The Daughter of de Gournay’s Founder Had an English Summer Wedding With Decor Inspired by the Iconic Wallpaper

The Daughter of de Gournay’s Founder Had an English Summer Wedding With Decor Inspired by the Iconic Wallpaper

I based much of the wedding ephemera on my favorite de Gournay Chinoiserie wallpaper—the same hand-painted design installed within my bedroom. “Temple Newsam” is filled with flowers and birds in soft greens, yellows, and whites, and a small section was painted by hand onto each and every invitation. This summery palette was the starting point for the rest of the wedding scheme.
We ate our wedding breakfast within the marquee erected for the day in my father’s garden. The view looked out over the rolling Kentish hills—bathed for the day in glorious sunshine.
We ate our wedding breakfast within the marquee erected for the day in my father’s garden. The view looked out over the rolling Kentish hills—bathed for the day in glorious sunshine.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
My father’s house where the drinks reception took place, with his herbaceous borders in full bloom
My father’s house where the drinks reception took place, with his herbaceous borders in full bloom
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
My dress was designed by Mira Zwillinger, who I came across by chance at Browns Bridal in London. I loved the exquisite leaf appliqué embroidery on the gossamer tulle of my dress and veil.
My dress was designed by Mira Zwillinger, who I came across by chance at Browns Bridal in London. I loved the exquisite leaf appliqué embroidery on the gossamer tulle of my dress and veil.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
My sister Hannah and my best friend Anna helping with the finishing touches—Hannah and I are both directors at de Gournay, the hand-panted wallpaper company founded by our father Claud. She was seven and a half months pregnant with twins on the day!
My sister Hannah and my best friend Anna helping with the finishing touches—Hannah and I are both directors at de Gournay, the hand-panted wallpaper company founded by our father Claud. She was seven and a half months pregnant with twins on the day!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
A moment of nervous anticipation just before the car arrived.... My hair took longer than I expected.
A moment of nervous anticipation just before the car arrived.... My hair took longer than I expected.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
My wedding bouquet using English summer flowers, and I had fresh yellow roses from the garden in my hair.
My wedding bouquet using English summer flowers, and I had fresh yellow roses from the garden in my hair.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
My bridesmaids getting their little ones “flower girl” ready. The floral garlands were made by a local florist.
My bridesmaids getting their little ones “flower girl” ready. The floral garlands were made by a local florist.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
My nephew George and cousin Lara preparing to leave. They wore dresses and knickerbockers of ivory shot silk.
My nephew George and cousin Lara preparing to leave. They wore dresses and knickerbockers of ivory shot silk.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Flower girls and page boys caught unawares. I love this shot—it’s like a Singer Sargent painting!
Flower girls and page boys caught unawares. I love this shot—it’s like a Singer Sargent painting!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
English roses in full bloom in my father’s rose garden. He’s always been passionate about flowers and is a keen gardener.
English roses in full bloom in my father’s rose garden. He’s always been passionate about flowers and is a keen gardener.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
One of our flower girls, Leonore, playing among the roses.
One of our flower girls, Leonore, playing among the roses.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
The final hurried moments outside the house. My groom’s cousin Will took me to the church in his car, which was driven down especially from Lincolnshire. My bridesmaids gave me a helping hand getting in.
The final hurried moments outside the house. My groom’s cousin Will took me to the church in his car, which was driven down especially from Lincolnshire. My bridesmaids gave me a helping hand getting in.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Excited nerves! My bridesmaid Victoria is helping me gather the layers of tulle of my dress and veil so I can get up the steps to the church.
Excited nerves! My bridesmaid Victoria is helping me gather the layers of tulle of my dress and veil so I can get up the steps to the church.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
A flurry of excitement while we all assemble outside the church for the start of the ceremony. Running a little late as always!
A flurry of excitement while we all assemble outside the church for the start of the ceremony. Running a little late as always!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
A very special moment reading our vows to one another in St. Michael and All Angels, the small church in nearby Withyham steeped in history and charm. The church was my favorite part of the day.
A very special moment reading our vows to one another in St. Michael and All Angels, the small church in nearby Withyham steeped in history and charm. The church was my favorite part of the day.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Our first married moments
Our first married moments
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Kneeling at the altar for the Lord’s Prayer with the light streaming through the medieval stained glass windows
Kneeling at the altar for the Lord’s Prayer with the light streaming through the medieval stained glass windows
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
We have both always loved hymns. I think the priest was surprised that we both sang our hearts out!
We have both always loved hymns. I think the priest was surprised that we both sang our hearts out!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
We were both beaming with joy as we left the church through the flower arch to the bells pealing out.
We were both beaming with joy as we left the church through the flower arch to the bells pealing out.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Attempting to line all the little ones up for a photo. Not an easy task!
Attempting to line all the little ones up for a photo. Not an easy task!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Jake giving me the seal of approval! My best friend Anna made excellent work of my veil all day.
Jake giving me the seal of approval! My best friend Anna made excellent work of my veil all day.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
I loved this moment, we were showered with confetti as we walked down to the car.
I loved this moment, we were showered with confetti as we walked down to the car.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Worse-for-wear flower girls and page boys getting a helping hand down the church path
Worse-for-wear flower girls and page boys getting a helping hand down the church path
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Jake’s niece in a contemplative mood with my sister’s horse in the background
Jake’s niece in a contemplative mood with my sister’s horse in the background
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Jake holding the bouquet for me: already performing husbandly duties with aplomb
Jake holding the bouquet for me: already performing husbandly duties with aplomb
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
The veil was so romantic and ethereal: I didn’t want to take it off. I kept it on right up until the first dance.
The veil was so romantic and ethereal: I didn’t want to take it off. I kept it on right up until the first dance.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Even in the orchard!
Even in the orchard!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Jake and I playfully posed in the nearby field. We were so lucky with the weather—the previous week had been cold and wet in London!
Jake and I playfully posed in the nearby field. We were so lucky with the weather—the previous week had been cold and wet in London!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
A quiet moment in the garden away from all the guests
A quiet moment in the garden away from all the guests
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
We hung red Chinese lanterns in the summer house, a nod to de Gournay’s Chinese roots.
We hung red Chinese lanterns in the summer house, a nod to de Gournay’s Chinese roots.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
We had a traditional white canvas pole marquee erected next to the house, in which to host our wedding breakfast.
We had a traditional white canvas pole marquee erected next to the house, in which to host our wedding breakfast.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Hand-painted de Gournay organza was draped from the ceiling of the marquee, painted in an exquisite Chinoiserie motif. It created such a romantic feel with the light pouring in and the panels billowing in the breeze.
Hand-painted de Gournay organza was draped from the ceiling of the marquee, painted in an exquisite Chinoiserie motif. It created such a romantic feel with the light pouring in and the panels billowing in the breeze.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
I’d gathered wild flowers from the surrounding countryside in my chosen color palette of yellows, whites, and greens for the tables.
I’d gathered wild flowers from the surrounding countryside in my chosen color palette of yellows, whites, and greens for the tables.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Guests dined off de Gournay hand-carved porcelain, and the design on the menus again referenced the “Temple Newsam” chinoiserie: my favorite de Gournay wallpaper. Each antique linen napkin was hand-embroidered by de Gournay artists with a bumblebee motif in threaded gold.
Guests dined off de Gournay hand-carved porcelain, and the design on the menus again referenced the “Temple Newsam” chinoiserie: my favorite de Gournay wallpaper. Each antique linen napkin was hand-embroidered by de Gournay artists with a bumblebee motif in threaded gold.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
The silver birch trees were cut down from the woods by Jake the day before the wedding and tied to the central poles of the tent. They looked like they were growing from the middle of the marquee and framed the organza beautifully.
The silver birch trees were cut down from the woods by Jake the day before the wedding and tied to the central poles of the tent. They looked like they were growing from the middle of the marquee and framed the organza beautifully.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Each place card was tied with yellow ribbon onto a pot of honey from my father’s bee hives, with a watercolor of the house on the label painted by a friend.
Each place card was tied with yellow ribbon onto a pot of honey from my father’s bee hives, with a watercolor of the house on the label painted by a friend.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
We sipped wild mint tea, gathered especially from the garden, from an assortment of de Gournay hand-painted tea cups.
We sipped wild mint tea, gathered especially from the garden, from an assortment of de Gournay hand-painted tea cups.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
The white chocolate and raspberry four-tiered cake was made by a friend, and the iced sugar flowers were a mixture of peonies and blossoms from my chosen de Gournay design. It was delicious.
The white chocolate and raspberry four-tiered cake was made by a friend, and the iced sugar flowers were a mixture of peonies and blossoms from my chosen de Gournay design. It was delicious.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
I used a marble Art Deco table from the house for the cake rather than a white cloth.
I used a marble Art Deco table from the house for the cake rather than a white cloth.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
The band kept calling us for the first dance, but we couldn’t work out how to bustle the dress. The loops were invisible! Luckily, I had a team at hand.
The band kept calling us for the first dance, but we couldn’t work out how to bustle the dress. The loops were invisible! Luckily, I had a team at hand.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
Our five-piece band played Fleetwood Mac’s “Say That You Love Me” for our first dance.
Our five-piece band played Fleetwood Mac’s “Say That You Love Me” for our first dance.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
We hadn’t rehearsed at all, but Jake spun me around so much, I didn’t have to think of many moves!
We hadn’t rehearsed at all, but Jake spun me around so much, I didn’t have to think of many moves!
Photo: Lucy Birkhead
A celebratory kiss to complete our first dance—and all we have ahead.
A celebratory kiss to complete our first dance—and all we have ahead.
Photo: Lucy Birkhead

Food and friends brought Rachel Cecil Gurney and Jacob “Jake” McConville together. Their first meeting was at a dinner party. “At the start of the evening, we were at opposite ends of the table, but by the end of the evening, we had exchanged numbers,” remembers Rachel, who’s the global sales director for de Gournay, the lust-worthy hand-painted wallpaper and fabric company founded by her father. Jake owns his own cooking business called Jake’s Kitchen. The two had been dating for one and a half years when he proposed. It was his birthday, and Rachel was taking him for lunch at their favorite restaurant, River Cafe.

“Even though I’m typically always running late, Jake insisted we walk along the river,” Rachel says. “I soon realized why! We stopped in Bishop’s Park, at the same spot we went for a picnic on one of our first dates, and Jake got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We both forgot he hadn’t even presented me with the ring until after I said ‘Yes!’ It was a memorable lunch, and Jake is pleased that he figured out a way to detract attention from himself for all future birthdays to come!”

At first, the two were unsure about where to get married, but lucky for them Rachel’s father had two fantastic options: His house in Kent, or a villa in Croatia. “Being British, the weather was obviously at the forefront of our minds,” Rachel admits. In the end, she leaned towards a traditional English wedding, took a gamble, and penciled in midsummer at the local medieval church, a short drive from her father’s house in the countryside. “I knew that in perfect weather, which thankfully it was, there could not be a more beautiful and meaningful setting to stage the occasion.”

The house belonged to her grandparents, and her father grew up there, so she has many fond childhood memories of the historic home. “Having been lucky enough to grow up around de Gournay’s hand-painted wallpapers my whole life and spending the last 10 years working at the London showroom, it was always important for me to incorporate bespoke de Gournay elements into my wedding: I just didn’t realize how carried away I would get!”

Rachel eventually decided to base the theme around her favorite de Gournay chinoiserie wallpaper: “Temple Newsam,” a verdant composition of flora and birds in soft green, yellow, and whites that has been part of the company’s collection from its founding, and which is installed in the bedroom of the London flat she shares with Jake. “I felt like the soft green, white, and yellow palette was the perfect starting point for an English summer wedding.”

Rachel and Jake wanted a very personal feel to their wedding, so they took on the daunting task of planning it all by themselves. “Inevitably, this was stressful at times—and not always helped by my indecisive nature—but I really wanted to oversee all of the details,” Rachel says. “Jake was very patient and willing to offer his opinion even though he knew it would most likely be overruled. He was always game to roll up his sleeves for some of the more daunting tasks too, such as scaling a six-meter ladder to hang hand-painted organza within the marquee or cutting down silver birch trees in the nearby woodland!”

Unlike with the decor, Rachel had no idea where to start when thinking about her wedding wardrobe. She knew she wanted something soft and romantic, yet classical and elegant. Beyond that, she was unsure of where to begin, but she was open to trying on lots of dresses. “Just when I began to lose hope, I came across a designer I previously hadn’t heard of at Browns Brides,” she says. “It was Mira Zwillinger, and I knew straight away that this was the dress I wanted to wear on my wedding day.” She added a few personal touches to complete the look: Art Deco diamond earrings in a leaf shape, which paired perfectly with the foliage appliqué motif on the dress, and yellow rosebuds, fresh from the garden, worn loosely pinned in her hair.

All of the men wore morning dress, and Rachel asked each of her bridesmaids to choose a long dress in a different pastel tone. The flower girls and page boys were in ivory silk with blush pink sashes and cummerbunds, and the girls had flower crowns in their hair that were made using the same blooms as the bridal bouquets.   The ceremony was personal and intimate. “We both love the church and got to know the priest well while preparing for the ceremony,” Rachel says. “Given my love of music, it was difficult to decide which pieces and hymns to include, so I sought the advice of the conductor of my choir in London, and I also managed to persuade him to play the organ on the day! I felt nervous beforehand, but as soon as I walked into the church and saw so many familiar faces, the nerves faded a little. By the time I was at the altar with Jake, I felt completely relaxed and able to appreciate what a special moment it was, exchanging vows in front of all of our friends and family.”

After the service, there was a champagne and canapés reception in Rachel’s father’s garden. This was followed by toasts and the wedding breakfast, which was served in a tent with stunning views of the English countryside. At the end of the meal, the newlyweds cut the cake—a three-tier, white chocolate and raspberry confection with edible peony blossoms—and the five-piece band struck up “Say That You Love Me” by Fleetwood Mac for their first dance. “Jake and I made it ’till the last dance,” Rachel remembers, which came around 3:00 A.M. “Then, we had a cup of tea in the garden before going to bed. We were exhausted after such a wonderful day!”

See the videos.

Originally Appeared on Vogue