A 5pm Ceremony and Warehouse Reception for a Quirky and Stylish Winter Wedding

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I’ve said this before but one of my very favourite things about Love My Dress is the way each couple does their day the way they want.  If a princess dress with a horse-drawn carriage and glass slippers is your thing, then go for it.  If you’re more of a tent-dwelling boho beauty then choose an outdoor flower-strewn day and if you’re a super-hip fashionista, then choose something ultra-cool and edgy, like today’s marvellous chic city wedding – they’re all wonderful choices, but you have to do what suits you as a couple.

Meet Emma, a handbag designer (dream job or what?) and Daniel, who works in property, who married at Islington Town Hall on Saturday 7th November, followed by a bus ride through London and a reception at Studio Spaces – a unique warehouse space in East London. These images were taken by our Little Book For Brides member, Eclection Photography, who was supported by Photo Madly.

“We just wanted a really cool party vibe.  We thought the music was really key to creating the right atmosphere so Daniel created individual playlists for each part of the wedding.”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

“Although we didn’t have a specific colour scheme, Daniel’s suit was the driving force for the colour of the flowers, the flower girl’s dress and my shoes, but we didn’t think it was necessary to carry the scheme throughout.”

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I absolutely adore Emma’s dress, which she purchased from Self-Portrait. Worn with the top it has a smart 1960’s feel and without, it’s the perfect special party dress – just gorgeous. The cutaway design of the material is gorgeous.

“I wanted to wear a pretty white dress, but I didn’t feel the need to look like a princess so decided to skip the traditional wedding dress boutiques.  I found my dress online and loved it but thought I might need something with sleeves for the ceremony as it was November, so designed the top myself and had it custom-made. This meant that I could transform my ‘look’ from day to night which I loved!”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Floral arrangements were the work of Mcqueens Florists, London.  Emma and her bridesmaids carried wonderful bouquets combining black kalla lilies and purple roses, which matched Daniel’s suit and Emma’s shoes just perfectly.

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

As her shoes were on show, they had to be as fabulous as her dress so Emma chose a dusky pink pair of Jimmy Choos, and accessorised with a simple pair of earrings from Dutch Basics and a squirt of PULP by Byredo.

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

Emma’s adult bridesmaids looked very chic in black dresses from ASOS, worn with statement necklaces from French Connection and earrings from Etsy, while the little flower girl looked ultra cute in a rose pink dress with tulle skirt, by RJR.John Rocha at Debenhams.

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

Daniel looked extremely sharp in a suit by Alexander McQueen in a rather marvellous shade of dusty purple, worn with a black bow tie and shoes from Paul Smith. 

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

“We got engaged at the end of 2014.  After many years of talking about it, the engagement just happened very organically and we decided to start planning the wedding without making a big announcement.  My ring arrived in March and by this time we had the date set and confirmed venues, so we went on a celebratory holiday to Marrakech and made the announcement then.”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

The talent behind these photographs was Heather Shuker from Eclection Photography with second shooting and support from Erika of Photo Madly.  I just love the sharp clarity of these photographs which really show off the wonderful colours and use of autumn light.

“Heather is a true artist – she creates unique images and captures moments in such an individual way.  We have received so many positive comments about the photos from people that were not even at the wedding, which is a complete testament to Heather’s ability and skill.  She is also unbelievably organised which was invaluable on the day.”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

 “The ceremony was at Islington Town Hall – we chose this venue as we used to live in Islington and love the area.  We wanted to wed in a building with character and the Council Chamber is so unique with its circular seating layout.   Also, Islington’s approach towards the ceremony suited us, as it is quite relaxed and informal.”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

“The ceremony was a high point as it wasn’t until 5pm so we had a LOT of day beforehand. When we finally got to the Town Hall all the worries and concerns disappeared – everyone was there, everything had been arranged, now it was just time to get married and have a party!”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

Emma walked down the aisle on the arm of her beaming Dad to ‘Angels’ by The XX.

The couple chose two readings as part of their ceremony; ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ by John Cooper Clarke as they wanted a modern reading, and an extract from ‘The Irrational Season’ by M. L’Engle.

“The passage speaks of marriage as a creation, a great risk, and that the choice to marry takes courage to believe that you can be united to one other person but still free, all of which are very relevant to us.”  Beautiful.  I love this.

 

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

“Our reception was at Studio Spaces in Wapping, We loved the exposed brick, rusty pipes and the super shiny polished concrete floor!  We felt that after dinner, guests can become segregated, with some choosing to stay sat at the tables, some propping up the bar and observing as others dance the night away and other venues we looked at seemed to be split into different rooms.

We loved that we could create different ‘zones’ in the same massive space, meaning that no group would feel segregated from the main party.”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

 “The tables were decorated with succulents in jam jars which we spray-painted copper and on each table was a little sign saying our guests could take them home at the end of the night. Guests give us updates now on how they are doing, which is lovely!

Some key decorative elements within the space were the light up letters from Light Up Love and balloons from BonBon Balloons.  We also used projectors – one projecting our wedding logo onto a white wall and another had a slide show of photos, then later a black and white film.”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

 “You’re only going to do it once, so if you really want that location or that dress – get it. You can always cut costs elsewhere.  Also, ask questions!  We had the reception in a photography studio so initially we had quotes to bring in extra furniture.   After a chat with the manager of the studio we found out they had loads of sofas, chairs and tables that would be at our disposal on the day. This saved us hundreds of pounds!”

Emma wore a Self Portrait dress for her quirky, colourful and alternative, first look wedding. Photography by Eclection Photography.

Thank you so much to Emma and Daniel and of course Heather at Eclection Photography, for sharing this delight with us.  Are you a London-based bride?  Have a peek at some of our other London weddings to inspire you.

Much love,

Shona x

 

Photographer – Eclection Photography and second shooter Erika of Photo Madly
Venue – Ceremony at Islington Town Hall, Reception at Studio Spaces, Wapping
Wedding dress – Self-Portrait
Shoes – Jimmy Choo
Accessories – Earrings from Dutch Basics
Perfume – PULP by Byredo
Bridesmaids – ASOS
Accessories – Earrings from Etsy, necklace from French Connection
Flowergirl – RJR.John Rocha
Hair and makeup artist – Laura Anne Hair and Makeup
Groom – Suit, Alexander McQueen; shoes, Paul Smith
Flowers – Mcqueens
Rings – Anna Sheffield
Cake – Made by the bride
Catering- Disappearing Dining Club
Transport – London Retro bus Hire
Entertainment – Hand Fulla Soul
Light up letters – Light Up Love
Balloons – BonBon Balloons

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

4 thoughts on “A 5pm Ceremony and Warehouse Reception for a Quirky and Stylish Winter Wedding

  1. Oh Shona, that dress!!! And the addition of the long sleeved top – so versatile, it looks like a whole new outfit. Such a cool, relaxed day – congratulations to the happy (very awesome) couple x x x

  2. Absolutely love the top over the skirt for a city wedding… Beautiful!! Where was the top made? And congratulations!! x

  3. Is this the coolest day ever?! Obsessed with that dress, the venues, and Daniel’s suit! Gloriously captured by Eclection too. As you said Shona, I do love seeing couples doing exactly what suits them – look how awesomely it turns out. Congratulations guys! xxx

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