A late addition to today’s posts, but no less lovely. Sales Account manager Chrissy tied the knot with IT software developer Henry on 26th October last year at Islington Town Hall followed by a reception at Century Soho. This is one of this fuss-free, chic city weddings that ….
“We didn’t have a theme going into the planning of the wedding, we tried to keep things simple and paired back. We did end up organising a pretty swish city wedding which showed us how much we love London and a busy city life! A red bus, a black cab and a centrally located venue showed this off! We knew an October wedding would mean chilly temperatures (and possibly rain!) so we injected colour with some bright flowers.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Babb Photography
“Henry and I met and started dated at The University of Manchester in 2005. We got engaged in July 2013, so we’d only been engaged for a few months but we’d had 7 years of practicing being together before the big day. We both chose Century as our reception venue after seeing only two other venues. The mood, the lighting, the gorgeous bars (and killer cocktail lists) made it an easy choice! Henry also had received a recommendation from a friend who got married at Century a few years before… decision was a no brainer!
More importantly, we really wanted a “city” feel vibe and the amazing location meant that we were able to capture this- the hustle of theatre land and Chinatown on one end, and Soho on the other side!”
“I wore a dress by Justin Alexander that I purchased from Angelica Bridal in Islington. The back of the dress is what clinched it.. I loved the neckline and the lace. I had planned to wear something short and completely different but once I tried this on, I had to have it.”
“My shoes were gold platform court shoes from LK Bennett. I wore them from 10am until 3.30am and they were amazingly comfortable!”
“We wanted lots of cake – why have one when you have three amazing baker friends offer to make you cake? One friend made incredible Cupcakes with our favourite flavourings (carrot, coffee and a berry mix), another baker friend made a cake of two halves- one with chocolate and one half without (Henry is allergic to chocolate) and family friend Xenia made our coloured tiered wedding cake.”
“Our florist was Sadie Rose, who has a shop located in Islington. She is also a friend. Sadie was great in helping us work out what colours to use for the day that would go well with the ivory gold bridal dress. We kept to flowers and colours that were in season- cherry brandy roses, white roses, and deep red dahlias.”
“We found our photographer Laura of Babb Photography via a google search and arranged a meeting. We met Laura after seeing two other photographers and it was clear from the introductions that we had met our photographer. Cool and calm, she was the dream choice and was absolutely amazing on the day. Delivered service with a smile and the end products show off her flair and talent.”
“My father walked me down the aisle to the sound of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ by The Beach Boys.
We did not tailor our vows – we weren’t brave enough to do so. There was a fear that we would choke and start crying, so we played it safe!
My maid of honour read a passage from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – a letter from a sister to a brother in which the sister speaks of her want of a man. Chrissy’s sister then read a passage from ‘On Friendship’ by French philosopher Michel De Montaigne. We loved the theme of friendship that runs through both of the passages.”
“Our wedding favours were hangover kits- small water bottles with first aid muslin bags that had chewing gum, alka seltzer and paracetamol for the hangover for the next day!”
“We had a DJ provided by the venue – he provided a great eclectic mix of music that our guest loved. We also hired a photobooth (a last minute decision by Henry which made the night!). We used The Mighty Booth who offered incredible service. They created a keep safe book with copies of everyone’s photos from the book- genius! The best token from the night!”
“We chose not to have a first dance as we felt it was too cheesy and we’re not the most compatible slow dancers. We therefore managed to avoid having to do one and simply asked everyone to get up and dance with us!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom…
“Stick to only a few people’s advice- too many opinions won’t be of help! I would triple the amount of flowers I ordered- they made everything look so pretty, I could have done with some more!
Work out what is most important to you both on the day and have those elements as priorities. As long as you nail those, you’ll both be happy. Don’t leave booking a DJ/band at the last minute… we did that and it was quite stressful! In fact don’t leave anything last minute, make a list and work through it quickly, that way you’ll both be much calmer on the week leading up to the big day!
Invest in the photography- it was the advice given to us by friends which we took and we are so happy we did. We still look at our photos on a weekly basis to relive the day. There can never be too much food at a wedding. Canapés? Get as many as you can, they will get eaten!”
“Our joint favourite moment was taking a step back together to take in all our friends and family enjoying and dancing the night away. After that it would be walking though Soho in the early hours back to the hotel, hand in hand, and in the rain as husband and wife.
And finally, nominate someone to look after the disposable cameras, guest book etc! We would have left ours had Chrissy’s brother not done a sweep of the venue to pick things up!”
Chic, simple and lovely.
Thanks so much to Babb Photography for sharing these images.
Are you getting married in London?
Love Annabel
Photographer – Babb Photography
Venue + Catering – Century Soho
Brides Dress – Justin Alexander via Angelica Bridal, Islington
Shoes – LK Bennett
Grooms Suit – Paul Smith + Calvin Klein tie + Grenson brogues
Flowergirl + Page boy – John Lewis
Florist – Sadie Rose
Rings – Astley Clarke
Photobooth Hire – The Mighty Booth
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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.
Gorgeous wedding and bride! Love the badges! Where are they from?
Gold sparkly shoes, coffee cupcakes, and a Shelley reading…I could go on and on but everything about this wedding is superb!