Inspiration

Whenever we receive images from a wedding where the Bride is a wedding industry supplier, we get really excited. Not because they have better weddings than everyone else, (we know, you lot knock it out of the park on a daily basis) but because when it's their own big day, suppliers can unleash their creativity in a totally free and authentic way. Lovely Bride Lisa is the florist behind Miss Victoria's Floral Emporium (whose bouquet skills we lusted over in this real wedding) so it's a real treat to share her and Ash's day with you all. And it's filled to the brim with gorgeous details, quirky ways to entertain guests, a fabulous relaxed pub venue, and of course, loads of stunning flowers. Oh and look out for the most epic piece of Bridal jewellery we've ever seen...

The Bride

Lisa the Bride: I knew from the outset that I wanted a dress to reflect the relaxed, laid back vibe of our wedding. I had a pretty clear idea of the shape and style that I wanted my dress to be, my body shape suits fit and flare, 50ʻs style dresses. I was also adamant that I wanted pockets and sleeves! So, with my bridesmaid and Mum in tow, we went to several boutiques in London (which I had researched thoroughly beforehand) and tried on SO many dresses! It was lots of fun but I felt a little blue afterwards as nothing really truly fulfilled the brief. That evening I went back to my Pinterest board to re-group, I noticed that the first dress I had pinned months ago had a link to an Etsy page...CLICK! Thatʼs when I came across Erin at Peppermint Pretty, I was overjoyed to see that she still made the dress in the photos, the only down side was that she is based in the U.S.! I had heard such mixed reviews about buying your wedding dress abroad that I was a little nervous. Most people I spoke to about it thought I was mad, but after reading Erinʼs reviews, and emailing with her, I felt confident I was making the right decision. When it arrived in the post, I couldn't wait for my Mum and Bridesmaids, I ripped it out of the box and put it on straight away. It was so beautifully made, comfortable and had all the elements I was after, it was perfect for our wedding. The lovely Pascale at Stag and Bow made the alterations for me. I was desperate for gold glittery shoes and really struggled to find any to buy, so after watching many YouTube tutorials on how to glitter your on shoes, I bit the bullet and, brought a comfy pair of peep toe, chunky heels from M&S and did it myself! My lovely Bridesmaid, Lauren made the red bows for me. I felt awesome in them, eat your heart out, Dorothy! Ash and I have recently developed a thing for pineapples, so when I opened my wedding present from him the perfect gift was inside - a beautiful, ceramic, pineapple necklace! <3

The Groom

Ash had had a three piece tweed suit in his mind for some time. We took a trip to Covent Garden to visit Walker Slater, a Scottish tweed, suit, and tailoring specialists, there are so many beautiful tweeds in there to choose from. The team there were great, efficient and friendly, and they take care of all the alterations as well which was a real bonus. Ash put a deposit down the same day, and Iʼm glad he did, he looked smoking! On a slight whim, we popped round the corner to Laird as Ash had a light bulb moment about all the boys wearing bowler hats, it was a great idea and the staff in there just look at your head and know what size you are instantly. We were really happy with our experiences in both shops. Ashʼs boots are from Dr Martens and his AWESOME cufflinks are from And Mary.

The Venue

The venue was the hardest and most challenging part of the wedding, The County Arms was in fact the third venue we booked (for reasons probably best left forgotten!) but (and Ash will hate me for saying this) everything happens for a reason. The County Arms was a lot cheaper than the other two venues and we got so much more for our money. Yasmin was our event manager, she was friendly, patient and made everything really easy for us. We were allowed to do with the space as we pleased which meant we could really make it our own. The only downside to the venue was that we had to pack everything up ourselves by 10am the next day and many things were not ready for us to collect which meant we didn't get to take our left over wedding cake home with us.

The Decor

Our Colour scheme was a mixed bag of reds, blush, peach, mint which was a nod to the style of 1950ʻs America, then we decided to throw gold glitter into the pot for a bit of glamour. Being a florist, I also wanted there to be a botanical element to the styling too.

The Flowers

I run Miss Victoriaʼs Floral Emporium and I was determined to do my own wedding flowers, with the help of my extremely talented, floristry college friend, Michelle. We spent the few days before the wedding in my studio chatting, laughing and reminiscing whilst making up the arrangements, it was really lovely. With Ash being Aussie and a craft beer extraordinaire, I really wanted to incorporate this into my trademark wild, English garden designs. So we mixed Hops foliage, various types of Eucalyptus aka Gum leaves, and proteas with Garden Roses, Dahlias, Hydrangeas and berries, all in colours to reflect our overall scheme. We used vintage containers for the table arrangements to suit the pub setting such as old Toby Jugs and cider jugs.

The Wedding Party

Our Bridesmaids all wore the same dress from ASOS in a floral print with colours that toned in with our scheme. The fit and flare 50ʼs shape not only complimented the shape of my dress, but suited all of them beautifully. They all chose their own shoes, the only stipulation was that they had to be red. Unfortunately our budget couldn't stretch to buying suits for all the groomsmen, so instead we decided to tie them all in together with matching bowler hats and button holes, they all looked so dashing!

The Ceremony

Our Ceremony was wonderful, it was the favourite part of our day. It was held in The Grand Chamber at Wandsworth Town Hall. Despite it being a big space and housing 80 guests, our ceremony felt really intimate, the layout and tiered seating meant we could see all our nearest and dearest around us. We had two wonderful readings, one written just for us by our talented bridesmaid, Clara, and the other was ʻA Lovely Love Storyʼ by Edward Monkton ready by our gorgeous friend, Charlie. Both brought happy tears. Being us though, there had to be a comedy element involved; Just as we were announced Mr and Mrs Hyde the test fire alarm went off! Our Registrar, Sandra dealt with it wonderfully, her words matched the timing of the alarm perfectly and the whole event brought the house down!

The Entertainment

It was really important to us that there was something for everyone at our wedding, we didnʼt want anyone feeling left out or at a loss for what to do. We really considered this in all aspects of the day, so following the ceremony there was a games area which included our special DIY version of Guess Who, a chill out area with lots of cushions and blankets, & a giant poster for colouring-in which acted as our guest book (by World Of Moose on Not On The High Street). During our meal, we encouraged our guests to get creative by covering the tables in brown craft paper, drawing a picture frame as the place setting and arming everyone with a Sharpie - it was a great icebreaker and the results were fantastic, we plan to make a book out of all the artwork. We provided the kids with jars of lego and our brilliant Bridesmaid Liz designed a personalised colouring books for us, beautifully illustrated by a group of our Graphic Design friends. For Ash and I, our wedding day wasnʼt only about us, but also about the people we wanted to celebrate it with, so we wanted to make everyone as involved as possible. This really came together at the end of our night when we announced our Lipsync battle. We have been huge fans of the Jimmy Fallon Lip Sync Battles for years so we were over joyed when seven of our very brave guests agreed to prepare an act for our ʻaudienceʼ. It was bloody brilliant.

The Food

Our cake was by the wonderfully talented Holly at The Floury. I met Holly whilst hosting a pop-up shop in Sydenham, I really admired Hollyʼs work and when she mentioned that she wanted to expand her wedding portfolio I HAD to ask her to do our cake! The cake was decorated with edible gold glitter and the whole thing tasted amazing and received fantastic compliments from our guests. Holly was a delight to work with and I thoroughly recommend her to any couple. Our food was taken care of by The County Arms, and they didnʼt disappoint. We had a great selection of canapés and the snacks, from mini burgers to scotch eggs, and the pork belly main was to die for. The pub was really good in allowing us to bring in our own desert, listed on the menu as ʻAshʼs Favouriteʼ we served platters of mint Vienetta - yum!

The Photography

Laura and Andy at Candid and Frank were the first suppliers we booked. I met Laura years ago through a mutual friend, after we both were made redundant and started our own businesses in the wedding industry, we got together for a chat and really admired each others work and style. Laura is responsible for most of the photography on my website, she is so fun, relaxed and easy to work with. It was a no brainer to have her and her Husband Andy as our wedding photographers. We all went away to Whitstable for a weekend, using our engagement shoot as an excuse. It was a lovely idea as it really gave the four of us a chance to get to know each other before the wedding, on the day Laura and Andy felt like guests rather than suppliers. They blended right in, making all our friends and family feel at ease whilst they snapped away. The results are stunning, they capture the light and mood so beautifully. I canʼt recommend Candid and Frank highly enough, they pour so much love and time in to your day. They will exceed all your expectations.

Final Thoughts

We DIYʼd as much as we possibly could for our wedding, budget did play a part in this, but it was mainly because I am a huge crafter and wanted to make the wedding as unique to us as possible, itʼs also a great way to spend time with loved ones by getting them involved! My favourite DIY project was making our own wedding bands at the Rachel Jeffery Jewellery School. It was a great day and makes our rings that little bit more special. As for words of wisdom, try not to get caught up in the nitty gritty planning, the sleepless nights spent worrying about what ifʼs really arenʼt worth it. Also, if youʼre worried about budget, your friends will be more talented thank you think and are a great source of free labour!
Fern Godfrey

Written by Fern Godfrey

Bride: The Peppermint Pretty | Alterations: Stag & Bow | Hair & Make Up: Lipstick & Curls | Necklace & Cufflinks: And Mary | Veil: Lily Bella | Florist: Miss Victoria's Floral Emporium | Ceremony Venue: Wandsworth Town Hall | Reception Venue: The County Arms | Cake: The Floury | Bridesmaids: ASOS | Groom: Walker Slater | Shoes: Dr. Martens | Colouring Books: Liz Micallef | Wedding Bands: Rachel Jeffrey

Inspirational articles you may also find useful