An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding

wpid392522 Modern London Wedding 9

One of the things I most love about the modern wedding industry is that the wealth of choice now available gives each and every couple a chance to do their wedding in their own way, indulge their interests and make their celebration as unique as they are. This wedding is definitely one of those where the bride and groom have created a day which beautifully showcases their individuality and I love it.

Alice, a designer and animator, and Anthony (Tony), who works in tickets and hospitality, married on the 1st of August this year at Islington town Hall, followed by a super cool reception in a nearby pub. The couple wanted a clean, fresh and modern look, in a place which meant something special to them.

“We wanted a beautiful yet understated wedding set in the city; classic white, lots of greenery and pops of blue became the colour theme and everything else sort of fell into place. Simplicity and creating a fun party atmosphere were key.”

Photography by Alexander Newton

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

Alice is clearly a lady of style, and it’s no surprise she went with a bespoke dress so she could really make it her own. The talented designer was Hermione De Paula.

“I had seen the most beautiful dress online and had no idea where it was from. After months of trying on dresses that just weren’t right Tony said an old friend of his designed bespoke dresses that I would really like. I couldn’t believe it when it turned out to be the same dress I had been lusting after for weeks! Hermione’s work is insanely beautiful and she works closely with you to create your dream dress.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

The bridesmaids looked gorgeous and very classy in navy blue, with a flower arrangement or flower crown for their hair- fabulous. 

“I wanted the bridesmaids to feel totally comfortable and asked them to wear any dress as long as it was navy blue. I had two Maids of Honour and four bridesmaids who all have different styles. They all choose the most beautiful dresses and looked stunning.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
The happy couple chose London based photographer Alexander Newton to capture their big day in picture form and freeze their happy memories in time.

“Our photographer was just incredible. We chose him for his emotional and candid work. We really hate having our photograph taken so wanted it to be as natural as possible. We couldn’t recommend him enough.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“My super talented friend Lucy Bridge did my makeup and made me feel so special on the day. Ashley, one of my maids, did my hair as a last minute decision but it was perfect!

I decided I wanted a new perfume which I would then only wear for our honeymoon and anniversary’s to remind us of the day. I choose Le Labo Rose 31 for its feminine and sweet scent.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

Alice chose blue and turquoise snake print platforms from Topshop to adorn her feet, and a large and very beautiful floral crown made up of peonies, roses and gypsophila on her head. As her dress and crown were so spectacular, she kept her jewellery simple and wore a single pair of pearl earrings, which belonged to her Nan and acted as a reminder of her on the day.

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“My dress was embroidered with cascading leaves, tiny wild roses and a train of ostrich feathers and I wanted a deep V back and a long slit in the skirt. Our initials, wedding date, Oscar and ‘My Alba’ were also embroidered onto the train which was so special.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“Our amazingly talented friends offered to do our flowers and they did the most fantastic job and totally understood what we were after. Everything was white and green with a little blue. The flower crowns they created for me and my bridesmaids were pretty outstanding. Laura is in the process of setting up bespoke floristry and can be contacted here.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

Alice’s Dad walked her down the aisle to James Vincent McMorrow’s cover of ‘Higher Love’; Alice told us that she held tightly onto his hand all the way down which is so adorable.

“We married at Islington Town Hall followed by a pub reception at St Barts Brewery in Smithfield. We knew we wanted to marry in London as we met in London, bought our flat in London and our son was born here. It couldn’t be anywhere else. The town hall is beautiful and St Barts is modern, very inviting and a perfect size for a party.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“We chose the minimalist version for the ceremony, short and sweet!”

Alice and Steve left their ceremony to the same song as Alice had entered to, but in the more upbeat original by Steve Winwood to make everyone smile.

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

Alice and Tony’s son Oscar and his older cousin were the ring bearers, and both looked super cute in matching outfits from Cos, worn with Converse trainers. To set off his look, Tony also wore a tie pin engraved with his initials and his family diamond signet ring.

“Tony’s suit was from Marks and Spencer and was the first one he tried. He got it slightly tailored for the perfect fit and he looked so smart. He also treated himself to Gucci loafers which really made the outfit.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“We hired a routemaster which was the best idea! It took myself, my bridesmaids and family to Islington Town Hall and then picked us all up and took us to St Barts Brewery. Everyone was on a high and excited to get the party started so travelling all together was perfect.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“We wanted really simplistic modern décor. All my girls got together one day to help make the decor (pompoms, paper streamers, tassels and kraft bunting) – it was so fun having a craft day. I made ‘A&A’ the overall theme and bought 3D card letters from eBay. Flowers were scattered around in jars we had collected the months running up to the wedding.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“The food at St Barts’ was fantastic pub food- exactly what we wanted. We opted for a starter and a main and then chose amazing British cheese from our local cheesemonger and made a penny sweet table too.”

“Tony’s mum, Sharon, is an amazing beekeeper and made us mini honey jars as our favours for the girls and I designed the labels to reflect the stationary used throughout. We gave rum to the boys- Tony’s favourite drink.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.
An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“Our cake was just amazing and made by my wonderful sister Kate, (who was also a bridesmaid. She made the most mind-blowing creation and it was so delicious.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“We knew we wanted a great party with everyone dancing all night long so a few of our friends offered to DJ and they were so great. People danced to the bitter end! We also hired a photo booth, which we highly recommend. A wedding is a long day and this adds a bit of extra fun and some jokey memories.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

“Favourite bits include our son and nephew bringing the rings and throwing them on the floor in confusion during the ceremony (hilarious), the speeches, which were brilliantly funny and not too long and realising all the stress and hard work was so worth it when we saw each other in that first moment. The whole day was awesome.

We were so lucky to have so many talented friends and family to help bring our ideas to life on a small budget. The day was filled with so much love; we were truly overwhelmed.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Don’t worry about the little details, fretting over whether the pompoms are exactly where you imagined or if there is enough cheese to feed 150 will really be the last thing on your mind and everyone else’s!

Drink water in between wine!

Try to take in every moment, it only happens once.

And finally, get a photobooth for lots of post wedding laughs!

I am also an avid reader of Love My dress and I love how eclectic the real weddings are – it really gives a huge mix of wedding possibilities. I love reading the stories just as much now I am married. I felt really out of my depth prior to reading the blog as a wedding really involves of intense organisation and knowledge.”

An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding. Photography by Alexander Newton.

Thank you so much to Alice and Tony for sharing their fabulous day with us, and of course, to Alexander Newton for these beautiful photographs. I certainly hope to see more of Alexander’s work on Love My Dress in the future. Islington Town Hall is a popular venue with Love My Dress brides- do take a moment to have a look through previous weddings which have been held there, for more city chic ideas.

All love,

Shona x

 

Photographer – Alexander Newton
Venue – St Barts Brewery, Smithfield
Wedding dress – Hermione De Paula
Hair accessories – Floral crown
Shoes – Topshop
Accessories – Pearl earrings belonging to the bride’s Grandmother
Perfume – Le Labo Rose 31
Bridesmaids’ dresses – Reformation and Finery
Accessories – Necklaces from Etsy
Groom- Suit- Marks and Spencer, Shoes- Gucci
Ring Bearers – Shirts and shorts from Cos, Converse trainers
Florist – Flowers done by friends
Rings – A and S Jewellers, Hatton Garden
Cake – Made by Alice’s sister
Catering – Provided by St Barts Brewery
Cheese – London Cheese Mongers
Favours – Honey from Tony’s Mother, who can be contacted here
Stationery – Made by the bride
Makeup artist – Lucy Bridge
Entertainment – DJ was a friend
Photo booth – Just Pose
Transport – London Retro Bus Hire

Shona Raffle-Edwards

Shona Raffle-EdwardsView all Shona's articles

Shona is a wedding admiring bookworm with a love of the countryside, flowers and all things organisational who is currently based in sunny Yorkshire with her husband and beloved cat

13 thoughts on “An Hermione de Paula Gown for a Modern and Minimalist London Wedding

  1. I’m in flower crown heaven!! In fact all the loose florals are beautiful. It really does look an awesome day judging by all the smiles 🙂 Congratulations both xx

  2. I LOVE this! So stylish, fun and relaxed. The perfect day! I love seeing Weddings where family/friends have made so much of the décor, it really adds such a lovely personal touch that’s unique to your day. Who said weddings need huge budgets?! This proves that the best ones are the ones that simply reflect the couple themselves – the photos are just filled with smiles and love. x

  3. I love the big flower hair piece – adds a modern twist, but still keeps the look pretty. Perfect for a city wedding. The London bus is a really fun idea for inner city do – just fab.

    1. Me too. Back when I first started blogging in 2009/2010, flower crowns weren’t really a ‘thing’. I remember featuring the first bride wearing an amazing floral crown and even mentioning in the post that I wish more brides would follow suit! I do adore floral crowns and love it when a bride doesn’t hold back and makes a real statement with those beautiful blooms.

      By the way, here is the wedding I am referring too! It’s from 2011 but still one of my absolute faves ever:-

      https://www.lovemydress.net/blog/2011/08/floral-headpiece-goddess-a-cornish-coastline-wedding.html

      Annabel xXx

      1. Me three…. They weren’t terribly common even 2 years ago when I tied the knot (and with it being a November wedding I wasn’t sure it was a suitable choice anyway- now I wish I’d gone for some sort of wonderfully twiggy and evergreen creation!) and I love seeing more o them now.

        S xx

  4. Such a beautiful wedding, and with lots of touches that I have been looking for….. Those flowers are wonderful – is there any way I could contact the talented person who arranged these?

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