Wedding | Sara & Matthew

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We are both London-based creatives in fashion and advertising. Matthew is from London, while Sara was born in Singapore and grew up in Australia. We first bonded over our love for beautiful objects, design and clothes. We’re also both silly and fun-loving.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

In 2023, we ‘eloped’ at Islington Town Hall, had our Nikkah at the Turkish mosque on Kingsland Road, then had dinner with our witnesses at Decimo. It made sense to celebrate full-circle with the big party at Decimo two years later. Plus, we absolutely love the 70s California-inspired interiors. We also had a lot of guests coming from overseas and Decimo’s view of London and King’s Cross felt like an iconic experience.

How many guests did you have?

86 guests. We wanted it to feel like a celebration but also a private and generous occasion where we could really treat our guests.

Tell us about your outfits.

For the ceremony, we wanted to wear traditional outfits similar to what Sara’s grandparents wore to honour her Minangkabau heritage, and to work with Indonesian makers.

On a family buying and sourcing trip in Indonesia, we chose all the elements of our ceremonial outfits. The intricate gold hand-woven songket fabric is from Palembang, Sumatra. We hunted for the right kind of headdress called a suntiang and found it in Yogjakarta. Red and gold are the most traditional colours for Minang wedding attire but we wanted to do a playful contemporary take on it so we opted to add pink into the palette. Our outfits were custom made and hand-beaded in Jakarta, using an independent Minang tailor, who put so much effort and love into our garments.

Matthew’s groomsmen wore black tuxedos with traditional songkok hats. It’s an elegant pairing unique to South East Asia. Sara’s bridesmaids wore custom-made kebayas and skirts, with antique batik chosen specially by Sara to represent each bridesmaid and to pay homage to the batik her own grandmother would wear. Sara’s flower boys and both our brothers wore traditional Baju Melayu.

For the reception dinner, Matthew wore a Jacquemus suit, shirt and shoes. Sara wore a (very affordable) Deme by Gabriella dress she ordered from Revolve and white mules she already owned. Her choker and earrings were from Tulola, a boutique Indonesian jeweller and gifted from her mother. Her diamond and sapphire ring is a 1910s Edwardian antique from the legendary Alfie’s in North London.

A few nights before the wedding party, Sara hosted a Berinai evening where henna was applied in intricate patterns on the bride, all bridesmaids and mother of the bride.

To our guests, our dress code was black tie or the formal version of your cultural outfits. Some of our guests wore lenghas, kurtas, barongs, kimonos, and kebayas, others wore Prada. We loved seeing everyone show up for the evening.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Having some parameters around the time of year we were getting married was actually helpful in guiding our decisions. We knew we wanted to host a November wedding party as that was the anniversary of when we got married at the Town Hall. This meant a winter wedding, which we wanted to embrace. England’s weather is unpredictable and we didn’t want to risk an outdoor location. We wanted the ceremony, reception and a space to get ready all in one place and The Standard met all of those needs.

We also wanted to keep planning fairly streamlined, and not have to manage many vendors such as hiring in furniture or have external catering, so the fact that The Standard could take care of all major party planning needs suited us perfectly. Decimo is known for their delicious food and cocktails too so it felt like a win-win all round for us.

Managing a finite budget along the way turned out to be a productive challenge for us. We spent money where we wanted to and where it felt meaningful for us, and spent next to nothing on some things to make the budget work. We wanted to be generous to the people important to us; we made sure food and drink were flowing all throughout the wedding and that our bridal party’s outfits, hair and makeup was paid for as a thank you for being in our lives. Stationery and personal notes were all hand painted by Sara and cost us very little to do but infused a special and thoughtful touch to every table and guest.

As a side note, we saved up all the money ourselves to pay for the wedding and we have no regrets. It wasn’t just the day, it was all the experiences around it with friends and family that made it worthwhile.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Our lives, heritage, and friendships are an eclectic mashup of continents, so it only made sense for our wedding to be the same: a fusion of Minangkabau tradition and a big London-style party.

The traditional kompang drummers for the ceremony and our elaborate outfits were key to set the tone for the ceremony. We were so excited to share an Indonesian ceremony with our guests, most of whom have never experienced the richness and hospitality of weddings from the Malay archipelago! It’s a sensory riot that is incredibly vibrant and ornate; rich in sound, detail, colour, and symbolism, far away from a Western white-dress wedding but equally as chic, stylish, and joyful. It was so special to get married in the Minang way and honour family tradition. A wedding is really the opportunity to celebrate your rituals and customs and share this with the people close to you.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Do the legal paperwork of getting married first, then host your big party with your own version of a ceremony, unrestricted. It really worked for us. It meant we could do whatever we wanted and approach things creatively.

Enjoy the process of blending your personalities and favourite touches. There were so many details we loved thinking about. One favourite was the line of espresso martinis at the bar ready for guests as we cut the cake.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

The kompang band Gema Paluan and their lead singer Siti made our ceremony entrance unforgettable. If there’s any other Malay or Indonesian people in the UK looking for a kompang band, look no further. Their energy was so warm and welcoming to our guests and set the tone perfectly. And Siti can SING. Her mix of Olivia Dean and jazzy 60s Saloma during cocktail hour perfectly encapsulated the vibe we wanted for the evening.

Our two-tier wedding cake was made by a local Indonesian baker, Mitzi’s Bakes. It looked like a classic white wedding cake but was bright green inside and pandan ondeh-ondeh flavoured. It was a hit with the guests.

The hair and make-up was flawlessly executed by Pati Sanchez and her assistant. She’s such a great presence while getting ready, I can’t recommend her enough!

We wanted to work with a florist that championed diverse backgrounds in the floral industry. Sage Flowers were incredible. We worked with them to create arrangements that worked with our outfit palette and carry symbolic meaning. Roses on the groomsmen honoured Matthew’s English heritage, while orchids held by the bridesmaids represented Sara’s birthplace of Singapore.

As for the party music, we worked with London-based DJ Ethan Porte to bring the best of London’s music scene to our guests. The brief was to make it feel a bit like a London club and play our favourite genres. He nailed it with upbeat, danceable tunes and a mix of Afrobeats, Amapiano, Pop, 70s Disco and Soul, R&B and House. He played Candy too, of course.

Photographer: Charlotte Macke Photography @charlottemackephotography | Planning: Claudia Duarte Lopez, courtesy of The Standard @thestandardlondon | Styling: Sara and Matthew | Flora: Sage Flowers @sage.flowers | Videographer: Holly Keepfer @hollykeepferfilms | Ceremony Location: Sweeties at The Standard @thestandard | Reception Location: Decimo at The Standard, London @decimo.london @thestandardlondon | HMUA: Pati Sanchez @patisanchez.bridal | Catering & Beverages: Decimo at The Standard @decimo.london @thestandardlondon | Cake: Mitzi’s Bakes @mitzisbakes | Stationery: Custom watercolour painted by Sara | Entertainment: Gema Paluan Coventry @gemapaluan | DJ: Ethan Porte @lordporte | Dress: Deme by Gabriella @deme_love_ | Suit Jacquemus @jacquemus | Traditional Minangkabau Ceremony Outfits: Hidayatul Kamil @wonderful_

fshion | Henna: @hennabyhemmy @henna.by.niaa | Engagement Ring: Vintage Naneen Brooks at Alfie’s Antiques @alfiesantiques | Wedding Rings: Frederick Grove @frederick.grove (Matthew); Mejuri @mejuri (Sara) | Shoes: Jacquemus @jacquemus (Matthew); (Sara): Hidayatul Kamil @wonderful_fshion, & Vintage | Choker & Earrings: Tulola @tuloladesigns | Wedding Party Attire: Hidayatul Kamil @wonderful_fshion (Bridesmaids); Flower Boys and Brother: Khatam @khatamkl