Good morning lovely readers. Did you see that we launched The Little Book for Brides yesterday? We’d love to ease the pressure of wedding planning with our beautifully curated collection of amazing suppliers all in one place. If you didn’t get a chance to check out, please do pop over for a browse. This morning, we are sharing the wedding of Lisa, a Theatre Director and Lloyd, a Sustainability Consultant. They tied the knot on July 11th this year at Dartmouth House in Mayfair, London.
The couple chose this stunning historical venue due to its intimate feel despite being in the centre of London and got a gorgeous sunny day to take full advantage of the beautiful courtyard area. There are some seriously stunning floral displays below, you will want to pin them all!
“We were keen to use pastel coloured flowers, with a bit of a country vibe (to include the Groom’s country upbringing), especially since we were getting married in London! The duck egg blue colour scheme of the venue dictated the palette inspiration from the beginning and styled everything around it.”
Photography by Julie Michaelsen
Julie Michaelsen is a member of Little Book For Brides®
The couple chose Mary Jane Vaughan Florist to execute their pastel floral vision.
“We had our initial consultation with Tove who was incredibly driven, encouraging and creative. She listened carefully, suggested options and really knew her flowers! She was also very familiar with the venue, so knew exactly what would work, and what wouldn’t. The initial palette suggestion was warmly received and then we worked on it to ensure that the flowers worked with the venue as a whole. The attention to detail was superb, from little flowers on the table on the lobby, to the courtyard tables for the reception, bouquets and buttonholes and large arrangements.”
Dresses by BHS
Flowers by Mary Jane Vaughan
Lisa found her perfect dress at Stephanie Allin Couture, in Marylebone. A cathedral length veil, strappy silver Christian Louboutin shoes and her mother’s necklace finish her look perfectly.
“I had tried on quite a few dresses prior to the appointment at Stephanie Allin, however, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn’t quite feel myself. When I tried on my dress, I felt myself for the first time.”
Rita’s Cakes
The couple chose Julie Michaelsen Photography with Ross Haley as the second shooter to document their beautiful wedding day and they were delighted with the results from start to finish.
“Julie was exceptional! From the engagement shoot, to the morning of the wedding, through to the dancing in the evening at the venue, she fitted in seamlessly with us and it was a delight to have her with us. All nerves on our engagement shoot were quickly dispelled by her easy nature, effortless ability to put us at ease and pointed direction. The stills from the engagement shoot were wonderful!”
“The photography on the wedding day (with the inclusion of a second shooter, Ross), was just as effortless as the engagement shoot. The relationship had already been established so we knew that Julie’s approach would fit in brilliantly with our friends and family. I had heard the key to an excellent wedding photographer is whether you notice them during the ceremony… And I was totally unaware. Top marks!
Julie very kindly sent us four photos the morning after the wedding – what a lovely and thoughtful thing to do. This ‘sneak preview treat’ was fantastic to get so quickly after the wedding!”
Lisa’s up-do courtesy of Hair by Lou shows off the stunning neckline of her dress. Ana Ospina took care of her dewy natural make-up.
Lloyd’s black tie suit from A Suit That Fits sets the tone for the elegant surroundings of Dartmouth House. His Groomsmen wore blue M&S suits and light green linen ties from Reiss.
Lisa walked down the aisle with her brothers. A friend who is a classically trained actor read William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 116’ beautifully. Working in theatre, the sonnet means a great deal to the bride.
Lisa and Lloyd met at a house party, in Hackney, in the summer of 2010. The Bride was walking past with friends and they decided to gate crash.
Lloyd proposed in the summer of 2014, cooking a BBQ for the two of them on the terrace of their home together with ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers, playing in the background and suggesting the song as their first dance!
“The ceremony was our favourite part of the day. It’s a very special event to pledge your commitment to one another amongst your closest family and friends. We had 87 guests, a comparatively small London wedding, so every person there meant something very important to us.”
Rita’s Cakes was the only choice to make the newlyweds’ wedding cake. I love the unusual choice of chocolate outer contrasting with the pastel blooms.
“Rita is an old family friend. She has made our birthday cakes since we were little so no-one else stood a look-in. She is also the most unbelievably talented cake designer I have come across, and can make anything, and I mean anything.”
“I don’t think I have ever been to a wedding where people mention how good the cake is. And here, everyone was raving about her chocolate cake! She was also marvellous and made a dairy-free cake for my brother who has a dairy allergy. His quote of the day was ‘I haven’t had ever eaten a better cake than this!’ He is 6’5” and loves his food so this is high praise indeed!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Do not stress yourself out when planning the wedding, it isn’t worth it. Do a little and often. We planned the wedding by this motto, it meant that we weren’t left with a colossal amount to do a few weeks before the wedding and both of us could work right up until the wedding day itself.”
Thank you so much to our newlyweds, Lisa and Lloyd, for allowing us to share your gorgeous day. Also thanks to our amazing photographer Julie Michaelsen, there’s more of her gorgeous work on her blog. For more London wedding inspiration please click here.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – Julie Michaelsen
Venue – Dartmouth House, Mayfair, London
Wedding Dress and Veil – Natalia by Stephanie Allin Couture
Shoes – Christian Louboutin
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Angel by Thierry Mugler
Groom – A Suit That Fits
Bridesmaids – BHS
Groomsmen – M&S Suits + Reiss Ties
Page Boys – BHS
Florist – Mary Jane Vaughan
Cake – Rita’s Cakes
Entertainment – The Wedding Music Company
Rings – Hatton Garden
Catering – Leith’s at Dartmouth House
Stationery – V-O Stationery
Hair Stylist – Louise Leaves, Hair by Lou
Makeup Artist – Ana Ospina
Favours – Stickers from Project Pretty on Not on the High Street + Boxes from Sass & Belle
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.
Adore the photography, that cakes looks too good! Gorgeous bride.
For me, this wedding is all about the blooms and the gorgeous looking chocolate cake (and I don’t even like chocolate cake! It looks THAT good!) Such a really beautiful colour palette too. Congratulations xx
Scrumptious post. Extremely essential information are shared here. Like the post very much. Great post…
Thank you Lisa