Today, Olivia Henson became the Duchess of Westminster after marrying Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster at Chester Cathedral.
Around 400 guests, including the Prince of Wales and Princess Eugenie, gathered in Northern England for the societal wedding of the year.
As is the case with every high-profile wedding, there was lots of buzz around what, or rather who, the bride would wear, and Olivia entrusted British designer Emma Victoria Payne to design both a bespoke dress and veil.
So, why did the newlywed choose this London-based bridal boutique? Though we don’t know why for sure, Emma Payne has a reputation that proceeds itself within the social set and beyond. She studied at the prestigious fashion school Central St Martins before going on to design for John Galliano in Paris and Levi Strauss in Brussels.
In 2010 she opened her boutique on Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge (but is now based in Chelsea), arguably London’s chicest shopping street, and has since become a notable name in the bridal world for her bespoke service from first sketch to final product.
Though Olivia is arguably going to become the most notable name in Emma’s bridal book, her designs are a go-to for the social set. She designed Sophie Carter’s wedding dress – one of Princess Kate’s closet friends and godmother to Princess Charlotte, and also Camilla Thorp’s satin pink bridesmaid dresses for her wedding to George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford at Blenheim Palace in 2018.
Emma has also designed a collection of dresses for the Queen Charlotte’s Ball: an annual British debutante ball and one of the highlights of the social season calendar.
Olivia’s ethereal ivory silk gown reflected her personal style: sleek and elegant, timeless yet modern (we’re particular fans of the oval cut-out on the back of the dress). It was steeped in tradition. Emma hand drew the embroidery design on both the dress and veil, which incorporated floral motifs and edgings from Olivia’s great-great-grandmother’s veil from around 1880.
© GettyShe also drew a version of Olivia’s family veil but with a new repeat pattern featuring scalloped edges and oval shapes, to reflect her engagement ring.
On top of her sleek, side-parted updo, she wore the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara – a piece that has been in the Grosvenor family since 1906, made for Grosvenor brides to wear on their wedding day.