For the past three years now, it has been possible in the UK to tie the knot in a civil ceremony at ANY time of the day or night (although canon law hasn't changed so you are still restricted to the hours between 08:00 and 18:00 for a church wedding). As you can imagine, there are some pretty spectacular places out there for midnight weddings and my money would be on a venue set in the heart of the countryside. One such place is the ruins of medieval Tutbury Castle in East Staffordshire where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in 1569 (see immediately below). The drama of the ruined castle is amplified by the clever uplighting, providing a truly fantastic backdrop to the ceremony and celebrations.
An alternative but equally as stunning location is Burnicombe Farm, Devon, where the pathways are lit by lanterns in the trees creating a magical, fairytale feel to the whole occasion.
Given the nature of a midnight wedding, I think we would ask only adults to the nuptials and party, and my bridesmaids would all be dressed in long, white flowing gowns which would look enchanting parading through the dark of night, the path lit by flaming torches and the light of the moon. And to accentuate the black velvet of the night, I would choose radiant white satin for both my dress and for those of my bridesmaids.
So if the venue were somewhere grand, I would look at Lela Rose LR192 for my BFFs; the full length, strapless princess line dress with its modified sweetheart neckline and trumpet skirt in decadent duchess satin would hit just the right note of celestial glow.
Or, without wanting to sound too much like a Pagan, I am rather smitten with this Lela Rose LX137 with its Vestal-Virgin-one-shoulder style. Again, the duchess satin would give just the right amount of sheen and depth to the gowns to stand out beautifully in the photos:
Slightly along the same lines is this heavenly Lela Rose LR141XX in Renaissance satin; again, with the bare one shoulder it is quite Roman in style and summons up visions of druids and midsummer nights - SO atmospheric with its cascading ruffle of shimmering satin down the one side of the bodice and slightly fuller skirt.
Forgive me for slipping in this next dress as I know that it is NOT in satin, but given the bucolic charm of a midnight wedding, I really think that this full-length After Six dress style 6611 would be perfect with its lux chiffon shirred bodice and flower detail at the shoulder for a less formal setting:
But I think that my favourite, which would be divine in ANY situation, would be this gorgeous, full length Lela Rose Renaissance Satin in snow white, style LR177. I just love the elegance of the off-the-shoulder neckline with the asymmetrical pleated bodice and side skirt; those wide pleats would show off the sheen of the satin superbly in the moonlight, too, giving the bridesmaids a beguiling radiance!
Would you have your wedding at midnight? And if so, what would you choose for your bridesmaids?