Mention England to any gardener, and they will immediately go weak in the knees. The English climate produces over-the-top roses and luxurious greenery in the softest color palettes. Remember the beautiful blooms from the Royal Wedding? All grown right at home in England.
English garden wedding flowers are arranged loosely, creating a natural, romantic look. Small, textural varieties of blossoms like veronica, sweet peas, and nigella (also whimsically known as “Love In A Mist”) can be included along with the big, blowsy peonies and roses that are trademarks of English gardens. Fresh spring bulbs like grape hyacinth, narcissus, and lily-of-the-valley are often featured, and eucalyptus and waxflower are consistently used for their soft and fragrant greenery. The colors? Soft, antique, and almost like a watercolor painting. All of the gorgeous, lush wedding flowers we’re featuring today were designed by English florists, inspired by the surrounding gardens.
Welcome to “London Week”, on What Junebug Loves! We’ve gone mad for London and all things British, and are celebrating the Olympic Games in our own Junebug way. We’ll be featuring weddings this week that took place in London and the surrounding English countryside, with stunning photography by our Junebug members from the U.K. We’ll also be talking with one of the biggest names in wedding planning across the pond, and looking at some great British-inspired fashion and decor.
We’re starting off with Jenny and Elia’s London wedding at St George’s, Hanover and the reception that followed at the historic, luxurious, quintessential London hotel, Claridge’s. I love the parade down Bond Street that led from the ceremony to the reception – such a wonderful glimpse of a celebration through London’s streets, all beautifully captured by Crash Taylor of Nottingham, England.
What three adjectives best describe your wedding?Classic, understated, slightly eccentric
What was your wedding color palette?Black, white, petrol grey and deep plum
What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day?Our aim was for classic British understated glamour with a Greek twist, so we had Greek music and said prayers in Greek, in an otherwise very English service. We had a city wedding but didnt want anything too slick. we used traditional flowers like roses and stephanotis which my Godmother had at her own wedding – 65 years ago!
Did you incorporate any traditions or styles that are unique to the UK? I arrived in a London black taxi; my Dad is Scottish so he was in his full dress kilt; we had photos with ou British Bulldog; and we planned for a rainy day (although, in the end we were lucky!)
Tell us about your wedding location – how you chose it, what its history is.St Georges is a beautiful building and has a strong musical pedigree – Handel worshiped here while he composed some of his greatest works, including “Messiah”. Also, St George’s has long figured in fact and fiction as a centre for fashionable weddings, and was referred to by a Victorian writer as “the London Temple of Hymen”. We chose Claridges because it was only a short 300m walk from the Church, although it has also been the setting for numerous society weddings and balls so it was always somewhere I dreamed I might get married one day.
Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding?Our tag-line from the start from the happiest of days and it genuinely felt that way. It was every cliche in the book – the best day or our lives. Getting ready (all 5 hours!) felt like 5 minutes. My Dads wet eyes when he (finally) saw me all dressed up, telling me how proud he was, just before we made our entrance to the Church. My sister died when I was younger so giving away his only daughter was quite emotional. Elia and I both loved saying I will and meaning it. Walking out of the Church in a confetti storm (I’d recommend those confetti throwers rather than a few petals any day!), the walk from Church to Claridges with the whole wedding party of 180 people. The cheesy classic British wedding tunes all came out – the proclaimers and the conga lines later in the night. I didnt drink much as I couldnt leave the dance floor to get to the bar, but I felt drunk I was so happy (how corny is that!).
Afterwards, looking back at our photos there were a number where we were pictured behind daffodils outside Claridges. Crash, the photographer, could never have known but they are my brothers flowers – he lived in Wales, and its their national flower. He passed away suddenly, 10 months before our wedding, and it felt like he was making us aware he was there with us in spirit. Of course, his two gorgeous children more than did him proud on that front too!
The Wedding Team
Photographer: Crash Taylor
Ceremony Venue: St Georges, Hanover
Reception Venue: Claridge’s
Officiant: The Rev. Roderick Leece
Invitation Designer: Imaj Design
Catering: Claridges
Florist: William Clarke Flowers
Cake: An 11 tier collection of our favourite things – Krispy Kreme donuts, passion fruit meringue from Ottolenghi, cheeses, baklava and many others
Wedding Dress: Couture dress from Bea Das
Bridal Accessories: Family heirlooms and Andrew Prince
Bridesmaids Dresses: Amanda Wakeley
Groom and Groomsmen Apparel and Accessories: Savile Row – Ozwald Boateng
Hair: Daniel Galvin
Make-up: Hannah Mallatratt
DJ: Diskojuice
Live music: At the church we had trumpeters and a choir. My husband is Greek, so as we left the church and walked to the reception down Bond Street, the Plastic Chairs, a Greek band, played. Reception – Jazz Canons
Jenny and Elia, thank you for so generously sharing your stunning wedding in beautiful London! And readers, stay tuned all week for all thing British and several more weddings that are decidedly English!
We adore Maria and Derek’s gorgeous wedding at the incredible Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and the absolutely stunning images from Maloman Studios. Maria’s elegant and classic style, the sophisticated color palette, and that amazing setting all made for gorgeous photos of their romantic wedding day.
The Goals: Both Derek and Maria said that their main priority was to have their family and friends in attendance to celebrate and enjoy their wedding. Beyond that, they wanted something elegant, romantic, and unique at the most beautiful location, so they chose Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. They used a liberal officiant willing to combine their Baptist and Catholic beliefs into a ceremony perfectly tailored to them.
The Design: Maria said – Our wedding was breathtaking…memorable…warm! We wanted to have an elegant and classic event. We did not have a specific theme for the wedding or reception, but our best decision was to have only our siblings as the only members of our bridal party. The wedding day and days leading up tend to be very stressful so only having family around made things easier and more intimate. Later at the reception, we had a short ballet show with a dancer that also played an electric violin. This show consisted of about 10 dances that entertained our guests using a somewhat alternative interpretation of classical music. During the last hour of the wedding we had the “hora loca”. This time consisted of our guests finding and wearing a variety of hats, masks, headpieces, and props enhanced by the participation of multiple costumed dancers to a variety of Spanish music. Our goal was to have the party end with a BANG!
The Look: I wanted something elegant and timeless. I didn’t want to wear something I would cringe about when looking back. I loved the detail of the stoned headband and my AMAZING bouquet. I was so happy to be able to wear my mother’s earrings that I have always said I would wear to my wedding, that she received as a gift from my dad about 10 years ago.
The Moments: The ceremony stands out to both of us the most. We could not believe how beautiful our ceremony site was, with all of our guests there, sitting in complete silence taking in the moment even before the ceremony began. Our toasts were also very memorable as our siblings and parents were able to share with the guests what we believed to be the best qualities we each hoped to bring to our marriage, currently and in the future.
Our first look was one of the most sentimental moments of the entire event. Our parents traveled to Vizcaya from the Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove as we wanted them to be able to watch our first look. During our first opportunity to see each other, Maloman Studios was able to capture our parents watching us from above. It was incredibly emotional and exciting to see each other all dressed up and preparing to take this important next step in our relationship in the presence of the most important people in our lives.
The Pros: For all the details on the talented team of professionals that brought Maria and Derek’s vision to life, please visit the couple’s page in our Real Wedding Library.
Thank you Maria and Derek for sharing your elegant wedding day with us! A huge congrats to you both on your new life together.
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