Gemma & Rich

The styling of Gemma & Rich's big day is so original, refreshing and fun, I just know you're all going to love it. It can be really hard to find ideas that haven't been used lots and lots before in weddings - such is the double edged sword of wedding blogs ;) but Gemma and Rich have created an atmosphere that is unique, stylish and inviting all at the same time. The Autumnal colours are just gorgeous and given that the UK is currently rather dreary, it actually feels pretty apt to warm the cockles with this cosy wedding day. The lovely images come from We Heart Pictures whose natural, relaxed style blends so beautifully with this intimate London wedding day.

Our Wedding

Gemma the Bride: From the moment Rich and I got engaged, we had very similar ideas and thoughts about our wedding. We wanted to create a day that was personal to us and we would remember for the rest of our lives involving as many family and friends possible. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by extremely supportive and creative people in our lives. When it came to decisions like, who will make the cake, easy, Mum (Julia Butterworth)! How about the flowers, easy, Emily! Everyone was so happy to help and get involved which we were so appreciative of and also, saved on the pennies too.

The Venues

When we found Brixton East, we immediately fell in love. It was the perfect blank canvas for our wedding providing us with the flexibility to decorate, cater and simply, make our own for the day. Exposed brick walls, fairy lights and a splash of vintage furniture here and there were an excellent compliment too. We knew it was the venue for us when we first visited. Brixton East is not licensed for ceremonies however, we discovered Dulwich College and it's beautiful leafy grounds, perfect for an autumn wedding which was a lovely contrast to Brixton East. A very special part of our wedding ceremony along with lovely readings from my brother and Rich's uncle, included walking down the aisle to one our favourite songs - Hoppípolla, Sigur Rós, being played live on a grand piano from my sister in law, a truly unforgettable moment.

The Photography

We Heart Pictures were recommended to us by our close friends whose wedding they had photographed a couple of years ago. We absolutely loved our friends photographs and we were immediately drawn to We Heart Pictures style of photography. After meeting them over a coffee in London, we knew they were the photographers for us. Charlie and Hector are so friendly and make you feel very comfortable when being photographed. Our engagement shoot (we used these photos for our save the dates and wedding invites) was a great way of becoming familiar with Hector's style and was so much fun. When it came to the day, we both felt very happy in Hector's company and for a lot of the day, we barely noticed him there. We are extremely chuffed with the wedding photos and he beautifully captured the day perfectly.

The Bride

I always imagined wearing a lacy long dress with sleeves as I love the detailing and sophistication of lace. I fell in love with the Novia D'Art dress from Proposals - the three layers of different lace patterns were beautiful and it felt surprisingly comfortable too, plus a zip at the back to save doing up a million buttons. The sleeves were a delicate addition to the dress and I knew that I would feel comfortable (and warm enough) for an autumn day wedding.

The Jewellery

I was very overwhelmed when my Mum handed me her wedding tiara and said that she was happy for me to use it for the wedding in any way. I hesitantly decided to take it apart and I was able to use the fabric flowers and leaves, as well as the crystals in my hair which worked beautifully. With the flowers and crystals that were spare, I made them in to a necklace for my Mum and cufflinks for my Dad and brother, as a surprise, to say thank you.

The Flowers & Decor

Also one of our beautiful bridesmaids, Emily produced our wedding flowers including the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets, buttonholes and corsages, and the flowers for both venues. On a strict budget and a very early morning trip to Covent Garden flower market, the bouquets and all of the wedding flowers that Emily produced were truly stunning. We wanted to stick with autumnal colours for the flowers including deep reds and bright oranges against soft greens, pastel pinks and creams. The flowers included ranunculus, roses, scabiosa, rosehips, silver brunia, rosemary, olive branches and parvifolia. We had handmade paper triangle decorations, furniture supplied by Brixton East 1871 and calligraphy supplied by Kirsten Dunn. Not forgetting to mention our family and friends who helped us decorate Brixton East for six hours the day before the wedding!

The Cake

Made by Julia Butterworth (Mother of the Bride). With a scrumptious fruit cake as the main feature surrounded by delicate cupcakes, it was the perfect balance. The cupcakes were autumnal themed with the three flavours including, spiced pumpkin, toffee apple and lemon poppyseed. Absolutely delicious and great for the guests to take home with them too.

The Food & Drink

MYPIE was such an easy decision when it came to the wedding catering - great pies, local and seasonal ingredients and a fantastic pie van too, which looked awesome outside the venue. Our personal favourite was the beef, black pudding and mature cheddar - superb! We had a fantastic meeting with The Travelling Gin Co prior to the wedding, creating the perfect drinks offering for our day. Ed and Joe were very receptive to our tastes and after an hour or so of tastings (we were rather merry after!), we came away with a unique menu to compliment the craft beer we had sourced ourselves from Dark Star in Sussex.

The Wedding Party

Bridesmaid dresses purchased from Etsy, by stichawayrose. Flower girl dress was handmade by Julia Butterworth. Rich was very keen not to have a suit with matching colours, but was set early on to go with blues, greys and browns in a wool blend. Although we planned to go down a tailored route, Rich was sold on a combo from Topman of a grey contrast blazer, a brown waistcoat and "Royal Navy" blue trousers, with brogues from Clarks. The father of the bride and best men/groomsmen wore the same tie as Rich, a burgundy knitted number from John Lewis. The best men got their suits from Next and Moss Bros, based on a similar theme to Rich's outfit.

The Transport

Nothing like a vintage red bus for a London wedding and it was a fun way to travel from Dulwich College to Brixton East with our guests! The whole bus was buzzing and everyone was so happy to be a part of our wedding journey.