The Ella May Sangster wedding dress was always going to be something special: the bridal designer wore one of her own creations on 17 July 2026 when she married Hughie de Zulueta, great-grandson of Daphne du Maurier, at St Lawrence’s Church in Hungerford. The ceremony was followed by celebrations for 190 guests at her parents’ nearby home.
According to Peerage News, Ella May was born in 1995 and Hughie in 1993. Hughie’s father is Paul Gerald de Zulueta, 6th Conde de Torre Diaz, which means the groom brings two remarkable lineages to the marriage: the literary legacy of Daphne du Maurier on one side, and a Spanish noble title on the other.
The Ella May Sangster Wedding Dress: 700 Hours in the Making
The gown itself was an ultra-feminine, tiered confection embroidered with dainty flowers, taking more than 700 hours to hand-stitch. Ella May spoke to Tatler about the crowning touch: a sweeping veil handmade by her 90-year-old grandmother, Daphne Wilson. ‘She was a dressmaker herself and taught me so much of what I know about sewing, which made having her hand-make my veil incredibly special,’ the bride said.
Ella May’s design work did not stop at her own outfit. She also created the dresses worn by her Maid of Honour, her bridesmaid, and 12 ‘little fairy girls and pageboys’, as well as gowns for her mother Fiona, her grandmother and her aunt, ensuring, as she put it, that ‘all of the women closest to me were wearing Ella May London.’ A wedding party dressed entirely by the bride is a fairly rare thing, even in fashion circles.
The dress had one more trick up its (detachable) sleeves. As the evening progressed, the tiered layers and sleeves came away to reveal a playful mini dress underneath, same gown, entirely different mood for the dance floor.
A Wedding Steeped in Family History
Beyond the clothes, the day was woven through with personal touches that gave the celebration its warmth. Ella May’s father, Guy Sangster, is one of four children of the late billionaire racing tycoon Robert Sangster and his first wife, Christine. Robert Sangster had a notably colourful personal life, marrying three times and conducting high-profile affairs with figures including Jerry Hall.
One of the most quietly affecting moments of the day involved a car. Ella May and Hughie drove to the reception in the same vehicle her parents had chosen for their own wedding, 37 years earlier. ‘Amazingly, the car happened to be living in our village,’ she told Tatler. ‘It felt like such a good omen knowing that 37 years later, Hughie and I were sitting in the exact same seats as my parents had on their wedding day.’
The decoration carried a similar spirit. Napkins and tablecloths were hand-printed in Sri Lanka with a bespoke motif created by Ella May’s cousin, the fashion photographer Eddie Wray, the same design that ran across all the stationery on the day. In a nod to sustainability, the couple replaced cut flowers with potted plants, each pot hand-painted with gold scalloped detailing.
Cookie Tower, Sparklers and a Golden Retriever Finale
The couple skipped the traditional wedding cake entirely. Instead, they asked guests to bake cookies, stacking a vast ‘cookie tower of dreams’ from the contributions. The final layer was a white chocolate fudge cake decorated with golden retriever figures posed as though caught in the act of stealing the dessert. Ella May’s brothers carried the tower out after dinner, erupting with sparklers, to a presumably delighted crowd.
Well-heeled guests had earlier gathered on the lawn for al fresco drinks before moving into a marquee strung with fairy lights, the summer evening lending itself to exactly the kind of easy, unhurried celebration the couple had clearly set out to create.
The Ella May Sangster wedding dress has already been the subject of considerable admiration since details emerged, and it is easy to see why: 700 hours of hand-stitching, a grandmother’s veil, and a bride who dressed almost every woman in the wedding party herself. For Ella May London fans, the day doubled as a masterclass in the label’s aesthetic, and it all happened on a Friday afternoon in the Berkshire countryside.
Related Posts
