Rime Arodaky Bride | Lauren & George

Renowned for its beautifully curated selection of French wedding dress designers, The Mews Bridal (with stores in Clifton and Notting Hill) is – without doubt – a truly coveted destination for stylish brides. And, when the opportunity arose to interview the bridal boutique’s Director, Lauren Crispin about her own wedding dress journey (FYI she was a Rime Arodaky bride) I jumped at it (Valentino-adorned feet first).

The couple, Lauren & George, celebrated their love for one another amongst the decadent interior of the Grade II-listed manor, Babington House (a mere 30 minutes from Bath). Surrounding by friends and family, the day was a whirlwind of love, laughter, champagne towers, espresso martinis, the lingering scent of 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain by Diptyque and much dancing (some of which made it on to the bar top – which I love). And the dress? Well, there were two. Both of which were by (the one and only) Rime Arodaky and will simultaneously knock your mirrored Mach & Mach platforms off.

I caught up with Lauren herself to get the low-down on her own personal Rime Arodaky wedding dress journey…

Photography by Sam Docker

#1 As the Director of The Mews Bridal, I expect your bridal dress journey wasn’t like the average brides. Talk to us about where you started. Did you always have a certain dress designer or brand in mind?

“I knew first and foremost I wanted something original, working in the fashion/bridal industry I felt like there was a lot of pressure to wear something unique but also timeless.

I had a pretty good idea of what silhouettes suited my shape and I knew I wanted something that reflected my style and once I tried my dress on I knew instantly that it ticked all of those boxes.

Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to dress for myself.”

#2 When it came to designing your custom Rime Arodaky gown, did you know the exact details you wanted? Or did the vision for your gown rise from your collaboration with Rime?

“Owning The Mews Bridal means I am lucky to work with seven amazing Parisian bridal designers so I was spoilt for choice and would have worn a design from each of my designers if I had more wedding occasions! After much deliberation I opted for a design by Rime Arodaky as she is not just a colleague but also a great friend and I knew the process would be a magical one working with her to design my dream dress.”

#3 Did you travel to Paris for initial appointments/fittings?

“We squeezed in a trip to Paris in October last year in the very small open travel window in-between Covid-19 restrictions and visited Rime at her atelier.

At Rime’s stunning studio The White Avenue, which is the oversized dressing room of your dreams, we tried on a few pieces to get an idea of what I was looking for in a dress and Rime got my vision completely.

It was a hard choice as all of her designs are so gorgeous but she created the most beautiful two dresses for my wedding and afterwards we celebrated with champagne with a view of Paris, it couldn’t have been more special.”

#4 Talk us through the materials used for the construction of your dress…

“My dress was handmade with love in Paris using layers of nude tulle and hand appliquéd flowers.

It felt like a second skin and so comfortable to wear, which was a really important part to me as I knew I wanted a dress that I could put on, feel amazing and really enjoy the day without a second thought.”

#5 Was your wedding experience everything you dreamed of?

“It was even better than I could have imagined – it really is such a magical day surrounded by all of our favourite people celebrating mine and George’s love. It was incredible.”

#6 In terms of accessories, what did you pair your custom Rime Arodaky dress with?

“With my ceremony dress as it was so detailed I wanted to let the dress do the talking, so didn’t want my accessories to be too fussy. I opted for small crescent moon diamond earrings by Zoe & Morgan and I wore a matching lace veil for the ceremony styled with white strappy heeled sandals by Chanel.”

#7 What fragrance did you wear down the aisle?

“I wore Gypsy Water by Byredo. The scent of our wedding was also a really important part for me so we scented our wedding with my favourite scent 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain by Diptyque and we gifted each of our guests a Diptyque candle so they could remember our special day with the scent.”

#8 Did the dress influence the way in which you styled your hair?

“I wanted my bridal look to look effortless. As my main dress was quite detailed I wanted to keep the rest of my bridal look quite simple. I opted for quite natural makeup and a relaxed blow dry with a matching lace veil for the ceremony.”

#9 We noticed you wore a shorter dress for the evening…

“Rime Arodaky also designed this dress for me. I knew I wanted to dance and as much as I loved my ceremony dress and as comfortable as it was, I wanted more of a fun look for the evening.

After the dinner, I changed into my party dress, whilst our guests helped themselves to espresso martinis. Our band absolutely crushed the party and we all danced the night away!”

#10 Did you switch up your accessories for the evening too? If so, what did you wear?

“For my party dress, it was short, with subtle sparkles and puffy sleeves so it was a bit more of a sassy look. So I could have a bit more fun with the look so I styled it with some incredible statement Chanel earrings.”

#11 What would be your advice to brides starting the wedding dress journey? Any top tips?

“Think about your personal style and how that would look elevated. I think it’s important for non-traditional brides to resemble an extension of themselves. Keep that vision in mind while shopping.”