A Rime Arodaky Bride, Sunflower Bouquet + Cool, Modern, East LondonWedding

It’s with a happiness and heartache that we share this beautiful wedding with you today, for this once mighty cool East London venue is no longer with us.

The couple, Chloe and Dan, who both work in marketing, tied the knot on 17th August 2019 at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, London, which, last September, very sadly had to close for good. And so images like these, that capture the joy of pre-covid weddings and highlight the incredible space that was The Ace Hotel London, feel pretty special indeed.

Photography by Carr & Senteno

We also have of two of our Little Book members; photographers Carr & Senteno, and stationery designers Lilac & White, bringing their creatives talents to this brilliant celebration.

“We knew we wanted to get married in central London. This is where we became a couple and have lived happily together for 4 years. We also wanted somewhere urban and non-traditional where we could hold both the ceremony and the reception. Our priorities were good food and space for a big party.”

“The Ace gave us a roof terrace and a panoramic view of the City skyline from their huge glass room – it was perfect! The fact that we could all stay in the hotel the night before and have a pre-wedding meal with our wedding party was an added extra. Bekki De Souza from the events team at the Ace Hotel was a life saver.”

“Since we both work in marketing, we are used to planning events, and we had a clear vision of what we wanted the day to include. I made a big joint spreadsheet on Google Sheets, which we both used to track budgets, decorations, etc. I’m quite organised and enjoyed the challenge!”

On her feet, Chloe wore high, laced sandals from LK Bennett, and in her hair, a sparkling crystal headband from Etsy shop USAbride, as well as a long, sheer veil from The Mews Bridal.

“I wore beautiful crystal chandelier earrings from Lace & Favour, which matched my headband. I also carried my grandma’s sapphire ring with me for my something blue.”

Chloe’s close friend Emma is a former hair stylist, and was on hand to create beautiful styles for Chloe, her bridesmaids, mum and mother-in-law, which included glamorous loose curls for Chloe.

“I used Jaimie Attfield as my make-up artist, and she also did make-up for my bridesmaids, my mum and my mother-in-law. She was wonderful and put us all at ease – as well as finding the perfect vintage shade of red lipstick for me.”

I just love the contemporary elegance and delicacy of Chloe’s dress by Rime Arodaky; the sleek silhouette with capped sleeves and beautiful draping across the bodice, with floral appliqué across the skirt and at the back, along with a row of buttons and a bow – such glorious details.

Chloe made her choice at The Mews Bridal in Notting Hill, but the dress was originally a separate top and skirt, which Charlotte at Sewn Right altered and transformed into one garment.

“The Mews were absolutely amazing. The shop itself was beautiful and the team put us at ease immediately with a glass of champagne and a comfortable sofa for my mum.”

“They gave me time to really explore all the options and made helpful suggestions. Couldn’t recommend them more!”

“I loved the contrast of the simple front and the intricate detail at the back, with buttons, a bow and gorgeous transparent lace. The silhouette was exactly what I wanted – clean lines and a small train which felt right for the modern venue.”

The bridesmaids wore full length, asymmetric gowns in a deep blue from Chi Chi London, with an additional custom-made dress for Chloe’s lovely, pregnant bridesmaid from Etsy [no seller details provided] and the colour of the dresses contrasted beautifully with the bursts of sunny yellow in the bouquets and floral arrangements, and their own choice of silver shoes and bags.

Brilliant, creative florists Worm brought floral magic and whimsy to the day with their incredible creations, which included cheerful, golden sunflowers – a favourite of Chloe’s, which carry special meaning to her.

“We loved Worm’s slightly boho, romantic vibe. I thought it would contrast well with the urban venue and I didn’t want anything too classic. They filled the ceremony room with yellow sunflowers, grasses and an abundance of greenery. The Ace Hotel already had quite a few plants in the bar area (green ivy, etc.) so we were able to use the same flowers for the ceremony and the wedding breakfast.”

Chloe was accompanied down the aisle by her dad, and chose I Giorni by Ludovico Einaudi, played live by a string trio as her entrance music. The couple’s celebrant was Patricia from Hackney Council – a calming presence for them both as they exchanged their vows against the city skyline outside the hotel windows.

“We didn’t tailor our vows. We both felt self-conscious reading out something so deeply personal in front of a large audience, so we said our own individual thoughts to each other privately.”

To solidify their commitment, Chloe and Dan exchanged rings, and chose simple yellow gold bands from Hatton Garden jewellers, Hearts of London, who also made Chloe’s engagement ring, too.

“My mother-in-law read I carry your heart with me [I carry it in] by E.E. Cummings, which is my favourite poem. One of my two Maids of Honour read I Love You by Roy Croft, which felt deeply personal to us.”

Confetti filled the air as Chloe and Dan made their way back up the aisle, newly married and radiant with joy.

“For the ceremony and before dinner we had music from Adelaide Trio, a string trio who learnt two of my favourite Ludovico Einaudi songs for the bridal entrance and the signing of the register.”

Dan wore a bespoke navy blue suit from Norton & Townsend, paired with dark brown shoes by Loake, whilst the groomsmen wore complementary navy blue suits from Moss Bros. with matching buttonholes.

“Dan wore a pocket square from Rampley and Co. As a surprise, he asked the tailor to sew the name of our much-loved house rabbit who had recently passed away under the collar. It was a lovely tribute.”

Post-ceremony, the couple and their wedding party walked the streets of Shoreditch together, in amongst the vibrant and colourful street art on display.

“We originally met at work and remained friends even after going our separate ways. When Dan located to London a year or so after I did, we met up a few times platonically before going on our first date. We’d been together for four years before we got engaged, and our engagement was only 9 months.”

Chloe and Dan’s photographers Rachel and Christopher (AKA Carr & Senteno) are based between Brighton, London and LA, and travel the world capturing weddings in their vibrant, contemporary documentary style.

“Quite simply they were the best money we could have spent. We were absolutely blown away by the photos we got back – they captured everything we wanted from the day and more.”

“Originally, they caught our eye when we were researching photographers online and saw another wedding they had done at the Ace Hotel – the photos were urban, unique, stylish and completely natural, which is exactly what we wanted.”

“Rachel and Chris are also wonderful people who put us both at ease. We didn’t stand around for a long-time taking photos, because we had a late ceremony at 3pm and wanted to spend as much time with our guests as possible, but they still managed to catch so many incredible shots.”

“Our walk around the streets of Shoreditch against the backdrop of graffiti was my particular highlight. I would recommend them 100 times over!”

Back at the Ace Hotel, the space was styled wonderfully for the couple’s wedding feast, with silver and gold helium balloons, and a photo booth/guestbook area with a Polaroid camera with string for guests to hang their snaps and leave messages.

“In the photo area we had a giant neon sign that said ‘To the Moon and Back’. We also had a wireless radio playing the cricket on the terrace seating area for Dan, who is a massive cricket fan.”

“Oh, and the venue had a large magnetic wall, which we covered with magnetic letters for our guests to write messages on. Finally, we stuck photos of us and our pets up in the bathroom and around the reception.”

Simple, classic stationery came courtesy of Lilac & White, which included order of the day booklets, and and elegant table plan with matching table names placed beside the sunny floral centrepieces.

In memory of their beloved house rabbit, Chloe and Dan’s guest favours were individual Lindt chocolate bunnies.

“Our catering was provided by the Ace Hotel and was delicious. The canapes were exquisite, and we loved having a cheese course! We’ve had lots of compliments on the food, although I was so excited I don’t think I ate much at all.”

“Neither of us have a sweet tooth, so we opted for a simple chocolate cake from M&S, which we decorated with flowers and a custom topper from Etsy.”

For the evening’s dancing, DJ Markus Flaherty kept the dancefloor full, and included a 90s hip-hop set at Chloe’s special request, too! The couple’s sweet first dance was to 8 (circle) by Bon Iver.

“Other than saying our vows, which was incredibly emotional, seeing Dan’s face when he saw my dress, and the amazing and hilarious speeches, I think my favourite part of the day was at around 11.30pm when Wonderwall by Oasis came on.”

“Everyone suddenly and spontaneously formed a circle around the room with us in the middle, and as we were dancing together with everyone singing around us, Dan picked me up and twirled me around. It was magical.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. There are things that you will worry about going perfectly, and details which you will obsess over ahead of time, but once you actually get there, it all melts away and nothing matters except this incredible celebration with your friends and family.”

For example, we forgot to give out the sparklers which we had planned for the end of the night, but it didn’t matter in the slightest, we were too busy dancing and chatting to notice.”

Chloe and Dan, thank you so much! What a wonderful venue you chose – it’s great to see the Ace Hotel gracing our pages once more even if it’s sadly no longer operating in London. Many thanks to Rachel and Chris from Carr & Senteno for these glorious images, too.

Lots of love, Laura