Wow today I sure am spoiling you with another beautiful city celebration in the heart of London.
Vanita and Mike tied the knot on the 11th January 2014, which a Church service followed by a reception at the V&A Museum of Childhood. I so love their choice of fun venue, which also provided a dramatic backdrop to their party.
They had the most gorgeous blooms by Rebel Rebel; swathes of lush burgundy florals created Vanita’s perfect bouquet, and I just adore her gold sequin dress. There were pretty bridesmaids in navy blue dresses, atmospheric lighting and so much love.
Thanks so much to the amazing Ellie Gillard for sharing her images with us today.
The Proposal… After a surprise spa day and meal at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel we climbed the beautiful Grand Staircase, and when we got to the top Mike got down on one knee! We had the most beautiful room overlooking ‘The Kiss’ in St Pancras Station – all very romantic.
The Planning Process… We knew we wanted to get married locally and the Church just behind our flat and our favourite local museum and coffee spot – The V&A Museum of Childhood – were perfect. We both still feel like we’re pretending to be 30-something-year-old grown-ups so the children’s museum seemed fitting! As both venues were just around the corner from our flat we popped in regularly armed with tape measures, sketch pads and lots of ideas.
The Venue… Our Lady of the Assumption, Bethnal Green and the V&A Museum of Childhood.
The Dress & Accessories… My mum returned from Philippines with a very elaborate version of a dress I’d sketched and described for her. It was a little more sparkly and the train was about 2 meters longer than I thought it would be, but it was great to capture some of my Filipino heritage with a very Filipino dress. My evening dress was my favourite – a gold sequin fish-tail, backless dress. I saw it in the window of Hobbs, tried it on and bought it on a whim.
I love my studded wedding shoes from Russell and Bromley. I’ve already worn them a few times since the wedding! My necklace was my late-grandmothers and earrings were simple pearls. The bangle was a gift from my Aunt.
The Readings + Music… all very traditional! Bridal Entrance Bridal March – Wagner. Exit Wedding March – Mendelssohn.
Groom’s Attire… Oscar Milo suit and shirt, Loake Shoes. Groomsmen’s Attire – Topman skinny suits.
Bridesmaids Dress and Accessories… As it was a wintery evening wedding the navy Ghost dresses paired with the bridesmaid’s own faux fur shrugs were stunning and elegant. We all wore a few flowers in our hair and a few pearls here and there.
The teenage bridesmaid’s dresses and shoes were from New Look Teens – they loved them!
The Flowers…. Rebel Rebel, Broadway Market. The wild, deep reds and burgundy flowers gave us all a bit of colour on a dark winter’s evening.
The Cake….19kilos of cheese! From Costco, plus a very boozy fruit cake made by my Aunty Luz. Lego bride and groom cake toppers were from Spitalfields Sunday Market.
Your Photographer… Ellie Gillard. Ellie had photographed our friend’s wedding and their photos were so beautiful. Ellie had some great ideas about capturing our evening wedding- we strolled between the venues chatting about our ideas when we met her and she made us feel very relaxed. Ellie is so organised and gave us lots of helpful hints and tips.
We are so pleased with our pictures – even though we’re a bit camera shy, Ellie took some incredible photos around the museum. We had quite a tight schedule but Ellie worked tirelessly to capture our wedding beautifully.
The Details +Decor… After the marriage ceremony we walked down Museum Passage with our guests following to the V&A Museum of Childhood – it was a fun, short walk with lots of confetti thrown along the way.
The Museum is a beautiful building filled with quirky nostalgic collections reminding us of our childhood. We didn’t need to decorate much, and the atmospheric lighting system and reflective ceiling gave us the most amazing setting for dinner and dancing. We had saris hung from the second floor and luckily the lanterns were already hanging from Christmas.
We made our table wreaths and had a few lanterns on the tables. The place cards were made from pages of an old copy of ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ picked up in a second-hand book shop.
We found our band – The White Keys online – they were brilliant in getting everyone onto the dance floor.
The Honeymoon… We had six days of sunshine, sleep and amazing food in Morocco.
Memorable Moments… Confetti throwing – we felt like Hollywood stars on the red carpet! Dancing with all our friends and family on the marble floor at the Museum.
Advice for Other Couples… Celebrating our wedding locally and using local suppliers really helped us plan everything in just a few months.
The local university printing centre were a great last-minute find for our Order of Service.
Re-confirm with all suppliers – my make-up lady cancelled when I called to confirm 3 days before the wedding. Luckily MAC in House of Fraser had an appointment slot available.
Credit Where Credit is Due…
Photographer | Ellie Gillard
Ceremony Venue | Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Bethnal Green.
Reception Venue | V&A Museum of Childhood
Wedding Dress | Hobbs, and first dress made in the Philippines.
Groom’s Suit | Oscar Milo
Bride’s Hair | Diane James, Bethnal Green
Make-Up | MAC at House of Fraser, Bank.
Flowers | Rebel Rebel
Just so wonderful and so very glamorous.
Thanks so much to Vanita and Mike for sharing their gorgeous wedding story with us XOXO Lou