Tell us a little about yourselves!
Phoebe is from Sydney, Australia and moved to the UK 5 years ago. Jonathan is from France and we both met while on holiday in Croatia at a music festival while Phoebe was making her way to London to live and work. We had a romantic rendez-vous in Rome for a weekend, which went so well we visited each other in Bordeaux and London before officially dating. Meeting each other was truly unexpected but we had an incredible connection straight from when our two worlds collided on the dance floor!
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Our original dream was to marry in Bordeaux as the place meant a lot to both of us (Jonathan lived there for 8 years and Phoebe spent a 6 month period living there,after we had been doing long distance for 18 months). We wanted to create a destination wedding for family and friends in Australia, England and France.
However, due to the pandemic it was proving difficult to plan without being there - and too much uncertainty made it difficult for family abroad. It wasn’t an easy decision to make however, our gut feeling was that we wanted to move forward with our lives and instead rethink our plan. We therefore decided on a smaller London wedding with the plan to have a second celebration in Australia whenever we could get there.
Although it wasn’t the original plan the wedding we had felt like it was meant to be – more intimate and so fun to celebrate twice. We chose to have a civil ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall because we wanted something more simple while also embracing the backdrop of iconic London architecture in our photography. Our wedding party was at Wild by Tart in Belgravia which serves amazing food in a stylish space.
How many guests did you have?
40!
Tell us about your outfits.
I was looking for something minimal but with some detail to wear - or something that would give my dress something special and a bit of edge!
My dress was from A la Robe and I purchased it from Amare Bride which is a beautiful bridal store run by Lyndsey Gibbons. She provided such a warm and memorable experience in helping me find my dress. So much so, on my second appointment Lyndsey really went out of her way to help me find a sleeve solution and play with ideas to create the vision I had described to her. I ended up with something unique that I completely adored. When you visit Amare you can see the love Lyndsey puts into it all from the curation of the designers she's chosen, the beautiful styling, the music and relaxed vibe.
Bridesmaid dresses Shona Joy, a brand from Australia which does such a great range of bridesmaid dresses and colours.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Everything feels important when planning your wedding. However, if I had to pick, the most important aspect was making decisions together that we felt excited about and comfortable with in terms of budget. The planning can bring up some tension points but as a couple it was most important that what we were doing made us both happy. Having great food was probably the second most important thing to us! (Haha)
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
As my family could not be there it was so important for me to have them participate however possible (even with the time difference!) My parents and sisters did a video speech which we were able to play on projector screen at the restaurant, which was so special! Having family and friends be able to Zoom in from Sydney was super important to me for the ceremony. Lucky I had a couple of amazing friends who managed the filming and connection. Seeing so many of my friends and family dressed up for the occasion (even at 3am!) was so heart-warming.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Potentially consider photos prior to ceremony, depending how much time you have between ceremony and reception. Time goes so fast - and you want to maximise the time you have to enjoy the event you’ve spent so much time and energy planning!
One of our favourite moments from the day is our time getting photos together, as it was just time for us. Time slowed down and we could really savour the moment while also having some fun! Our photographer Rachel Smuin made us feel so comfortable and we love looking at the memories captured from the day.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
SSAW Collective – stunning flowers and so easy to work with, great with collaboration for ideas and helped find solutions when there were challenges that popped up (as they do!)
Photographer : Rachel Smuin @rachel_take_pictures | Ceremony Location : Chelsea Old Town Hall
@marrymeinchelsea | Reception Location : Wild by Tart @wildbytart | Flora : SSAW Collective @ssaw.collective | Hair : Lilli Bridger at Larry King South @lillibridgerrr | Cake : Cheese tower from Hamish Johnston | Stationery : Lettered by Annie @letteredbyannie | Bride's Dress : A la Robe @alarobe from Amare Bride @amare_bride | Groom's Suit : Tailor Made | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Taylor + Hart @taylorandhart | Bride's Shoes : Tony Bianco @tonybianco | Groom's Shoes : Grenson @grensonshoes | Earrings : A.B. Ellie @a.b.ellie | Necklace : Tiffany x Paloma Picasso @tiffany | Vow books : Etsy @etsy | Bridesmaid's Gowns : Shona Joy @shinayjoy|