Emma and Steven’s wanted their wedding to feel personal and very much in sync with their own story. Their theme of “colourful-retro-city-chic” was woven throughout with nods to family, music, and memories. They had their ceremony at The Old Marylebone Town Hall and a casual pub reception, and the bride wore her mother’s dress. In total they spent less than £10,000 but still had the wedding day of their dreams.

“We’ve been to some other weddings since our big day, and you can’t help but compare and reflect on your own”, said the bride. “But we wouldn’t change a thing! We were confident on our choices from the off and it was exactly what we wanted. We wanted it to be budget-friendly, for it to have that retro aesthetic and to revolve around music. We wanted a small, intimate wedding, we didn’t want things to be blown out of proportion.”

For Emma, a lifelong Beatles fan, choosing The Old Marylebone Town Hall for their ceremony was a way of connecting the day to her musical inspirations. “We booked the Mayfair room,” she shares, “which is where Paul McCartney got married—twice, actually, to Linda and Nancy.” Emma also walked down the aisle to I Will by The Beatles.

Keeping things close-knit was intentional, they say. With only 32 guests in total, Emma notes, “The small numbers allowed our closest friends and family to really mingle and get to know one another. To see everyone getting along and enjoying each others company was definitely a highlight.”

The day’s retro-inspired details and colours were planned collaboratively, bringing both Emma and Steven’s creative sides into the wedding. From designing the invitations to crafting a wedding newspaper for guests to read on the bus ride to the reception, they found cute ways to make each part of the day feel uniquely theirs. Emma also arranged the flowers herself, blending fresh and dried blooms for a textured, vintage look.

“Please stay true to what you both want for your day”, the bride concluded. “It’s sometime hard to escape the noise surrounding a wedding, but focus in on you both and you will have the best day! And the weather really doesn’t matter, it CHUCKED it down (not all day but it did!) and honestly it made no difference!”