London will always be an iconic location. So, when Sophie and Nick got married in September 2018 in central London, the classical architecture, historic landmarks, and quintessential British elements of red telephone boxes and London buses made the perfect accompaniment for their fun and modern wedding in the heart of the UK capital.
The effervescent and lively wedding party were captured by photographer Kirsty Mackenzie Photography and videographer Alice Underwood Films. Both managed to catch all the love and laughter on show on the day.
“Kirsty is such a talented and lovely lady! We realised throughout the wedding day how many personal links we have to each other (we went to the same university and have friends in common) and it made our connection to her even more special. The moments that she captured during the day were stunning, we adore every single photo.”
Simply stunning and marvelously minimalist, Sophie wore the elegant 'Georgie' dress by Made With Love which she found in East London boutique Heart Aflutter Bridal Boutique after a lengthy search to find the dress fo her dreams:
“I found my dress in the amazing Heart Aflutter Bridal Boutique in Hackney–a fabulous shop that I highly recommend to all London based brides! I tried on over 40 dresses in my search for ‘The One’ and I was beginning to feel like I was never going to find it, however, as soon as I put on the ‘Georgie’ dress, I knew I’d found knew my dress. It had everything I wanted – fitted, understated and most importantly, completely backless.”
Sophie added delicate detail to her sleek and sophisticated bridal look with our church length semi edged wedding veil with lace around train 'Poppy' adding even longer lines to accentuate the form-fitting silhouette and backless features of the gown, with a just a hint of the dramatic with a trailing train. She then accessorised her dress and veil with a much-cherished Just Emily Jewellery pearl necklace with long drop fastening, which was a thoughtful a gift from her bridesmaids, and a pair of blue shoes from Dune.
Speaking about her hair and makeup, Sophie couldn't praise Amanda and Emma from Spence & Oliver enough:
“The dream team! I felt so happy with my hair and make-up on my wedding day, all thanks to Amanda and Emma understanding exactly the look I wanted. They listened to how each bridesmaid wanted a different look too; each one looked stunning and true to themselves.”
When it came to the bridesmaid outfits, each wore a black gown from Shona Joy that suited their individual style and body shape, paired with together with cute sandals from New Look.
The bride and her bridesmaid also carried bright and colourful bouquets. Helen at The Flower Shop exceeded Sophie's expectations with stylish and contemporary arrangements of hot pink and burgundy roses, dahlias, and lisianthus, that complemented the look and feel of the wedding perfectly.
Continuing the theme of colour, Nick the groom opted for a standout suit in a deep shade of aubergine from Beggars Run, teamed with a colourful peacock green bow tie from Etsy and matching pocket square.
The wedding ceremony was held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, close to The Mall and St James' Park in Central London.
"As soon as we saw those stunning columns and views from the balcony, we knew this was our venue. We decided on a London wedding as the city means so much to us –we met at uni in London, we live here amongst all of our friends and it’s already filled with amazing memories.”
Entering the light soaked room, Sophie walked down the aisle with her dad, accompanied by the song September by Agnes Obel. The couple exchanged their vows and rings, with Sophie’s ring sourced from Whibleys The Jewellers., with readings fromThe Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman 'I Will Love You Forever' and Bob Marley’s advice 'He’s Not Perfect'.
The architecture of the ICA was the perfect contrast for the clean mines and modern styling of the wedding. Using the classical elements of the venue as a canvas, Sophie added flourishes of vibrant colour throughout including the floral arrangements and a hot pink neon sign from Bag and Bones.
“My favourite piece of the wedding was the neon sign! This was the first thing I hired for the wedding and the inspiration behind my pink flowers. The ICA has a big, wonderful fireplace in the room that would be used for our wedding breakfast and dancing in the evening, and after seeing a Bag and Bones neon sign featured on a wedding blog previously, I knew this would be the perfect thing to hang above it. It looked amazing in the evening time against the disco lighting!”
The ICA were able to provide support from Lea and Georgia who helped coordinate the day, and an in-house catering team, Arnold & Henderson, who produced a delicious wedding meal for the couple and their guests.
When your bridesmaid is also a private chef at Fern Foode, there was only really one way to go when it came to the wedding cake.
“We knew we were in good hands! We had tiers of elderflower and lemon, raspberry and white chocolate and chocolate and salted caramel.”
Once the dishes were cleared and the toasts were cheered, the party was soon started with entertainment provided by the London DJs. and everything illuminated in a soft pink glow by the fantastic neon sign.
“Our first dance was to Al Green, Let’s Stay Together, one of my all-time favourite songs. This merged into September by Earth, Wind, and Fire, which our guests went crazy for –everyone knows this is ‘our song’ and the atmosphere was amazing! A moment I’ll never forget.”
After planning her wedding her way, Sophie wanted to share some words of advice with other brides to be:
“Trust your instinct! Don’t let other people’s opinions sway you from what your vision is. If you have an idea of how you want the day to look or what you want to wear, go for it.”
“I knew for a long time that I wanted the bridesmaids in black dresses but almost changed my mind after several odd looks from relatives when I told them.I’m so glad I stuck to my guns! So many people commented on how amazing the girls looked on the day and how well the colour scheme suited a London wedding.”
Thank you so much, Sophie and Nick, for sharing these beautiful images of the day. The energy and fun practically radiate from your photographs, and the smiles made the perfect accessories to your gorgeous bridal look.
