At Veni Infantino for Ronald Joyce we always love to hear stories of our happy brides. So, when we saw one of our brides, Leah Washington, got married, we were over the moon.
The couple who suffered serious injuries on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers nine years ago celebrated their dream wedding with their family and friends in the idyllic Woodlands Hotel in Leeds.
Leah Washington and Joe Pugh announced their engagement in March 2022 after their proposal in Venice, and soon after Leah went on the search for her perfect dress. Durning a designer weekend at one of our premier stockist Lula Ann, where our designer Veni Infantino was attending, Leah and her family had the opportunity to try dresses from our new collection and get advise from the designer herself.
Leah noted that when she was looking for her wedding dress, she originally thought that she would choose a wedding dress that disguised her prosthetic leg, saying, 'I wanted to cover it up and look normal,' is how she phrases it. After trying a couple of dresses that had been picked out by Veni, the Lula Ann Team and Leah’s family, she then said that after trying on a lot of bigger dresses, I tried The Dress on and thought, 'I don't care!' Everyone at the wedding knows I'm an amputee so why hide it?
Leah had tried on the Sahara. One of our beloved Quick Delivery wedding dresses. ‘It was a beautiful ivory confection: a corset top studded with seed pearls and a figure-hugging skirt. It also had an A-line overskirt, for the ceremony if you wanted it’.
Sahara is an exquisite pearl-beaded fit and flare wedding dress in glitter tulle. This striking gown features an exposed corset style bodice, chic open back, sweetheart neckline, delicate straps and beautiful bridal button fastening leading to a bustle.
On Saturday Leah, 26 and Joe Pugh, 27, her boyfriend of nine years, were married at a glorious country house hotel in Yorkshire, with Leah joking to Joe days before the ceremony: 'If you don't cry when you see me walk up the aisle I'll turn back.'
The day was a monochrome theme with the men all wearing tuxedo and the bridemaids all in black, giving the wedding a feel of old Hollywood glamour and allowing Leah to stand out in her beautiful, beaded wedding dress.
'I knew Leah's entrance song (The Vow by RuthAnne), the timings, exactly when she would be coming in and I tried to compose myself, but I couldn't stop crying,' says Joe. 'I was blown away.'
The day was a blur of happiness for Leah, too, punctuated by tears of joy: as she caught the first glimpse of her proud dad looking at her, as her eyes locked with Joe's when he saw her in her dress, when before the wedding she read a letter, he had written to her.
Instead of a tiered wedding cake they had a champagne fountain and guests let off a confetti cannon as they began their first dance. 'It was a bit of a dream, just perfect,' says Leah.
We at Veni Infantino for Ronald Joyce would like to say a huge congratulations to the beautiful couple, we love seeing and learning all about their special day.
Brower all our collection here and find your dream wedding dress.