We’re getting chic and stylish in the capital today with this darling two day wedding.
Caroline and Julian chose to hold their nuptials on the 9th and 10th September back in 2016 and opted for an intimate ceremony at Islington Town Hall on the first day, followed by lunch at Fredericks. Then on the following day they hosted a party Bennetts Associates, which was super relaxed. Think flowing, casual food and drinks, plus zoned areas including a children’s room and old-school arcade games area. Their guests were really spoilt with the cuisine and entertainment on offer, it sounded spectacular.
I also really love the flowers in this real wedding feature. Tones of the Autumnal season were picked up in the Dahlias, Roses and Astilbe stems, and used throughout the celebrations, just divine. Then there were the two gorgeous cake creations and two beautiful gowns (a bit of a running theme here, which I am coveting). The first dress was a light, sheer, lace and tulle frock and the second an emerald green backless number. Each totally looking amazing on Caroline. Julian went for a vibrant blue suit and colour pop yellow tie which was really rather dapper.
Thanks so much to Siobhan H Photography for providing these sensational shots.
THE PROPOSAL | At Richmond Terrace. We were then joined at home by friends and family who had been flown in from Europe as a bonus surprise.
THE VISION | We decided to do it over two days as we wanted to keep the ceremony small and intimate, but then follow up with a bigger party the following day.
We got married on the Friday at Islington Town Hall, with just family in attendance. We were then joined at Frederick’s by a few close friends for an amazingly memorable lunch. It was lovely to just relax and fully enjoy the day.
We knew we didn’t want a sit down reception, partly as we had friends and family flying in from all over the world and wanted them to mingle, and partly because we wanted to spare ourselves the nightmare of working out a seating plan! Our focus was on food, and fun. Clerkenwell Green were amazing, we had a steady stream of delicious ‘bowl food’ throughout the afternoon and evening, followed by a gorgeous dessert buffet.
The space we had was perfect as it let us create ‘zones’, which people could move between. We had a kid’s room, as well as a space with bagatelle boards and old-school arcade games, where most of the adults congregated. We planned to have the courtyard for outdoor games but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate.
Ultimately we just wanted to keep it relaxed, and have everyone enjoy themselves!
THE PLANNING PROCESS | Our original plan was to sort everything on our own but luckily we came across Andri early on and realised the error of our ways. Andri was amazing, in the lead-up and especially on the day. One aspect of this was putting us in touch with the right people for us. We really wanted to keep everything as relaxed and low-stress as possible, and she was able to recommend people who fitted us perfectly. It made such a difference, Cassandra and Mariam were so lovely, hair and make-up felt like part of the celebration rather than a chore; and Siobhan completely got us, and what we wanted the photos to reflect.
Andri kept us on track, but more importantly she kept us relaxed. When we had our final meeting on the Thursday it was amazing to be able to ‘hand over’ completely to her, and just enjoy the rest of the weekend.
THE VENUE | Islington Town Hall (lunch at Fredericks) and reception at Bennetts Associates in Islington.
THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | Alberta Ferretti.
FINDING THE DRESS | I was really lucky, I wasn’t sure what style I wanted so early on I ordered three completely different styles from Yoox, just to get some ideas and narrow my search. The second one I tried on just felt completely me though (and was stretchy enough that I’d be able to eat and dance in it) so that was that.
GROOM’S ATTIRE | Dress2Kill.
THE READINGS & MUSIC | We kept speeches to a meaningful few. Those who spoke raised a lot of laughs, and a few tears. My 9-year old daughter upstaged everyone though, she’d written a speech in secret and undid us completely by reading it on the day.
Music was a mix of Indie and 90’s ‘classics’. At the last minute we decided to do our first dance to Riptide by Vance Joy, rather than the more traditional song we’d practiced to, definitely the right decision as it felt much more ‘us’.
BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | Unfortunately my dear friend from Australia had to cancel due to a family emergency, but my sister Tonje and sister-in-law Lou were there for everything, including a last-minute cutting of my dress so I that could walk without tripping over it.
THE FLOWERS | Augustus Bloom.
THE CAKE | Madeline’s Cakes.
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Siobhan H Photography.
THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | Always Andri Weddings.
THE HONEYMOON | We were planning on going to Cornwall but in the end it was more convenient and affordable to go to Greece! We went to Cocomat Resort on Serifos, and it was perfect.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Ending up at the Narrowboat pub on Friday evening, in full wedding attire.
The whole of the reception was great, but the one thing that all the guests mention is the Brindisi ham that we served as a late-night snack, people seemed to love the experience of chatting to the carver as much as the l ham itself.
Inevitably the day passed in a blur, but one of our favourite parts was getting back from the honeymoon and going through Siobhan’s gorgeous photos. Seeing old friends and new chatting and laughing was really special, I definitely choked up.
ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Think about what you want out of the day, it doesn’t have to conform to an ideal of what a wedding is. It’s more important that it should reflect who you are as a couple, even down to dodgy music taste.
Have something that works as an ‘ice-breaker’ for guests who might not know each other, as well as the games we had a jukebox for the afternoon part of the reception, and both got people gathered around and talking.
Set yourselves a ‘no more planning/worrying’ deadline, at that point hand everything over to those you trust, take a deep breath, pour yourself a glass of champagne, and just enjoy yourselves!
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |
Photography | Siobhan H Photography
Wedding Planner | Always Andri
Ceremony Venue | Islington Town Hall
Lunch Venue | Fredericks
Make up artist | Mariam Jenson
Hair stylist | Cassandra Rizzuto
Dress | Alberta Ferretti
Groomswear | Dress2Kill
Florist | Augustus Bloom
Reception Venue | Bennetts Associates
Reception Catering | Clerkenwell Green
Wedding DJ | Wedding Smashers
Jukebox | SM Jukeboxes
Arcade Games | Corporate Amusements Services
Furniture Hire | Yahire
Drinks | Highbury Vintners
Just perfect, and the shots of Caroline’s daughter really touched me too.
Many thanks to Caroline and Julian for sharing all about their wonderful wedding here at WWW xo Lou
Thank you for sharing this gorgeous wedding! It was such a pleasure to photograph: full of love, beauty, simplicity and joy.