Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in August 2022. We had no mutual friends and no idea that we had been working across the road from each other (me in The Gherkin and Armand in The Cheesegrater) for three years . So despite sharing the same coffee shop during that period and working metres away from each other, it took Hinge for us to find each other. I’m half – Scottish, half – Egyptian and Armand is English – Indonesian, Dutch.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
The fact that we were both mixed race meant that neither of us had a template for how to go about our wedding when we got engaged - that’s the great thing about being mixed race but also about couples now having the freedom to write their own rules for their weddings. After getting engaged in October 2023, we debated celebrating in Cairo, Jakarta, Aberdeen or Berkshire however, ultimately London is who we are and where we met and it was the only place we actually wanted to celebrate it and felt represented us.
We then settled on two wedding events. First, and most importantly, an intimate wedding legal and religious ceremony with both our immediate families (the one held on 13.01.24) and secondly, a separate (and again, intimate) event with our friends – the “party” (02.11.24).
We are both west London people so there was no question around where the legal ceremony would be – it would be Chelsea Old Town Hall on Kings Road in London. Our religious ceremony was in a welcoming mosque in Notting Hill. I wore a purple label Ralph Lauren Tuxedo Dress paired with green Jimmy Choos and a Green Bottega Bag.
How many guests did you have?
Wedding Ceremony (Chelsea Town Hall/Notting Hill Mosque) – 30 Guests (Family only)
Wedding Party (Sessions Arts Club/Duck & Waffle) – 65 Guests (Friends only) - Alex Wysocki captured both celebrations.
What was your budget?
£70k (£15k January wedding ceremony, plus £55k November party).
Tell us about your outfits.
My dresses (Wedding Party)
I wore two Harriette Gordon dresses that I tried on in The Fall Bride, London store in January when passing by there with my mum before my January ceremony. I planned on doing a lot more dress fittings after the January ceremony but my mind kept going back to the Rumi Gown (one of three gowns ever made) and the Harriette Gordon 1.5 gown I tried on that day. I tailored the Rumi gown to create a high-low effect so my shoes were on show (I’m a big shoe person) and I loved the detailing in the fabric of the dress- it was unlike anything I’d seen in other dresses. I love that my Rumi gown is so unique and a one-of-a kind. I had the second 1.5 gown tailored a lot to fit my body right but it was perfect for my second dress, as my second dress was all about the accessories; the flower bomber jacket and the major ruffles (which were a subtle nod to tie into the bridesmaids dresses). The flower bomber added to the drama, glamour and extra-ness of the evening. I loved it and I loved being in it.
Because of the simplicity of the dresses (to an extent), I knew I wanted a statement necklace but was struggling to find the one I had in my mind so I ended up making my own. I bought 5 separate necklaces in a jewellery store I happened to walk by in Paris and then had my jeweller (who had made my engagement ring) help me sew the necklaces into one big choker necklace. Without the necklace I don’t think the outfits would have been the same. Together with the flower bomber, it was the real statement piece of the evening and pulled together my whole outfit. I borrowed some earrings from my best friend and they were my something borrowed.
My shoes were (again) Jimmy Choo but this time they were custom. I was helped in sourcing them by friend and stylist Prue Fisher. I told her about my hunt for pointed platforms and within seconds she had found exactly what I wanted.
Bridesmaid Dresses (Wedding Party)
My personal view about bridesmaids dresses and my bridesmaids in particular is that they are all so different in terms of personality and style so I knew I couldn’t (and also didn’t want to) put them all in the same dress (and as a person, I hate wearing something I’m told to wear). But I did want my Bridesmaids to be coordinated. Instead of wanting them to blend in with each other and the crowd , I did want them to stand out – so I sent them a mood board of ruffles, tulle and bright colours and asked them to each choose their colour and find a dress they felt good in and that they felt reflected their personalities for me to approve (that they all liked and most importantly, felt good in). Individually it looked random, but together, they looked great. The girls are a key part of my life and I wanted them to be a key part of the evening – it also added to the drama of the entrance when they entered in their bright ruffles.
Armand’s suit (Wedding Party)
Armand’s suit was a double-breasted made to order tuxedo. It was 80s-inspired.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Wedding Party/ Reception
I put a lot of effort into the Bridesmaids outfits (and my outfits) that I wanted a “Bridal Party Entrance” rather than a ceremony (basically, I wanted a fashion show). We entered to a Pianist playing a mash up of Succession x Gangster Paradise down the stairs from the mezzanine at Sessions into the main restaurant area where all the guests had arrived and were waiting – everyone loved how non-traditional our entrance was.
There was no hesitation in choosing Sessions Arts Club as our venue – we booked it in January straight after our ceremony. It had everything we wanted for our guests – an elite restaurant with an intimate feel. The venue set -up is geared towards creating a cosy feel and has windows which look on to the dancefloors so even when people are outside you never really feel apart – and we loved that about the restaurant. We wanted everyone to feel close and together and to create a warm atmosophere. The service both on the night and in planning the wedding was beyond every expectation. I would always recommend hosting your wedding with people who know how to host!
Armand came up with the idea of having the cake out and part of the interiors at Sessions so that the cake sat out for the entire evening as we wanted the wedding cake to be as important as it was in generations past - too many weddings we have attended where the cake is ignored. We wanted big tiers and big piping for a classic statement. The flowers tied in with the red of my bouquet and the red of Armand’s flower – he was focused on having this be a very particular deep red and on having a flower which sat in the pocket as opposed to a buttonhole. Paula Rooney and I spoke a lot about how to enhance the already beautiful venue with the flowers and tablescapes and decided on bar flowers, bathroom flowers, fireplace flowers and winter berries.
As a nod to my Egyptian heritage and as a nod to the growing popularity of “Arabic Pop” and Habibi Funk in mainstream music culture, I sought out a DJ (Cheb Mimo) at one of his gigs in London. Weddings are not his thing at all but after a coffee, we managed to convince him. We and the guests loved it.
Afterparty to the Wedding Party
We thought long and hard about this element of the evening. Sessions Arts Club ended at midnight but we wanted somewhere to offer our guests the option of going after. Food is more our game rather than clubbing or karaoke so I asked the stationer to create an insert in our invitation in the shape of a coaster with an egg on it with an option to RSVP to Duck & Waffle for a very early “Wedding Breakfast” at 1am overlooking London’s skyline for those of the guests who weren’t quite ready to head home after Sessions. I always love debriefing after a night out and Duck & Waffle provides a 24/7 service to have a casual (but high level) service. It rounded off the night perfectly as we relaxed and chatted about the evening but had that late night chat that you can only ever have after a night out.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
The focus of the “Party” was: Fashion; Friends and Food (and Fun)! . Because our we were married in January, Armand and me focused in on making the November Party a real wedding “Party” for our friends and on making it a guest experience. We asked them to dress their best (and emphasised that the more effort the better).
Any tips for couples getting married?
Do what works for you. Every couple is different and needs to celebrate their wedding in the way that represents them. For us, it was about the guest experience and finding a way to honour our cultures at both our wedding celebrations in a way that would make both us and our guests happy.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Bernie, my tailor, has been instrumental in the process, from January through to November. When I said I didn’t feel the Rumi gown was quite me (as much as it was beautiful in its original form) and suggested we cut it into she really supported me and my ideas. I love working with her and seeing her work and think as well as execute. Bernie also helped me cut a floor-length tulle gown into a mini dress for a pre-party I had with my friends before the wedding party.
Photographer: Alex Wysocki @alexwysockiphotography | Planning: Charlotte Elise Events
@charlotteeliseevents | Styling: by Latifah | Flora: Paula Rooney @paularooneyfloraldesigner | Ceremony Location: Chelsea Old Town Hall @chelseaoldtownhall | Reception Location: Sessions Arts Club @sessionsartsclub | Afterparty Location: Duck & Waffle @duckandwaffle | MUA: Natasha De Cazalet @natasha.de.cazalet | Catering & Beverages: Sessions Arts Club @sessionsartsclub | Cake: Lily Vanilli Bakery @lily_vanili_cake | Stationery: SixFold Studio @sixfoldstudiolondon | Entertainment: Gdaykeys (Pianist) @gdaykeys & Cheb Mimo @chebmimo_ (DJ) | Getting Ready Venue: Pan Pacific, Bishopsgate @panpacificlondon | Reception Dresses: Harriette Gordon @harriettegordon @thefallbride| Suit: Huntsman, Savile Row @huntsmansavilerow | Reception Jacket: Selezza Flower Bomber @selezzalondon | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Personal Jeweller | Shoes: Custom Jimmy Choos @jimmychoo | Necklace: Stellar Paris | Bridesmaid's Dresses: Ajeworld.com (pink), Sisterjane.com (red), mollygoddard.com (blue), selezza.co.uk (green) & azafashions.com (yellow)