Saara and Sam married on 25th May 2025 in London, beginning with a ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall before heading on to he Last Judgement on Chancery Lane for their reception. They met at university in 2014 and chose to marry in the beautiful city where their relationship began.
Saara wore a gown from TDR Bridal Birmingham – who we’re delighted she discovered through our recommended supplier directory, and styled her hair with Arabian jasmine, a traditional Yemeni bridal detail. When guests arrived at the pub, they were welcomed by a Yemeni band playing oud and tabla, and the couple worked closely with the venue to create a menu that brought British and Yemeni dishes together.
The couple chose photographer Helaina Storey, who had photographed their surprise proposal, arranged by Sam, so they already knew her well by the time the wedding came around. Helaina used to work as a wedding planner before moving into photography, and that background absolutely shines in how she captures couples loves stories on their wedding day.
Alongside the main coverage, Helaina’s daughter Poppy took polaroids throughout the day and handed them out during the reception as a surprise for Saara and Sam.
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The Dress
Elysse Prive
My ceremony dress was by Elysse Prive, from TDR Bridal Birmingham.
The experience at TDR Bridal Birmingham was excellent. The bridal stylist I worked with, Jess, was so knowledgeable and managed to pull the perfect dress on the first try despite my very vague (and probably unhelpful) descriptions of my vision!
I would absolutely recommend them to any bride looking for a comprehensive experience.
They handled everything for me, down to the last detail.
I adore art history, and I took inspiration for my look from the Pre-Raphaelite women. I wanted to look like I had stepped out of an Alma-Tadema, but with a modern edge.
I wore a cathedral length veil, that was also from TDR Bridal.
My ceremony shoes were embellished pointed slingback kitten heels from Prada.
The gold and turquoise necklace I wore is a family heirloom. It belonged to my grandmother, and she gave it to my mum on the day she left Aden to emigrate to the UK in the 1970s. My mum has passed it on to me, and I hope one day to have children I can pass it down to, too. My ‘Just Married’ hair clips worn in the evening were from Shrimps.
My bridesmaids wore a House of CB corset top and skirt co-ords. The outfits were a gift to my bridesmaids, so I wanted it to be something that they could re-wear and repurpose. Opting for co-ords over a dress makes that much easier. They all wore their own shoes and bags. Their earrings were a gift from me, purchased from Oliver Bonas.
My makeup artist was Bridal by Stefania and hair was by Zoe Emmett Hair.
The thing that really pulled the look together was my hair extensions. My hair is naturally long and curly, but thanks to shrinkage, I was just a few inches away from the ideal length for my dress. Thankfully, I found Hasan of Hair By Hasan Uzun, a skilled curly hair extension specialist, and he was able to source the length and texture I needed.
My perfume was D.S & Durga’s Black Magenta. Sam and I chose this during a private consultation at the newly-opened Fragrance Lounge in Liberty. We wanted a unisex scent that was distinct from our existing fragrance wardrobes.
Our lovely assistant Michael engraved the perfume with our initials and wedding date. Since the wedding, the perfume has been safely stored away, only to be worn on our anniversaries.
The Ceremony
Our ceremony took place at We had our ceremony at Marylebone Old Town Hall, My older brother walked me down the aisle to the sound of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’.
Our officiant was allocated through Old Marylebone Town Hall.
We used one of the pre-set scripts provided by Westminster Council for our ceremony. You’re allowed to edit it to a degree, as long as you keep all of the legal bits in. We opted to cut out as much as possible, keeping it short and sweet.
Our wedding bands are from Orla James. We just wanted clean, simple wedding bands.
Sam’s suit was from Moss Bros, and tailored by Tupper’s Tux, Canterbury. He wore an offcut of lace from my wedding dress as his pocket square.
Our photographer was Helaina Storey. Her daughter Poppy took polaroids for us throughout the day and presented them to us in a couple of gorgeous albums during the reception.
Helaina was actually the first supplier we booked – even before we got engaged. I had been following her on instagram for a while. I loved the candid nature of her photography, and after an initial Zoom call, we knew we just had to have her capture our day.
Helaina’s background is in wedding planning, so she was an invaluable resource to us in the lead-up to the big day. She has an eye for detail, and that comes across in her work. Others might not notice the little touches you spent hours agonising over for your guests, but Helaina certainly will, and she’ll preserve it perfectly in her photography.
I rave about her regularly, and I will recommend her to anyone and everyone in need of a photographer for any reason whatsoever.
The Reception
Our reception was held at The Last Judgment, a gorgeous pub on Chancery Lane, and one we used to frequent as students. We kept the reception venue a secret, and it was such a pleasant surprise for our university friends. Besides holding all those memories, it’s also a remarkable building in a lovely part of the city.
We complemented the typical British setting with a traditional Yemeni band playing the oud (guitar) and tabla (hand-beaten drum) to entertain our guests during cocktail hour. The pub, The Last Judgement, were so accommodating of our vision that they helped us custom-design a menu with their chef to blend our two cuisines in the wedding breakfast and evening food.
Our reception venue did a lot of the heavy lifting for us. The Last Judgment is such a beautifully decorated venue that it didn’t require any additional decor from us. The uplights we rented from Daniel Lay Events really showcased the gorgeous pillars and high ceilings.
We purchased half bottles of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee from Waitrose and replaced each sticker with a personalised one made by my talented friend, artist, and bridesmaid Rumbi, of Mary Keeps Going. She created a replica of the original bottle labels, replacing the blank background with one of our engagement shoot photos by our photographer, Helaina.
We also gave our guests small boxes of Charbonnel et Walker milk chocolate truffles presented in heart-shaped boxes. The colour of the boxes just so happened to match the colour of the ribbons on the napkin rings! As we needed a large number, we placed an advance order at their Bond Street store.
As a nod to my heritage, we offered guests mini jars of Yemeni Sidr honey, sourced from an independent British brand, Maters & Co, through their online store.
We did our stationery on a tight budget, so I chose a design template from Vistaprint, and cobbled it into a full stationery suite using accessories like envelope stuffers, vellum jackets and ribbons from Etsy.
Lighting was provided by Daniel Lay Event Services. They were brilliant to deal with and cover the whole of the South East and London.
Our cake was from Violet Cakes in Hackney. We wanted something fresh, sweet and seasonal. Initially, it was going to be their seasonal Alphonso mango cake but unfortunately 2025’s mango season ended a few days too early for us, (and at that point it was too late to move the wedding forward for the cake! Kidding, not kidding) so we opted for their classic lemon and elderflower with Swiss meringue buttercream. There wasn’t a crumb left by the end of the night – it’s a classic for a reason.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Feelings evoke the strongest memories, so plan your day around a feeling. How do you want to feel? How do you want your guests to feel? Make your decisions with that in mind, and your day will be one that people won’t soon forget.
Despite spending the night before apart, Sam and I had a quiet breakfast together in our room. It was just what we needed to calm our nerves and centre ourselves before the chaos of the wedding morning began.
There isn’t much we would change, but we do wish that we had made more of the band and had them play longer at the reception. They were so good, but by the time Sam and I arrived at the reception venue after our photos, their set was almost over.
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