Your London Wedding - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 70)

52 T hey say the key to a lasting marriage is shared interests – and, if that’s true, we can see a long and happy partnership ahead for Sarah and Lee. “We met at work,” Sarah reveals. “We were colleagues for a long time, got on really well and shared the same sense of humour and a love for fizzy Haribos and Maoams Stripes!” Indeed, the couple’s love for guilty pleasures inspired Lee’s first proposal plan, although he had a last minute change of heart, as Sarah explains, “Lee was planning to propose at home over a breakfast of Dr Pepper, beef Monster Munch and a Dime Bar (classy) but we went for a spontaneous after-work drink at the Landmark Hotel just before Christmas, ended up staying for dinner and he took advantage of the beautifully romantic location.” With just under 10 months to plan their big day, the pair were determined to keep it simple. “The emphasis was on fun, food and drink and less on the formalities of a traditional wedding,” explains Sarah. “No drawn-out day – just an afternoon of exchanging vows and getting down to the nitty gritty of eating, drinking, dancing and laughing with those we loved around us.” With the ‘guest experience’ firmly in mind, the couple started to search for easy-to-reach venues. “We opted for a register office service; keen to have somewhere romantic but with history and a bit of Rock’n’Roll quirkiness – The Old Marylebone Town Hall fit the bill,” Sarah recalls. Ceremony venue secured, the couple turned to a suitable location for their reception. “We researched bars in the vicinity that fit with our fun, cocktail-style party theme. The Marylebone Bar was ideal – it was relaxed and slightly unusual,” says Sarah. The couple booked a red Routemaster to transport guests between the ceremony and reception, where drinks and a buffet-style wedding breakfast awaited. All the more time to enjoy the entertainment, which was plentiful in keeping with the couple’s theme. A magician wowed the crowd while a popcorn machine kept the little ones busy and a coterie of props and hats went down well with all. #OOTD With an emerging baby bump to accommodate, Sarah chose a vintage lace tea dress for the day. “It wasn’t my original choice but it suited the venues and theme and the moment I put it on, I felt like a million dollars,” she reveals. Meanwhile, Lee chose a three-piece, navy suit teamed with a bespoke pocket square featuring St Pancras station. Sarah’s eight-year-old son walked her down the aisle in a royal blue suit with lollipop pocket square while a string trio played Peter Gabriel’s Book of Love . “I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to control the tears when I heard the bridal march and I’d be a blubbering wreck throughout the ceremony,” laughs Sarah. IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL As a sustainability professional, Sarah was keen to minimise waste and avoid over-consumption, so she carried a simple bouquet of white roses, freesias and foliage, which was later laid on her grandmother’s resting place. The same blooms were used for buttonholes and arranged in jam jars placed throughout the reception venue. And as a nod to their love of junk food, the couple eschewed the traditional cake in favour of a tower of Krispy Kreme donuts, crowned with a personalised wooden topper, which doubled up as pudding. Indeed, those donuts came in handy for what we think must be one of the most Rock’n’Roll exits we’ve ever heard of, “We moonwalked out of the reception to God is a DJ by Faithless, grabbing a couple of donuts on the way and jumping straight into a Black Electric Cab to be whisked away to Heathrow,” Sarah laughs.