Finding the wedding dress of your dreams is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to completing your bridal style. There are so many other fun wedding-related events to plan looks for. From the engagement party and hen do to the civil ceremony and the rehearsal dinner, the day two as well as the long-awaited honeymoon – weddings are a multi-event affair, and we get tonnes of emails asking for advice about what to wear. Building a capsule of outfits that allows you to express your personal style and feel not only confident but absolutely fabulous will make the celebrations all-the-more unforgettable.
To inspire your style choices, we ask stylish brides to share their sartorial secrets as part of our My Wedding Wardrobe series. We are so excited to shine a spotlight on the sensational bridal style of Vivienne Hobson; what she wore, how she wore it and where she sourced it… let’s go!
Bride Bio
Name: Vivienne Hobson
Profession: Nurse
From: Wicklow
Wedding Date: 20/09/2025
Registry Office Venue: Ard Boyne Hotel, Navan
Wedding Venue: Palacio de Estoi, Estoi, Portugal
Instagram: @viviennehobson
Let’s get to know the bride… Vivienne met the love of her life Aaron through Instagram but they also happened to know friends of friends. She tells us, “So I knew who he was but after a few heart eye emojis, we began messaging and could talk for hours on end. I was away on holidays so we planned to meet when I got back and from then on we were inseparable.”
He went “above and beyond” when it came to popping the question she says. “He always knew this was something that mattered to me and I’ve always been a hopeless romantic. We were away in Portugal with our two best friends, who we go away with every year. They all knew about it but of course I was clueless. We had arrived and myself and Sonia went to get ready while boys were down having drinks at beach. Aaron knew I had a cream/white dress that he thought would be perfect, so when I came down in the wrong dress Sonia was quick to tell me, “Awh, that’s not dressy enough”. Of course it was part of the bigger plan.”
“We all went down to beach as we had booked a restaurant down by there for dinner, as I we were walking along the boardwalk there was a violist playing a song I had shown Aaron which I loved, Golden Hour by JVKE, and all I could see was a path of white roses and candles. I still didn’t cop and was like, ‘Awh look someone is getting married or engaged’, then Aaron started pulling me along. It was one of the best moments of my life, he swept me off my feet. It was so special having our best friends with us to celebrate.” How dreamy!
Vivienne describes her personal style as street style meets business casual and she likes to add a pop of quirkiness to her outfits. She adores hats and it is rare that you will see her without a fabulous fedora on.
She loved the process of planning her wedding wardrobe:
“Besides being a nurse, fashion is my passion and I love finding new and different pieces, nothing beats finding a outfit that, makes you feel amazing. It can be overwhelming especially looking at white outfits, you being to question what you like but then I just had to take a step back and remember what style I like and what I would feel good in.”
She shopped both in-store and online whilst also buying pieces second-hand and renting too.
“During my bridal journey I became a huge fan of Depop and Vinted and definitely would recommend it for brides, a lot of pieces most brides will only wear once and I feel it’s such a waste. I love the thought of another bride getting to wear one of my outfits and feel amazing in it.”
Her bridesmaids whisked her off for “the best weekend” at Glasson Lakehouse in Co. Westmeath, it was “a dream come true” she shares. The bride arrived in the chic Mika co-ord by Reformation which she bought second-hand and accessorised with retro-style white sunglasses and a pretty bow veil.
The theme for the first night was ‘She’s Tying the Knot’ and beautiful bows featured prominently in her look. She wore the Rebecca Vallance Madeline minidress with a scene-stealing bow on the back which she bought second-hand and the Jimmy Choo Averly 100 bow-detailed faille pumps.
The country escape hen also included luxurious hot tubbing and the bride-to-be wore a Club L London swimsuit with diaphanous bow straps and a personalised Gigi & Olive sarong with Mrs Smyth on it.
The theme for the final night was ‘Her Last Rodeo’ and Vivienne wore the Isabelle dress by Rosie Etienne adorned with embroidered 3D flower lace and glittering beading. She accessorised with white cowboy boots from ASOS, a Polene bag with a hand-knotted shoulder strap, and a cowboy hat from Shein.
“I decided to go a bit wild with the look for this. It was a bit extra but if you can’t do it on your hen when can you.”
The couple said ‘I do’ for the first time at Ardboyne Hotel in Navan and the bride opted for a elegant and glamorous ensemble comprising of the Claudia Odd Muse mini dress with a delicate crystal embellished hem, a birdcage veil by Fiona Rafter millinery, slingback heels by Zara and a wifey clutch from Shein.
Vivienne added a selection of sentimental accessories to the look as her ‘something borrowed’ and ‘something old’ was her mum’s bracelet and her ‘something blue’ was her son Noah’s dodie.
Her husband wore a smashing suit from Pinstripe Punk in Dundalk where he also got his tux for their destination wedding while their little boy wore an adorable linen suit from Zara.
“It was with intimate family, it was beautiful, we then went to my mum’s house for nibbles after it was so nice and was just perfect for us.“
She was a vision of contemporary romance in 3D florals once more.
“So I decided to have a little home hen for mums aunties etc who couldn’t make the hen. I was lucky to get to collab with Hitched by Hire (a dress rental company aimed towards brides). They kindly gifted me a beautiful dress from Jarlo London, it was so different and beautiful. I love wearing something you wouldn’t typically see for a hen.”
The couple tied the knot at the ornate Palacio de Estoi in Portugal which blends Rococo, Neoclassical and Baroque design and boasts breathtaking Versailles-inspired garden.
The London-based rental company The Bridal Edition reached out for a collaboration and for her last night as a Ms Vivienne wore the enchantingly ethereal Charlotte Mills Chloe Glitter Dress for her last night as a Ms. She accessorised exquisitely with the Cult Gaia Eos clutch, which is an iconic bridal bag, and her beautiful bow Jimmy Choos.
“My Jimmy Choo bow heels my favourite, just so different I love them. Matches my style completely.”
Vivienne was a picture of timeless grace wearing a fit and flare off-the-shoulder Demetrios gown. She wanted a traditional and elegant style and she found her dress of dreams at Lauren Elizabeth Bridal in Belfast.
“I tend to know exactly what I want to wear, so when it came to my wedding dress I had a vision. Lauren Elizabeth had exactly what I was looking for, it was the first one I tried, I turned to my mum and she was crying, I knew it was the one.”
“I’ve had the amazing opportunity of working with Dylan Oaks previously and they kindly gifted me beautiful pieces for my wedding day, earrings and bracelet.”
She also got her father and husband engraved cufflinks from them which made for such a beautiful gift that they can cherish forever.
The bride honoured her dear belated grandfather with a beautiful charm in her bouquet.
“He passed away a few years ago and he was very special to me, my maid of honour gave me a blue pin which I also attached to my bouquet, my dress was new and I wore my mum’s borrowed bracelet.”
Her leading ladies were sublime in shining satin blush bridesmaids dresses with halter necklines. Paper parasols were a pretty and practical accessories to keep cool chicly in the heat.
She adored the drama of the sleeves and the high slit of the Celine dress by Rime Arodaky, it was the perfect dress to party the night away. She sourced it at The White Gallery and paired it with heels by Be Mine at ASOS.
She is obsessed with Rosie Etienne and she wore another breathtaking bridal piece, the Anna illusion lace corseted mini with her go-to Jimmy Choo bow heels and her Polene bag.
Vivienne shares the following advice for brides curating their wedding wardrobe:
“Look at Pinterest and get the vibe of what style you want and stick to that, it’s very easy to get distracted because there is so much beautiful pieces out there, if you feel amazing in something get it, it may not be everyone else’s cup of tea but no point wearing something someone else likes but you don’t feel you in.”
We want to say a huge thank you to our fabulous bride Vivienne, you can see even more pictures of her stunning style in the gallery below.
Check out the other instalments of the My Wedding Wardrobe series including Rebecca Shekleton’s Y2K & Carrie Bradshaw-Inspired Looks and Ellen’s Exotic & Embellished Destination Style. If you know someone with an incredible wedding wardrobe, contact us at hello@onefabday.com to be part of our series.
