Bride in a Caroline Castigliano dress and groom in black tie.

Emily in Caroline Castigliano for her Elegant Cambridge Wedding

Featuring the following Love My Dress Directory members…

Paul Santos Weddings

Paul Santos Weddings

Emily and Philip’s love story began in the historic colleges of Cambridge, where they first met as graduate students. Years later, they returned to the city that holds such a special place in their hearts to celebrate their wedding in style, surrounded by their friends and loved ones.

Emily wore a couture gown by Caroline Castigliano, paired with elegant Emmy London shoes – choices that reflected her desire for a look that felt classic and modern.

The couple’s ceremony was held at St. John’s College Chapel, Cambridge, followed by a reception at Gonville & Caius College and an after party at 2648 Cocktail Bar.

Emily and Philip hired Martha from Anemone as their wedding coordinator. On the day co-ordination was provided by Cara, associate planner with Katrina Otter. Photography was captured by the lovely, incredibly talented Love My Dress recommended vendor, Paul Santos. Enjoy!

Bride standing outside Cambridge college wearing a Caroline Castigliano wedding dress. Groom in black tie. Paul Santos Photography.

The Dress & Accessories

My dress was by Caroline Castigliano and from Caroline’s Knightsbridge flagship store.

The team at Caroline Castigliano was so great and helped make my gown completely my own – from the sash, to the sleeves, to the cathedral veil. I would highly recommend this experience to other brides.

I wanted my dress to be timeless yet contemporary, and it needed to fit the location. I didn’t want to feel like I was wearing a costume, and I didn’t want appliqués, so the silk fabric really stood out to me.

Given we got married the hottest day of the year, I was also so thankful for the lightness of the silk.

My veil was a cathedral veil – also from Caroline Castigliano. My shoes were by Emmy London, my accessories from
Jennifer Behr and my perfume was Nord du Nord by Wienerblut – a favourite! I also wore a pair of Birks pearl stud earrings.

Our flowers were by Larkspur Floral Design. Floral designer Bee is a phenomenal florist, and we are so happy that we got to work with her for our wedding! From the very first meeting, she came prepared with ideas based on my Pinterest – and worked with me through many iterations of mood boards to come up with the final look – contemporary, asymmetric arrangements, with beautiful textured flowers, in a shades of whites, green, and pops of peach. We got married on the hottest day of the year, and the flowers looked fresh throughout the night.

All white wedding flowers including roses and dahlia. Paul Santos Photography.

My hair and makeup artist, Nicola Beddoes, was absolutely amazing to work with! She did hair and make up for me, my sister, and my mum – and we were all over the moon with the results. Nicola was such a calm presence in the morning, and made the morning so fun as we got ready.

She absolutely nailed the looks we were going for – and took the time needed to make sure they were all just right. We got married on the hottest day of the year, and our hair and make up stayed completely in place through the heat (and the jumping and dancing). We highly recommend Nicola!

Groom in black tie tuxedo laughing towards the camera. Paul Santos Photography.

We didn’t have a formal bridal party; my sister was my maid of honour, and my brother was my ‘man of honour,’ Phil’s sister was his ‘best woman’ and his best friend was his best man. My brother and Phil’s best man wore custom cummerbunds, but other than that, everyone picked out what they wore. 

Beautiful shot of the bride arriving at church to be greeted by the vicar. Light from the windows above shines through her tulle veil. Paul Santos Photography.

The Ceremony


My father walked me down the aisle. The precessional was Rigaudon (Campra) played by an organist. 

Bride walking down the aisle for her church wedding. Paul Santos Photography.

Our wedding was officiated by the Chaplain of St. John’s College, Andrew Hammond, who led a traditional Church of England ceremony.

Bride and groom seated inside the church during their wedding ceremony at St. John’s College Chapel, Cambridge, whilst smiling at one another.

The engagement ring is a sapphire and diamond gap ring from Shahla Kharimi – we fell in love with Shahla Kharimi’s sustainable, modern, asymmetrical ring designs.

We had both  of our mothers and a close friend of ours do the readings. The readings were Ruth 1:16, Love’s Philosophy by Percy Shelly, and a combination of  ‘Marriage Advice’, by Jane Wells and ‘Advice on Marriage’, by Ogden Nash. These pieces were all chosen by our readers. 

Stunning large stained glass windows inside St. John’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Paul Santos Photography.

The wedding ring is from Mejuri, which we chose again since the diamond baguettes in the wedding ring matched those in the engagement ring, and again for their use of sustainable materials. 

The groom’s wedding band is a family heirloom. 

Bride and groom standing outside St. John’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Paul Santos Photography.

Photography

Our photographer was Paul Santos. After having a long look for a photographer that captures smiles and laughter through a cool, timeless, black & white film-style lens – we finally found Paul, and we are so happy we did! We fell in love with Paul’s timeless editorial style focused on capturing candid moments.

On the day Paul was exceptionally accommodating for all our or requests and needs. Paul blended in incredibly well with our guests and was able to subtly capture so many beautiful candid moments of our guests and family. We would highly recommend Paul to anyone! Paul has been so great to work with!

We met while we were grad students at the University of Cambridge – Phil was at St. John’s and I was at Gonville & Caius. We wanted our friends and family to celebrate together where we met – and bring together the two colleges while doing so. We loved being able to have the tradition and beauty of Cambridge, while making sure it was just one big party, full of laughter and celebration!

Bride in a Caroline Castigliano wedding dress. Bride in a Caroline Castigliano wedding dress. Her groom carries her bouquet. Paul Santos Photography.

The Reception

Our biggest inspiration was The Parent Trap movie – especially for the dinner music – think Glen Miller, Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole etc.

On the day stationery was provided by both colleges (St. John’s for ceremony order of service and Caius for menus, place cards, etc). Martha, our co-ordinator, designed and provided the seating plan.

We provided goodie bags (which were essentially hangover kits) that we put together ourselves, containing must haves from snacks to eye masks. 

Our cake was by One Part Love Bakery. We had a three tiered cake (three different flavours: zesty lemon, belgian chocolate, and carrot cake) with with pressed flowers (Jessica worked with our florist to ensure the cake mirrored the florals).  We also had vegan and gluten free cupcakes, which were raspberry & lemon.

We had so many favourite moments! The ceremony itself was surreal, the chapel is so grand and we felt extremely lucky to be able to get married there. Though, the best memories really have to do with the people! Our friends and family had flown in from around the world (the vast majority having never met each other); seeing them all hit it off – laughing, dancing, and celebrating together – was really unforgettable.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

Try to make your planning fun! We would go for dog walks and park it at a wine bar or pub to allocate time to go through our wedding to-dos.

Advice for those living abroad – our wedding was going to be a”destination wedding’ no matter where we got married (we live in the UK, and our families and friends live across Canada and the US) – so, giving our guests chances to connect before the wedding really made the day that much more of a celebration.

We had a joint bachelor/bachelorette with friends in Canada earlier in the year, and had a couple welcome events the day before the wedding (punting on the River Cam, and welcome drinks at St. John’s). Even though many people had just met, it felt like a big party full of old friends! 

In hindsight, we should have created a joint wedding specific email address to keep everything in one spot. 

Groom fanning himself with his bow tie and shirt undone as he lets loose on the dance floor. Paul Santos Photography.

Cool black and white photograph of bride and groom kissing on the dance floor. Paul Santos Photography.

Love My Dress Wedding Directory Members

The below suppliers and venues featured in this article are part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.

Paul Santos Weddings

Paul Santos Weddings

Credits

Suppliers and venues noted with a tick are part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.

Venue (Reception)Gonville & Caius College
Wedding Day Co-ordinatorAnemone
Floral DesignerLarkspur Floral Design
On The Day Co-ordinationKatrina Otter Weddings and Events
Wedding Dress DesignerCaroline Castigliano
Bridal AccessoriesJennifer Behr
Bridal ShoesEmmy London
EarringsBirks
Hair & MakeupNicola Beddoes
Groom’s SuitZebel
Engagement RingShahla Kharimi
Wedding Ring (Bride)Mejuri

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