LOOKING THE PART Katie’s choice of a Suzanne Neville wedding dress from the 2022 collection, named Autumn, which was a unique reflection of her personal style. The Bardot off-the-shoulder gown featured a mermaid style with lace all over to perfectly match the foliage theme, adding a touch of individuality to her look. Her accessories, a veil, earrings, and shoes from Lace & Favour, were the perfect finishing touches to her ensemble. She comments, “I was just so happy with how everything had finally come together with the bridal look. I felt a wave of relief and satisfaction with my choices. The dress, hairstyle and make-up look all came together how I’d hoped it would. Until you see it on the day, you don’t know if it will, so I just felt so much relief, happiness, and excitement, plus some nerves!” In the evening, Katie changed into a second look, a traditional red lehenga worn by Indian brides. Chris’s attire was a perfect complement to Katie’s gown. He wore a traditional black tails with grey trousers and a neutral double-breasted waistcoat from Favourbrook. His accessories, a vintage Hermes silk tie with green oak leaves to symbolise his hometown of Sevenoaks, mother-of-pearl Mulberry cufflinks that were a gift from Katie and black Joseph Cheaney dress shoes, added a touch of personal style to his traditional look. Apart from Katie’s sister and maid-of-honour, who wore a stunnning dress from AllSaints, the pair didn’t have formal wedding parties of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Close families wore what they wanted within a broad colour palette, and it all looked amazing together on the day. TIME TO CELEBRATE For the ceremony, the newlyweds had an incredible choir for their choral mass, which helped provide energy for the hymns and beautiful music to accompany the key moments. The musical director, Samuel Ali helped guide the music choices. For the reception, the pair had amazingly talented students from the Guildhall School of Music, next door to the Barbican, play during the day and evening drinks reception on the top terrace in the Conservatory. They also had a stunning classical string trio providing the musical accompaniment to the day and a fab jazz duo for the early evening reception music too. For the evening party, the lovebirds had a great DJ, George Jonathan who they found through Fit The Music. He played a mix and incorporated vinyl records into his set, stretching from ABBA, ‘80s classics, UK Garage and many crowd pleasers. The couple got so many compliments for all the live music performers; people were taken aback by how much impact they all made during the day. In particular, the choir was a real highlight for everyone, as guests mentioned they were stuck by how talented and impactful they were, especially in such a small church. They made the ceremony what it was, and the couple were so proud of this choice. They were so impressed by how the Guildhall musicians sounded amazing too! The team set a tone and performed with such energy that it lifted the atmosphere. MEMORABLE MOMENTS Our ceremony was extraordinary, as we’d attended the church for 18 months in the lead-up. It was incredible to share it with our guests, with the stunning choir, the church’s history, and the relationship we had built with the priest. “Arriving at the Barbican was an unbelievable feeling. As the white taxi pulled up outside, it was terrific stepping out into such an iconic venue. Families were smiling and waving, and people were sharing their congratulations – it felt so wonderful. Stepping into the Conservatory itself, seeing a sneak peek of our tablescapes, and hearing the musicians amongst the excitement and chatter of our guests was such an overwhelmingly feeling that we’ll never forget. We could feel the love and excitement and were beyond proud the day had come together as we’d imagined many times before. “The speeches were all done by our immediate family and were a big highlight of the day for us. What stood out the most was their sincere tone and vulnerability as they shared their love for us and our relationship. All the speeches provoked both laughter and tears throughout; we’ve watched them back on repeat many times since. We felt so grateful to have such loving families around us. Our immediate families were incredible and did everything they could to make the day as special as possible. “In terms of suppliers, one that went above and beyond to make our day what 39 REAL WEDDINGS
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