Gin Bike & Monochrome Styling with Bell Sleeve Emma Beaumont Wedding Dress
Photography by Ruth Atkinson PhotographyWell now, where do we start with this wedding? Ellen & Grant's day is filled with fun features: vintage buses, a gin bike, giant flags, oversized balloons, Crosstown doughnuts, confetti cannons. The fashion is also seriously fierce, with the bride in a stunning sparkly bell sleeve Emma Beaumont dress - a designer she fell in love with on these very pages - and her groom in a black tuxedo. (And is it me, or does he have a hint of Ryan Gosling about him? Heart eyes.) The monochrome styling looks amazing at this industrial Islington venue, where the party went on into the early hours. Oh to be a guest at this one!
Inspiration Behind The Styling
We always knew we would have a London wedding so set ourselves a mission to find a venue that would not feel too formal and would lend itself well to having a huge party. Islington Metal Works had so many unique features and allowed us to stamp our own mark. We added quite a lot in terms of décor, opting for a simple palette of black, white and green. A friend of Grant’s Mum created the hanging greenery, whilst White Cottage Weddings made a big hanging flag with one of our favourite sayings printed on it. My uncle made a simple copper frame for our table plan, and I ordered a ton of greenery online and arranged it in beer and gin bottles. Collecting the bottles was a part of wedding planning Grant could really get on board with!
Ellen & Grant
Gin Bike
No, your eyes do not deceive you: this wedding includes a bar on a bike. Ellen & Grant hired The Travelling Gin Company to serve G&Ts to their guests straight from the baskets of their delivery bikes. Talk about cocktails on wheels. In fact, drinks with a difference played a central role in this wedding, with the couple also serving free-flowing prosecco from vintage double-decker buses, which transported guests from the ceremony to reception. How fun. Cheers!
Advice For Brides-to-be
My biggest advice is to do what feels right for you. It sounds obvious, but it is so easy to be swayed by other people’s opinions. It was so important to us that the day reflected our everyday life, and although I had a huge crisis of confidence in some of our choices a few months before the wedding, it turned out that the things I worried about – the relaxed venue, bags of our favourite crisps and cans of red stripe – were what everyone loved! It really is the best day, filled with love and all your favourite people in one place, so try not to worry too much. Hearing how much our guests enjoyed it in the weeks after was the best feeling and made all the stress (and money!) worth it.Ellen & Grant
Finding suppliers you click with is so important; after all, they are the ones delivering your vision on the day (and, if they're good, will provide plenty of inspiration and support in the run-up, too). One of Ellen's favourite suppliers was her hairstylist, Victoria Ralph, found on RMW's recommended supplier directory. Victoria not only helped the bridal party feel a million dollars on the day itself but also didn't flinch when Ellen messaged her a week before the wedding saying she wanted to cut five inches off her hair and have a completely different style to the one they had practised. Now that's the mark of a true pro.
