Intimate Winter Evening 1920s Black Tie London City Wedding

1 November 2015 on my Father’s 75th Birthday – we had a double celebration at our favourite restaurant in London on the King’s Road.

Intimate Winter’s eve black tie wedding with a twist of the 20’s in the heart of Shoreditch, London. A vintage vibe.

Organised in just three months by the bride and groom.

£10 – £12K.

Shoreditch based….. Wesley’s Chapel (where the bride’s sister was married and nephew christened) and afterwards at funky venue The Hoxton (in their small private event space called The Apartment).

Not traditional – Hoss Intropia off the peg maxi evening dress, head to toe sequins for £550. No1 Jenny Packham for Debenhams silver headband Silver feather stole, silver shoes and clutch, vintage grey pearl earrings and bracelet (all of these were next to nothing bought from eBay).

Because we were getting married in just three months, I knew there wasn’t time to have a dress made to measure (and I didn’t want the price tag to go with it). My mother and I spent three days going across the length and breadth of London visiting a mixture of vintage and high street shops. I was beginning to despair at the end of day two and hating myself in any shade of ivory, white or champagne!

Found the perfect dress at Hoss Intropia in Sloane Square on day three. Head to toe sequins with just a hint of ivory.

Gieves and Hawkes navy and black DJ (bought from Bicester Village) with Ted Baker black sparkling shoes.

Entrance of the Bride: The Prince of Denmark March – Jeremiah Clarke. Signing of the registers – Aria in A major – GF Handel. Walked out to Wedding March – Mendelssohn. Readings: Corinthians 13 v 1 – 7, Little Gidding, TS Elliott and The Owl and The Pussycat.

Constance – my nine-year-old niece who flew over from Kenya. Decked out in a coordinating silver sequin (monsoon) party dress, feather stole, beautiful burgundy patent shoes and matching bow hair clip.

Simple Calla Lilies (shades of burgundy, raspberry and ivory) for the bride and bridesmaid (20’s inspired) from Angel Flowers in Islington. The church was beautiful enough and as we were getting married in the evening we focussed on candlelight instead.

M&S white chocolate wedding cake with miniature silver vase on top – decorated with orchids (my mother, aunt and sister all had it on top of their wedding cakes). Cut the cake with an antique pointing trowel (family heirloom).

Annelie Eddy – we wanted a reportage/documentary style photographer to capture the moment, not lots of staged shots. Annelie was creative and unobtrusive – we were absolutely delighted with the results.

Simple candlelight in the church, Wesley’s Chapel – it’s breathtaking enough. We hired wedding stylist The Fabulous Vintage Bride to decorate the venue with wonderfully kitsch and colourful details. There was a seating plan made from a printer tray filled with marvellous vintage trinkets, Elvis & Priscilla dolls complete with 1960s kitchen cabinets inviting you to sign the guest book as well as Batman and Mad Men Barbie dolls.

A roadtrip down through Europe, staying in boutique bolt holes – ending up at Lech in Austria for a few days skiing where we stayed at the beautiful Kristiania Hotel.

All of it, but especially – My Nephew, Theo’s, animated reading of The Owl and The Pussycat. First dance to Barry White’s ‘My First My Last My Everything’. A gatecrasher for the cake cutting.

Don’t be afraid to go ‘off piste’ and approach things differently. You don’t need months and months of planning; you can make it happen in a short space of time if you really want to. Accept that not everything will go to plan on the day, but sit back and enjoy the ride! It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, decide what the priority ‘ingredients’ are and budget accordingly.

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Intimate Winter Evening 1920s Black Tie London City Wedding

1 November 2015 on my Father’s 75th Birthday – we had a double celebration at our favourite restaurant in London on the King’s Road.

THE PROPOSAL

Intimate Winter’s eve black tie wedding with a twist of the 20’s in the heart of Shoreditch, London. A vintage vibe.

THE VISION

Organised in just three months by the bride and groom.

THE PLANNING PROCESS

£10 – £12K.

BUDGET

Shoreditch based….. Wesley’s Chapel (where the bride’s sister was married and nephew christened) and afterwards at funky venue The Hoxton (in their small private event space called The Apartment).

THE VENUE

Not traditional – Hoss Intropia off the peg maxi evening dress, head to toe sequins for £550. No1 Jenny Packham for Debenhams silver headband Silver feather stole, silver shoes and clutch, vintage grey pearl earrings and bracelet (all of these were next to nothing bought from eBay).

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES

FINDING THE DRESS

Found the perfect dress at Hoss Intropia in Sloane Square on day three. Head to toe sequins with just a hint of ivory.

FINDING THE DRESS

Gieves and Hawkes navy and black DJ (bought from Bicester Village) with Ted Baker black sparkling shoes.

GROOM’S ATTIRE

Entrance of the Bride: The Prince of Denmark March – Jeremiah Clarke. Signing of the registers – Aria in A major – GF Handel. Walked out to Wedding March – Mendelssohn. Readings: Corinthians 13 v 1 – 7, Little Gidding, TS Elliott and The Owl and The Pussycat.

THE READINGS & MUSIC

Constance – my nine-year-old niece who flew over from Kenya. Decked out in a coordinating silver sequin (monsoon) party dress, feather stole, beautiful burgundy patent shoes and matching bow hair clip.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS

Simple Calla Lilies (shades of burgundy, raspberry and ivory) for the bride and bridesmaid (20’s inspired) from Angel Flowers in Islington. The church was beautiful enough and as we were getting married in the evening we focussed on candlelight instead.

THE FLOWERS

M&S white chocolate wedding cake with miniature silver vase on top – decorated with orchids (my mother, aunt and sister all had it on top of their wedding cakes). Cut the cake with an antique pointing trowel (family heirloom).

THE CAKE

Annelie Eddy – we wanted a reportage/documentary style photographer to capture the moment, not lots of staged shots. Annelie was creative and unobtrusive – we were absolutely delighted with the results.

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR

A roadtrip down through Europe, staying in boutique bolt holes – ending up at Lech in Austria for a few days skiing where we stayed at the beautiful Kristiania Hotel.

THE HONEYMOON

All of it, but especially – My Nephew, Theo’s, animated reading of The Owl and The Pussycat. First dance to Barry White’s ‘My First My Last My Everything’. A gatecrasher for the cake cutting.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

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