At Her Festive London Wedding, Designer Savannah Miller’s Bridal Look Was Inspired by Arthurian Legend
On a typically British summer day in 2019, where there was rain and sun in equal measure, James Whewell’s sister Sarah hosted a barbecue that designer Savannah Miller happened to attend. “I was faffing with my puppy and someone came running into the house saying: ‘You have to come outside, there’s a huge double rainbow in the sky,’ ” Savannah remembers. “When I went outside, sure enough, there was the most amazing rainbow I have ever seen—and standing directly below it was James and his tall black hairy dog, Tipsy. It was like a Turner painting, and I definitely did a double take.”
Last year, James—who manages Wyresdale, his family’s estate in Lancashire—proposed on Boxing Day at Savannah’s kitchen table with all of the family looking on. “He had asked the kids if they would be his stepchildren that morning—down on one knee, with the ring!—so they were all in on it,” she remembers. “I couldn’t understand why everyone was so twitchy and not eating the delicious ham I had cooked for lunch or why he was wearing his jacket at the table. Then he got down on one knee beside me, and we all melted in tears of joy and laughter.”
Just under a year later, they married at St. Peter’s Church in Petersham on Friday, December 9. In order to be legally married there, they had to visit the church every month for the past eight months so they’d formed a deep and special bond with this particular place of worship and especially with Reverend Kate Daymond.
In the lead-up to the main event, Savannah loved every minute of the planning process. “It really helped me reconnect with my creativity,” she says. “Being in a creative business means that often I have to listen to my head not my heart and this process has reminded me that true creativity comes from the heart and the heart alone.”
With the wedding date falling just before the holidays, Savannah leaned into all things opulent and dramatic when it comes to her wedding look—albeit in her typically cool and understated way. “I was super inspired by the classical Arthurian Lady of the Lake as well as Catherine the Great for some major drama,” the designer says. “I’ve dressed a lot of brides over the years and had a good understanding of what I wanted for myself. The look—now named the ‘Savannah’—was designed to work for my ceremony and reception and was made up of a super sexy bias-cut gold satin dress with a structured corset and plunging neckline.”
The second part of her dress, which was worn on top, was a delicate golden Chantilly lace dress that had trailing waterfall lace sleeves to the floor as well as full lace godets to create a winter queen vibe during the service. (Savannah also added a hidden zip on the skirt that she opened later in the evening to create a sexy slit.) Finally, she finished the neck edge off with a tiny gathered lace edging and antique diamanté and pearl trim and completed the look with a crown from Tilly Thomas Lux to add a regal finishing touch.
The bride’s jewelry was made locally by her friend Heidi Hockenjos. “She took apart an ’80s diamond ring that my mum gave me when I was born but that had never been worn and created tiny golden discs and diamonds to lay across my décolletage,” Savannah explains. “Her work is so fine and delicate, and it felt like the perfect accompaniment to the dress. She also created our wedding rings and engraved the initials of our families inside them so that they can be with us every day in our marriage.” For shoes, Savannah wore bespoke Jimmy Choo kitten heel mules with a pearl and diamanté strap. The couple’s initials were emblazoned on the soles for a more personal touch.
James himself wore an elegant, bespoke three-piece suit from Norton & Sons of Saville Row, while Savannah’s sister Sienna had always loved the Cerise dress from the Savannah Miller Bridal line, so a bespoke version was created especially for her in a sumptuous cornflower blue velvet with a shorter hem.
The bride arrived at the ceremony in an incredible 1962 Austin Healey with her son, Moses, on her arm. He walked his mother down the aisle while The Petersham Consort choir sang “In Dulci Jubilo.” “James and I chose to get married at this time of year because we both adore Christmas,” Savannah explains. “We went all out singing our favorite Christmas carols.” Sienna then read the lyrics to “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave, and James’s sister read a beautiful poem by Rainer Maria Rilke called “Pathways,” which was chosen to illustrate the quiet peace that the couple values in their relationship.
The choir went on to sing “A Gaelic Blessing” while the couple signed the register. “St. Peters is an old Saxon church, so rather than standing at the front we stood in the middle of the church with our friends and family all around us,” Savannah remembers. “It felt so intimate and magical being so close to all of them. Creating the ceremony was a very personal process, and it was really reflected in the atmosphere that we generated as a result. I was completely elated from start to finish. It was just incredible to see all of our loved ones gathered together, singing their hearts out all dressed to the nines for a glamorous Christmas party.”
After the service, Savannah ducked into the vestry with her new husband and the bridesmaids to sneak in an outfit change. “I had designed, with my angelic right hand, Charlotte, a very long and dramatic golden sequin cape with a ruffle collar to wear after the service, and she secretly made me some tulle sleeves with scatter-pearl embellishment,” Savannah says. “All of the textures at play were just a feast for my senses.”
The newlyweds walked from the church to their reception, flanked by friends and family, through the gardens of Petersham House to the nurseries for the reception. There, they had a string swing band playing, and mulled wine was served with canapés before dinner. When guests were finally seated, the meal was a rowdy affair, with long banquet tables covered in heaving plates of food served family-style down the middle of the tables.
Earlier in the autumn, the couple had collected acorns from James’s estate in Lancashire, Savannah’s home in Gloucestershire, her mother’s house in Fulham, as well as various other significant locations. At the reception, they invited all of the guests to plant an acorn for them so that one day they could plant a wedding woodland at Wyresdale to commemorate their union in a way that will live on long beyond just the two of them.
After dinner, Savannah removed the lace part of her look so that only the Estelle dress was remaining and changed her accessories. “I added the vintage pearl Nikki halo from Leleny [@leleny] and opted for some killer sexy Manolos,” Savannah says. “I then unzipped my satin gown to reveal a flash of leg and walked through a tunnel of sparklers to the ballroom of Petersham house where we had our first dance to ‘There May Be Trouble Ahead,’ which was James’s father’s favorite song. He passed in February so it was a joyful way to bring him into our day.”
Finally, when the dancing really got going, Savannah changed into a simple multi-strap ballerina flat with pearl clasps. “I wanted to be able to really dance, and the Estelle is a short and bias-cut asymmetrical, sexy dress for my alternative brides and is so easy,” she says. “It felt really free after my wedding look. I paired it with some incredible chandelier diamanté earrings from Jennifer Behr and my fabulous make-up artist, Wendy Rowe, painted my eyes with golden glitter to really get the party started.”
Photo: Benjamin Wheeler1/74Having my make-up done with the inimitable Wendy Rowe was such a treat. She made me feel like a million dollars. I am wearing a cashmere robe from Shibumi—a collection started by a friend.
Photo: Benjamin Wheeler2/74Jordan Garrett from Hershesons did all of our hair and was a total dreamboat. I’ve been going to Hershesons for years, as Luke Hersheson used to do hair for our shows. They really know how to strike the balance between pretty and cool.
Photo: Benjamin Wheeler3/74Tilly Thomas Lux crown adjustments with the best stylist in the world, my sister.
Photo: Benjamin Wheeler4/74My team hand embroidered “Love Wins” inside my gown in pale blue (as my something blue), and it brought me to tears. It’s our brand mantra, and I was really touched by this.
