Unfiltered: What Your Custom Bridal Designer Really Wants You to Know
Jesse from Love Story Atelier Spills the Wedding Tea – Unfiltered Advice from a Custom Bridal Designer
Jesse from Love Story Atelier gets real about custom design, meaningful pauses on your wedding day, veils as heirlooms, and why alignment with your photographer matters more than you realise.
Welcome to the Unfiltered mini‑series - where I sit down with the vendors actually living weddings, not just posting highlight reels. Today it’s Jesse from Love Story Atelier - designer, collaborator, and advocate for intentional choices that make your wedding genuinely you.
Your Accessories Aren’t Just Extras - They’re Expression
1. What’s one thing you wish more couples knew before working with a bespoke bridal design service?
The whole point of custom design is that you don’t have to settle. Be honest with your feedback, ask questions, and speak up about what you love (or don’t). My role is to bring your vision to life - we’re here to serve you, not the other way around.
Charlotte’s Take: This is such a good reminder. Too often couples scroll pretty photos and assume they need to fit into a trend. But custom design isn’t about replicating what you saw once - it’s about collaboration. The more you communicate what feels true to you, the closer the final piece feels like you. Talk to your designer, be curious, and let them guide you - that’s where the magic starts.
2. What’s a small decision couples often overlook - but that makes a big impact on the day?
Building in a moment to pause.
Wedding days move incredibly fast, and it’s easy to miss it all while you’re in it.
Whether it’s a quiet moment alone in the morning, or carving out a few minutes together between the ceremony and reception, those pauses allow you to actually absorb the day you’ve spent so long planning
Charlotte’s Take: Wedding days go at warp speed, but you only feel the parts you actually live in. Carving intentional pauses into your timeline isn’t spoiled time - it’s how you make real memories. A private moment before marriage. A breath between the vows and the party. These aren’t gaps - they’re the moments you’ll remember.
3. Is there a myth or trend in your corner of the wedding industry that drives you a little nuts?
That a wedding veil is “just a piece of fabric.”
Bridal accessories are one of the most powerful ways to express personal style.
While many brides may wear the same gown, a custom veil is uniquely yours. It can also become a true heirloom.
Charlotte’s Take: Hear this, couples: accessories matter. They’re not afterthoughts - they’re expressions of who you are and how you show up on your day. A veil or headpiece isn’t just something you wear, it’s something future generations might hold in their hands someday. Treat them with intention, not as an accessory afterthought.
4. What makes working with a dream vendor team so important?
Alignment.
Your photographer, especially, is the person preserving your memories forever. When their style and approach match your vision, you can fully trust them - and that trust allows you to stay present, relaxed, and truly experience your day as it unfolds.
Charlotte’s Take: This is so true. A photographer isn’t just someone taking pictures - they’re your memory keeper. When their style, energy, and way of seeing the world lines up with yours, you don’t worry about what you look like or what’s being captured. You experience the day - and the photos reflect that presence, not performance.
5. One piece of advice you’d give every couple planning right now?
Do what feels true to you.
Focus on the experience and be intentional about your priorities.
Most couples can’t have the “best” of everything, so decide what matters most and invest there. Whether that’s food, music, photography, or something meaningful.
For my husband and I, it was incredible food, a live band and capturing our day with a photographer, videographer and a vintage super8 camera we bought for $50 on Facebook! We didn’t splurge too much on florals, and made a lot of our decor including life size cutouts of our cats and a wishing well made from a vintage suitcase full of memories we’ve shared together.
Charlotte’s Take: This is the heart of all good wedding planning: intention. You don’t need everything - you need the right things. Choose what brings you joy. Whether that’s the vibe of your music, the depth of your photography, or a quirky detail that makes you smile - invest there. The rest? It fills in around the moments that truly matter.
Jesse’s wisdom is a beautiful mix of practicality and heart - from speaking up in design to giving yourself space to feel the day. Her perspective reminds us that wedding days aren’t just pages in a magazine; they’re lived experiences worth savouring.
Where to find Love Story Atelier?
📍 Find Jesse’s website HERE
📸 Find Brendan on Instagram HERE
Stay tuned for more Unfiltered vendor chats coming soon - because your wedding deserves honest conversations, not just pretty pictures.
The images featured in this blog are not my own photography but are shared with permission to showcase Jesse’s beautiful work and vision.