Aiming for their August wedding to feel like ‘the best night out in a pub EVER!’ Ali and Jed’s colour scheme was inspired by her custom dress by The Couture Company and her jewellery from Rosalyn’s Emporium. “The oxytocin symbols were a nod to Jed’s love of science,” Ali told us, “and the buses were to represent my late father.”
Their reception was a good old fashioned knees up at The Prince Albert in Camden. “COVID meant we had to rearrange three times and also consider how we would manage with a much smaller version of the guest list,” Ali continued. “In the end we choose to hold out for a date when we could have the original numbers. In the end we were engaged for three years before getting married so I ended up with a lot of time to make DIY stuff.”
The couple spent literally months making personalised resin coasters as place cards for their guests, and added embroidered patches to denim jackets for the bridesmaids and page boy. The runners and tablecloths for the reception were all handmade, including a teal one with geometric heart and oxytocin design. They made all the signage, from floral welcome sign to seat reservations. The resin theme continued with geode table numbers and resin photo frames of loved ones no longer with them. “Having the chance to be creative and make something that reflected our life and personalities was our favourite part of wedding planning,” Ali said.
Their ceremony at Lauderdale House in Highgate was themed around some of their favourite films, with music from Superman and a reading from Love Actually. “The registrars did a fantastic job and bought real warmth to the proceedings. We loved Lauderdale House and they did a great job of guiding us through the afternoon. I waked down the aisle with my mum to a Vitamin String Quartet version of All You Need is Love and my friend Karen did a great job of reading from Love Actually. We added in vows which were based on Outlander (traditional Celtic) and we walked back down the aisle with our son to a punk version of Beauty and the Beast.”
“Moving the wedding and all the uncertainty was awful but it was worth waiting for and ending up with a Friday was perfect for us and saved a bit of money,” Ali concluded. “Something will go wrong or get forgotten at some point, try to go with the flow on the day. Delegate to your bridesmaids, make sure the cake gets served and the groom eats something in the evening! “
