BRIDE REDEFINED
BRIDE REDEFINED
issue one
w e lc o m e
to bride redefined:
a magazine for the mindful millennial bride. From interviews with real brides & super cool suppliers to dreamy editorials, we’re here to inspire those offbeat brides who march to the beat of their own drum. Here in issue one we’re focusing on retraditionalisation – something brides-to-be of today are actively partaking in, whether they realise it or not. It’s all about taking or leaving the traditions you want to partake in, and making them your own. There are no rules about what your wedding has to be, or how it has to go – it’s all about you. The bridal industry has never been so exciting. There is a huge offering of suppliers with an array of bespoke, quirky and alternative ideas, products and services to help couples to truly make their wedding day their own. With a wealth of information and inspiration available, we’re not here to tell you what’s on trend, what not to wear or how to make shabby chic centre pieces. We’re here to share the stories of real brides who feel our vibe and help to redefine the bridal ideal.
issue one why we e lop e d ( t o N Y C ) lif e ’ s a b e a ch hyb r id is a t io n int o t he woods r e t r a d it iona lis a t io n b old & b e s p ok e loc a t ion loc a t ion loc a t ion
w h y w e e lo p e d ( to N YC )
by Fay Robson
I guess the short answer to this is; because we wanted to. However, there were a number of reasons that my husband Marv and I chose to elope to get married. After emigrating back from Sydney, to our home in the UK, our focus was where we were living next. We had been engaged for about 18 months when we decided to get on the property ladder and buy our first place together in Birmingham. Nobody tells you all the added costs of moving into a property, but, there were plenty; so, money was tight, and was going to be tight, for the foreseeable future.
Obviously, both of us were keen to get hitched; a proposal and the answer “YES� don’t happen unless a couple sees themselves exchanging their vows at some point in their future. After settling into our apartment for just over half a year, we started talking about our (at the time, non-existent) wedding. Friends and family had been asking us about when we planned to get married for a while, and their excitement for us was lovely, so we felt it was time to consider our options. A wedding Pinterest board had been added to since before I was even engaged, so, I had plenty of ideas about the visual side of the day. My now husband is a graphic designer, so we started to enjoy the aesthetic side of things and totally agreed on most elements. The main thing we wanted was the mood of the day to be relaxed, and as laidback as a wedding can get; good people, great food and drinks, and plenty of dancing.
We finally felt ready to start looking at potential venues. And, this is when our thoughts and feelings towards our big day completely changed. Don’t get me wrong; there were some ideal places in the UK, ideal for us anyway. Beautiful buildings, a plethora of options regarding the catering, flowers, and ceremony. However, everywhere we fell in love with online, ended up being a huge no-go, due to cost. We had a budget for our wedding, but everything we loved, didn’t seem to be budget-friendly. We couldn’t believe how much things actually cost, then, if we felt we could stretch to the cost of a particular venue; there’d be limitations regarding the caterers or florists we’d be allowed to use, as so many venues insist on using specific businesses. It was time to compromise, and, lower our expectations a little (loads).
‘Our hearts weren’t in it. Surely your hearts are meant to be entirely into your wedding day? So, we asked ourselves why we were actually getting married. We decided that it was to become husband and wife and strengthen our team even more. We weren’t getting married to have a wedding day’ Fair enough, we regrouped, rethought things, and started searching by budget instead. Then, it was time to visit some of the venues that we had found online. All I can say is that we kept feeling disappointed. There were a lot of things that put us off places, including rules regarding no real candles in one place, colossal fire exit signs and awful carpets in another, and one venue refused to let us try their food beforehand, and we’d have no say over the menu. It felt really disheartening, and this was the bit that I had been looking forward to; I thought we’d love the process, but, it felt like we were really scraping the barrel at times. There was also a lot of input and ideas from other people. And, while we always appreciate advice, we were kind of over all the opinions. I started to get really anxious, we were bickering, and had begun to lose sleep. We didn’t want this; we understood that there’d always be some pressure and stress surrounding planning a wedding. However, we at least wanted it to be a wedding we both wanted and were looking forward to. But we just weren’t.
Our hearts weren’t in it. Surely your hearts are meant to be entirely into your wedding day? So, we asked ourselves why we were actually getting married. We decided that it was to become husband and wife and strengthen our team even more. We weren’t getting married to have a wedding day. When I discussed this at the time, with a close friend who was married, she said that she realised that planning her big day became about everyone else. And, by the time she walked down the aisle, she felt a bit like she was going through the motions, and couldn’t wait to get on her honeymoon. Sod that, we thought. Let’s elope.
‘I can’t remember if it was my husband that suggested eloping first or me, but as soon as the words were uttered; the mood lifted, and all we felt was excitement. Not even potentially disappointing certain friends or family members could compete with our gut feelings towards our wedding’.
In fact, we booked our flights and venue the next day. Oh yes, flights. We decided on New York; the most magical city on earth (to us). We were, and still are, city lovers, we both adore the US, and, well, New York City! We decided to tie a very mini-moon into our trip and were ready to spend the most we’d ever paid for food and drinks. There’d only be two of us, it would be our wedding day, and we would be in NYC. Therefore, we utilised our budget, and treated ourselves to a beautiful hotel room for five nights, and booked the turret at the top of the hotel for an hour so that we could get hitched on a snowy rooftop in NY, with a view of the Empire State Building. It is without a doubt, the best decision we ever made. Alleviating ourselves from the stress of guests, and yes, being totally selfish, allowed us to experience a wedding day we thought we could only dream of.
It was perfect. Follow Fay on insta @heyits_fay
life’s a beach eloping to a divine destination or having an intimate affair on a tropical shore? keep it low key & light with a simple slip dress that lets the accessories do the talking.
styling & concept: jessica willis veils & capes: w collective photography: james braganca
hybridisation Zara & Oliver married in Shropshire in 2015. Wanting a truly personal day, they combined their Goan/Portuguese/Welsh & Jamaican heritage to inspire their wedding and proved that love can be found in even the smallest of details.
What were the traditional elements of your wedding? We had a church wedding which was important to both of us - and having attended a few weddings recently (all in churches too) it has been mentioned at all that so many people choose not to get married in church these days. This was really key for us not only because we are both Christian and from practising Christian families but also because despite all of the effort that goes into planning a wedding, for us it was just the start of a long journey together in marriage and not just one day. We chose the traditional, religious Vows rather than modern or personal ones. Our families sat bride on one side, groom on the other in the church (but we then had mixed tables for the reception). We took part in a lot of other traditions too - from my dad walking me down the aisle, to the first dance (which having attended a good number of weddings over the last two years we notice a lot of people don’t do now), speeches and cutting the cake. Were there any elements that were nontraditional? I wanted a pale grey dress and a black waistband so very different to the norm. We invited our vicar and his wife to our reception - it was important to us that he was part of the whole day given that he was performing the most important part, he said that his was not common and he really appreciated being included. He said grace for us before we all ate. He is South African so it added another cultural dimension too! The top tier of our cake was a fruit cake - this was traditional so we could keep it for our first child’s christening (it’s still in our fridge!), but it was a Jamaican Rum fruit cake so a bit of a twist on tradition. Food is a big part of family life for us both so our canapés and wedding breakfast menu were designed by us and our chef to reflect our family heritage and us as a couple. We had canapés from Jamaican, Goan, Welsh and Portuguese inspired recipes, Rum Punch
as a welcome cocktail, through to Mexican wraps in the evening as our Honeymoon was in Mexico so it was all personalised. My husband’s dad gave a speech which isn’t traditional but was such a special moment and so glad we included it. Why was it important to showcase you & your partner’s cultures and heritage on your wedding day? We are both from big families and as part of getting married it was important to bring our families together and for us to join each other’s family through marriage - Oliver’s godmother flew in from Jamaica on the day of the wedding to attend and we had family from as far as the US on my side and so with mixed tables it meant everyone got to know each other from very different cultures. We had my husbands family perform live reggae in the evening to really bring the Jamaican spirit in. What resources did you use to find inspiration for your wedding? Mostly online - looking through Pinterest and google images but also speaking to family to see what they did, as with our vows which were chosen as that’s the vows our parents used in both of their weddings We knew we wanted a black tie theme that was the inspiration for our colour theme, invites and table settings. How important was guest and family satisfaction to you? Very. We wanted everyone to enjoy the day as much as we did. One of the main things for us was that no one felt hungry at any point and that everyone had a real celebration with us - food was one of our main factors in the day along with a well stocked bar and plenty of music - we had live music in the church right through to a full band set up for the evening as well as a DJ. Even the vicar commented that he wished he had the band in the church every week!
into the woods
With autumn approaching we turn to a deeper colour palette, glistening embellishments and celestial details for an alternative bridal vibe.
styling & concept: jessica willis veils : w collective props: borrow & brag photography: jessica willis model: rosie morrell
retraditionalisation We caught up with Lauren, founder of Harriett and Joel to discuss how brides are retraditionalising to create their own unique day. Harriett and Joel creates alternative and individual stationery and styling. They offer a bespoke stationery service and run a styling service too, working with florists and suppliers to create unique centrepieces and wedding decor. Why did you start up a business in this industry? I started Harriett and Joel in June 2017. I had worked in the ‘traditional’ wedding stationery industry for over three years, but didn’t feel like the work I was producing was very ‘me’. It didn’t reflect the beliefs/ideas I had about what a wedding should be. For me, a wedding shouldn’t adhere to any rules, but it should reflect you, your style and your personality. In May 2017 I had got engaged, and when I began to look at wedding inspiration I couldn’t find any stationers that were very different. I decided to combine my previous experience in the wedding industry with my passion for design/ typography - and Harriett and Joel was born! What is the inspiration behind your brand? I would say being true to yourself. I’m inspired by brides who don’t get swept up in what they feel they should be doing, and stick to what they WANT to do. Who is your customer? What are their values? I would say my customer is someone who is looking for an alternative to a big fairytale wedding. They will put their own spin on tradition. Since working with the ‘alternative’ bride, I’ve found that they all have very similar values - love, friendship
and family are all important! They don’t feel that their wedding must be expensive - but they do want it to reflect their personality. What do you think are the priorities for the contemporary bride? Making sure their guests are happy! Every bride I’ve worked with since starting Harriett and Joel has said that they are happy if their guests are happy. What do you think are key influences on the millennial bride? Friends and family! I think that even the most headstrong bride can be influenced by their friends and family. With regards to looking for inspiration/ ideas, I would say that Pinterest and Instagram have a huge influence and offer endless inspiration. What are your predictions for the coming wedding season? I would say the ‘laid back’ wedding is definitely a trend this year (bbq’s and pizza ovens, rather than a sit down meal / a party type atmosphere rather than a traditional wedding reception / either no bridesmaids or encouraging bridesmaids to wear what they want). I think eucalyptus will be a big trend this year especially for the rustic wedding. Ultraviolet is bound to make a huge appearance (as it’s the Pantone colour of the year) - but I’m interested to see how this will be interpreted.
What is the role of social media in wedding planning? Personally, I think social media has replaced the role of the ‘wedding fayre’. I have been planning my own wedding, and so far I haven’t been to one wedding fair - but don’t really have anything left to sort/organise! Not only are platforms like instagram/ pinterest very visual, but they are also accessible 24/7 - meaning wedding planning can be done whenever you like. I also think it’s so much easier to find exactly what you want (through the use of hashtags etc).
Do you have a client who stands out to you who planned a truly individualised wedding day? All of the wedding stationery I have created since starting Harriett and Joel has been completely different - which I love. The most unique Wedding Invitations I have created so far were sent from the couples dog! So she invited the guests, and the guests RSVP’d to Charlie. For all of your bespoke stationery needs, check out @harriettandjoel
bold &
B e s p o ke
Dominique & Paul’s tropical East London reception at Wimborne House was truly a labour of love, styled by the couple themselves. From the dress to the décor, every element of Dominique & Paul’s day was carefully curated by the couple to ensure their wedding vision was realised down to the tiniest detail. Dominique & Paul project managed their day from start to finish, with well-delegated help from their bridal squad, proving that teamwork really does make the dream work. Dominique enlisted the help of her mother, who is a dress maker, to create her dream dress after countless visits to bridal shops left her feeling unfulfilled. She commissioned her sister, who is a jeweller to create bespoke wedding bands and bridesmaid’s jewellery, whilst her veil was handmade by her sister-inlaw. Dominique purchased her flowers from Covent Garden flower market one early summer’s morning, and hand tied her own bouquet on the morning of her wedding day. Every element of Dominique’s outfit held meaning, and was completely her own. Close friends & family were gifted matching pocket squares featuring a traditional West African print as a nod to Paul’s heritage.
The couple and their bridal party spent the days before their wedding painting wooden boards, sourcing countless palm leaves, making buttonholes and blowing up hundreds of huge white balloons, to name a few tasks, to ensure Dominique & Paul’s vision was achieved. The gorgeous, light and airy studios at Wimborne House provided a blank canvas with heaps of character, with sunlight flooding in through the expansive windows. The outcome was a slice of the tropics in the middle of East London, full of character and a true representation of Dominique & Paul. Green palm leaves lined the tables, providing a beautiful contrast for the gold tableware, whilst the white balloons lining the ceiling added a fun and ethereal feel, providing the perfect party backdrop for the coolest of couples.
location location location the turquoise ballroom at walcot hall offers an imposing backdrop perfect for any offbeat bride
location: walcot hall styling & concept: jessica willis veils & cape : w collective props: borrow & brag photography: jessica willis model: rosie morrell
BRIDE REDEFINED
BRIDE REDEFINED
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