Sophie & Michael

If you like your weddings stylish, minimal and all about the party vibes, then Sophie and Michael's wedding day will be right up your street. Think tequila shots instead of cake and you're halfway there. Sophie looks every inch the original 40s pin up girl, with her gorgeous curls and form fitting outfit. And the Ace Hotel was the perfect venue for these love birds, whose original stomping ground is London. I'm sure Sophie and Michael's big day will have you longing for something equally as cool and while sadly we can't all look like bombshell Sophie, we can attend the Ace Hotel's Throughly Modern Marriage event which takes place on 21st September (full details here). Team RMW will be there, chatting to you about your wedding plans and selling our book, Your Day Your Way, along with a host of excellent wedding professionals, all in the same glorious setting as Sophie and Michael's big day.

Our Story

Sophie the Bride: Michael bought Sophie on the internet (he says) but the truth is even sillier. We met on tinder...and then didn’t hook up for 6 months. And then we didn’t get together for another 7 or 8 months. So the whole 'hit it and quit it' didn’t happen but we think that’s perhaps why we fell in love as soon as we eventually started holding hands. Life has been fast since then. We enjoyed a year together in London before we relocated to Dubai in September '16. He's put a ring on it because we’re supposed to be married to live together in the Middle East. (And we’re madly in love, obvs). We share a love for many things: Our dog, Hugo. Tequila. Smiling. A good restaurant. Art. The colour black (is black a colour?) Dancing till we drop. Home. Bloody Marys. Music. Five Guys. New places. Pizza. Laughing over and over. Sunsets. Sunrises. A decent bottle of wine. Chocolate. Late nights. Being in love.

The Bride

I definitely dressed from the feet up. Shoes are my weakness, my something blue was a pair of Manolo Blahnik satin heels. When it was time to find the dress I knew exactly what I wanted, the problem was I couldn’t find it! I knew I didn’t want to look typically bridal so after checking out every option on the market I decided to go bespoke. It was a dream come true to have something completely unique made – I had a vision and B from House of Morai created a two-piece that totally reflected my personal style and taste. The whole creative process was so much fun. I kept my jewellery at a minimum, I borrowed my Mum’s eternity ring and wore my usual Metier earrings as well as three bracelets I got from my Mum & Dad and haven’t taken off since I was 18. Michael got me a beautiful Monica Vinader bracelet which finished off my look perfectly. I’m so glad we had a sunny day and I chose to rock my Ray-ban sunnies, it really relaxed our looks. I don’t normally wear much make-up so was really nervous about getting my hair & make up done professionally but I’m so glad I did. Laura from The Bridal Stylists made sure I looked (and felt!) like the best version of myself.

The Groom

Michael is well known for his choice of clothes so I didn’t need to be too involved in his get up. He went for a bespoke 3-piece navy Valentino wool suit cut and tailored by Kachins, Dubai. His socks were Missoni, his tie and pocket square were Hermes and his shoes were Gucci. I wanted to get him a keepsake gift and decided on the Conquest Heritage watch by Longines which he wore on the day.

The Jewellery

Michael totally nailed the engagement ring. Two of our best friends run Tomfoolery, a jewellery boutique in North London. He knew I didn’t want a traditional engagement ring and he worked with the girls to create me a customised, eye-catching Polly Wales ring. We designed and made our wedding bands at Cara in Dubai which was an incredible experience, we went into the workshop during the wax sculpting bit and added my finger print to Michael’s band before it was made in gold. The whole experience was so personal, there was a lot of back and forth but we both have rings we’re completely in love with and proud to wear.

The Venue

Michael and I fell in love in London so it made sense to tie the knot where it all began. We chose to get married at The Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, we wanted somewhere we could hang out with all our loved ones and let our hair down - it was so unmistakably us. We also wanted a venue that we could do it all in; the ceremony, the reception, the food and the party. Our ceremony was in the 100 Room which has panoramic city views of London. As most people were travelling from out of town we wanted something that was both epic and intimate at the same time, we read our own vows, laughed, cried and squealed. The reception took place on the terrace, we served bubbles and guests could help themselves to beers from the SMEG fridge by the bar. Kristie, our wedding co-ordinator at The Ace, made the whole day stress-free and unforgettable. We can’t thank her enough!

The Food

We’re big foodies. Guests had their pick of a three course meal. We set up a cheese table at 10pm and served bacon butties at midnight. In all the wedding’s we’ve been to we’ve never eaten any wedding cake so we swapped out cake for one of our loves; Tequila. We tiered shots of Don Julio Anejo tequila on a cake stand. And they went down well.

The Décor

We didn’t have a colour theme, we hate anything too regimented. We wanted to keep the space quite structural and almost masculine because of its modern and slick design. Foliage was a strong theme throughout, Katie from Worm London is the creative behind our blooms and THAT ARCH! Our dear friend Giles Miller Studio designed and produced our table décor, he did it all; the clean, contemporary mirrored table plan, the equally awesome table names and the unique dog tags that coupled as favours for all our guests.

The Wedding Party

We didn’t have groomsmen or bridesmaids, although my sisters were rockstars. We wanted our guests to enjoy the day and not be running around after us. I had a Woman of Honour, Lois, and Michael had a best man, Jason. Mum walked me down the aisle to Mystify by INXS, Let’s Dance by Bowie was our exit song.

The Entertainment

We’re so lucky to have so many talented friends to call on in London. DJ Cam Brott brought the party and it went OFF. We had a disco ball from Aurora which was so vibey. We couldn’t feel our feet for weeks!

The Photography & Videography

Agnes Black did our photography and video. Both were everything we dreamed of and more! We were looking for someone who would take relaxed, un-posed cool snaps of the whole day.

Advice

It’s so important that your wedding reflects your personal style and taste, and that when it comes to your big day, you feel like you—the very best version of yourself, and not someone else. Ignore all the pressures and just do you.