Juliet + James

X THE PROPOSAL
JAMES CREATED AN INDOOR GARDEN IN OUR HOUSE – HE FILLED IT WITH FLOWERS AND CANDLES, HE LITERALLY COVERED OUR ROOM IN THEM! – AND WHEN I ARRIVED HOME HE WAS THERE AMONGST ALL THESE GORGEOUS FLOWERS AND FLICKERING CANDLES WITH A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE AND THE RING. HE SAT ME NEXT TO HIM AND I CAN’T QUITE REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY CRYING BY THIS POINT. IT WAS A VERY INTIMATE AND BEAUTIFUL MOMENT.

X DRESS
MY DRESS WAS BY DAUGHTERS OF SIMONE – I FOUND THESE TALENTED LADIES THROUGH INSTAGRAM AND WENT TO THEIR SHOW ROOM IN NYC. I JUST LOVED TRYING ON THEIR DRESSES, THE FABRICS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND MEETING BRITT AND ASH, THEY MADE IT SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE. AS SOON AS I PUT ON THE JUDE I FELT GREAT AND KNEW IT WAS THE ONE! I PAIRED IT WITH SOME SWEDISH HAS BEEN SHOES AND A SIMPLE DELICATE TIFFANY HEART NECKLACE SENT OVER FROM AUSTRALIA BY MY AUNTIE WHO COULDN’T BE THERE.
AND NOT FORGETTING JAMES’ FASHION & ACCESSORIES: JAMES WORE A BESPOKE FITTED SUIT FROM BEGGARS RUN  A LOCAL HACKNEY TAILOR WHO WORKS ABOVE A GALLERY AND PUB. JAMES ALSO WORE BROGUES FROM BARKER, HAND MADE IN ENGLAND AND A SHIRT, TIE AND TRENCH COAT FROM BURBERRY.

X THE RING
MY WEDDING RING IS A SIMPLE ROSE GOLD BAND FROM TIFFANY – I LOVE IT! JAMES CHOSE THE MOST DELICATE ANTIQUE ENGAGEMENT RING FROM SUSANNAH LOVIS, BURLINGTON ARCADE, LONDON. THE ENGAGEMENT RING WAS CARVED BY CANDLE LIGHT IN THE 18TH CENTURY. JAMES’ RING I MADE FOR HIM OUT OF ROSE GOLD TO MATCH MY ROSE GOLD TIFFANY RING. (JEWELRY WORKSHOP LEAD BY THEWORKBENCHLONDON.COM)

X DIY PROJECTS / VENUE / MUSIC: CRATE BREWERY, HACKNEY WICK. WE HAD CANAPÉS AND PROSECCO ON THE CRATE’S CANAL BOAT ‘ALFRED LE ROY’ THEN MOVED INTO THE BREWERY FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND FEASTING. STYLING WAS VERY MUCH A DIY JOB BY BOTH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. WHY WE CHOSE THE CRATE BREWERY: WE WANTED TO KEEP THINGS LOCAL, TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE, DIY, INEXPENSIVE AND TO INCLUDE AS MANY PEOPLE LOCALLY AS POSSIBLE. WE ACHIEVED THIS, FROM THE VENUE TO THE CATERERS TO THE CAKE MAKERS – ALMOST EVERYTHING AT THE WEDDING WAS MADE BY LOCALS! ESPECIALLY BRILLIANT WERE OUR PARENTS WHO FORAGED FOR GREENERY – IN HOMES CORNWALL AND LONDON – TO HANG AROUND THE VENUE. EVERYONE WHO HELPED WAS UP UNTIL PAST MIDNIGHT THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING SETTING THE TABLES, TYING UP THE GREENERY OR FILLING VASES WITH FLOWERS. NOT TO FORGET ONE OF THE WEDDING RECEPTION’S MAIN MEN, THE LIGHTING AND SOUND GUY, DOUG COPPELL, WHO DOES LIGHTING FOR SOME OF THE BIGGEST FESTIVALS IN THE UK. HIS BRIEF WAS TO GET US ALL DANCING LIKE A PROPER WAREHOUSE PARTY AND HE CAME BACK TO US WITH HIS PLAN TO CREATE A MINI SECRET GARDEN PARTY A FESTIVAL IN THE UK) IN THE BREW SHED, AND HE DIDN’T DISAPPOINT.
JAMES’S COUSIN CREATED A PIECE OF SOFTWARE WHICH PULLED IMAGES FROM INSTAGRAM UNDER OUR HASHTAG #FROMHACKNEYWITHLOVE ONTO A PROJECTOR SCREEN SO GUESTS COULD TAKE PICS AND SHARE THEM INSTANTLY WITH THE ROOM.

X FOOD
BEING VEGETARIANS WE OPTED FOR A FULLY VEGGIE WEDDING. THE CANABABES DEVISED THE MOST DELICIOUS MENU – MANY OF THE GUESTS SAID IT WAS THE BEST FOOD THEY’D EVER HAD AT A WEDDING! THE HARDIHOOD, CUSTOM MADE A RAW AND VEGAN 3 TIERED CHOCOLATE CAKE (OTHER CAKES FOR DESSERT INCLUDED: A ROSE, WHITE CHOCOLATE & CARDAMON CREAM ‘NAKED CAKE’ BY FRIEND AND FOOD STYLIST HOLLY COCHRANE (NO RELATION!), AUTUMN FRUIT PAVLOVA BY MY MUM AND CARROT CAKE BY MY DAD.

X ENTERTAINMENT
A BIG PART OF OUR WEDDING WAS THE ENTERTAINMENT, WE HAD THE INCREDIBLE PETE HEAT – HTTP://WWW.PETEHEAT.CO.UK – MAGICIAN AND COMEDIAN, WOWED OUR GUESTS WITH HIS WALK AROUND MAGIC, DURING THE CANAPÉS FOLLOWED BY HIS SHOW (ON OUR STAGE, BUILT THE NIGHT BEFORE BY DOUG COPPEL!) – HE HAD OUR GUESTS IN TEARS OF LAUGHTER! GIACOMO SMITH AND KANAS SMITTY’S BAND PLAYED JAZZ WHILE WE DEVOURED OUR MEAL. FRIENDS AND MUSICIANS JIM AND HAYLEY PLAYED A NUMBER OF COVER SONGS WE’D CHOSEN WITH THEM – THEY WERE SO BRILLIANT PUTTING IN HOURS OF REHEARSAL TIME BEFORE THE WEDDING. WE WERE CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING THAT FOR THE ‘FIRST DANCE’ WE WANTED TO DANCE WITH EVERYONE. HAYLEY AND JIM (WITH HELP FROM DOUG COPPELL THE SOUND/LIGHTING GUY) MADE THAT HAPPEN FOR US IN THE BEST WAY IMAGINABLE: THEY PERFORMED OUTKAST’S ‘HEY YA’ AND GOT THE WHOLE ROOM DANCING. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF THE DAY.

X ADVICE
BE TRUE TO YOURSELVES AS A COUPLE. MAKE THE EVENT FIT YOUR PERSONALITIES. FOR US, WE MADE ALL DECISIONS TOGETHER AND INVOLVED AS MANY PEOPLE WE KNEW AS POSSIBLE – LOCAL MAKERS, TALENTED FRIENDS AND LOVING FAMILY. ALTHOUGH PLANNING EVERYTHING OURSELVES (AFTER WORK AND AT WEEKENDS AND IN ONLY 6 MONTHS) WAS OVERWHELMING AT TIMES, WE WOULDN’T HAVE WANTED IT ANY OTHER WAY.

X MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
SAYING OUR PERSONAL VOWS, I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT DOING THEM BUT IT FELT SO SPECIAL TO SAY THEM TO EACH OTHER SURROUNDED BY SO MANY LOVED ONES.