Street Food, A 50’s Inspired Dress and Pillbox Hat for a Fun and Quirky London Docklands Wedding

Water and travel are the two overriding themes of the lovely wedding we’re sharing today, as the venue has an amazing riverside setting in London, and our happy couple both work day-to-day on motor yachts, too. This wonderfully fun and sweet celebration also boasts a lighthouse, gorgeously abundant flowers, a taco truck and more fabulous hats than you’ll see this side of the next royal wedding!

Bride Erin, who serves and organises trips for motor yacht guests, and groom Oliver, who is currently studying to become a captain, were married on 19 August 2017.

“Our sole mission for the wedding was to celebrate the love and support that we have been surrounded with. This love and support…shaped who we are now and will continue to grow to be.”

Images by Purple Pear Tree Photography

Lesley-Anne of Purple Pear Tree Photography was the talented photographer on hand to capture Erin and Oliver’s day, and how brilliantly she did, with painterly use of light and shadow and a creative eye for detail.

“Lesley-Anne and her colleague were amazing! I love the docu-style and spent hours searching for the perfect photographer. Lesley-Anne was easy-going and very sweet, exactly matching our personalities. She did a great job capturing the essence of the day, the love that filled the room…We loved getting to know her and peeking into her methods whilst we girls got ready. Our family and friends have greatly enjoyed checking out the photos from the day, reminds us of the fun that we all shared.”

Erin’s jewel-toned floral print shoes were a last-minute purchase from Kurt Geiger, and her jewellery carried heartfelt significance.

“The earrings I wore were these beautiful teardrop pearls, they were my “something borrowed” given to me by a very dear family friend, Sue Ayad. As she gave them to me she said they had been her lucky pair, seeing as she has been married to her husband George for over 20 years and has 8 children with him.”

 

Originally from the USA, bride Erin chose to have a bespoke dress made by a seamstress in her hometown of Fremont, California, who she has known since high school. Haydee, of Haydee Dressmaking Alterations worked with Erin and her mother, Kerri to design and create a perfectly short and sweet dress made with fabric purchased from Britex in San Francisco. The underskirt gives great shape, while the boat neck and subtly puffed three-quarter length sleeves work beautifully. The warm, delicately golden hue of the dress fabric suits Erin perfectly, too.

“She had worked with my sister and I on a few alterations when we were in high school. My mother, Kerri, headed up the fabric purchases and organised my trips back to California in order for me to have the dress made. Haydee made an amazing dress and created the perfect one for me…I love classic dress styles. I wanted ¾ sleeves and a wide neck style, I love those looks. I also wanted a dress that I could dance in and not worry about the bottom, so short it was!”

Erin’s whole look is proof positive that brides can wear whatever they like and feel great in, be it a long lace gown or a short party dress. She styled her own hair, and instead of a veil or headpiece, wore an incredible navy blue pillbox hat hired from Hectic Hat Hire.

“Rosie helped so many of us Americans get jazzed up for the big day. We had so much fun dressing up in her wonderful shop!”

“My necklace was a simple pearl with one stone on each side, an amethyst and a blue topaz. I had three necklaces made as wedding gift, one for my mother and one for my sister. The pearl is my mother’s birthstone, the amethyst is my sister’s and the topaz is my birthstone. I also wore two rings that belonged to my aunts, they both could not be with us on that day.”

The couple chose to be married at the stunning Trinity Buoy Wharf in Poplar, East London. Steps away from the River Thames, this historic site was once a workshop for sea buoys and is now an arts and events space. It also has the most beautiful lighthouse, where Erin and Oliver were lucky enough to be able to have some photographs taken.

“Amazing art space, amazing location. Sara Hewson and Helen McCraken were lovely and helped us through all the…details…The lighthouse is gorgeous and a real treat to have had the chance to take pictures up there.”

Guests were transported to Trinity Buoy Wharf in a classic red double-decker bus from Traditional Travel Ltd, something the couple’s American guests particularly enjoyed.

Erin and Oliver first met in Fort Lauderdale, Florida through mutual friends. Enjoying cocktails and conversation on the beach, Oliver boldly asked Erin of she would run away with him to Cuba for a week. Although Erin declined, the couple kept in touch via Facebook, and bumped into one another again a year later out in St. Barth’s. This time they exchanged phone numbers and went on a few dates before parting ways to return to work – Erin to New England and Oliver to the Mediterranean. The summer went by and they grew closer, until September when Erin left the boat she was working on, joined Oliver and they moved in together.

“We were engaged on the steps of Wells Cathedral in Somerset, England. The cathedral is a place the Gillespie family has kept near and dear to their hearts. We were engaged 2 years.”

Erin’s stylish bridesmaids wore their own outfits, completed with more jaw-dropping hats from Hectic Hat Hire. It’s fantastic to see such individual choices, from a cute cloche with a summery white dress to extravagantly feathered fascinators and sweeping, wide-brimmed styles. No wonder Erin and her maids had such fun picking these out!

The bride walked down the aisle to meet her groom, accompanied by her dad, Joe, to the song Always With Me, Always With You by Joe Satriani.

“My dad always played Joe Satriani as we were growing up. I felt it was a beautiful song for both us to walk down the aisle to and for Oliver and I to begin this walk together.”

The couple exchanged traditional vows as well as rings from George Ayad at Kasaria Jewelers in Pleasanton, California. Oliver chose a brushed metal look for his, while Erin’s band contains diamonds and green garnets (garnet being Oliver’s birthstone).

“Ashley, my bridesmaid, read the lyrics to Nina Simone “Feeling Good”. Nina is one of my absolute favourites. I felt this song captured the essence that marriage is a new journey and it is a beautiful thing. That feeling is never the same as it is on your wedding day. It is explosive joy and the best overwhelming love that one can experience.”

Groom Oliver chose a three-piece suit in pale grey from Suit Supply, which he bought from their Vigo Street store in London. The light shade of the suit works perfectly with Oliver’s crisp white shirt and pastel pink tie. His school friend Joshua was best man, providing invaluable support and a few great stories, too!

“Felix Padfield was our celebrant. He is an architect. Many years ago, Oliver and his friends were on a ski trip and on one fun night out they were invited to a wedding where the celebrant was the groom’s best friend. They thought this was brilliant and immediately did the online register to become humanists, in the sole desire to be each others celebrants. Oliver was the celebrant for his best man Josh, and I believe Felix was the last to fulfill this task.”

Hors d’oeuvres were provided by Henning from The Taco Truck.

“Henning was very sweet and great to work with. Our families know and love their Mexican food. The Taco Truck did not disappoint! Guests kept going back for seconds and thirds!”

In the elegant open space of the venue, long polished wooden tables were laid with crockery and pretty crystal glasses and vases from Classic Crockery Event Hire and place cards were written by the bridesmaids.With the blooms and foliage picked up from New Covent Garden Flower Market, vases were filled with dusky purple hydrangea flowers and colourful garlands weaved down the centre of the tables. Favours were handmade by groom Oliver; mini bottles of rhubarb and vanilla infused rum and pineapple infused vodka.

“Oliver used to manage clubs and bars in London, this was roughly ten years ago before he joined yachting. He created the the two little shots that were sat at each guests place and held their place card. Both cocktails were infused the week leading up to the wedding. They were delicious and a great personal throwback to Oliver’s work in London and his creative mixologist nature that has not ceased.”

They found the perfect catering team in Caiger & Co who created a feast of transatlantic flavours for the couple.

“Brilliant! Violet who helped plan the meals and took over the planning of the day, making sure that all the little details fell into place. Stephanie, oversaw the event on the day! Patient and so much fun to work with. Alex Caiger, great chef! Oliver and I work with many chefs and she was outstanding…Her food was delicious, and my family could not stop ogling over it! The Tiramisu was one of Oliver’s big expectations, something his mother used to make when he was a child. They made it perfectly. It was difficult to find one catering company that would make little English and American bites. They nailed it! Mini fish and chips/pulled pork/ delicious salads…and of course the Tiramisu. They were outstanding and such lovely people. Some of our guests kept making trips outside to dance and party with them.”

Instead of a sweet cake, Erin and Oliver chose a cheesecake from the Bath Soft Cheese Co with three types of delicious cheese.

Later in the evening band The Super Rollers kept everybody dancing, and the bride enjoyed a father daughter dance to Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

“Oliver and I danced to Bad Company’s ‘Can’t Get Enough’. I don’t think Oliver had given much thought to ‘our song’- we really aren’t that focused on that kind of detail. But as soon as I heard this song come on….I knew immediately, that was it for us. It is fun and funky, loud and fast. It was prefect. We had so much fun spinning across the dance floor to this one…”

“The day was amazing and worked perfectly. We both did not stress about any of it. There is not one moment that really stuck out. It was special to have so many people that you love in the same room, laughing, dancing and enjoying everyone. I wouldn’t have done one thing different. Oliver would have loved to have a videographer, but no video can replace or refill the moments and feelings that we experienced that day. The memories are the best treats I have, the warmth that washes over me as I remember little bits from that day. It was perfect for us.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Rest, rest, rest. I got sick just a few days before the wedding, had a nasty little fever on the Thursday before the wedding (Saturday). I didn’t have much of a voice for the wedding or the events the day before or after. But oh well, that did not stop me. Just rest and drink lots of lemon, honey, ginger tea!”

What a wonderful day, Erin and Oliver, and thank you so much for sharing it with us. There’s so much to inspire here in the colourful and quirky details and in planning a day that truly reflects you as a couple. Thank you also to Lesley-Anne at Purple Pear Tree Photography for these warm and wonderful images. You can find more of her lovely work on Love My Dress here, as well as more stunning weddings at Trinity Buoy Wharf here.

With love,

Laura