Stylish Islington Wedding for £5000 with Beaded Needle & Thread Dress

My heart always soars when I spy a London wedding, especially when I hear their budget was only £5000! Gorgeous Australian bride and groom, Lara and Josh, certainly made the most of North London's offerings with an intimate ceremony at Islington Town Hall, followed by a foliage-filled, champagne-fuelled reception at the uber cool Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings. Photographed by Olivia & Dan - members of our handpicked wedding supplier directory The List - their big day is a picture-perfect story of love, laughter and happily ever after, not to mention a beautiful beaded Needle & Thread dress that looks like it was made just for Lara.

Beaded Needle & Thread Dress

Lara & Josh: I found my dress - a beaded Needle & Thread number with long sleeves - after many months and countless late nights scrolling through Instagram. When I heard there was a Needle & Thread sample sale two weeks later, I felt that it was a sign. I turned up 15 minutes early on the day - and left with nothing except tears streaming down my face. Luckily, I found the dress on Net-a-Porter two hours later and all was well again. My mum suggested pairing the dress with olive green shoes, and my heels by Sergio Rossi worked perfectly. To top it off, I found a simple, light, floor-length veil from RMW recommended supplier Britten Weddings that went exquisitely with my divinely beaded dress. As finishing touches, I wore a hairpiece and baby blue garter from Tania Maris, beautiful vintage gold and ruby stoned ring, and my late grandmother's gold ‘J’ necklace.

Intimate Islington Wedding Celebration at Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings

We both wanted a wedding venue that was old, beautiful and picturesque. I had looked at many registry offices in London but, when I saw Islington Town Hall, we stopped our search. The marble steps, tall ceilings and council chambers took our breath away. Following the service, we moved on to Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings. We had spent months searching for a reception venue, hoping to find a space with an intimate room, long table and lots of greenery, and The Greenhouse at B&H Buildings ticked all the boxes. It was stunning, and the staff were fantastic. On the night, they had The Greenhouse beautifully decorated to our specification with fairy lights and mason jars filled with flowers and foliage - and they ensured that, throughout the evening, there was never an empty glass. We're also so lucky to have had all this prettiness captured by Olivia & Dan, who are unbelievably talented photographers. The rapport we had with them made the big day go smoothly, and we’re absolutely in love with the end result.

Semi-Naked Wedding Cake

Our cake was designed by one of our friends - and paramedic colleague - Gemma Howard. Being an intimate wedding, we didn’t want a cake that was over the top with lots left at the end of the night. We decided on a vanilla sponge with jam and cream, laced with vanilla icing and topped with flowers, eucalyptus to represent Australia, thistles to represent my Scottish heritage, and blueberries for a bit of colour. Everyone was given a cake box with a slice to take home at the end of the evening.

Ceremony Readings: Relativity by Albert Einstein; Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne; The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach Budget: £5000

Don't you think The Greenhouse at B&H Buildings is just the most glorious venue? It's so light and bright, with white-washed walls and vintage furniture. Talk about Insta-ready! Oh, and did you spy the favours? Lara and Josh asked their guests to choose their favourite confectionary item from Fortnum & Mason, and had it sitting at the table for them. How very lovely (and how very London-appropriate).