Nadine Ijewere always knew she would wear a Vivienne Westwood dress when she married her partner James Gilbert—it was simply a question of finding the perfect one. “That would be Vivienne was a no-brainer,” says Nadine, whose best friend, stylist Nathan Klein, was tasked with overseeing the dress search as her man of honor. “I actually ended up going with the first dress I saw when I walked into my very first showroom appointment,” she says. “I tried on lots of others, including those classic off-the-shoulder Westwood silhouettes, but they didn’t feel like me. I’m not a slinky bride—I’ve always loved volume and shape. But at the same time, I didn’t want an ’80s meringue. This gown felt like a princess moment without being too princess-y or OTT.” The Vivienne Westwood team customized the length of the dress as well as the corset to Nadine’s specifications, to create what is “essentially a demi-couture piece, as the design is no longer being made.”
As an in-demand fashion photographer (Ijewere shot Selena Gomez for her first Vogue cover aged just 29), the bride had some helpful contacts to draw on when planning for her big day—a destination wedding at the impossibly picturesque Castell de Sant Marçal in Barcelona, held last month. “When it comes to styling, hair and make-up, I have the best of the best, because so many of my friends are in the industry! Nathan, who works with WED Studio, made me a beautiful custom veil covered in tiny pearls,” says Nadine, who found her pearl-embellished sling-backs—which echoed the vintage feel of her gown—online, and sourced a vintage pair of Schiaparelli clip-on earrings to wear on the day. Make-up artist Mary-Jane Gotidoc, her close friend and bridesmaid, was on hand to ensure her signature red lip was perfect, and master hairstylist Ali Pirzadeh created her Sade-inspired braid with pearl and ribbon accents. “I wanted to keep my hair clean, because the look was all about the dress. I think it feels quite Spanish overall,” says Nadine—a happy coincidence given the couple’s chosen wedding location.
The bridesmaids all wore black dresses, made bespoke by London-based MIPA Atelier. “I wanted the bridesmaids to feel timeless and chic,” says Nadine. “I wanted the dresses to have an element of interest, with pleating and ruched details, but also to make sure they were wearable. It was important to me that everyone felt comfortable, especially in the hot weather.”
