Inspiration

How utterly gorgeous are Sarah and Mike? They make a seriously stylish pair and their relaxed, waterside wedding in London naturally follows suit. Everything is beautifully styled, from the flowers to the fashion, and I just know the soft and romantic colour palette will be right up your street. You'll absolutely be swooning over Sarah's Rime Arodaky dress too, her legs go on for miles and she's a total knock out. Then there's the slinky dusky pink bridesmaids dresses from Reformation...honestly, I could talk for days about the gorgeousness. But luckily for you, we've got the wonderful images from Krishanthi, so you can see for yourselves and there's no need for my waffle to continue. Enjoy lovelies, this is a RMW wedding through and through.

The Fashion

Sarah The Bride: Sarah was inspired by Rime Arodaky’s wedding dresses as a number of friends had worn her dresses previously. She knew straight away that Rime was for her. Sarah loved the cool, edgy and elegant feel to her dresses, so much so Rime dresses were the only designer she tried on. This cool and edgy look was mirrored in the choice of bridesmaid dresses, which were all purchased from American brand, Reformation. Sarah had five bridesmaids and looked at a number of bridesmaid dresses in the UK but they were quite traditional and there wasn’t anything out there which suited our requirements. In the end, Sarah chose two styles of bridesmaid dresses from Reformation, with a third dress from Rime Arodaky, mirroring the wedding dress for Sarah’s younger 10-year-old bridesmaid. The flower girl dresses were from The Mews Bridal in Notting Hill, where Sarah bought her wedding dress. The groom’s attire consisted of a three-piece, navy blue suit from Reiss, with the entire grooms party wearing navy blue suits from differing brands, but all with the same Reiss ties and tie clips.

The Venue

We’ve lived in Putney, South West London for nearly 5 years, and it was only fitting for us to get married in an area where we have already made so many memories. Winchester House is near one of our favourite spots in Putney on the River Thames, and with a lovely back garden, which backs out onto Putney Embankment, the venue provides a beautiful view of the river, Putney Bridge and Bishop’s Park, which is located on the opposite side of the river. The venue is next to the start-line of the famous Oxford Cambridge Boat Race. The area is tranquil and we were blessed with beautiful weather for the entire day. We had our entire event at the venue: the ceremony, reception, wedding breakfast and evening party. Both the Winchester House and Create teams did a create job of turning around the main ballroom for each section of the day, on-time and with great professionalism. Our main contact with Winchester House and Create was Heidi. She was nothing short of a saint, always being available to answer questions and concerns in both the run-up to the event, and on the day.

The Food

Create’s food was outstanding and the menu they provided us going into the taste testing was substantial enough to suit all tastes. The waiter staff were professional and very accommodating. In the evening we had an hot dog stall in the form of a tricycle, delivered and manned by IdeasBoxUK. This was a favourite for many guests too.

The Photography & Film

Being in our early-30s, we are going through that phase in life where all your friends are getting married. This gave us the opportunity to get to know a number of photographers used by our friends at their weddings. We came across Krish and her husband Joey of Photography by Krishanthi at our friends’ wedding a week after we got engaged. We loved their approach to photography, which was stylish and professional, and it really showed in the photos. From there, it was an obvious choice and we met up with Krish and Joey in Putney to show them our wedding venue and to go over the options of which areas of Putney would be nice to take photos away from the venue. On the day, Krish went to photograph the bride and bridesmaids getting ready at Blake's Hotel in Chelsea. Joey met the groomsmen at the venue whilst they got ready. During the day, both Krish and Joey made sure we got the photos we wanted whilst not being intrusive whilst we chatted to our family and friends. We put our classic London taxi to good use and we were driven up to Putney Bridge to get some lovely photos overlooking the Thames after the confetti shower. Our photographers, Krish and Joey, doubled up as videographers for the day, and they produced a lovely 3 minute video which told the story of our wedding day perfectly. We would highly recommend a professional video of the day - it really is the most wonderful keepsake from our special day.

The Styling

We wanted nudes, soft tones but as the venue interior was white, we added a darker tone to give more colour. The flowers were one of our main decorations, and we took advantage of the two fireplaces in the main ballroom, decorating them with beautiful flowers across and draped down them. During the wedding breakfast, we had flowers in fish bowls on each table, and around the venue we had flowers in small milk bottle vases. We decorated our bride and groom’s chairs with flowers, along with our table plan stand, wedding cake and a peacock chair which we had in the river garden. We had rose gold table number stands, along with some rose gold vases and candle lights. We also had large L.O.V.E. letters in the ball room to give it that vintage and elegant feel.

The Ceremony

Our ceremony consisted of 100 guests in the main ballroom at the venue. The aisle was decorated with candles and white petals, which matched the white decor or the walls, chairs and wooden floor. A family member, Henry Lawry, played Turning Page from the Twilight Saga on piano during the wedding processional, and then All You Need Is Love whilst we exited the ceremony.


The Entertainment

During the evening we kept guests entertained with a band called the Phonographs from AliveNetwork. They played two 1 hours sets which kept our guests moving on the dancefloor. Around dancing, there was a polaroid camera and various funny props to create funny photos for our album.

The Stationery

Our stationery was branded with a rose gold embossed ivy pattern on ivory card and was design by Sarah's sister, Laura Neads. This accent was mirrored across from our save-the-dates, invites and menus to our website, which Michael built himself - he’s a web developer by trade. Guests also completed the RSVP form on our website, and the confirmation email sent to them was designed to mirror this rose gold ivy theme.

Advice

Try to book the ceremony and reception venues, photographer and florist as early as possible. This then gives you the opportunity to pay attention to small details which can make your day as special as possible. Also, when walking around potential venues, try and imagine what they will look like dressed with your flowers and decorations. It’s easy to dismiss a venue because it may be bare when you view it, but some venus really can come alive when decorated.

Favourite Moments

After we just got married, knowing that we have “done it” and then walking out through our confetti shower to the car, which took us to Putney Bridge for some photos. Members of the public congratulating us whilst walking past or shouting from their car windows, even though they were stuck in a traffic jam!
Fern Godfrey

Written by Fern Godfrey

Bride: Rime Arodaky | Boutique: The Mews | Bridesmaids: Reformation | Flower Girl: Rime Arodaky | Groom: Reiss | Venue: Winchester House | Catering: Create Food | Evening Food: Ideas Box UK | Entertainment: Alive Network | Make Up: Holly Bliss | LOVE Letters: Vowed & Amazed | Cake: Hayley Stanton | Florist: Botanique Workshop
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