If dreaming up her own wedding dress for her festive nuptials taught the fashion designer Savannah Miller anything, it's that seasonality is everything when it comes to choosing the gown for your big day. "I got married in London in December – and ended up with pneumonia," Savannah tells HELLO! of her 2022 wedding, which saw her sister, the actress Sienna Miller, serve as her maid of honour in an ice-blue velvet cerise dress from Savannah's collection as she wed James Whewell, the heir to Wyresdale Park Estate. "I wore a silk dress with a lace full-length overlay and a cape, but realistically, I should have worn thermals because we had a deep hoar frost the day before.
"The entire grounds looked like they had been sprayed with glitter, it was absolutely sublime - but freezing! So ultimately, the season you're getting married should be a deciding factor for your choice of dress – if only because primarily, I want people to feel comfortable and relaxed on their wedding day."
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Other than minding any adverse weather, Savannah is adamant that brides should follow their heart when it comes to selecting their dream dress. "It's your wedding day, and I really believe that you should do exactly what you want and not be determined by any kind of rules. A wedding is most special when it's reflective of the people who are getting married. Ultimately, your wedding is two people standing in front of each other, promising to love each other for the rest of their lives."
Despite the chilly aftermath, Savannah's gold satin dress – complete with structured corset and trailing waterfall lace sleeves – was everything she dreamed of and more. "I started the process of designing my own dress by thinking of it as a PR opportunity, before reasoning I couldn't always put the brand first – I needed to design what was right for me. Inevitably, it ended up being more on brand than anything I've ever designed – and the dress, now called Savannah, became part of my collection."
Read the full interview with Savannah Miller in the new issue of HELLO! Wedding, on sale September 23.
