A Grace Loves Lace Gown and Flowers in Her Hair for a Woodland Inspired London Pub Wedding

How is it more than half way through September already?  I love this time of year- no matter how old I am it still feels like ‘back to school’ month and I always have a slight compulsion to buy a new pencil case and stationery.

Today I would like to take us back to the spring of this year though, another time of new life and new starts, and introduce you to the most lovely woodland-themed wedding, at Burgh House and Hampstead Museum, London. Meet Anna, a primary teacher, and Andrzej, a tax manager, who married on the 7th of April 2018 at Burgh House and Hampstead Museum in Hampstead, followed by a reception at The Star Pub in Highgate.  Anna and Andrzej met through a mutual friend and became engaged on Anna’s 30th birthday while in the Maldives- what a glorious location for a proposal! Anna wore a beautiful long sleeved gown (The ‘Inca’) from Grace Loves Lace which she purchased from the London showroom.  I absolutely love the open back and the soft lace.

“I knew I wanted a long sleeved, lace dress with an open back.  I looked in a few vintage styled shops as I wanted something unique and then I found Grace Loves Lace online and fell in love with the Inca dress.  I loved the lace detail and how it was different to any other dresses I had seen.”

Filmmakers This Modern Revelry

“We wanted a spring woodlands/ Easter feel to our wedding, which was reflected through our woodlands flowers and nest centrepieces, Lindt bunny favours and pastel/ hessian colours.  Our colour themes were lilac, ivory and hessian. We also wanted to get married in North London, as this is where we are both from and live together.”

Images by Nikki van der Molen

Photographer Nikki van der Molen is the talent behind the lens today, and her light and fresh style is perfect for this pretty April celebration.

“Nikki was fantastic to work with from the moment we met her.  She was very well organised, responsive and we felt completely at ease knowing she would be taking our photos. We really enjoyed our engagement shoot session and our wedding photos are amazing.  Nikki captured the key parts of the day and we couldn’t have asked for better pictures!  She blended in with the guests and we’ve received multiple compliments about the natural, relaxed style of our photos. We couldn’t recommend her highly enough and we will treasure the photos forever.”On her feet Anna wore a beautiful pair of Carvela heels by Kurt Geiger, while in her hair she opted for pretty fresh flowers which works beautifully with the springtime feel.  For jewellery she chose a bracelet engraved with the wedding date, by Monica Vinader and a pair of Stephanie Browne ‘twilight’ earrings.

“My scent was ‘Do Son’ by Diptyque; we chose each other’s scents for the day, these were our wedding gifts to each other.”

Anna wore her hair half up, coiled into an intricate plaited bun and studded with fresh flowers, and half down, emphasising the low back of her gown- a look both pretty and unusual.

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She kept her make up light and fresh- perfect for her spring style.  Both hair and make up were the work of Storme Webster.

Andrzej wore a tweed suit by Jennis & Warmann, paired with Samuel Windsor shoes and a heather coloured bow tie from Tieroom, to match the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Flowers were the work of Achillea Flowers, while Anna and Andrzej were also blessed with the natural beauty of the pink blossom trees surrounding the venue which enhanced the purple and pink tones of the cut flowers.

“Heavily influenced by spring in a British woodland, we had lots of delicate bulbs, “birds nests”, and moss-y elements alongside vintage glassware and belljars.  We had spring blooms including muscari, ranunculus, anemones, fritillaria, hyacinths, sweetpea, stocks, forget-me-nots and blossom, all in shades of cream, blush, soft blue, lilacs and gentle purple blooms.”

Anna traveled to the ceremony in a classic black cab (hired from City of London Black Taxis) and was accompanied down the aisle by her brother to ‘Chasing Cars’ by Snow Patrol.

The bridesmaids looked gorgeous in full-length gowns by twobirds in heather, each worn in a different style.  Each maid wore her own shoes and accessorized with jewellery from Alex Monroe– a gift from Anna on the day.

Andrzej and Anna chose two readings – ‘Us Two’ by A.A. Milne and ‘How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog’ by Taylor Mali.

Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.”

“We chose these two readings for many reasons.  Anna has a keen interest in Children’s Literature and is a fan of A.A. Milne, so the words resonate with us as ‘Us Two’ is a reflection of the time we spend together.  The second reading is a reference to our French Bulldog Reggie who is very dear to us both.”

In the time-honoured way, Anna and Andrzej bound their vows with a ring exchange, choosing their rings from Wedding Ring Workshop.

 

Guests travelled between the ceremony and reception in a classic red London bus, hired from Traditional Travel, while Anna and Andrzej came on behind in a black cab, allowing them to steal a few moments together to take in the ceremony.

“On reflection, we would have travelled with our guests on the bus between the two venues as we were told it was a memorable and fun journey, with the bus getting stuck on many occasions!”

The reception, held at The Star Pub in Highgate was perfect for creating a cosy and intimate atmosphere, and Anna and Andrzej decorated with Polaroid pictures of themselves and their families and friends strung across the windows on hessian twine, ivory and hessian bunting and pom poms, wooden slices, nests and mossy elements, vintage bell jars and glassware to create a woodland feel.

“We ordered our invites from Papier; the stationery reflected Spring and showed a floral wreath.”

“Our table numbers were images of our French Bulldog in woodlands, as he couldn’t spend the day with us and our name cards were log slices with names hand-stamped on them to tie in with the woodland theme.”

Catering was the work of Fairtrade, sustainable caterers, Leafi, while the beautiful semi-naked cake was the work of one of the bridesmaids and comprised three flavours – lemon, Red Velvet and chocolate.  For favours, the couple chose Lindt bunnies, decorated as either a bride or groom.

Entertainment came in the form of live band, The Twisted Tubes.

“These guys were epic!  We had so many positive comments about them and they really got the party started.”

“Our first dance was to ‘You’re My Best Friend’ by Queen.  Andrzej is an avid Queen fan and the words in this song reflect our relationship perfectly.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Prioritise what you and your fiancé want from your wedding day; you will only do it once so make sure you are happy with your plans and make sure you aren’t aiming to please others more than yourself. 

Create a list and prioritise what is most important to you when budgeting.  The aspects we will cherish forever are our photographs and wedding video.”

“Consider how you will savour and remember your day in the future as on the day, it whizzes by!

Enjoy, relax and relish every minute.”

So many thanks to Anna and Andrzej for sharing their beautiful spring day with us all.  Grace Loves Lace never fail to deliver with beautiful gowns- take a look here for some more gorgeous examples.  If its the London look you love, visit this archive for lots more fabulous London weddings.

Much love,

Shona x