Inspiration

There's so much inspiration to take from this London wedding, probably the most relevant is how much fun you can have moving to different locations during your wedding day and the different dynamics you'll gain from each venue. Leigh & Luca had their heart set on a gondola ride from their ceremony at York House in Twickenham to their botanical reception at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, resulting in some fabulous photo ops and memories captured by Irene Yap along the way. Then you arrive at said botanical reception and your jaw hits the floor with all the beautiful blooms and decor. It's literally a flower lovers heaven, so of course we feel right at home and will be enjoying this wedding over and over again. Before I leave you to enjoy every last detail, I'd just like to say the brides immense gown... she made it. I know bloomin' talented as well as bloomin' beautiful.

Dress

Leigh the Bride: I grew up in a creative household and was taught to sew at a young age by my mother, who also made her own dress for the wedding. I had been designing dresses for as long as I can remember and since finishing university I have worked in the fashion industry as a pattern cutter. I knew that, when the time came, I would design my own wedding dress. After months of sketching and draping, and with the help of two of my colleagues, Zaneta and Amelia, I was able to create my dream wedding dress. The dress was styled with a pair of diamond earrings, which my parents gave me for my 21st birthday, and a large gold cuff bracelet from Whistles.

Grooms Fashion

Luca knew he wanted to wear a blue, tweed three-piece suit but struggled to find anything he liked on the high street. Finally, he discovered Jennis & Warmann, a small independent shop offering bespoke tailoring in Stoke Newington. They had exactly what he was after and coincidently they are located just around the corner from where the couple met.

The Venue

We share a love of nature, so Richmond seemed like the perfect London location for our wedding. The ceremony started nice and early at 10am and was held at York House in Twickenham. After the ceremony, the wedding party headed into the gardens for photos. The reception was then held at the stunning Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, and followed by the afterparty at Revolution. Petersham Nurseries looked like something out of a fairy tale. Bobby (Head of Events at Petersham Nurseries) and his team, did an incredible job, and worked closely with Adeel Belorf, the wedding manager, to ensure that the day ran smoothly and that all the guests were taken care of. Bobby even had sunscreen on hand for the mee and guests.

Transport

We wanted the transport between each location to be a memorable experience for all of their guests. So we arranged a vintage double decker for the wedding party, and for the bridal party to be rowed down the Thames on the Lady Mayoress, which is a beautiful, wooden gondala that Mark Edwards, the owner of Richmond Bridge Boathouse, built himself 30 years ago. When Luca saw Lady Mayoress docked on the banks of the River Thames a couple of months before the wedding, he knew it would be the perfect way for the bridal party to get between the two locations. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day!

Colour Scheme/Décor

The bride & groom spent a long time searching for the right venue, and when they found Petersham Nurseries they completely fell in love with its laidback, rustic feel. With the flowers in full bloom and the table we needed to organise was the seating plan and table names. At the recommendation of Bobby, we contacted Kate Ridyard Calligraphy. Kate did such an incredible job that a number of the guests took home their placeholders and table names as souvenirs.

Flowers/Florist

• Bouquets, flower girl headbands & buttonholes – Daisy Burgoyne of Daisy Ellen • Centerpieces & decorative arrangements at venue – Thomas Broom-Hughes from Petersham Nurseries Luca happily let me take charge of the flowers. I trolled through Pinterest looking for colour schemes and inspiration, and when I came across Daisy Ellen’s website I knew she was the perfect choice to do the bouquets & button holes. After I briefed Daisy & Tom on the colour scheme, which was Autumn hues (to match the bridesmaids’ dresses), bright whites to contrast and a pop of vibrant fuchsia to give a Springtime feel, I left them to their work. And the results were stunning! The bouquets were absolutely beautiful and Tom did an incredible job at the venue. The centrepieces were amazing and so unique. We went back the next day and took as many home as we could carry.

The Wedding Party Fashion

Whilst the we both currently live in London, we were actually born on opposite sides of the globe. I am from Australia and Luca is from Brazil, which meant most of our family and friends, including the bridesmaids and groomsmen, flew in for the wedding. The distance made co-ordinating the outfits for the wedding party quite a challenge. I chose a burgundy dress from an Australian label, Shona Joy, with my mother orchestrating the bridesmaid fittings in Sydney. Luca wanted the grooms to feel truly comfortable so didn’t set anything other than not wearing ties with blue suits and left them to organise things between themselves. They all looked fantastic! There were 3 flower girls, 2 of which are Luca’s nieces, Alice & Bel. They all wore a cute, white lace dress with a burgundy ribbon around their waist.

Ceremony

With all the anticipation and build-up to the big day we were both very excited, and a little bit nervous as we entered the room. Throughout the ceremony we held each other’s shacking hands under the table. My godmother Sue, who has been like a third parent, read the first poem ‘Touched By An Angel’ by Maya Angelou, one the our favorite poets. Luca’s sister, Lara, then did a heartfelt rendition of ‘This Marriage’ by Rumi. And last but not least, the three bridesmaids read an exert from one of my favourite films ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.’

Entertainment

As luck would have it one of the bride’s school friends from Australia, Briana Cowlishaw, is a professional singer living in London. She just launched her new album and is performing all over Europe but managed to squeeze in a performance at the wedding.

Food

As you would expect, Petersham Nurseries chefs’ did a fantastic job. The menu was light, fresh, colourful and absolutely delicious! We love that the nursery is a family run business and that most of the food is grown locally by the owner’s son at Haye farm near Devon. Since they only use organic and fresh ingredients we knew we could trust the nurseries to provide an amazing array of scrumptious dishes that would complement the wine, beer and champagne selected.

Photographer

Irene Yap was an obvious choice. As soon as we came across her website we knew she was the one, and after meeting her in a pub in Notting Hill we couldn’t book her quick enough. We both love the candid nature of her photography, and how Irene is able to beautifully and creatively capture those magical, intimate moments between the bride, groom and their guests. Everyone agreed that she did an amazing job and that each photo captured the love and energy everyone felt on the day.

Videographer

We decided not to have a videographer, which was a wise decision, as all the guests seemed to be recording everything anyway.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Bridal Gown: Bespoke | Grooms Suit: Jennis & Warmann | Bridesmaids: Shoona Joy | Venue: Your House | Florist: Daisy Ellen | Stationery: Kate Ridyard Calligraphy

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