Good Morning and a happy new year from me. I have a stunning wedding to show you with a bride wearing French designer Rime Arodaky and I am in awe of her style, everything has been put together with perfection from the lanterns in the marquee to the adorable wedding party. Daisy is a Business Development Project Manager, she married Jon, a Senior Technical Coordinator on the 23rd of May 2015 in the Lady Chapel at St. Albans Cathedral and their reception was held at Sandridgebury Farm just outside of St. Albans.
The wedding day was the perfect opportunity to exploit the Daisy name – daisy flower arrangements and a tandem bike to pay homage to the song Daisy Bell (Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do!), shot beautifully by Joseph Hall, I hope this wedding provides plenty of inspiration for our long-standing and new (welcome!) brides-to-be.
“We’re a pretty laid back couple and wanted our wedding day to reflect that. I designed quite a mixed colour palette that we rolled out across the day from ribbon wands and coloured lanterns to festival flags and a tandem bike (that got a lot of use on the day…guests got braver the more they drank!).”
Photography by Joseph Hall
Daisy’s amazing dress was by the French designer, Rime Arodaky. She got it and her gorgeous lace headband from The Mews, in Notting Hill.
“All the dresses at The Mews are stunning and have a really laid back/boho feel to them which is definitely my cup of tea (give me skinny jeans and converse any day!) I wanted a dress that I felt comfortable in and when I put on the ‘Anja’ it ticked all the boxes. The fact that it had pockets was the icing on the cake!”
“They made the dress instantly less formal as soon as you put your hands in so it was perfect solution for the more formal setting of the Cathedral and then the more relaxed party at Sandridgebury. It’s not a design that I’ve seen before which I liked, it felt quite unique and different. The French scallop lace on my headpiece mirrored the lace detail on the top of my dress perfectly.”
“We couldn’t be happier with our photographer Joseph Hall and how he’s captured the whole day as well all those special moments throughout. We knew as soon as we spoke to him that he was the right guy for us – his laid back attitude put everyone at instant ease.”
“We first met on a night out in our first year at Leeds Uni but really hit it off on a ski trip later that year. After 10 years Jon proposed whilst on a picnic (in February!!) at Hartland in North Devon on possibly one of the windiest days ever. He managed to find a little sheltered spot where he popped the question with my grandmother’s engagement ring. She once lived very close to the spot where we got engaged which made it even more special. To top it off, he had booked us into Gidleigh Park in Dartmoor for the night. We were engaged for 15 months before getting married.”
Dorothy at Sandridgebury Farm took care of the flowers for the wedding. Daisies were used as a starting point and mixed with simple white flowers and greenery, placed on mirror plates to reflect the colour in the lanterns, kept the tables pretty but fuss-free. Potted Daisy bushes were also placed around the marquee.
They decided on softly scented bouquets with Daisy carrying a bouquet of sweet peas and the bridesmaids a mix of gypsophila and camomile.
Daisy of course wore her namesake perfume by Marc Jacobs and Jon gave her a rose gold tandem bike necklace from Alex Monroe to finish her outfit perfectly.
“Jon wears a suit to work every day so he really wanted a 3-piece for the wedding. He chose a suit and a contrasting bespoke waistcoat from Richard James and had the suit tailored exactly to fit. I bought Jon his Mont Blanc cufflinks and tie pin for his birthdays before the wedding which he saved to wear on the day.
The groom͛smen wore French Connection suits and the same TM Lewin ties as Jon.”
“My dad walked me down the aisle to ‘Te Deum’ by Charpentier played on the organ, I liked how punchy it was! – I’m the youngest of four girls so I think he was pretty relieved to have them all done and dusted!!”
“We chose 1 Corinthians 13 vv 4-13 and then two of my oldest and best friends wrote and read a poem called ‘The Daisy Chain’ as a surprise for us.”
“Our rings were designed by Alan Gard in Hatton Garden. My engagement ring is quite ornate so I opted for a thin gold band. Jon got a platinum wedding ring with gold inside…although most people will never know, it͛’s nice for us to know that we match!”
Daisy and Jon’s nieces and nephews took centre stage in the wedding party. Chief bridesmaid Molly wore a gorgeous light pink Coast dress. Jess and Ettie wore Alice Temperley for John Lewis dresses (now unavailable) and baby Matty matched the older girls in an M&S dress. They all wore sparkly pumps from Boden.
Page Boys Jake and Ollie carried on the laid back feel of the day with burgundy chinos, a white linen shirt and Vans trainers.
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Daisy designed all of the stationery herself and has subsequently set up a business under the name Daisy Bell Designs. She also created rhyming couplet place tags for each of their 160 guests, no easy feat but well appreciated by the recipients!
“Chris Berendt did our catering. She goes beyond the realms, doubling up as a wedding planner and ideas factory! We both love our food and wanted to make sure that everyone was well fed…Chris made sure of this with enough canapés to feed an army followed by a hog roast and BBQ with lots of sides to pass around and share adding to the relaxed feel that we were after.”
“We knew from the outset that we wanted to decorate the marquee with coloured lanterns. The Hanging Lantern Company were really helpful, we chose a mix of bold and pastel colours to add depth and avoid overpowering the marquee with too much colour. We wrapped lots of white fairy lights around the central pole of the marquee which really came to life as it got darker.
Half of the paper lanterns had lights inside so the marquee turned into a midnight rave as the night got darker…I remember thinking how magical it looked.”
“Our wedding cake doubled up as pudding so we decided on a three-tiered chocolate brownie cake filled with fresh cream. It was the tastiest brownie we have ever had!! I hand painted peg dolls to look like Jon and I along with our two cats, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer for the top!”
“We booked Shine On, a 5-piece band who were brilliant. They played a mix of great songs and had everyone from my little nieces and nephews to the golden oldies up dancing!”
“Our band played ‘Baby I’m Yours’ by the Arctic Monkeys for our first dance. We used to go and watch them play in really small venues before they hit the big time and I thought this cover was the perfect fit for us.”
“I honestly loved every minute of the day, especially the service. A family friend organised an amazing choir to sing my favourite Christmas Carol (‘Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day’) for us and my uncle composed music especially for us, which was incredible. My friend’s dad also did a Blessing for us which added to the personal feel of the service.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Be sure to take a few minutes during the day to step back and observe what’s going on around you. The day whizzes by in the blink of an eye and catching snapshots of your nearest and dearest enjoying your day is the best feeling…especially if you catch friends/family who you wouldn’t otherwise put together getting on! We definitely took this advice from other newlyweds and are very pleased we did!”
I love a bride who incorporates her personal style on her wedding day, I’m absolutely loving Daisy’s gorgeous messy top knot! Congratulations to Daisy and Jon, also huge thanks to photographer Joseph Hall for sharing these beautiful images.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – Joseph Hall
Venue – St Alban’s Cathedral + Sandridgebury Farm + Maquee from TopHat Marquees
Wedding Dress – Anja by Rime Arodaky, from The Mews Notting Hill
Headpiece – The Mews Notting Hill
Shoes – French Sole
Accessories – Alex Monroe
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Daisy by Marc Jacobs
Groom – Richard James Suit + TM Lewin Tie + Mont Blanc Cufflinks
Bridesmaids – Coast + John Lewis + M&S + Boden
Page Boys – M&S + Gap Kids + Vans
Florist – Dorothy at Sandridgebury Farm
Cake + Catering – Chris Berendt (no website)
Entertainment – Shine On
Rings – Alan Gard
Stationery – Daisy Bell Designs
Decor – The Hanging Lantern Company
Prop Hire & Games – Best Day Ever
Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles
Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.
I particularly love the unique style of Daisy’s dress, the photography and all the daisies. They are such a cute flower. I also admire Daisy’s dedication to creating rhyming couplets for everyone. With a child currently writing them for homework, I’m not sure I have a natural flair for them 😉 Congratulations both xx