Simona in Gemy Maalouf for her Classy City Wedding at The Ned, London

Veil & Accessories

I wore an ivory, royal cathedral length, French silk veil made by Sophie of ‘Unveiled by Sophie’.

I wore cream Manolo Blahnik slingback pumps with a stiletto mid heel. They were a wedding gift from my auntie and her family. Carrie Bradshaw made me choose them! 😊

My Maid of Honour surprised me with an appointment at Jo Malone to create my own fragrance. We had so much fun. On the day, I wore a concoction of their Mimosa & Cardamom cologne, and Scarlet Poppy cologne intense.

I wore Astrid & Miyu molten hoops in gold. They have a chunky curve to them that mirrored the shape of the drapery on my skirt.

At fittings, Meb was so attentive – and patient! The dress had a long train, and she wouldn’t let me leave until she was sure I was happy (and at ease) moving and walking. It wasn’t enough that it fitted perfectly, she wanted and needed me to feel comfortable too. I have and will always recommend Mirror Mirror.

I always knew that I wanted something romantic and theatrical. My mum’s wedding dress had a very similar neckline and drapery details on the shoulders, which I love. I also love the fact that no one expected me to wear what I did.

Favourite Moments

For me, my favourite moment was walking out of the church, being showered in confetti by family and friends.

Alex’s favourite moment were the welcome drinks reception on the terrace. It was such a beautiful day. It’s an Irish wedding tradition to put the Child of Prague (a statue of an infant Jesus) in the garden, the day before the wedding, to guarantee blue skies and sunshine. Alex’s cousin did just that, and it worked!

Photographer

I started following Agnes Black years before we became engaged and always knew that, when the time came, I wanted her to photograph my wedding. Her photographs have an intimacy that is so enchanting. On the day, she made Alex and I feel so comfortable in front of the camera and captured our characters (and our guests’) so accurately.

She’s so detail-orientated (e.g., she tied a silk tie around my bouquet so beautifully), and helped so much in maintaining an appropriate pace for the day.

I would definitely recommend Agnes Black to others!

Flowers

Maria of Maria’s Flowers grows her own flowers and foliage mostly. Our starting point was roses, and we knew we wanted flowers that were vibrant and complemented the Ned green. We wanted a colour palette of shades of red, pink, and peach, with green foliage.

Maria suggested (and we went for) a variety of different roses, in different shades, including David Austin ‘Juliette’ for a pop of peach. Also, dahlias, sweet peas, and phlox (very lightly spread between for texture).

How They Met

We met at school/sixth form and sat next to each other in Art. Nine years after, we became engaged. Alex proposed at home. I was away and came home a day earlier than he was expecting me back, so it was a surprise for both of us.

We were engaged for 2 years before our wedding day. Fortunately, we didn’t have to postpone our wedding. COVID only meant we had to plan for a more intimate wedding.

We tried to keep everything in-keeping with the style and character of the venue. The richness of the Ned’s colour schemes, and culmination of old and new (particularly the artwork, where tapestries co-exist with contemporary paintings) inspired a ‘modern classic’ style.

Evening & Dancing

Our first dance track was to Louis Armstrong, La Vie En Rose.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

Accept that some things won’t go to plan.

Try not to involve too many voices when you’re planning.

There are so many options, suppliers, add-ons… to avoid feeling overwhelmed, we found it helpful to set ourselves research time frames and limits.

Smaller weddings are just as special as big weddings.