Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met 8 years ago in a bar in Soho, London, and were engaged for a year before the wedding. Lilli is a hair stylist, working in a top salon in London. Zac works in fashion marketing. Together we share a passion for overpriced restaurants, walking our dog Stella to the pub and clothes.
We were described as Ying and Yang multi times in our wedding speeches, Lilli being an extrovert and the last one up at the party, whereas Zac prefers to be behind the DJ decks with a couple of mates.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We always knew we wanted a destination wedding, as a one-day event wouldn’t be enough. We have a family home in Montriond (French Alps) and spend so much time there in both summer and winter and Lilli loves nothing more than organising a holiday with friends and family, so it felt natural to do it there. Both of Lilli’s brothers got engaged to their partners out in Montriond so it’s a really special place for our family.
How many guests did you have?
93.
Tell us about your outfits.
Lilli – I saw Harriette Gordon’s 2.2 satin organza mini dress and veil whilst helping a friend look for a dress for themselves. At this point Zac and I weren’t even engaged, but I knew it was the only wedding dress I ever wanted to wear, so I had it saved on my Instagram. I knew I was never the type of girl to wear a traditional wedding dress, so when I was buying my dress, I only went to one store – The Fall Bride in London which stocked the H.G 2.2 mini and veil, and bought it there and then.
I love a statement shoe and I always wanted a pair on Nodaleto heels so I went for the 'Glitterball' shoes, as I wanted to be able to re-wear the shoes, and glitter goes with everything! I wore a clip just above my veil from my friend’s hair accessory brand Tort, and my earrings from Loveness Lee were a similar texture of gold with a pink stone, which was similar to my engagement ring. Zac – I wore a made-to-order suit and shirt made by Liam from Drake's on Saville Row, one of my favourite menswear brands/tailors (for me there was no other choice). All of my groomsmen were also in navy, so I went with a shadow-stripe fabric for a point of difference.
I wore a heart-patterned silk tie from Hermès and my shoes were Lloyd loafers from Grenson's (a classic shoemaker from London). Accessories included Prada sunglasses, a vintage gold tie-clip (a gift from one of my groomsman) and a vintage 1960’s Longines watch. Gifted to me by Lilli the morning of the wedding, it was a watch owned by her late Grandfather that was restored and engraved with a personalised message on the rear face.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Lilli – I’ve done a lot of brides’ hair and I’ve seen how stressed some people can get, so I knew I didn’t want my wedding day to be like that. We just wanted the weekend to be relaxed and everyone to have as much fun as possible, and you don’t have to be traditional anymore!
We both share a love for design and we wanted consistency to run through it, from our save the date, to our invitations, to our wedding website and table and flower décor. We loved our invitations designed by Lilli’s Sister-in-Law of Lottie Alexandra, they are a piece of art in themselves (we actually have them framed on our wall at home). She drew our logo by hand, inspired Woodstock, 60’s peace and love vibes. A smiley face was central – this has become our 'thing' - Lilli got Zac a smiley face signet ring specially made for his 30th birthday. The pale yellow from the invitation was the same yellow we used for the striped table clothes at dinner, and also tied in with our Cosmos and daisy flowers.
Zac – I just wanted a party and celebration that reflected who we were as people and one that the wide variety of guests would enjoy - something for everyone. I also wanted to do it somewhere special to us and given how much time we spend in Montriond, I wanted everyone else to see how sick it is up there.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We knew we didn’t want a stranger taking our ceremony, and randomly Lilli’s brother has always wanted to be a celebrant at a wedding. We wanted the ceremony to be short but personal - one of our bridesmaid’s wrote and read a poem and Zac’s Brother-in-Law read 'Scaffolding', a poem by one of Zac’s favourite poets, Seamus Heaney. We both wrote our own vows, with Zac making everyone shed a tear with quotes from a letter that Jonny Cash wrote to his wife.
Lilli – I knew I had to have my boss Larry King do my hair, we have worked together for 8 years, he taught me everything and was so special having him do my hair and be there whilst we got ready.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Decide what is important to you both as that’s what makes your wedding personal and different. Use this as an opportunity to tell people how much they mean to you, I gave all my bridesmaids a card and Zac also gave them to his groomsmen, I don’t think there was a dry eye that morning. Have fun getting ready! Both the bridal and grooms party all had breakfast together (including us two), which was the perfect way to relax into the day and set the tone for a party! Also have fun preparing for the whole thing – we did our wine tasting with our mates whilst on a ski trip to our chalet.
Do lots of research into photographers, they are so important to remember the day! Work out what you do and don’t like. We knew we wanted someone that had shot in a similar forest/mountain setting to ours and would get the most out of the scenery and not use that horrible over exposed green.
We are completely obsessed with Damien Milan's scenic shots as well as the portraits.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Apart from how much we love Damien Milan and Nastia, Our videographer Scott Irin was great, he definitely thinks of himself as more of a extreme sports video guy but his also amazing at weddings.
Sonya, of Sonya Flower absolutely nailed our brief, we wanted the flowers to keep true to the area, with ferns, cosmos and other local wildflowers.
Tadhg, who runs the La Ferme Du Lac Vert we stayed in and held the reception, made planning our wedding an absolute breeze, hes the most helpful and organised man ever. Meaning we didn’t need a planner. Our sister in law Charlotte of Lottie Alexandra, who is a designer and illustrator, created the most amazing invitations for us, we reused the logo she drew for us as a welcome sign, onto tote bags as merch instead of wedding favours.
Photographer : Damien Milan @damienmilan_photographer | Videographer : Scott Irin @scott.ire | Ceremony Location : Lake Montriond | Reception Location : La Ferme Du Lac Vert @skizeen | Celebrant : Max Bridger (Lilli’s brother) | Planner : Tadhg, coordinator at La Ferme Du Lac Vert | Styling: by the couple, Bridesmaid and Sister in Law | Hire : Alpine Intent @alpine_intent | Flora : Sonya Flower @sonya.flower | Makeup : Lilli did her own | Hair : Larry King, with assistants Zoe Clark + Hasan Hasin @larrykinghair | Wine : The Chef’s Cellar @chefscellar | Food : Black Stag Catering @blackstagfood | Stationery : Charlotte Parsons of Lottie Alexandra @lottie.alexandra | Lilli's Dress + Veil : Harriette Gordon @harriettegordon, from The Fall Bride @thefallbride | Getting Ready Outfit : Daily Sleeper Pyjamas + Miu Miu @miumiu pink ballet pumps | Zac’s Suit, Shirt + Socks : Drake's London @drakesdiary | Tie : Hermès @hermes | Lilli's Engagement + Wedding Rings : Nadia Shelbaya @nadiashelbaya_ | Zac’s Wedding Ring + Signet Ring : Ram jewellery @ramjewellery | Lilli’s Shoes : Nodaleto @nodaleto | Zac’s Shoes : Grenson | Lilli’s Earrings : Loveness Lee @lovenesslee| Lilli’s Hair Clip : Tort @tortware | Zac’s Vintage Gold Tie Clip : Gift from Groomsmen | Zac’s Sunglasses :Prada @prada