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Real bride: Emma and Rod's chic navy and gold inspired London wedding
Here's a little midweek treat for you today, with a super cool, blue and gold {two of my favourite} themed, super chic London wedding of Emma and Rod, who started their romance in Spain and chose to spend their big day in their special corner of London, Islington. The happy couple, love the Islington vibe and have lived there ever since. It was a pleasure creating Emma's dress for her, she looked sensational in the Lilian dress, it was the perfect dress.
The Lilian dress is a slinky, bias cut, backless wedding dress with cap sleeves. Emma accessorised the look with an art nouveau pearl beaded belt embroidered on a satin ivory sash, complete with a vintage fur stole and glamourous red lips. Love the matching red lips and red roses, and the bike covered in roses. Read on to find out more about the stylish day.
The details:
The couple: Emma and Rod
Venue: Islington Town Hall / Chiswell Street Dining Room
Bride’s dress: the Lilian dress with the art nouveau beaded pearl belt
Groom’s suit: Cad and The Dandy
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik – hangisi pumps in navy
Accessories: Shaun Leane bracelet. Diamond earrings – made. Pearl necklace – my mums. Fur stole – vintage
Make up and hair artist: Jo Adams – Hair and Makeup Atelier
Photographer: Antony Merat
Flowers: McQueens
Cake: Cheese – Pistachio and Pickle
The background;
How did you and your husband meet?
Rod and I were friends before we got together. A group of friends, along with Rod and I, went away to Spain. A holiday romance blossomed on a trip to Spain, and the rest is history. Sunshine, sea and sangria did the trick!
What’s your engagement story?
Rod and I went on another weekend trip to Spain in November 2014, to the Rioja region. Rod had wanted to take me to a particular hotel at a winery in very old wine making village of Elciego, called Marquis de Riscal, which was designed by Frank Gehry. We hadn’t long arrived and Rod seemed very keen to go out and explore the vineyard. We were enjoying a walk around the vineyards of our hotel, when Rod dropped to his knee and popped the question!
Where is your engagement ring from? Did your husband choose it himself?
Rod decided that he would prefer for us to find my ring together. It’s a big decision and he didn’t want the risk to getting something that may not be perfect. We were put in contact with jeweler in Hatton Garden, who we met with and talked through what we wanted. He also made my earrings that I wore on our wedding day.
The planning;
How long did you have to plan your wedding and was it enough time?
We wanted to give ourselves time, especially since we had guests coming over from Australia, so we needed to give them as much notice as possible. In the end we pretty much has exactly a year to plan, and it was just right. I work in events so knew that forward planning is key. I worked to get a lot done in the first few months.
Why did you choose your dress? Which dress did you wear?
I knew I wanted something fairly simple and elegant, so when I came across Sabina on Google, I knew her style was what I was looking for. This was the first appointment I had, Sabina was so friendly and made me feel at ease. I tried on about four different dresses but the Lilian was the first that I tried and the one that I fell in love with. I tried the dress on in December, so not feeling the most body confident! However, the dress made me feel amazing, regardless. I was comfortable, yet felt glamorous. I loved the feel of old Hollywood glamour!
Why did you choose your venue? Where did you get married?
Rod and I wanted venues that were local to us and had a connection. I have always loved Islington Town Hall. The interior is just stunning.
Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is a short distance from where we live, and has a great London vibe to it, it is also pretty intimate so worked well for the amount of guests we had. Food is very important to us also, so we went for dinner there and just loved it!
Since we had guests from Australia and since our lives together have always have always been in London, we wanted the wedding to reflect this, and these venues did just that. I wouldn’t change a single thing!
The memories;
What was your first dance song?
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows.
How did you feel in your dress?
Amazing!! I cannot describe how amazing I felt. Once I put everything on, make up, hair, shoes etc. I was beyond happy. Without really trying we had created quite a vintage feel to our wedding and my look was just that.
How did you feel just before you walked down the aisle?
Terrified! But good terrified. Mostly because I thought I’d burst in to tears when I heard the music I was walking down the isle to. As soon as I walked in to the room however, that all disappeared, partly down to how nervous Rod was! My life!
How many bridesmaids did you have? Where did you find your bridesmaids dresses from?
I had two bridesmaids. One dress from Coast and the other from Ralph Lauren. Both bridesmaids are totally different shapes and sizes, so I wanted to make sure they had dresses they loved and were comfortable in, rather than the same thing.
What was your colour scheme or theme?
Navy and gold
What was the best moment of your wedding day?
Obviously saying I do is up there! Other than that, it’s tough to pick a specific part, every moment was just fantastic and so much fun. It was wonderful to have everyone around us who we love to share the day. Since getting the photos back, it was amazing to check out the ones from when things really got going on the dance floor, and the photo booth. So many laughs! The photos capture us and our friends and family just perfectly!
What was the funniest thing that happened on the day?
Again, I can’t think of a specific moment. There were many funny dance moves, photo booth photos, the speeches, the bar running out of gin! Rod being so nervous at the ceremony – I could see his knees shaking!
Advice;
What’s your best tip for dressing for the big day you’d like to share with other brides?
Find an amazing hair and make up person! Jo was absolutely amazing. She gave us so many tips before the day and when we were getting ready.
Other than that, relax, let others around you handle the big stuff. Enjoy the moments with your bridesmaids. Have a glass or two of champagne to settle the nerves!
What advice would you give to other bride’s planning their wedding?
Enjoy every moment. I know everyone says it, but the time flies by. I wanted to plan things early, so I didn’t get stressed as the day got closer, and I think this really helped.
Avoid wedding magazines! They can be helpful but they can also make you feel that you are not doing enough and question what you want. If you know what you want, stick to it! Everyone has an opinion but it’s your day, don’t get caught up in doing things for other people. Pinterest however, is amazing! I was skeptical at first but it’s actually really useful.
There is a lot you can do yourself, like a photobooth, that will help save money. I had a great backdrop made and my friend provided the camera. It worked really well!
Accept that things will go wrong, not work out etc. This is just part of planning a big event. Often there is nothing you can do about it, so try not to stress and just try to enjoy the planning stage. Remember your bridesmaids are there to help. I have a tendency to want to do everything myself, but it’s good to have support you need it as the day gets closer!
Did you discover any amazing suppliers that you’d like other bride’s to know about?
I sourced a lot of things from notonthehighstreet.com. Confetti, photo booth props etc. I also found a great website for things like table numbers called (you can get their stuff on notonthehighstreet and Amazon too).
Looking back, is there anything you’d change? Is there anything you wish you knew before you started planning your wedding?
Honestly there is nothing I would change. To me, it was perfect and exactly what I wanted.
How much things cost! It sounds stupid, I knew things could get a little pricey when it comes to weddings, but when we started planning, we realized that we needed to adjust our budget. We soon became pretty good at searching for deals, finding things we could do ourselves etc. so we could focus the spend on things that mattered more to us
What was the most stressful thing about planning your wedding?
Coordinating everything in the week leading up to the wedding. We had a lot going on, events with friends and family, showing people around London (people thought we were nuts!) I learned to delegate very well!
Finally;
What 3 words would you use to describe your wedding day?
Emotional. Fun. Perfect.
