Simona in Gemy Maalouf for her Classy City Wedding at The Ned, London

The Ned Wedding London

Teacher Simona and Actuary Alex tied the knot on 14th August last year at London’s The Ned.

The couple enjoyed an effortlessly classy, city wedding. The Ned was chosen after they had enjoyed themselves visiting and felt it was the best space to celebrate.

We’re thrilled to see that Love My Dress recommended bridal boutique, Mirror Mirror, supplied Simona’s beautiful gown.

Enjoy these gorgeous images by Agnes Black.

The Dress

My dress was by Gemy Maalouf, from the Mirror Mirror bridal boutique. They really care. I was finding wedding dress shopping a little underwhelming until Mirror Mirror. Andrea so thoughtfully and enthusiastically searched through the racks with my mum and I.

Within 5 minutes of meeting her, I trusted her. She pushed me out of my comfort zone and together with my mum, persuaded me to try on ‘the one’. I was unsure about one aspect of the dress and instantly, she had a solution. Andrea is also a hair and make-up stylist, and she roughly pinned my hair into some styles she thought would help to showcase the dress.

Veil & Accessories

I wore an ivory, royal cathedral length, French silk veil made by Sophie of ‘Unveiled by Sophie’.

I wore cream Manolo Blahnik slingback pumps with a stiletto mid heel. They were a wedding gift from my auntie and her family. Carrie Bradshaw made me choose them! 😊

My Maid of Honour surprised me with an appointment at Jo Malone to create my own fragrance. We had so much fun. On the day, I wore a concoction of their Mimosa & Cardamom cologne, and Scarlet Poppy cologne intense.

I wore Astrid & Miyu molten hoops in gold. They have a chunky curve to them that mirrored the shape of the drapery on my skirt.

At fittings, Meb was so attentive – and patient! The dress had a long train, and she wouldn’t let me leave until she was sure I was happy (and at ease) moving and walking. It wasn’t enough that it fitted perfectly, she wanted and needed me to feel comfortable too. I have and will always recommend Mirror Mirror.

I always knew that I wanted something romantic and theatrical. My mum’s wedding dress had a very similar neckline and drapery details on the shoulders, which I love. I also love the fact that no one expected me to wear what I did.

Ceremony

Our ceremony was at St. Peter’s Italian church, in Clerkenwell. The church has always been an important part of my cultural identity. It welcomed my grandparents (and many other Italian immigrants) in the late 1950’s, and my parents got married there in the late 1980’s.

Our first reading was from the book of Genesis, which highlights the indissoluble bond between husband and wife.

Our second reading was from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, teaching what love is. The Gospel reading was the story of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle (of turning water into wine for the wedding guests). Obviously, the fact that it’s an account of a wedding was very relevant, but it’s also a reminder of God’s presence within marriage.

My engagement ring was custom made by Webley; we wanted simple, traditional gold bands.

Find more wedding readings here

Favourite Moments

For me, my favourite moment was walking out of the church, being showered in confetti by family and friends.

Alex’s favourite moment were the welcome drinks reception on the terrace. It was such a beautiful day. It’s an Irish wedding tradition to put the Child of Prague (a statue of an infant Jesus) in the garden, the day before the wedding, to guarantee blue skies and sunshine. Alex’s cousin did just that, and it worked!

Photographer

I started following Agnes Black years before we became engaged and always knew that, when the time came, I wanted her to photograph my wedding. Her photographs have an intimacy that is so enchanting. On the day, she made Alex and I feel so comfortable in front of the camera and captured our characters (and our guests’) so accurately.

She’s so detail-orientated (e.g., she tied a silk tie around my bouquet so beautifully), and helped so much in maintaining an appropriate pace for the day.

I would definitely recommend Agnes Black to others!

Videography

Holly and Jack of Jensen Films have the feel of a home video, while also being beautifully cinematic. We had never met them before, but some of our guests thought they were our friends videoing the day: we built such a rapport with them.

Alex loved the tailored fit to his suit, the red lining of his waistcoat and blazer, and his bow tie. His parents gifted him cufflinks that were engraved with both of our initials.

Flowers

Maria of Maria’s Flowers grows her own flowers and foliage mostly. Our starting point was roses, and we knew we wanted flowers that were vibrant and complemented the Ned green. We wanted a colour palette of shades of red, pink, and peach, with green foliage.

Maria suggested (and we went for) a variety of different roses, in different shades, including David Austin ‘Juliette’ for a pop of peach. Also, dahlias, sweet peas, and phlox (very lightly spread between for texture).

How They Met

We met at school/sixth form and sat next to each other in Art. Nine years after, we became engaged. Alex proposed at home. I was away and came home a day earlier than he was expecting me back, so it was a surprise for both of us.

We were engaged for 2 years before our wedding day. Fortunately, we didn’t have to postpone our wedding. COVID only meant we had to plan for a more intimate wedding.

We tried to keep everything in-keeping with the style and character of the venue. The richness of the Ned’s colour schemes, and culmination of old and new (particularly the artwork, where tapestries co-exist with contemporary paintings) inspired a ‘modern classic’ style.

Reception

The Ned is so beautiful that we didn’t want anything more than flowers.

Our invitations and table place cards were by Paper Grace. The arched design reminded us of the Ned’s arched windows. Colours: Ned green and dusky pink, like this.

My mum, aunt and cousin helped make our favours, or ‘bomboniere’ in Italian. Ivory, tulle bags (from Etsy), containing five white, Italian sugared almonds, and tied using thin ivory and white ribbon. Traditionally five to represent newlyweds’ wishes for love, health, happiness, fertility, and a long life together. Also, my mum hired caricaturist (such a fab idea and great surprise!). Our guests were able to take home their caricatures.

Corinne at April’s Baker created our cake. I was obsessed with Sylvanian Families when I was a little girl. Part of my collection was a bakery play set, which included a ‘frilly’, little iced cakes. I came across April’s Baker when I was trawling through magazines in a PR job and was like ‘Sylvanian Family cakes!’ So, I followed them on Instagram, and came back to the account when we needed a cake. We went for a white, ornately iced, round, two tier cake. The bottom tier was chocolate raspberry, and the top tier was orange prosecco. Our names were piped delicately in red icing on the top tier.

Evening & Dancing

Our first dance track was to Louis Armstrong, La Vie En Rose.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

Accept that some things won’t go to plan.

Try not to involve too many voices when you’re planning.

There are so many options, suppliers, add-ons… to avoid feeling overwhelmed, we found it helpful to set ourselves research time frames and limits.

Smaller weddings are just as special as big weddings.

Mirror Mirror Bridal Boutique

 

We didn’t hire a planner or stylist, but are indebted to Adamantia, the Ned’s inhouse Events Manager.

 

 

 

Because we had a reception of 30 guests, we pre booked some black cabs to take our guests from the church to the Ned. The wedding car that took my dad and I to the church, then Alex and I to the Ned, was an Ivory, Bentley R Type.

Bridesmaids

My Maid of Honour wore an ASOS Edition, satin, ruched halter neck maxi dress. I can’t remember the name of the colour way, but it was quite a deep, pink berry colour.  

 

Credits & Thanks

Annabel

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.

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