Lynn and Ben’s sunny summer wedding at Hackney Round Chapel, with Sam Taylor Photography
Today’s wedding is an insanely beautiful treat. I look at the images and see pure, unadulterated happiness – gorgeous couple Lynn and Ben absolutely nailed this wedding and it’s stunning from beginning to end. I hope you love it too! That dress! Those flowers!!!
Wedding photographer’s website:
http://www.srtaylorphotography.com/
Sam is an old friend, who has been taking really lovely wedding photos for the past couple of years. We knew he would be right for it: intelligent, with a great eye, and he would be a lovely presence at the wedding, as well as understanding what we wanted.
We were overjoyed with Sam. His pictures are spontaneous, detailed and full of joy. We spoke to him and gave him some ideas, which he totally got. Everyone at the wedding found him unobtrusive, fun and friendly, and he never made anyone feel like they were being marched around for photographs. But he did suggest some ideas to us which we are really glad about. His pictures have brought wonderful reactions from friends and family, and we love them.
We were on honeymoon when we first saw our photos. It was lovely, like reliving the day all over again. And so many of them were so funny, and showed us things we hadn’t noticed or seen on the day.
Wedding venue:
Hackney Round Chapel, Glenarm Road, London E5
Wedding month:
August
Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?
Relaxed, joyous, a celebration of all the brilliant people we know.
Your wedding style or theme:
We didn’t have an overarching theme but the mood was sunny, relaxed and in keeping with the neighbourhood (we got married around a mile from where we live). We wanted everything to feel personal and we wanted everyone to enjoy themselves. And we were keen to involve as many of our talented friends as possible.
Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)
A mixture, but mainly through friends or by using local suppliers. We had Lebanese food from a lovely restaurant that we had recommended to us (Al Waha in West London: http://www.alwaharestaurant.com/) and for the evening food we had had pizza from a place we really like (Yard Sale Pizza: http://yardsalepizza.com/). The cake was made by our local bakery. Canapés were made by some friends who run a pop-up restaurant, Bia (http://www.biapopup.com/). The flowers were done by an old school friend of a colleague and we had friends playing music and DJ-ing… And we had a lovely wedding co-ordinator, Andri (http://alwaysandri.co.uk/), who was able to recommend suppliers for more basic stuff like cutlery and crockery (Allens: https://www.allenshire.co.uk)!
What’s your top tip for saving money?
Ask your friends to do stuff! They are often really excited to do it!
… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?
The booze. Everyone says: buy loads of booze and you’ll never regret it. And they are right. And we hired chairs for the day, which was a bit of an expense, but made such a lovely difference. Flowers, too – it’s worth spending the money, unless you are very good at DIY…
Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?
We bought our invites, customised from Papier (https://www.papier.com/). And then on the day, we had stationery with an illustration a family member drew for us.
Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?
I bought it in the January sales, a couple of days after we got engaged. It was the only dress I tried on.
Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:
It’s not a wedding dress but a piece from Simone Rocha’s autumn/winter 2016 collection. I love her work – it’s feminine and pretty but strange and modern too – and as an Irish person getting married in London, she felt like an appropriate choice.
Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!
Shoes were by Zara, they were much trickier to find than the dress. I tried on (and bought before returning) a bunch – high street and designer. Eventually though I found a lovely Zara pair for 50 quid.
And what did the groom wear?
Hugo Boss, bought in the summer sales.
Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?
Topshop.
Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?
Professionals! Hair by Blow (https://www.blowltd.com/) and make-up by make-up artists recommended to me through friends who work in fashion. It was a really fun morning and it takes the pressure off.
Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)
They were pretty but undone with lots of greens and pinks. They were beautiful, delicate but eye-catching, and we especially loved the arrangement on the pulpit. The amazingly talented Olivia Wilson (https://www.instagram.com/_wetherly_/) did them and we really can’t recommend her enough.
General styling – did your venue need much decoration?
We hired lights, which we strung across the room, and other than that kept if fairly simple: white table clothes, etc.
Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?
The whole thing felt quite personal as it isn’t strictly a wedding venue (although it is an approved venue for civil marriages) so we had to really consider the look and feel of it.
The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?
We had a pistachio and rose Victoria sponge, made by Evering Cakes. http://bakestreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Evering-Cakes-Menu.pdf They also did our pudding: lemon bars.
Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?
A band comprising friends and family members (who had never played together before) did an amazing version of Sinead O’Connor’s 4th and Vine during the wedding ceremony. They handed out percussion instruments to the guests so everyone could take part and sing along. It was so joyous and fun.
Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:
Allow the stress to motivate you six to two weeks out, but try to wrap things up in the final week so that by the time your family and friends arrive in town for the wedding, you can have fun with them. (We didn’t accomplish this completely but we did our best.) Don’t stress on the day, at all – it’s too late! And a relaxed couple hosting a big party is more fun and memorable for your guests than any little detail you can’t control.
What’s the best thing about being married?
Um, not much has changed but we feel even closer to each other’s families and friends now.
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