Are you organising an Alternative Wedding in London? Find out how Beth & Mark organised their dream wedding day with a great team of suppliers!
An Alternative Wedding in London
Well, what can I say about Beth and Mark and their alternative wedding in London?! Only good things! These two are some of the best human beings you will ever get to meet! Their day was a celebration from start to finish, just as it should be. We started the day in Beth Mum's house- it was awesome to capture a bride getting ready in her childhood home. It was clearly a place of so many happy memories, now with one more to join the collection. We then went on to the ceremony in St Anne's Limehouse Church in London- it is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen! I couldn't believe that something so beautiful was nestled in amongst the busy London traffic. What an opportunity it was to photograph there! Even the reception venue was unique and slotted in so well with the day. They held it at The Lamb Tavern in Leadenhall Market and gave such a chilled party vibe to the evening. People couldn't stop laughing and dancing, I loved it!
Some very kind words
I was absolutely chuffed to get this message from them after their wedding: > "Thank you doesn't touch the sides when it comes to telling you how much we appreciate you. I can't imagine any other photographer being there, or our wedding being any other way, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for your calming aura and positive loving vibes from my mums house to the dishevelled dance floor."
Now that's enough from me, let me handover to Beth & Mark to tell you a bit more about their Alternative Wedding in London! "We met whilst working on a world tour of a show. Beth was a circus performer, and mark was the head rigger. We toured together for just under two years living the high life and seeing the world. We got engaged in september 2016 at Villa Joya in Portugal whilst on holiday with our daughter and parents. We had a day at the spa (villa Joya) and whilst being next to the jacuzzi overlooking the sea, mark got down on one knee, on a towel (as it was 40 degrees that day)."
"My hair was done by Vicki Lord and I did my makeup myself and used all Hourglass make up. Award Winning for a reason, inspirational hair designs, not for the feint hearted, An honour to have Vicki agree to do her modern take on a georgian hair style. And she really did go above and beyond so that I could have her personally. I had a 4 hour consultation where she designed my hair form pictures of my dress and all the details of the history behind the church and our venue. Vicki was fascinating, talented and exciting to be around. She made me feel so wonderful on the morning of my wedding. Worth every penny."
"My veil was from Roxy Goldstein, handmade in her studio at Atelier Gold in kemp town, Brighton. The lace came from France, and I’m a sucker for anything french!"
"We got married at St Annes Limehouse, London. We chose this as Beth’s grandparents, great aunts and uncle, great grandparents and great great grandparents were married at St Annes and we have the wedding certificate as early as 1890. We are not regular congregation members, however there is so much in my family that I admire and I feel a deep connection to that side of my family. As they were all married there, it felt like a spiritual connection to honour that tradition, and my families values and personalities. It felt overwhelming from the minute we stepped foot in St Annes, not only getting married in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of our ancestors on both sides, and what they stood for and how they conducted/conduct their lives."
"We were inspired by the georgian theme looking at old photos of our families. We didn’t really want anything that showed the era we were getting married in. The church also lent itself to this, and Leadenhall market dates from a similar time to St Annes. My dress was slightly georgian as well as my hair, and Mark had a suit designed to reflect this era."
"My dress felt like it had been made for me personally (which it hadn't). It was a sample and meant to be. I wanted something in georgian lace, and any original I tried on from vintage shops were always tiny. This dress had a lot of georgian influences, the lace and the pearls and I loved that it looked slightly Pride and Prejudice."
"Our florist Gwenda was warm, generous, fascinating and super talented. She did a version of what my nan had from old black and white photos for my bouquet and smaller versions for my bridesmaids. I was interested in the flowers but completely underestimated how lucky I was to find Gwenda and when she arrived at my mums with my bouquet the tears started. It blew me away. My aunty and mum did the pedestals for the church and the flower girl baskets. A whole bunch of talented women!"
"The reception was at The Lamb in Leadenhall Market, London. It was within 15 mins of the church, it could hold 80 guests, and as we got married on a Sunday, it meant the city was quiet and we had the legendary market to ourselves. For that day it felt like we had London to ourselves."
"Our first dance was ‘When I fall in love by Nat King Cole’, and then had this mixed into ‘Do the bus stop’ by The Fatback Band/Sarah Ruba from the Get Down soundtrack. As i work as a performer, it seemed only fair to choreograph a saturday night fever inspired partner dance for myself and mark coming out of the traditional wedding dance at the start. It worked really well and everyone seemed to find it good fun, however we hadn’t accounted for the cobbled floor in leadenhall market during our rushed and slightly tense ‘rehearsals’."
"Mark's suit was designed and made by Gresham Blake in Brighton. Truly the most beautiful suit I have seen on a man, or maybe I’m biased!"
"James came recommended from another photographer. As a chance coincidence it turned out he had gone to the same school as me, albeit 10 years later, and neither of us were local anymore! James’ two introduction and planning meetings were like meeting a friend. We instantly clicked and had a great time. On the day of my wedding James arrived early and looking the most dapper of guests. While getting ready he made me feel relaxed and calm and from then on was a dream to have at our wedding. He got on with all our guests and at the end of the day we were sad to say goodbye. A true gentleman and professional from start to finish."
"What i would have done differently would have been to stay in a hotel the night before, near the church, as the stress of getting through the Blackwall tunnel was so horrible and i was 40 mins late for the ceremony. I think it would have been calmer to get ready in a hotel.. It was a rush and manic!!!! I was trying to save money at that point, however i wish i had just spent it for myself and bridesmaids."
"After walking back up the aisle after the ceremony and everyone was stood on the steps as the doors opened, and the sun was shining and everyone we wanted there was in front of us smiling and I remember thinking, this is the best thing in the world. Also the band playing the kinks ‘batman’ and the first east end medley and everyone was singing and dancing. Also there was a point about 10pm when everyone was in a circle singing to ‘Hey Jude’ and me and mark were in the middle dancing and looking round at everyone smiling like cheshire cats. Lastly, as myself and mark drove in a taxi from Leadenhall to our hotel in Smithfield market at about 2am when everyone had left and the city of London was silent and empty, until we arrived at Smithfields, where the meat market trade starts at around 11pm and is all finished by the time everyone wakes up. We were suddenly catapulted into the hustle and bustle and excitement of one of London’s oldest market trades. We said to each other, we couldn’t imagine our wedding ending any other way, even though we hadn’t planned for that to be the case. What tops all this though, was our two year old dancing to the band until 10pm without a nap. She was having the time of her life."
Beth & Mark's wedding Squad
Here's a list of some of the amazing suppliers Beth & Mark had for their wedding: Florist: Bohotanicals Hair: Vicki Lord Ceremony: St Anne's Limehouse, London Reception: The Lamb Tavern Wedding Dress: Sharon Hoey Suit: Gresham Blake Bride's shoes: John Lewis Bridesmaids Dresses: Monsoon Catering: The Lamb Tavern If you'd like to get in contact with me about your own wedding, I'd absolutely love to hear from you! Just click here to contact me!