Roxanne & Greg

I always love featuring weddings from incredible London venue Trinity Buoy Wharf because it just seems to be one of those spaces chosen by creative couples who really want to throw a massive party for their wedding day, and yep, you guessed it, that's exactly what Roxanne and Greg did. And it looked like the party of the century - colourful decor, a rum bar, a temporary tattoo station, cardboard cut outs of their cats (!), a photobooth taxi...honestly the whole wedding just looked like an absolute riot. We're in LOVE with Roxanne's Bridal look too, the brightly coloured flower crown by List florists Grace & Thorn, the colour pop nail varnish, her gorgeous ringlets and her sultry make up look created by her very own Mum, Roxanne is truly a Rock My Wedding Bride and a girl after our own hearts. And I can't not mention the sexy Bridesmaids - we think hot pink dresses with cut-outs should be obligatory Bridesmaids uniform - these ladies look gorgeous! Roxanne and Greg also got matching ring tattoos, which I've always loved the idea of and this wedding has just reminded me how much. Don't worry, they provided temporary tattoos for guests who wanted to join in the fun but only for the evening! Enjoy this one lovelies, it's an absolute corker of a wedding day and it can't fail to put a smile on your face...

The Venue

Roxanne The Bride: We always knew that we wanted our venue to be a bit different and somewhere that we could really leave our mark. We were delighted when we found, Trinity Buoy Wharf, not only was it in our beloved city of London but it really is one of the city’s best kept secrets. As soon as we saw the amazing view of the Thames and the large space, that you can make your own, we were in love. Oh and to top it all off, there’s a lighthouse on the side of the building and you can go up to the top. Trinity Buoy Wharf really is a blank canvas and it was really exciting to create our wedding Fiesta. On top of that, it’s probably one of the few venues that let you stay later than midnight, so this was a massive pro for us.

The Bride

My amazing mum is a hair and make-up artist. So, there was no doubt in my mind, who I would be asking to beautify me for the big day. I cannot thank her enough for how beautiful she made me feel. It was really a lovely moment to share with her on the wedding morning and one I shan’t forget. The Secret Dress House in Reigate, Surrey was so calming after so many hectic and rushed Bridal appointments. As it’s a small shop, they only have one bride in at a time. It made me really relaxed and focus on pulling out the right picks for me. My mum pulled out the Gemy Maalouf gown for me to try. As soon as I felt the silk fabric and saw the beaded detail, I knew it was going to be special. When I walked out onto the shop floor and looked in the mirror, I felt like a bride and I just knew that Greg would love it. Cliché as it is, I really did have THE moment. Mum burst into tears, I burst into tears...game over that was it! I’d pondered the thought of wearing a second dress in the evening of the wedding but as soon as I had my dress on, there was no way I was changing on the day. I didn’t think I would have a veil, but as soon as the Cathedral veil went on with my dress, I was converted. I was always wanted to wear bright shoes and thankfully LK Bennett, had a great pair in red with a good heel height. Our fantastic florist, Grace and Thorn made my floral headdress in complimentary bright colours. For the evening I wore Liberace Kitty Ears by Crown and Glory. I am a proud crazy cat woman, I think I bought these ears before I’d found my dress! I always knew I’d be wearing them on the dance floor.

The Groom

Greg: I wore a Teal coloured suit from Ted Baker with a matching waistcoat. My tie and Kurt Geiger shoes were matching in the same deep Maroon. I paired my outfit with all of my beloved biker rings from The Great Frog and a vintage pocket watch. Roxanne added to my biker ring collection by giving me a Navajo Onynx stone ring that I opened on the morning of the wedding. I also wore skull cufflinks from Fou Jewellery, which were engraved with our wedding date.

The Wedding Party

Rox: For Greg’s Best Man and three ushers we wanted them to feel comfortable, so asked them all to wear their own suits on the day - we cannot take credit for Best Man’s awesome floral trousers and shiny red shoes. We wish we could! Grace and Thorn supplied the buttonholes and we made sure that they were all in keeping with the colourful theme to tie them into the bridal party. We also thought it would be nice for Greg, the Father of the Groom and the Father of the Bride to all wear matching ties on the day. My gorgeous Bridesmaids, all wore dresses from ASOS. I never thought they would be in bright pink but we really liked the style of this dress. When they tried them on the colour looked fantastic. The talented florists at Grace and Thorn, also made their headdresses. From the beginning I had decided that the Bridesmaids would be carrying balloons down the aisle, instead of bouquets because...why not?! Our page boys were in khaki trousers from Next with white shirts and white Converse trainers. I found their orange bow ties and braces on Etsy.

The Decor

If we could pick a theme for a wedding it would be a colourful rainbow, rum fueled, fiesta. We wanted the day to be a big celebration that everyone could enjoy. We had a lot of family and friends travel to London and some were first timers. It was great that the venue showcased some spectacular views of city, as well as let us host the party of a lifetime. Decorating the venue was a massive team effort, we had so many people that were helping us set up the day before the wedding and we could not have done it without them. We collected glass jars and bottle’s to decorate the venue incorporating flowers. Greg’s Mum and a very dear family friend, spent hours at Covent Garden Flower market picking the arrangements for the tables and décor. They arrived at the venue with a van full of the most beautiful bright blooms and got to work with a team of helpers. I am still amazed at the fantastic work they all did. We know nada about flowers, but they did exactly what we asked and filled the room with colour. We were truly blessed to have so many willing helpers turn Trinity Buoy Wharf into our dream venue. One of the other themes we incorporated was our nicknames Moose (Greg) and Fox (Roxanne). We had a large Moose and Fox head that were carved from wood above our table and used this theme in our Cake Topper, table plan and invites. It was really important to us that our kitties, Rockefeller and Pablo were present on the day. After many failed attempts to get them in a cat harness so they could be at the ceremony, we had the idea to have them made into cardboard cut-out’s! They were guarding our wedding cake during the reception and then we moved them into the photo booth. It was hilarious and everyone had a snap with our much-loved Fluffballs.

The Ceremony

Roxanne: We are not particularly religious, so we had a simple service. The reading we chose was a Poem by Lemn Sissay ‘Invisible Kisses’. This poem really means a lot to us, as at one point Greg lived in New York and I was in London and the words really spoke true to how we felt about each other, when we were apart. It was great that the weather was clear and we could have the large doors open for the ceremony, so we were looking out onto the city we loved when we said ‘I do’.
 I walked down the aisle to the Paloma Faith’s Live Lounge version of ‘Feel The Love’. During the signing of the Registrar we played Amy Winehouse ‘Our Day Will Come’ and Stevie Wonder ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’. We walked back up the aisle to the original version of ‘Feel the Love’ by Rudimental (Well, we did say the theme was Fiesta!)

The Reception

Having the lighthouse open, kept the guests entertained during the drinks reception. We had our skull tattoo’s and the Moose and Fox design made into tattoo transfers for our wedding favours. It was hilarious to see that even the people that are not keen on ink, covered in tattoo’s. It showed us that everyone was truly embracing what we love as a couple. Greg’s beloved Harley Davidson, had to represented somewhere in the day. So, we also gave our guests Jelly Motorbike sweets. Wade, our DJ was amazing, he really understood the music we wanted. It was definitely a mix of everything we loved. Our first dance was a mash up of Kings of Leon – Use Somebody, Jay Z and Kayne West- Ni**as in Paris and Macklemore – Can’t Hold us. Our guests hit the dance floor as soon as they could and it was amazing to bust some moves with everyone. We don’t think the dance floor was ever empty, well until everyone was kicked off it to go home! We had light up initials from Mighty Fine Entertainment that really completed the dance floor. We hired a Taxi photo booth from Cocophoto Booths. It was bright pink and covered in flowers. We absolutely loved the idea that the taxi pull’s up and entertains the guests for the evening. It was brilliant and the photos are hilarious. I think everyone really had a great time in the taxi and guests got to keep a copy of the photo as well.

The Food

Greg: So, this is where the rum fuelled part of our theme comes in. Dark n Stormy is one of our favourite cocktails and we served these alongside Prosecco for our guests. The rum may have got a little out of hand towards the end of the night. Cut to photos of the Bride and Groom swigging Sailor Jerry’s from a bottle...no shame! Our original caterer fell through but thanks to their suggestions we found DDC (Disappearing Dining Club) and the awesome Dita! Every wedding needs a Dita! She was our coordinator supplied by DDC and was instrumental in us having a calm and relaxing day. With both the Bride and Groom coming from a TV/Film background and living a life ruled by call sheets and schedules, it was an absolute blessing to find someone we could have complete faith in. DDC food was amazing! The chef, Fred Bolin, treated our carnivorous guests to beef with an oxtail bolungier with the Veggies having pea and mint quinoa risotto accompanied by asparagus and a deep fried poached egg. It was important to us that the veggies (who make up a large portion of the grooms family) had food that would feel just as special as the meat eater’s dish. Our wedding cake was made by The Little Bear Cakery. Clare Margary, designed an amazing naked red velvet cake, topped with fresh fruit.

Advice & Special Moments

Roxanne: Something that was really important to me at our wedding was honouring my Grandad and the families Romany Gypsy heritage. It is tradition that the Father of the Groom presents the bride with a piece of jewellery, which signifies welcoming her into the family. We arranged for Greg’s Dad to come to the bridal suite, just before I left for the ceremony. We lit a candle for my Grandad and my Nan said a few words. It was a really emotional moment for us all but it meant a lot to honour my Grandad’s memory. Greg’s Dad gave me a simple silver bracelet, which had a St Christopher Charm on it (My granddad always wore a St Christopher necklace) and then he also added a lucky coin charm. My mum also gave me a heart pendant that contained some of my Grandads ashes. It might seem a bit morbid, but I felt happy to know that his was with us on our special day. I wrapped the necklace around my bouquet, so he was walking me down the aisle with my dad. One of my favourite moments of the day was when we were at the top of the Lighthouse and had a moment to be together, look at the view and see all of our dearest family and friends mingling in the courtyard below. It really was idyllic...until our guests spotted us up in the lighthouse and started shouting ‘Do Titanic, Do Titanic!’ Cue, me and Greg doing the ‘I’m Flying’ pose. It still has me in fits of laughter now. Advice that I can give to future Brides and Grooms, is try not to let the wedding take over everything. Make sure you take some time to not be doing wedding planning and be together. Also always remember it is your wedding day! Everyone has their own version of a great wedding, so be true to what makes you a great couple. Greg: One of my favorite wedding moments was having our wedding bands tattooed. Tattoos have been something that has been a big part of our relationship (though we’re not quite as covered as that makes us sound!) so we went to visit our regular tattooist and friend Alexis Camburn at Two Snakes Tattoo. I sat with Alexis and designed our wedding bands. I designed a star and moon and Rox added to the design with 4 dots signifying me, her and our two cats! I really loved having this moment for just the two of us before the craziness of the main day kicked in. On the day one of my favourite moments was the transition from our first dance (Use Somebody) into Jay Z and Kayne West. It went from this peaceful moment of just the two of us, to the dancefloor being filled before the intro had even finished. Suddenly the party was in full swing and we surrounded by so many of our friends and family who were all there to celebrate with us! There was such a buzz of excitement and energy in the room, it felt very special to be at the centre of it. The two best pieces of advice I can give, aside from getting a Dita, are to take control of the planning and set boundaries, so it doesn’t take over everything else and get insurance as soon as things start getting booked. As it starts to get closer, it can feel very overwhelming and like the list is endless. By setting boundaries around which nights were wedding nights, setting the things we needed to get done and having a curfew to stop us staying up all night fretting over details, we managed to limit how stressful the process became whilst staying on track and not burning ourselves out. Having wedding insurance ended up saving our bacon, when our original caterer fell through. What could have been something that massively disrupted the wedding planning and finances became something we managed to take in our stride and get past pretty easily.

The Photography

We were lucky to win the Things & Ink Magazine Tattoo Love Story feature and even luckier to have their photographer Heather Shuker (who shoots wedding under Eclection Photography) photograph our wedding. She really knows how to capture the perfect image, without you even knowing its happening. We loved the snapshots of our guests celebrating with us, as well as some amazing photos of us with our family and friends. What we also loved is that Heather is a lot of fun to work with, guests commented on not only was she a complete professional but she really knew how to have fun with guests and draw out those great shots. She captured the essence of our wedding perfectly and everyone that has seen our photos have been blown away. We cannot thank her enough for all the wonderful moments that she captured.