So, this is Lucy and Jarek’s story.
The Proposal: A Family Holiday in Turkey
Lucy and Jarek’s engagement happened during a family holiday to Turkey, and their proposal story couldn't be more of them.
One evening, Lucy and Jarek had got dressed up for dinner with their daughters. They were a little early, so decided to explore the hotel and found an enormous balcony overlooking the grounds.
Lucy and their eldest daughter were peering over the edge, trying to spot crickets in the fruit trees below, while their youngest daughter, who was only two at the time, desperately tried to get Lucy’s attention.
“Mummy, mummy!”
Lucy told her she would look in a second.
Apparently, that wasn't a satisfactory answer.
“MUMMY, WILL YOU LOOK!”
Lucy finally turned around...
And there was Jarek, down on one knee asking her to marry him.
There were tears, followed very quickly by laughter, because, as Lucy quite rightly points out, Jarek getting down on one knee and risking a crease in his precious trainers was a pretty major event in itself!
It was a complete surprise and the perfect beginning to their wedding story.
A Relaxed, Elegant Wedding at Combermere Abbey
Lucy and Jarek chose the beautiful Combermere Abbey in Whitchurch for their wedding day.
Their vision was clear: they wanted their wedding to feel elegant and beautiful, but above everything else, relaxed and fun.
And they wanted their daughters and the other children at the wedding to enjoy the day just as much as the adults.
Rather than treating the children's entertainment as an afterthought, Lucy planned a dedicated children's party table in the middle of the room. It gave the younger guests somewhere they could properly enjoy themselves without parents constantly worrying about glasses, cutlery and everything else that usually comes with a formal wedding table.
Their day was also filled with entertainment for their guests, including a harpist, live wedding painter, illustrator and a toastmaster who Lucy says they simply couldn't have done the day without.
But some of the most beautiful details were those inspired by their daughters, Lily and Daisy.
Lucy designed the table plan around them, creating a gorgeous “Pick Your Lily and Daisy” concept. Each guest received a miniature bouquet of lilies and daisies to take home, a wonderfully personal detail that brought their family into the styling of the day in such a meaningful way.
Lucy’s Journey From Manchester to Annabel Sarah Bridal
This is the part of Lucy's story that will always be incredibly special to me.
Lucy only visited one bridal boutique when looking for her wedding dress: Annabel Sarah Bridal.
Years before her wedding, Lucy had entered one of our social media competitions without thinking too much about it. Then, while working behind a bar on New Year's Eve, she checked her phone during a quick break.
A notification appeared:
“Congratulations to our…”
And then her signal disappeared.
Naturally, Lucy did what any sensible person would do and suddenly found a very important reason to go outside and “collect glasses” so she could get enough signal to find out what was going on.
She had won our competition.
At that point, Lucy hadn't decided where she wanted to shop for her wedding dress. She had discovered a handful of bridal boutiques through Instagram that she liked the feel of, and Annabel Sarah Bridal was one of them.
She decided winning the competition was a sign.
Seven months later, she made the journey from Manchester to our bridal boutique in Alcester, Warwickshire.
And she came alone.
Lucy had sadly lost her grandmother earlier on in the year and wanted her eventual wedding dress to remain a complete surprise for her best friends. Coming to a bridal appointment alone can feel daunting at the best of times, particularly when you're travelling two hours to a boutique you've never visited before.
But we'd spoken so much beforehand that, by the time she arrived, it genuinely felt like we already knew each other.
Finding Lucy’s Aire Barcelona Wedding Dress
Lucy arrived feeling nervous about wedding dress shopping. Her body confidence wasn't at its highest and, like so many brides we meet, she genuinely had no idea what style of wedding dress she wanted.
She started with dresses she'd seen online and loved on models.
First, a fitted wedding dress.
Then, at completely the opposite end of the spectrum, a huge ball gown.
They were beautiful dresses.
But they weren't Lucy.
And this is exactly why I always encourage brides to keep an open mind when wedding dress shopping. Sometimes the dress you fall in love with is nothing like the dress you imagined choosing.
I pulled out a wild card.
An Aire Barcelona wedding dress that was completely different from anything Lucy had chosen herself.
And then she put it on.
I can still remember that moment.
She looked absolutely incredible.
Not because it was simply a beautiful wedding dress, but because suddenly I could see Lucy. It suited her in every possible way.
Lucy had brought her late Nan's pearls to the appointment because she knew she wanted to wear them on her wedding day.
When we added them to the dress, there was this moment of almost complete silence while we both looked at everything together.
And then we both cried.
Proper happy tears.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The colour of her Aire Barcelona gown, Katya, worked beautifully with her Nan's pearls. The floral details felt perfect for the gardens at Combermere Abbey. They connected beautifully with Lucy's own love of flowers and, even more importantly, with Lily and Daisy.
It felt as though all these little pieces of Lucy's life had somehow found their way into one wedding dress.
She had found the one.
A Cathedral Veil for a Little Extra Drama
There was one other request.
Lucy wanted drama.
Specifically, she asked me for the longest wedding veil I sold.
Obviously, I was more than happy to oblige!
We paired her Aire Barcelona wedding dress with a beautiful cathedral-length veil, creating the most incredible bridal look while still allowing the details of the gown and those all-important pearls to shine.
The result felt romantic, elegant and timeless without ever feeling like Lucy was wearing something that wasn't authentically her.
The Best-Kept Wedding Dress Secret
One of the funniest parts of Lucy's bridal journey is just how seriously she took keeping her wedding dress a secret.
She travelled from Manchester alone.
Her friends didn't see it.
Her family didn't know what she'd chosen.
In fact, the only people Lucy ever told about her wedding dress were me and her wax lady.
That was it.
So when her wedding day finally arrived, her bridal look was a genuine surprise.
And after keeping that secret for so long, seeing Lucy finally standing at Combermere Abbey in the dress we had cried over together was incredibly emotional.
Styling a Timeless Combermere Abbey Wedding
Lucy and Jarek chose a wedding colour palette of eucalyptus green, warm brown and champagne, creating an elegant, natural and timeless aesthetic throughout Combermere Abbey.
Flowers played a particularly important role.
As well as Lucy simply loving flowers, they provided the perfect opportunity to weave Lily and Daisy into the wedding styling.
Their venue stylist, Charl from It's All About Me Me Me, helped transform Lucy's ideas into reality, including the beautiful “Pick Your Lily and Daisy” table plan.
Chloe from Dear Riley Designs created the calligraphy for the guest name tags and table plan, bringing another beautifully considered, personal detail to the room.
For Lucy's bridal look, everything remained incredibly personal.
Her Aire Barcelona wedding dress.
Her dramatic cathedral-length veil.
Her late Nan's pearls.
And her hair was styled by Mary, her hairdresser of around 12 years. Mary also helped Lucy into her wedding dress on the morning of the wedding, another lovely moment shared with someone who had been part of Lucy's life for so many years.
When Lucy finally walked into the venue and saw all of those ideas she had carried around in her head brought to life, it was understandably emotional.
Elegant, relaxed, personal and full of meaning.
Exactly as she and Jarek had imagined it.
Lucy’s Advice for Future Brides
After planning her own Combermere Abbey wedding, Lucy has two very clear pieces of advice for other brides:
Do what YOU want to do, not what other people want you to do.
And...
PLAN EARLY!
We couldn't agree more.
Your wedding should ultimately feel like the two of you. The personal details in Lucy and Jarek's wedding are exactly what make their photographs and story so special, from Lily and Daisy inspiring their floral styling to Lucy wearing her Nan's pearls with the wedding dress she travelled all the way from Manchester to find.
From Manchester to Warwickshire, And the Dress That Was Worth the Journey
Lucy, I don't think you'll ever fully understand what a special bride you were for me.
There are thousands of moments I've experienced through running Annabel Sarah Bridal, but standing together in the boutique and both crying when we realised we'd found your dress is one I will always remember.
You trusted me completely.
You travelled from Manchester because you had a feeling that we were the bridal boutique for you. You walked through the doors alone, without knowing exactly what you were looking for, and allowed me to choose something completely different.
And look where that wild card got us.
Seeing you as a bride, wearing that incredible Aire Barcelona wedding dress, your Nan's pearls and your cathedral veil, was everything I hoped it would be.
You looked absolutely breathtaking, but more importantly, you looked like you.
You're one of the most beautiful people, inside and out, and I couldn't be happier that our paths crossed.
Congratulations Mr & Mrs Wesolowski and thank you for letting Annabel Sarah Bridal be such a special little part of your story.
Lucy & Jarek’s Wedding Suppliers
Bride: @Lucyw221
Wedding Dress: @annabelsarahbridal | @airebarcelona
Makeup: @ehmakeupartistry_
Hair: @xmaryjanex94
Wedding Dress Alterations: @aisle.ofbrides
Photography: @becc.photograph / @elliepoolephotography
Videography: @tomandalicefilms
Wedding Content Creator: @bridesofsocial
Wedding Venue: @combermereabbeyweddings
Wedding Stationery & Calligraphy: @dearrileydesigns
Wedding Cake: @lhbbakery
Venue Styling: @itsallaboutmememe
Wedding Flowers: @nicolas_flower_lounge
Wedding DJ: @weddingsounds
Harpist: @harpistrhiamwen
Toastmaster: @thetalltoastmaster
Live Wedding Artist: @caitlin.paints.weddings
Wedding Illustrator: @chloebreezeillustration
Children's Tables & Chairs: @chairmanhireuk
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