Nicola and Simon married back in April at Islington Council Chamber, London, followed by a reception at the Assembly Hall next door. They wanted a day which was informal and had fun bicycle touches throughout.

Nicola had a dress custom made for her, which she teamed with loose romantic locks. While Simon found his sharp suit in Moss Bros. I so love the hand crafted paper bouquet and quirky buttonhole, they look brilliant.

Thanks so much to the brilliant Richard Jones for sharing his photography with us today.

 

The Proposal… We got engaged on 1st January 2012 – a brilliant start to the New Year.  I recommend it to anyone!

We’d had friends over for a meal and drinks the night before (NYE), so I’d finished clearing up the flat and was planning for nothing other than some sofa time and a DvD. Then Simon surprised me when he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out from behind his back. He had planned for us to go for a walk on Hampstead Heath and had booked a lovely meal out for that evening. He’d also somehow managed to smuggle some bubbles into the fridge without me knowing, so they were chilled and ready to pop!

The Vision for the Day… We wanted to ensure that there we enough personal touches to really make it our wedding. The choice of readings at the ceremony, the dress, the table themes and the food really were important in that sense.

The Planning Process… We have A LOT of friends and family and when we looked at our guest list we knew it was going to be a whopper. But neither of us wanted the big traditional wedding – we wanted to keep it quite informal and asked for lots of help from people close to us. This saved us money and was also great as we got to spend time with all these people throughout the planning process.

Budget… It’s hard to know what we spent compared to others, but we set ourselves a limit and almost stuck to it. Getting a bit creative and making the most of talented family and friends helped a lot! We also were so lucky to have the help of newly established Penny and Poppy wedding planners from start to finish, and on the day, which gave us real piece of mind.

The Venue… The ceremony was in Islington Council Chamber on Upper Street– a beautiful room which is circular and has chairs all the way round. This was lovely as it felt intimate and less formal. The reception venue was the Assembly Hall next door which has a 1930s style to it and a big stage, which was great for the live music. It was lovely to have the reception so close as it meant we didn’t have the expense and time of transporting people – we could just get going with the party!

The Dress + Accessories… My auntie made my hair accessory from some of the off cuts of lace from Georgina (below), saving me the £120 I think I was quoted elsewhere! My shoes were Office Vintage imitation. I wore my Granny’s pearl earrings.

Virginia (Gini) Gill did my make-up – she was brilliant at it and good fun!

Finding the Dress… I went to a few bridal shops and just couldn’t find anything I liked. Then I learnt through a friend that Georgina (based in Brighton where I used to live) had not long begun her own business in designing and making wedding dresses.

I went along to Georgina’s studio to have an initial chat which was fun and really lovely, as we knew each other a little anyway. I described the kind of dress I had in mind and after asking me a few questions she just went away and drew a picture for me to see! Once we agreed the design and costs she started to source all the fabrics etc. The dress evolved a little bit along the way and I found the whole process fascinating. I also felt really special in it knowing it was made for just me, and that it was something I’d had in my mind.

Groom’s Attire… Simon didn’t want to have a full mourning suit. He spends as much of the year as possible in shorts, so a good three piece suit with all the accessories felt just as special. We tried on a few but he settled on one from Moss Bros. The button holes were handmade by a friend. And he was very excited about his shoes!

The Readings + Music… My friend played some classical pieces on the violin when guests were arriving, and then Debussy’s The Girl with the Flaxen Hair for my entrance. We chose ‘I like you’ by Sandol Stoddart Warburg – a short children’s book that is altogether beautiful, sweet and quite practical about what it’s like to be with someone. We then had Wild Geese by Mary Oliver as the second reading – Simon’s favourite poem. For the signing we had Summer in December, an instrumental folk tune by Fairport Convention, played by my by my sister (clarinet) and friend (flute), accompanied by my Dad on the guitar. For the exit tune we had Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… We didn’t want the fuss of lots of bridesmaids or a big wedding party, but my friend Gale was my Best Woman (why not in this day and age?!) and gave a speech along with my dad, Simon and the Best Man. She found her own dress in the darker shades of blue we wanted, as did my sister and cousin. It meant they all looked great in the photos in something that suited them individually.

The Flowers… I made the paper roses for my bouquet and for the guest tables. It was quite a bit of work (I got started soon after Christmas so as not to be rushing at the last minute!) but I think they really made an impression. Some guests took them home as they were leaving which was lovely!

We were lucky to have the fresh flowers done by a family friend of ours who also does them professionally.

The Cake… We had cheese wheels in the shape of a cake provided by our caterer (all our friends and family know I am a big cheese fan). We also had a flapjack stack made by Simon’s mum, and the tiers were held up by cans of Red Stripe lager. It was pretty out there, but representative of Simon’s favourite snack and it won a few big smiles on the day!

Your Photographer… I am really pleased with the photos. I thought initially I might be bias as I’ve known Richard for a few years now (we went to the same school), but actually everyone else is loving them too! Simon and I decided we didn’t want to spend hours doing posed shots (we wanted to get on with the party instead!) so all credit to Rich – he whisked us round some cute and secluded spots he’d pre-found in Islington and we were done in 10 minutes flat!

Richard was great to have there and really knows how to be with and around people on their wedding day – especially in the morning getting ready, as that’s such a personal time.

The Details + Decor… We both love London and cycling around the city. With this in mind we included an impression of us on a tandem on our invitations (drawn by the Best Man, who also happens to be an artist), and this theme ran throughout the day too as we decorated a bike in the dusky blue and copper colours we’d chosen and placed it at the entrance to the venue with a ‘just married’ sign. The table plan was a cycle map of London we cut into a heart shape. Our tables were named after places in London that where important to us, such as Hyde Park where we met, Hampstead Heath where we often go walking, or even the mainline stations where we always end up when we leave London to visit our respective families. We produced the table names like London road signs with the postcode.

We also put London trivia about each location on the tables as a little ice-breaker for those who may not have met before.

I also bought a cream and gold Royal Mail Replica Post box for cards and cash gifts people brought on the day. People also posted us messages on London post cards we provided in place of a guest book. It was so much fun to unlock it the next day and see what everyone had said.

Anyone London-based interested in hiring out the post box can email me on [email protected]!

The Honeymoon… We went on a mini tour of Italy – Florence for 3 nights, then Sicily in a villa for a week, then 3 nights in Verona. It was beautiful. We organised it ourselves and I used Air Miles I’ve saved up for our BA flights. I also booked hotels through offers on Hotels.com and Quidco – it meant we got the top notch rooms for less!

Memorable Moments… Simon’s sister singing Sam Cooke’s Nothing Can Change this Love, for our first dance.

Advice for Other Couples… Let other people help you and don’t be scared to give out jobs to friends and family – they actually really want to do it!

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Dress: Georgina Edwards georginaedwards.com

Photos: Richard Jones richardjones-photography.com

Make up: Gini Gill facebook.com/VirginiaGillMakeup?directed_target_id=0

Wedding Planners: pennyandpoppy.com

Such a relaxed day. Thanks so much to Nicola and Simon for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today XOXO Lou