A Quirky Contrast.

Nadia and Carl’s big day is one of the most interesting and quirky I think I have ever seen.

As in – nothing was what I expected, from one image to the next. A classic full tiered dress and top hat and tails served as the fashion of choice for the ceremony in the splendour of St Andrews of Holborn….followed by portraits set against a distinctly urban backdrop.

And then, for the reception, the palette was a contemporary nude blush mixed with the stark white surroundings of Beach Blanket Babylon in Shoreditch.

I’ve never seen such simple yet effective decor – essentially champagne bottles filled with candles and pots of herbs and lavender wrapped in newspaper.

I like it. I like it A LOT.

Oh and Nadia definitely has quite a bit of the Eva Mendes about her, she makes for a truly beautiful bride.

Beauty Treats

Nadia The Bride: I’m a big fan of big lashes so really wanted to go to town on them.
My maid of honour did my eye makeup. I remembered that years ago she had done my eyes once before going out and I loved it. Also she’s one of 3 sisters so has a lot of experience with makeup. She came over and we did a practice session and I was happy with it.


OH!!! and a face mask once a week in the months leading up to the wedding, and on the morning on the big day before my shower. Also -camomile teabags on my eyes for 20 minutes, it does make a difference.



Compare And Contrast




My dress was from Love Me Do Brides in Norbiton, and the dress was by Pascala.
 I had a picture in my head of what I wanted from a dress, and this one fit the bill perfectly. It was the 2nd one I tried on, and I really liked it, but kept trying on the others that I’d chosen. Then at the end, I tried it on again, and was able to compare it to all the rest, and that’s how I realised that it was the one I preferred.




The Best Detail

Carl wore a morning suit with a purple tie. The purple tie was the purple of our colour scheme along with a purple handkerchief. I didn’t really swoon, I was more worried about how I looked and if he was happy with it. The best detail was and always will be his adorable little face. 

Subtle Sparkle

My veil is what really made it feel like a wedding dress/day. I had a very long veil, with sparkles on it so from far away it glittered a bit – subtle though. I didn’t have much in the way of accessories, as I had kind of a silver beaded belt sewn onto the dress right under the bust, so I didn’t want to go over the top on jewellery.

I also wore a charm bracelet – a last minute decision, Carl had bought it for me. This actually didn’t go with my outfit, however, as a gift we’d given all the bridesmaids a charm bracelet with one charm that represented our wedding. They were all so sweet that they wore it on the big day, so as more of a connection with them, I wore my charm bracelet too.


DIY Florals

The 
buttonholes were bought from the florist. The rest – we did it ourselves!


I looked up on Youtube how to do a bouquet – it’s easy. So the day before I picked up bunches of pre ordered flowers from a local florist, and that evening me an my girls all got together and I showed them how to do a bouquet and they did their own and I did my own. It was fun, and they each got to arrange their own bouquet and it was personal to them.


For the table centres my fiance and I decided to do them ourselves. We did a trial run which we ended up being ecstatic about, so we took pictures and sent it to the venue so that they could set it up the way we wanted. We had tall white lillies in the centre, then a a ring of lavender, then a ring of random herbs – thyme, edible lavender, rosemary, and something else I can’t remember. Then, at the end of the night, because the herbs were all potted (in those plastic pots that you buy them in) I gave out small brown paper bags (that I’d got from the very sweet owner of my local curry house) and told people to take as many herbs as they could home with them (as we’re living with my inlaws and don’t yet have a garden for the herbs)….

MINT!! that was the last herb that I couldn’t remember. 
The smell throughout the room was amazing. And everyone said so as well. Friends keep telling me that they made a roast with the herbs from our wedding, or used it in their dinner that week, which is special to me. 



Telling The Story

Claudia Rose Carter was the right choice for a couple of main reasons: She noticed small details and took pictures of mundane everyday objects that end up telling a real story about the day.

Also, a very important reason, we felt comfortable around her, which meant that the guests would feel comfortable around her. She dressed up as a guest so I think for many guests it just felt as though an other guest was taking pictures of them.

Simple Statements

Our favourite cava comes in beautiful black bottles so we drank lots of it during the year in the run up to the wedding and stuck bright white candles which was part of the centre pieces – all the green herbs. Plus there were lots of derelict props in the venue’s storeroom that we could help ourselves to.

Oh, and 4 A3 ornately framed photos of me and my husband that had been taken at a photo shoot. These really made the room as they were true focal points and everybody commented on them.




Tastes Like Velvet

We had red velvet cupcakes from Bea’s. I don’t really care for cake but these little gems are amazing. Our main concern was that they tasted good rather than looking crazily pretty…. They tasted really good.

A Special Song

For the first dance we had Angel Gabrielle by Lamb. We used to listen to it at Uni before we met, and it’s a really special song for the both of us. Followed by “99 problems but a bitch ain’t one”… just to ease the puke factor down a bit (!)

Re-Useable


Instead of a guest book we had 3 canvases brought out after dinner with markers and paints in our colour scheme for people to sign which we are planning to put up in our future house.



My BIGGEST piece of advice: you’ll only have a really good day if your guests are having a good day. Consideration for your guests is paramount. Keep travelling to a minimum, and costs low so that everyone can enjoy. If the company is good and people are happy then you’ll have a great day.

Click here & view all images from this wedding

Reception Venue – Beach Blanket Babylon
Brides Gown – Love Me Do Brides
Grooms Suit – Moss Bros
Cakes – Beas Of Bloomsbury
Blooms – DIY
Photography – Claudia Rose Carter

Yes, I too am wondering “What is that immense gold chain back Chanel-esque frock that sexy lady guest is wearing?!”

And if putting chamomile Tea-bags on my peepers for 20 minutes can make me look like Nadia? I’m THERE.

Big Blush Love

Charlotte xxx