All eyes were on Olivia Henson as she arrived at Chester Cathedral for her much-anticipated wedding with the Duke of Westminster on 7 June.
Not only were 400 guests – including close friend Prince William – invited to witness the ceremony, but even more gathered on the streets outside to catch a glimpse of one of the UK's most eligible bachelors wed his long-term love.
With an estimated fortune of £10.127 billion, Hugh's high society wedding was predicted to be filled with pomp and circumstance with no expense spared. This extended to his bride Olivia, who was swathed in ivory silk crepe satin and silk organza in her ethereal embroidered wedding dress by British designer Emma Victoria Payne, also known as EVP.
Features included a bias-cut skirt, a pleated waistband, gathered sleeves, a dropped waist, a keyhole back and a detachable two-metre train. Most notably, the scalloped edge neckline with hand appliquéd embroidery had a special link to the bride's family. "The bespoke embroidery design was hand drawn and reimagined by EVP incorporating floral motifs and edgings from Olivia’s great-great-grandmother's veil circa 1880."
Walking arm-in-arm with her father Rupert, the senior account manager completed her effortless bridal look with a bespoke scalloped, waterfall veil that got caught in a gust of wind. Take a look in the video below...
Explaining the sentimental hidden meanings, the designer added: "Each original antique motif from Olivia’s family veil was hand drawn and reimagined into a new repeat pattern of graduating scalloped edges and oval shapes to reflect Olivia’s engagement ring setting. Personalised initials and wedding date complete the design in the centre back."
Beauty-wise, Olivia styled her long brunette hair in a chic intricate updo, topped with the Grosvenor family headpiece, the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, and chose a subtle beauty blend that emphasised her features.
Tiara speculation
Ahead of the wedding, the rumour mill went wild over whether Olivia would wear one of Hugh's family heirloom tiaras. The most iconic is the Bagration Spinel Tiara and Parure, which Olivia's mother-in-law Natalia Phillips wore on her own wedding day in 1978.
Alongside her ruffled wedding dress, Natalia was pictured in the antique diamond and pink spinel tiara with a twisted base. It was part of a set including a necklace, earrings, and a comb that traces back to Princess Catherine Bagration, niece of the legendary Prince Potemkin.
Other possible headpieces that fans thought Olivia might choose included the peal and diamond Rosebery Tiara and the one she chose, the Myrtle Wreath Tiara, designed to emulate a wreath or laurel of leaves.
Special wedding venue
Olivia and Hugh chose Chester Cathedral as their wedding venue, following in the footsteps of Hugh's older sister Lady Tamara who married Prince William's good friend Edward van Cutsem there in 2004.
In honour of the occasion, which is considered the wedding of the year, 100,000 flowers have been planted in displays across the Chester, all paid for by the billionaire Duke himself, the Daily Mail reported.
The Cathedral has also been decked out with beautiful roses, lavender and baby's breath, and a white flower arch outside the cathedral doors. The couple plans to donate their wedding flowers to local charities and organisations.
Hugh explained why the area holds a special place in his heart during a visit to the cathedral last month. "I think next time we're in here will be slightly more nerve-wracking. But I'm unbelievably excited," Hugh said.
"We've obviously got a long association with the cathedral as a family so we were here for my father's memorial, my sister's wedding, and every Remembrance Sunday that I can attend is here."
Despite the fact that the Duke owns 300 acres of land in Mayfair and Belgravia, Olivia added that the pair will be making Chester a more permanent base following their wedding.
"It's obviously a place where we will live, where we'll be building our lives together," she said. "And we're slowly transitioning to move up from London and be much more permanent here and really putting roots down."
Private reception
Chester Cathedral is located just a few miles from his family's ancestral seat Eaton Hall, where they got engaged in April 2023. Their engagement photos were taken on the grounds, with the couple smiling in low-key outfits against the backdrop of colourful blooms.
They will return there for their private wedding reception, which will only be for the eyes of their chosen friends and family, including Prince William and Princess Eugenie.
Situated on the outskirts of the city, the estate has been home to the Grosvenor family since the 1400s and is surrounded by formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland covering over 10,000 acres.
It provides tenancies for more than 500 residential and commercial properties and is also home to Grosvenor Farms, which produces over 32 million litres of fresh milk a year.
It has been reported that guests will do an outfit change for the evening celebrations, which will include cutting their lemon wedding cake. thought to be inspired by the Duke's "close friend" Prince Harry who wed Meghan Markle in 2018.
HELLO! discovered the flavour while reporting in Chester, chatting to local business, Krum Gelato, who has been helped out financially by the Grosvenor Organisation to hand out free gelato to customers in the City Centre in celebration of the big day.
In an exclusive interview, the owner, Fabrizio, told us that he was informed of the couple's cake flavour so that he could use it for inspiration to create a bespoke sorbet as a symbol and special nod to the couple's big day. "To give an homage to the couple, I personally asked if the detail of the wedding reception could be disclosed," Fabrizio told us. "And we have been told that there is a lemon theme with the wedding cake. So, we are making a very special lemon sorbet made with special Italian lemons that will be served tomorrow."
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