New Traditions for a Relaxed + DIY Wedding

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WWW readers Angela and Tom were married in May at the Old Marylebone Town Hall followed by a reception at The Peasant, Clerkenwell. They wanted their wedding to be a celebration of friendship and love surrounded by their loved ones. And only keeping traditions that were important to them. For instance they scrapped the traditional table plan and had their friends at the top table and staying together the night before.

Such refreshing ideas.

They DIY?d their wedding to perfection, from the crafty bouquets made from beads and buttons, to the wedding cake. I love the multi coloured balloons, those sparkly shoes and the whole quirky fun feel to the?day.

Thanks so much to the brilliant Matt Parry Photography for sharing his photography with us?today.

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Names?. Angela &?Tom

Wedding Date?. 18 May 2012, 11:30am

The Proposal?. After lots of talking about how much they?d like to get married, Tom asked with a Haribo jelly ring if Angela would marry him.? Angela said yes and a couple of days later on Angela?s birthday they went to Selfridges and got a less edible ring!? Tom wanted to hold onto the ring and propose ?properly? a month later at the End of the Road Festival where they have a part of the forest lit with thousands of fairy lights but Angela was impatient and couldn?t wait that long.? After some birthday cake and champagne Tom got down on one knee with the proper ring before they went out for a gorgeous birthday/engagement dinner!

The Vision for the day?. A fun, relaxed, celebration of our friendship and love for each other with our best friends and close family celebrating with us.? Choosing to include traditions only where they meant something to us, but otherwise making the day truly?ours.?

The Planning process?. We didn?t want a lengthy engagement and decided on a May wedding so we had nine months to organise everything.? We knew we wouldn?t be getting married in a church and as the budget didn?t stretch to a castle (!) we wanted to find the registry office that best suited us.

London means a lot to us having lived, worked and socialised in and around London for many years, so we thought a London wedding would be perfect.? Angela is very organised and likes to get things sorted so we had the wedding venue, reception venue and photographer booked in about three weeks!? The internet is a huge help with wedding planning and we spent many evenings on the sofa both of us looking at different websites (including www of course!) to get ideas, make choices and get inspiration for our wedding.

After we decided on a guest list? Angela then set about stamping invitations (we had bespoke rubber stamps made for our invitations which we were able to reuse for other wedding stationery) and we then slowly worked out what else we needed to organise over the coming months.

The Venue? Wedding Ceremony ? Old Marylebone Town Hall, The Purple Room. From the huge stone lions guarding the exterior, to the marble and wood interiors, Old Marylebone Town Hall is a really lovely wedding venue.? The Purple Room has seen many famous people wed there, Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher and Louis Theroux to name a few and the Art Deco style room is set out with an aisle so you get the full ?wedding feel? as you walk in.? The registrars Amanda and Mark were so great, calming Angela and her bridesmaid down when they arrived (lots of deep breaths and glasses of water) and performing the ceremony with such feeling, it was wonderful.

Surprise London Bus Tour! ? Routemaster bus. We had told our guests that we had organised taxis to take them from Old Marylebone Town Hall to our reception venue.? Instead our guests left the wedding ceremony to be greeted by a Routemaster bus filled with champagne!? (one guest didn?t notice the ?Angela & Tom? sign on the front and exclaimed ?where are the taxis going to park now that huge bus is parked in the way!?).? To make the most of it we then had the bus take us on a ?tourist tour? of London and we saw all the sights.? It was great for our guests that don?t often visit London and even those who do still loved seeing the sights.

Reception Venue ? The Peasant, Clerkenwell. Good food is something that we both have a passion for.? Angela does loads of cooking and baking and whenever we have a celebration Angela always puts on a great spread!? So it was vital that our wedding food was first class.? The Peasant is an old Gin Palace with a big bar and casual dining area? downstairs and a large colourful, bright and airy dining room on the first floor.? The Manager Nick was really helpful from the very start and his experience of holding many wedding receptions previously was very reassuring.? With our wedding ceremony being in the morning we had an early afternoon wedding breakfast in the upstairs dining room.

Nick and his staff had done a great job decorating the room with all the bits and bobs we gave them and the place looked fab.? Everyone was able to choose from three options for each course on the day which was great.? The food was fantastic, everyone raved about it and best of all they managed to seamlessly serve 51 people with no long gaps in between (which we have suffered at previous weddings!).? In the evening we all went downstairs, were joined by more evening guests and had a large area of the bar to continue the celebrations.? To keep us going we had fish-finger rolls and bacon baps come out at 8:30pm, they were very welcome!

The Dress + Accessories?.. Dress ? Mark Lesley. Shoes ? Kurt Geiger (these were the first wedding item bought ? I LOVED them!). Headpiece ? Richard Designs. Jewellery ? Wedding Ring, Fraser Hart.? Ring and Bracelet, Monica Vinader.? Necklace and earrings, Vicenza. Undies and Garter ? Autograph Bridal, Marks & Spencers.

Hair ? I struggled for ages wondering how to have my hair and who to do my hair.? I really fancied a beehive and thought it might not be possible with my barely shoulder length hair.? I was very lucky to have a friend recommend Anna McArdle at Michael van Clarke.? She was fabulous, coming to our hotel suite at a very early hour and doing my hair and my bridesmaid?s hair to perfection; it lasted all?day.

Make Up ? having done my friend?s make up for her wedding a few years ago and generally loving applying and wearing make up, I felt confident that I could do my make up and that of my bridesmaid.? We both went to Space NK for colour ideas and on the day it worked out?great.

Finding the dress?. Finding the dress was? Awful.? Well it was to begin with!? I didn?t want what I would call a ?traditional? wedding dress.? No meringue, no ruffles, no lace, no train, no sequins, no fish tail and not floor length!? My favourite dress style is a nipped in waist and full or A-line skirt and that was what I wanted in my wedding dress.? I struggled to find any examples online of wedding dresses that I liked, other than in some great boutiques that are sadly very expensive and I couldn?t justify that amount of money on something I?d wear for about thirteen hours!? I would rather spend the thousands on the guest?s food!

By chance I saw that one of these special boutiques was having a pre-Christmas sale.? My mum, my bridesmaid and I went to the boutique and we had a lovely time.? I thought I had found the ?one? and we were all so excited.? Then the assistant said that she would go and write down the price of the dress for me? I didn?t think it was a good sign if she couldn?t say the price out loud.? She returned with a piece of paper and the price on it was three times the expected amount!!!? I had telephoned ahead and asked about price range and this was NOT what I had been told.? I got out of my dress as quickly as possible, thanked the shop assistant and then the moment I left the shop I burst into tears.? We all couldn?t believe it.? We had a coffee, I cried a lot, I said I would never find the dress I wanted, my mum wondered what body part she could sell to fund the dress and my bridesmaid said if that was what dresses cost she was never getting married!

The next day I rang a friend who had got married a few months before and she recommended I start afresh and try a local shop she?d been to.? She hadn?t got her dress there as they didn?t have her ?one? but she said the service was excellent.? I rang them straight away and this time took no chances and asked them if they had tea-length, prom-style dresses and what was the exact price range if they did.? Luckily they did and they had a good price range.? Best of all they had one appointment left that day so I took my sparkly wedding shoes with me and looked at their dresses.? I had explained my previous day?s woes to the store manageress Linda and she was so kind and helpful.? I was doubtful I would find anything suitable as I was still feeling so down from the day before and it was a spur of the moment appointment, but there was one dress I thought looked rather nice on the hanger.? I was encouraged to try it on and? when I walked out of the changing room I couldn?t stop grinning or spinning around in it!? I loved it.? It was the perfect shape and had lots of layers so it stuck out wonderfully.? I couldn?t believe I had found the ?one? less than a mile from my house and under budget.? They also had a great range of headwear and I fell totally in love with the headpiece I chose.? One fitting later the dress was taken in, a bow was added to the back and it was perfect. After six weeks the headpiece had been handmade to order.? All done, hoorah!

Groom?s attire? Tom had dreamed of a made to measure suit, or an off the peg by a classically eccentric British designer like Duchamp London.? At the end of the day however he felt the money would be best employed elsewhere.? Due to illness, he had the misfortune to miss a Duchamp London sample sale, and their summer sale just couldn?t come soon enough.? However, on wandering through the local Marks and Sparks, he saw a suit which was almost exactly what he had initially wanted and the hunt was?over.

With a butterfly theme there was only one place to buy a tie from.? Duchamp London makes the most exquisite ties imaginable and it took several months of toing and froing before opting for one of their more subtle designs.!? Tom also gave the Father of the Bride and Best Man co-ordinating Duchamp London ties.

Suit ? Autograph, Marks & Spencers. Shirt ? Reiss. Shoes ? French Connection. Tie ? Duchamp London. Pocket square ? Marks & Spencers. Watch ? Michael Kors. Wedding Ring ? made to bespoke design by Wedding Rings Direct.

The Readings + Music?. Our Bridesmaid Stephanie was a great help in finding readings that conveyed the feeling of friendship and love.? Angela wrote the wedding ceremony (with a little help from Tom!) to include some of the text as prose for the registrar to read and then Stephanie read A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton and our friend Selina finished with? Benediction of the Apaches.? She made our wedding very 21^st century by surprising us by reading from her?iPad!

Angela came up the aisle to Guillemots ? Made-Up Love Song #43, the special version from the BBC Saturday Sessions Album.? It starts off all twinkly and sparkly and was perfect!? During the signing of the Certificates we had Allo Darling ? Kiss Your Lips and The Lemonheads ? Into Your Arms.? We walked back down the aisle to the original crackly recording of Charles Trenet ? La Mer. We also had this for our first dance.? Tom spent days putting together a playlist for our Wedding Breakfast, it was a very eclectic selection with some of our not so well known personal favourite mixed with classic party?tunes.

Beautiful bridesmaids?.. Stephanie was our fantastic bridesmaid.? Angela couldn?t have survived without her!? She helped with selecting readings, had endless pub/coffee shop ?organisational meetings? (with a large notebook dedicated to the wedding) and was an all round rock.? She also organised a fantastic hen weekend in a country cottage.

Dress ? House of Fraser. Shoes ? Chinese Laundry. Headband ? Debenhams. Jewellery ? Bracelet, Monica Vinader.

The Flowers? We both get hayfever and Angela is highly allergic to Lilies (Old Marylebone Town Hall very kindly made sure that all Lilies were removed from the building before the wedding!) so fresh flowers were never high up on the list.? We also feel it is very sad to see loads of flowers cut and then discarded after just a day or an afternoon.

Angela had seen several weddings online where the bride?s bouquet was made of brooches, buttons, material and even paper, so she set about designing something unique.? Four hundred and eight (yes, 408!) beads and buttons later, together with several metres of fabric, netting and ribbon, a bride?s and? bridesmaid?s bouquet were made!? If you are going to attempt this yourself, start much sooner than you think you need to, it is very time consuming?

The Cake? There was never any question, Angela was going to make the cake!? Having never made a rich fruit cake before (just about the only one I?ve not made) I decided to make a trial one for Christmas.? Using a Mary Berry Victorian style recipe, and maturing it for three months, it was delicious (there were several eager cake testers) and I decided I would make a two tier cake.? A few weeks later I decided I fancied a three tier cake instead.? I was all set to make my cake in February when a back problem I had suffered with previously, severely worsened and I had to have spinal surgery!? So two days before going into hospital I baked the three tiers, doused them in vintage Sherry,wrapped them up and hoped for the best.? I had to have more spinal work done than expected so I was out of action for a couple of months and it was becoming a real possibility that I would have trouble getting wed., let alone finish the cake. Tom suggested we buy a cake, my mum suggested it might be an idea to buy one too but I was adamant, I WAS going to make my cake.? So the day before the cake had to be delivered to the reception venue, I marzipaned and iced the cake, decorated the cake with icing flowers and butterflies I?d made the day before and painted the cake topper figurines (which had flown in from New York); it was a long?day!

Your Photographer?. We wanted our wedding photos to be the sort of photos that we would keep wanting to look at for years to come and certainly didn?t want to waste hours of our day posing with family members or each other!? Our choice of wedding photographer was so important to us as everyone told us how quickly the day would go by (it does!) and we wanted to ensure that our photos would help us relive the day again and again while also showing us the moments we weren?t able to see on the?day.

We came across Matt?s website after looking at loads of photographer?s sites.? We were instantly captivated by how bright and fresh his images were. The lively ones draw you in, making you feel like you are there, in the moment.? Others make you feel like you are sneaking a secret peek at something special.? We spoke to Matt by telephone and Skype and were delighted he could make our wedding date.?? On the day it was great to have Matt there.? We were able to get on with enjoying our day and he moved amongst our guests capturing great images. ?After our wedding breakfast we sneaked off for a little walk and some great, fun couples shots.? We now have so many wonderful photos we can?t stop looking at?them!

The Details + D?cor?. Our reception venue, The Peasant is very brightly decorated upstairs with lots of fun posters/paintings.? We wanted enough decorations to make the room our ?own? but didn?t want to waste money on the myriad of wedding related items that seem to be available!? Our running theme throughout was purple, blue and silver and images of butterflies, Angela?s favourite thing.? We had some personalised napkins printed which came out really well, metallic silver on purple.? Angela made all the name place cards out of parcel tags, stamping the names with individual letters (fiddly), two butterflies and ?happily ever after? on the back.? Having name ?tags? was great as many guests tied them on to their clothing and it made getting to know each other much easier.? As Angela was immobile for some time after her surgery, Angela?s mum took up the challenge to find suitable table decorations.

As fresh flowers were a no, she bought (and returned) quite a lot of different fake flowers.? The problem was finding anything that didn?t look rubbish without costing a fortune.? Luckily she came across some very large tree like things with almost feathery purple blooms.? Cutting them into short stems and placing them into a lot of Ikea vases with purple curling ribbon in the bottom they were perfect.? Several guests commandeered the blooms after the meal to use in their hair, down their blouse (!) or as a buttonhole.? The Balloons were great and sorted out at the last minute after another supplier let us down with a week to?go!

Angela had planned to make some sort of edible favours but time was running out.? Angela?s mum stepped in again and spent an an entire day and night making 104 chocolate truffles, rolling them in cocoa, packaging them in clear bags, attaching curling ribbon and butterflies.? What a?woman!

Rather than a guest book we had a box of stamped cards for guests to write us a note.? We got some very nice notes and a rather odd story about a panda and a dog?? We also had a box of silly glasses, feather boas, tiaras and pretend veils for guests to use for photos, some people held on to them all?night!

The Honeymoon?. Two blissful weeks in Antigua.? We were lucky enough to have a private cottage with its own plunge pool, overlooking the bay.? We?ve never been more relaxed in our lives!? Upon arrival at CocoBay we were greeted with cold towels and a rum punch and when our porter took us to our room we couldn?t stop grinning with delight.? He said he?d never seen anyone so pleased, we said we?d never seen a cottage strewn with flower blossom and a chilled bottle of champagne ready and waiting next to a private pool!? We didn?t bother to unpack, just got into our swimwear and into the pool!? Apart from a little snorkelling along the coral reef ? which was amazing ? we just read, swam, sunbathed, ate great food and worked our way through the cocktail list.?

Memorable moments? Angela: Up until I put the dress on it felt like I was just getting ready for a night out with my girlfriends.? As soon as I put the dress on I felt totally sick but excited at the same time, I?ve never been so nervous! Tom couldn?t put the ring on my finger as he was shaking so much so that I had to do it, when it came to saying my name in the vows my mouth went completely dry and I couldn?t speak and then I cried! When the registrar said we were man and wife I could have exploded with happiness. On the bus tour round London so many pedestrians waved and clapped as we went past.? A policeman tipped his hat to us and when we sat in traffic near Westminster Abbey a huge group of students started clapping and screaming and cheering, it was quite surreal.? Then we passed an open top bus tour and they clapped and cheered us too, there was such a wonderful feeling towards us. Making my speech.? I was adamant I wanted to make a speech from the start as I thought it was unfair that men got to do all the talking!? It was great as it meant I got to thank everyone who had helped with the wedding and thank Tom publicly for doing such a great job looking after me when I was ill. Going to sleep as Mrs Lloyd-Read was the?best!

Tom: Seeing the photographer for the first time was a relief as I knew he was arriving with Angela so she must have arrived too! First glimpse of Angela as she entered the Purple room and being absolutely blown away. The bus trip was great, I loved every minute of it. Going upstairs into the Peasant with all our guests waiting for us, being introduced as Mr & Mrs Lloyd-Read and everyone clapping and cheering. Having our couples photos taken with Matt was such good fun and it was lovely to have some time away from the hustle and bustle of everyone else and concentrate on each other. (Angela ? I loved this bit?too!)

Advice for other couples? 1) Make sure you get the Wedding YOU want and only follow the traditions that you want to.? Our top table consisted of our witnesses and their partners, bridesmaid and partner, best man and our friend Selina who did the second reading.? We see our parents often so why sit next to them, much better to sit with friends you don?t get to see as often as you?d?like!

2) Tom and I spent the night before together as we had a fab suite and both wanted to enjoy it, just don?t party into the small hours with the best man, brother and a couple of friends, waking up on wedding day as a hungover bride is not that?super?

3) If you are going to do any DIY/handicraft/homemade things, start ASAP.? These things always take longer than expected!? And don?t be afraid to ask for help from friends and family, you keep your sanity and they love helping.

4) Thinking of creative ways to use non-wedding-specific items can save you money.? Blank cards for making invites from a craft shop can cost less than blank cards from the ?wedding? section of a bigger shop!

5) Once you are on your way to the ceremony take a deep breath and let go.? You have now done everything you can do to prepare for the day so concentrate on having the best day of your life and let the vendors do their?job!

Credit where credit is due?

Bride?s Dress & Headpiece ? http://www.brideandgroomltd.co.uk/

Brides?s Shoes ? http://www.kurtgeiger.com/

Bridesmaid?s Dress ? http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk

Jewellery ? http://www.monicavinader.com/ and http://www.fraserhart.co.uk/ and http://www.debenhams.com/ and http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/

Undies and Garter ? http://www.marksandspencer.com/

Hair ?? Anna McArdle at http://www.vanclarke.com/

Make Up ? products bought from http://uk.spacenk.com/

Groom?s suit & Pocket Square ? http://www.marksandspencer.com/

Groom?s shirt ? http://www.reissonline.com/

Groom?s shoes ? http://www.frenchconnection.com

Ties ? http://www.duchamplondon.com/

Personalised napkins ? http://www.dottydreams.co.uk/shope/prod_1232579-Beautiful-Butterflies-Personalised-Napkins.html

Bespoke rubber stamps ? http://www.bladerubberstamps.co.uk/

Balloons ? http://www.the-party-shop.co.uk/

Cake Toppers ? http://www.etsy.com/shop/goosegreaseundone

Wedding venue ? http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/communityandliving/registrar/marriage/councilhouse/

Routemaster Bus ? http://www.routemastersforhire.co.uk/

Reception venue ? http://www.thepeasant.co.uk/

Photographer ? http://www.mattparryphotography.co.uk/

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Wow! What a wedding, and such a wonderful report!!

Thanks so so much to Angela and Tom for sharing their amazing wedding XOXO?Lou

Source: http://whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com/2012/09/london-pub-wedding.html

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