WPC Real Wedding: Aimee and Toby's Chic London Wine Cellar Wedding

Wandering around the Showroom with The Wedding Present Company advisors with a glass of Nyetimber in hand- it was the most luxurious shopping experience!

There were so many to choose from, for Aimee it was the likes of Issy Granger, Addison Ross and Klimchi, and for Toby, the great selection of cooking products from the likes of Laguiole.

We had been recommended The Wedding Present Company by a number of friends, and our Wedding Planners. We had such a great service at our first appointment that we signed up there and then!

It was like another Christmas day, full of beautiful presents to remind us of all the guests who attended our special day. The extra touch of having a bottle of Nyetimber in there to drink whilst opening them was lovely; although Aimee is now pregnant so we will await the enjoyment of drinking that later in the year.

Toby had grand plans of taking Aimee to a few lovely hotels for her 30th birthday in December 2020, but then Covid struck and lockdown 2.0 started. As we had taken the time off work, we headed out for a walk along one of our favourite routes, the Thames Path from our home in Wandsworth Town to Barnes, where we stopped and popped open a bottle of champagne. Next thing I knew Toby was down on one knee and popped open a box which held the most beautiful Ruby engagement ring I have ever seen!

We didn't want a traditional wedding, rather one a little bit different which everyone would remember. For us we wanted a focus to be on seasonal food and wine, whilst being surrounded by our nearest and dearest. Once we found Berry Bros. & Rudd (our reception venue) with our wedding planners, we were inspired by its British heritage, which worked perfectly with our Autumnal vision. We wanted soft Autumnal colours which added character and warmth to the beautiful cellars.

We got married in London, as it is where we met and it holds a big place in our hearts. We started with the ceremony in the beautiful Westminster Room in The Old Marylebone Town Hall, with our reception following at Berry Bros. & Rudd in St James's. The champagne reception was held in the Old Shop which oozed character with its wooden panelling and wonky floors, and the wedding breakfast was served in the wine cellar two floors below; a magical spot for an Autumnal Wedding.

We had an amazing team help set up on the day, with The Wedding Edition team (Isabella Fougler and Kendra Leaver-Rylah) helping our florists 'Escape to the Cutting Garden' transform the spaces. The first time we saw it was absolutely one of the best parts of our day- it looked amazing.

In line with the London theme, we hired a cream London taxi to take my Dad and Aimee to the ceremony, and later, Toby and Aimee to Berry Bros. & Rudd. We transported all our guests on a Retro London Bus.

Our florist was Escape to the Cutting Garden, their team, Lucie and Hattie set up together during the 2020 lockdown because of their joint passion for beautiful floristry. I could not recommend them more! Their vision and creativity is a true one-off talent.

I got my dress from Halfpenny London, the most magical bridal boutique in the heart of London. My dress was bespoke, based on their Chery Dress but with some changes made to the back detail to make it unique to me. My shoes were from Jimmy Choo and veil was my sister’s, which my mother-in-law added a trim to, so it matched my dress.

Hair was done by Summer and her assistant Millie-Rose from Michael Van Clarke, and makeup by Harriet Rainbow, a fantastic team!

Toby wore a three-piece suit from Favourbrook, shirt and tie from Turnbull & Asser and Shoes from Crockett & Jones.
 

The bridesmaids were all in different dresses, a selection from Rixo and Ghost, and the Groomsmen all wore their own blue suits with matching ties. We wanted to stay away from the tradition of matching outfits and ensure they felt comfortable in what they were wearing. 

Berry Bros. & Rudd’s amazing head chef Stewart Turner blew us away with the food. To start we had his take on crisp rare-breed pork belly, salsify and apple, for main we had Creedy Carver chicken, bacon mousseline and chicken fat potatoes and to finish he presented our wedding cake beautifully with coulis and fresh Autumnal berries.

We drank the 2018 Berry Bros. & Rudd Extra Ordinary Claret by Château Villa Bel-Air, Bordeaux and the 2020 Berry Bros. & Rudd Gavi di Gavi by Roberto Sarotto, Piedmont, Italy

Alisa Roberts was our wonderful photographer for the day.

Truly Medley Deeply

The Wedding Edition

Georgina Bennett & William Hylton

Can we say all of it?! Of course, the highlight was becoming husband and wife, but there were so many other special moments during the day it’s hard to list them all! After a tough year with a lot of restrictions we were so happy to just be free of any Covid rules and have all our favourite people in one place. A real stand out moment was seeing the cellars at Berry Bros. and Rudd decorated to perfection, we wish we were there to see the reactions of our family and friends.

Make the wedding all about you and your tastes, a personal wedding is one which will never be forgotten.

Venue Berry Bros. & Rudd and The Old Marylebone Town Hall

Florist Escape to the Cutting Garden

Bridal fashion Halfpenny London and Jimmy Choo

Hair Michael Van Clarke

Makeup Harriet Rainbow

Grooms Fashion Favourbrook, Turnbull & Asser and Crockett & Jones.

Bridesmaids Fashion Rixo and Ghost

Photographer Alisa Roberts

Band Truly Medley Deeply

Wedding Planners The Wedding Edition