Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen on designing his daughter’s wedding dress
The TV star is best known for his home designs.
Changing Rooms star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has revealed he helped design the wedding dress for his daughter Hermione’s wedding.
The TV star, who is best known for his home designs, also helped create his wife Jackie and eldest daughter Cecile’s outfits.
Hermione, 23, married her childhood sweetheart Drew Marriott, 24, at the 12th century Church of St John the Baptist in Cirencester.
Llewelyn-Bowen told Hello! magazine the dress was “very big, very flourishy and very us” but that there was “realness to it too”.
He added: “I was very keen that Hermione should wear something elegant. She needed something architectural and youthful.
“I came up with a simple design – a white satin dress with a nipped-in waist, sweetheart neckline and a little white velvet cape with a (fake) fur trim.”
Hermione said she was happy to entrust her father with the job as she knew he would have her “best interests at heart”.
The church ceremony was followed by celebrations at Mansion House Cirencester Park, which is owned by close family friends the Earl and Countess of Bathurst.
Llewelyn-Bowen, 56, said the couple had to change their original plans due to Covid.
“Poor Hermione. She’s been so patient about all this, but nonetheless felt, ‘Oh my God, am I ever going to get married?”, he said.
“But Lady Sara Bathurst was a superhero. She put her pants outside her tights like Wonder Woman and said, ‘You’ve got to have it here’.”
The TV presenter said his highlight of the day was walking Hermione down the aisle, describing the experience as “like a film”.
“Because we were walking down this runway of candles, it was so cosy”, he added.
“She was desperate to get to Drew, who was beaming from ear to ear.”
Hermione agreed it had been a special moment and said she nearly cried when her father removed her cape and kissed her on the cheek because there was “so much love”.
Llewelyn-Bowen said the relief the wedding had finally gone ahead was palpable at the ceremony.
“I’ve never been to a wedding where the entire congregation was so close to clapping at every stage. It was a sense of, ‘Oh my God, we’ve got there – they’ve said, I will.’
“There was a massive crowd when we came out of the church to walk down the lovely cobbled streets to Cirencester Park and everybody was clapping. It was such a powerful moment.”
Read the full interview in Hello! magazine, out now.
