SAVANNAH MILLER BRIDAL
Meet savannah
Savannah Miller, designer and owner of Savannah Miller Bridal
Photographs by Rebecca Rees
WHY, WHEN AND HOW DID YOU START SAVANNAH MILLER BRIDAL?
It was a happy accident really. The original boho queen of New York bridal, Molly Guy, saw my first wedding in a magazine and loved its wild undone vibe so much that she reached out and asked if I wanted to collaborate with her on a capsule collection. I dipped a toe in and the rest is history.
WHAT'S THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR LATEST COLLECTION?
The collection, named ‘Into my arms’ after the poetic Nick Cave song of the same title that was read by Sienna at my wedding, was loosely inspired by Turners paintings of ships. They depict the freedom of movement in fabric caught by the wind. There is something so powerful about silk in motion and I really wanted to bring that sense of power and beauty to the collection this season. We continue to explore structure and textural contrast in fabric allocation. I want my brides to feel empowered and sexy wearing my gowns with ethereal elegance, fashion awareness and softness in juxtaposition.
I SAW YOUR BEAUTIFUL WINTER WEDDING IN VOGUE LAST YEAR - HOW DID YOU FIND THE PROCESS OF PLANNING YOUR OWN WEDDING?
I really loved planning my own wedding. The venue, Petersham Nurseries, were incredible. By choosing that as our venue I was essentially eliminating the need for a planner because they have the most incredible food and on-site florist, Thomas Broome Hughes. It has never not tasted amazing and looked like heaven on earth so I knew we were in safe hands. Designing the dress was also surprisingly effortless. I decided from the beginning to make something that felt very ‘me’. Also, it being a Christmas wedding definitely informed my design decisions. Twinkly lights and gold are the magic Christmas elements so I went all out on those things which I wouldn’t have done for a summer wedding for example. Fundamentally the process of designing the whole wedding was very cathartic for me because it really enabled me to reconnect with my creativity in a way that I hadn’t been able to for a very long time. It was pure and uninterrupted by reason, and I had the best time!
“We really wanted our day to feel euphoric ”
ANY WORDS OF WISDOM TO THOSE PLANNING A WEDDING?
I think follow your heart when it comes to how you want your day to feel from the start. Establish what is important to you both. We really wanted our day to feel euphoric and for our guests to leave floating on air feeling completely filled up with love and Christmas magic. We were really lucky to have James’ friends from his days at Wilderness (he set up the Wilderness festival with his friends back in the day) to help us with fiddly production things like lighting and sound for our dance floor etc. You can never be too prepared but don’t get so stressed about the small details that you forget about why you are actually doing this in the first place.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT A TYPICAL WORK WEEK MIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I also have a women’s casual wear line that I run alongside my bridal business and three children so it can get a little crazy! We are also expanding our bridal line to offer a one-to-one bespoke service which I am loving because I am getting to work directly with brides and exploring new design ideas for the brand at the same time. No two weeks are the same but I like it that way.
AS A MOTHER WHO WORKS FULL TIME, I KNOW IT CAN BE VERY HARD TO BALANCE WORK AND MOTHERHOOD, WHEN YOU DO TAKE TIME OFF WHAT DOES FAMILY LIFE LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
We live in an old mill house in Gloucestershire and have a stream running through the garden. It’s very wild and magical and family time is usually spent at the kitchen table or out on big walks in the countryside where we live. Because it’s so remote, it really does feel like the outside world washes away when we are there.
WHAT'S THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER AND WHY?
Probably in the early days, seeing Kirsty Hume on a motorbike in the canyons of LA wearing my Chloe gown for my first campaign. It was a wild thing to do retrospectively but it really sealed the brand in my heart as something special and different and was a real ‘moment’.
