Good morning lovely ones – thank you so much to all of you who left a comment on yesterday’s somewhat contentious discussion post about parents paying for weddings, and how to ensure you have the wedding you really want when they do. This morning’s wedding is that of Natalie and Tom, who tied the know on 11th October last year with a ceremony at Stoke Newington Town Hall, followed by a reception at the incredible East London wedding location, MC Motors. They were assisted in planning their wedding by their friend Renee Williams and their wedding was photographed by my friend and super talented human being, Nick Tucker.
“Tom and I met seven years ago as complete strangers in the infamous chalk farm Barfly – several houses and a little girl later, Tom asked me to marry him last summer whilst we sipped cocktails lounging on the roof of Shoreditch house. Three months later, we had the best party of our lives!”
Photography Copyright (c) 2015, Nick Tucker
“We visited the amazing MC Motors for a Print Club exhibition and it turns out we both privately felt that if we were ever to tie the knot this is where we’d want to celebrate. We wanted to marry locally as this is we have lived and loved for the last seven years. Luckily for us MC Motors had a cancellation, so we jumped at it.
The venue did all the hard work for us. It has incredible atmosphere and charm and we did very little in terms of dressing it. The venue suited our own love of vintage and kind of dictated the style of the day from antique mis matched glassware to Tom’s grandmothers tablecloth from Chile dressing the piano for our wedding cakes to sit on.”
“My dress was from Ebay. It was a dress originally worn for a wedding in 1912 and magically preserved until I walked down the aisle in it 100 years later. Apart from a tiny age related mend I didn’t have to alter a stitch. It was exactly the period I wanted to wear, I was blown away by it’s condition and beautiful white work. I also loved the price – £200!
When it came to our florist, it could never have been anyone other than Rebel Rebel. I love their wild free style and stunning combinations. The button holes were miniature works of art.”
“We’re both big photography fans so this was always going to be a major decision. We were both blown away by Nick Tucker’s blog as there were no posed shots, no shoe details just the most beautiful candid photographs that really captured the love and commotion of a wedding day. We have the most perfect record of our wedding day from it’s sunny beginning to the sweaty intoxicated end!”
“My gorgeous and hugely talented make up designer friend Spob O’Brien. We’ve spent many an hour in a film crowd marquee together well before dawn. It was really an excuse to hang out with such a calm spirit, perfect antidote to wedding nerves. Plus a little Elvis.”
“I bought an antique pair of gold and turquoise Victorian earrings from a dealer in Grays Mayfair London and wore Tom’s grandmothers gold bracelet which was gifted to me when Edith was born so very special.”
“My Dad walked me down the aisle, to the sound of Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon’.”
“My best part of the whole day was walking down the aisle towards Tom and feeling like the cat that got the cream! It had been quite a journey for us reaching our wedding and it felt like we were at the beginning of the next adventure.”
“During our ceremony, my sister read the lyrics from Tim Hardin’s ‘If I Were a Carpenter.’ It has always been one of ‘our’ songs, made all the more poignant since the birth of our daughter.”
“Tom bought me a deco engagement ring from these specialist antique jewellers in Hatton Garden. I chose a twenties French wedding band from Berganza and they custom made Tom’s to match the gold and cut of mine.”
“Luckily for us, our friend and neighbour Miles Kirby is the chef and creator of the London restaurants Caravan. Miles and his incredible team prepared the most incredible wedding feast by pilling vintage platters high with food for sharing which made the meal really sociable.”
“We wanted informal cakes that we could eat for desert rather than saving a layer. Our cake by Caravan Catering was an Autumn berry cheese cake with crème anglaise. We cut one cake and then cakes were placed down the dining tables with nominated guests playing mum and serving those on their table.”
“Our first dance song was Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’. Our little girl is named after the great French chanteuse and, well, life’s been kinda rosy since we met.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Don’t get too bogged down in the detail. Get all the big things right. Find a venue you love and make sure you get to break bread and drink wine with those that really matter in your life. Don’t spend hours of your life fussing over favours and name cards. We planned our wedding in three months, it really doesn’t have to absorb you for a year or more. I think doing it quickly made us focus on the elements that really mattered to us most.”
How beautiful and relaxed is this? Thank you so very much Natalie and Tom for sharing your gorgeous wedding.
Love Annabel xx
Photographer – Nick Tucker
Planner/Stylist – Renee Williams
Venue – Stoke Newington Town Hall + MC Motors in Dalston, East London
Wedding Dress – Ebay
Bride’s Shoes – Gianvito Rossi Suede burgundy ankle boots
Accessories – Victorian earrings via Grays Mayfair London
Perfume – Le Labo – Neroli
Grooms Suit – Richard James + Crockett & Jones boots + tie/pocket square via Drakes
Flower girl Dresses – Zara
Florist – Rebel Rebel
Cars/Transport – London cab + Routemaster for guests
Entertainment – Garance Louis and her Gypsy Swing band + The Wedding Wmashers
Rings – Berganza
Catering + Cake – Caravan
Make-up Artist – Spob O’Brien
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
Wow what a venue! Looks amazing! Who would have thought it!
as usual fantastic photos by Nick, love the decor of reception venue!
Love everything about this, but mostly the smiles!