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After five years together, Jamie proposed to me in Paris. We agreed on the major things quickly (a good omen): a 12-month timeline for a winter wedding, which we’d hold in London and which would have an elegant, urban city feel.
We married on Friday, 14 November 2014 at the Bethnal Green Town Hall Hotel in front of around 70 guests. After a champagne reception, we walked over the road to The Arch – an event space beneath the Hackney Train Bridge – for food, before being joined by extra guests for the party. And what a party…
Leisa Millar is Content Editor at ELLE UK.
All images by Heff Heathcote, heffheathcote.co.uk.
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I always knew I didn’t want the traditional wedding dress experience. I bought my simple, chic Alexander McQueen gown online at The Outnet and hired seamstress extraordinaire Satish Mal of Elite Alterations to help create the perfect fit for me.
Bobbi Brown did the most incredible job of creating a face for me (and both of my bridesmaids) that did not budge. I wanted a glamorous, smoky eye that would hold up in pictures and see me through from day to night, and they delivered.
Natalie from The Bridal Stylists came on the day to do the bridesmaids’ hair, and also hair and make-up for both mums. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough.
A graphic designer friend, Mark Evans, created all of our stationery and our wedding website for us. Jamie was particularly proud of our letterpress invitation cards.
Mark’s multi-talented wife Kylee Newton – also of Newton And Pott, the artisan chutney brand – created all of our wedding flowers. She did a stellar job on the barest of briefs: no colour, just cream.
The brilliant Jordan from Hershesons created a simple, low updo for me. I commissioned my seamstress Satish to make me a single-tier, raw-edged chapel veil, and a pair of statement earrings I bought on the high street were the perfect finishing flourish.
My husband Jamie also works in fashion so his outfit was in the spotlight just about as much as mine. The dress code was black tie and he opted for a dress suit, shirt, bow tie and pocket square all by Brunello Cucinelli, with Grenson shoes and cufflinks by Lanvin.
I’d actually worn the ring that became my wedding ring every day since my nana gave it to me on my 21st birthday. The beautiful Annina Vogel vintage engagement ring that Jamie bought for me fit into it like a puzzle piece, and it felt right to repurpose it. Jamie’s simple white gold band was from Aurum at Gray’s Antique Market in Mayfair.
The Bethnal Green Town Hall was the perfect venue for our ceremony – historical but not too grand. (I stayed over the night before, so all I had to do on the day was walk down the stairs. Bonus.)
We were incredibly fortunate that Bristol-based photographer Heff Heathcote, an old friend of Jamie’s, agreed to come up to London to capture our wedding for us. He ‘got’ the day intuitively. I especially love the candid shots he took when we went for a walk around Bethnal Green for a change of scenery after the ceremony.
The rest of the action took place in The Arch, which is managed by East End company The Dead Dolls Club. It’s such a cool space. The glitterball added a real kitsch touch and you could hear the trains rumbling overhead all evening.
The food was a pretty relaxed affair – Prosecco and canapés, then a sit-down meal of fish and chips by Kome (which, coincidentally, is run by a guy Jamie plays football with - we didn't realise until he called in on the day to check up on everything). There were chocolate crodoughs for dessert and pulled pork buns later in the evening. Pro tip: don't skimp on booze.
One thing we just could not decide on was a cake. At the eleventh hour, we agreed instead to have a crodough tower. We commissioned the excellent family-owned, East End-based Rinkoff's Bakery to make it for us and they willingly took on the challenge, even though we were the first people who’d ever requested such a thing from them. It turned out even better than I hoped.
We didn’t plan on having a band, but then we saw Move To The Groove perform and knew we had to have them; Jamie’s cousin, Sam, is their incredibly talented drummer. The sound and arrangement worked perfectly in the intimate space and the atmosphere was electric. Later, our friend Phoebe, of Pamflet, DJed.
A videographer was another add-on we initially thought we'd go without, but everyone we spoke to said it was a must. In retrospect, I agree. We lucked out and got the amazing Aaron Christian - now a commercial director - to say yes to filming it for us.
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