I know that life feels so uncertain right now – our hearts go out to all of you struggling through this difficult period of uncertainty and unrest. I really hope that today’s celebration brings you a little joy.
Joy, and a whole load of inspiration for anyone who aspires to a simple and elegant look. Please, come with me to Hackney, London for the August wedding of Marcie and Gonzalo.
On 9 August 2019, legal cashier supervisor Marcie wed manager Gonzalo in a civil ceremony at Hackney Town Hall followed by a reception at Royal Inn on the Park, overlooking Victoria Park in Hackney.
Made With Love Bridal + Follow
Inspired by the reception venue’s classical Georgian architecture and its elegant decor of green, gold and white, the couple chose the same colours for the wedding, with a sophisticated and simple vibe.
Marcie slipped on skyscraper heels, embellished with stars, from L.K.Bennett X Jenny Packham and statement, gold earrings from H&M. She spritzed on Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent and styled her hair into a cascade of beautiful, natural curls.
Taylor-Hughes Photography + Follow
Marcie chose the designer of her gown, then searched for a boutique who stocked it, leading her to Heart Aflutter Bridal Boutique in London.
She’d fallen in love with the clean, figure-hugging lines of Made With Love Bridal‘s designs, and chose a gown with a hick neck and plunging back, flowing into a sexy, fluid train.
We are delighted to name both Heart Aflutter and Made With Love Bridal as member of our Little Book Wedding Directory, so please visit this listing to find out more about this modern and intimate boutique and follow this link for more stylish, super-flattering gowns.
“I searched on the internet for stockists of Made With Love Bridal and Heart Aflutter came up. Luckily, they were based in Hackney, just a five minute walk from my flat. The experience was good although I knew what dress I wanted before I went to the shop, so the process was really quick and I went alone so was a very easy customer.”
“The dress was always what I wanted for a wedding dress; I loved the simplicity of it.”
“I have always loved the venue, and always said I wanted to get married there. I love the building with its Georgian high ceilings, big windows, pillars and a great outdoor space which leads onto Victoria Park. I love simple and classic and that was the style I went for on the day.”
“The bridesmaids’ outfits were my choice but my sister who was a bridesmaid helped me. My niece was a bridesmaid too. I wanted them both to wear a dress that they would wear again. I also wanted a relaxed feel for them and not too formal.”
The perfect gown was found at Monsoon and Marcie’s sister Carly wore gold wedges from Kurt Geiger. Her niece, India, wore a cute Zara dress with gold shoes from Next.
The wild, natural flowers and foliage in greens and creams were styled by the bride’s sister Carly Wilson, a trained florist, and she’s created such a wonderfully elegant yet un-done look.
The finishing touch was an ethereally light veil, crafted by Twigs & Honey.
“It was very light and the same length as my dress with the train.”
For the bride and groom, it was love at first sight after they met whilst travelling in Thailand.
“I was travelling with a friend and Gonzalo was too. We met on the island of Koh Tao at a beach club called Lotus. We spent a week together before I had to go back to the UK.”
“Gonzalo carried on travelling and a month later, I flew out to travel Vietnam together for two weeks. That was when we realised we had something special and Gonzalo decided to move to London and give things a go.”
“We got engaged in Greece – Kos. Gonzalo booked a restaurant with a sunset view and he proposed just after sunset. It was so magical, my happiest day ever.”
At Hackney Town Hall, Gonzalo was waiting for the bride as she walked down the aisle with her father, David, to ‘End Titles’ by Rachel Portman.
I love the deep, soft green of Gonzalo’s classic, two-piece suit, selected at Esclot London. His accessories also came from Esclot and Zara; the pop of rich gold from his tie is just sublime.
His hair and moustache were perfectly groomed and his scent was Paco Rabanne XS. The page boys were in trousers and waistcoats from Marks & Spencer.
This timeless photography, with its modern edge and vibrant colours, is brought to us by Jade and Jack, the duo behind Taylor-Hughes Photography. Their style is so well suited to the funky vibe of Hackney, then the more romantic, classical feel of the Royal Inn.
“We had an idea of what we wanted for our wedding photographers and we found that in Taylor-Hughes. They were able to capture the most beautiful moments in a simple, classic way. We both truly love our wedding photos. Jack and Jade are a wonderful couple and really made our wedding day special in an effortless way.”
“Now I’m just waiting for another moment that we can use them again.”
After the ceremony, the newly-weds, and their guests (who, by the way, look incredible in the vivid and vibrant colours they wore), piled into a vintage red London bus for the journey to Royal Inn On The Park.
With fabulous August weather, the guests spilled out on to the terrace for drinks and photos, whilst the bride and groom headed to Victoria Park so their romantic, colourful newly-wed shots.
The Royal Inn’s elegant dining room, with the most divine black and white floor, had been simply decorated with more accents of gold, green and white.
“All items purchased were within that colour scheme including our name cards, and gold cutlery hired from Hallmark Catering.”
The dinner was provided by the Royal Inn On The Park team but the bride’s friend, Nancy Nim of Nimblebee Cakes, baked the super-elegant, frosted, tiered cake.
“I loved the speeches and just sitting and watching all our friends together. It was the most wonderful feeling to have your closest friends and family with you in one room.”
Come evening, the wedding party kicked off with two first dances before a DJ set from Jerdyah Mahal.
“We had Lady Gaga’s ‘Shallow’ – we love this song – followed by Marc Anthony and ‘Vivir Mi Vida’, Gonzalo’s favourite.”
“We completely exceeded our wedding budget. It’s so easy to get carried away with buying things, and when it comes to weddings you can spend a lot to achieve the look you want. We ended up spending £25,000 when we budgeted about £15,000 but I think our original budget was completely unrealistic.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Stick with what you want. It’s so easy to get swayed by other people or other weddings. You need to make sure your wedding is unique to you.”
“I had the most wonderful day. The only thing I would say is be prepared for all the attention.”
Gosh, Marcie and Gonzalo, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful day with us. I’ve truly loved drinking in every detail of your elegant, classical day, and I’m sure that our readers will have found just as much inspiration as I have. So thank you, and thank you to Jade and Jack at Taylor-Hughes Photography too for your impeccable work.
With love,
Ele xx
Eleanor Crossland
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Ele lives in the Lincolnshire countryside, close to the beautiful coast. A qualified Pilates teacher, she loves fitness, yoga, Pilates and has a healthy addiction to baking, writing and travel.