WPC Real Wedding: Daisy & Jamie's Spring London Wedding

Our private appointments in the showroom and being shown around with a glass of fizz (sweeties in a bowl was Jamie’s highlight) was incredible. There is so much to chose from, however, it is not confronting because our personal advisor was so good at analysing our needs and directing us to the right things. It was a very manageable experience that turned something daunting into an enjoyable occasion! We have recommened The Wedding Present Company to all of our friends, who have also all had a brilliant experience. 

Our ceremony was held at The London Oratory, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge.

Jamie’s family have long established links with The Brompton Oratory, so it was an obvious choice for the ceremony when we knew we would be getting married in London.

Our reception was held at The Savile Club, Mayfair.

After hunting for a long time for a reception venue which we could hire in totality, and felt intimate enough for our large wedding party and didn’t feel like too much of a ‘venue’, we stumbled upon The Savile Club (an Arts Private Members club), which we both fell head over heels with on the first visit. The stunning ballroom with it’s Watteau style cloudscape on the ceiling proved the most exquisite backdrop for our wedding breakfast, it actually took our breath away when we walked in and saw it dressed fully with our flowers and tables. The panelled bar and downstairs drawing rooms were perfect for drinks and dancing and allowed our guests to flow freely. It was only after we had confirmed the venue we realised my Great Grandfather had been a significant member of the club in the 1950’s (and had some of his cartoons hanging in the drawing room!) so it held meaning too. We also had full use of the bedrooms upstairs which was perfect for the bridal party and all of our overseas guests.  

We had the most beautiful silver 1930’s Rolls Royce cloud take me and my parents from the club to the church and then Jamie and I left the ceremony in it – a stunning car, we felt like old Hollywood movie stars driving through Mayfair in it!

Vic Clarke from Foxgloves and Glory was an absolute gem. Vic completely understood how crucially important the flowers we to me. It was probably the element of the wedding (apart from the marriage itself of course!) which I cared most about and Vic totally delivered! We both had the same vision for the flowers at the Savile – I had my heart set on a statement floral installation on the incredible staircase in the drawing room which guests would use to go up to dinner in the ballroom and Vic managed to interpret my vision in the most breathtakingly stunning way and within my budget! We used classic spring flowers; delphiniums, foxgloves, larkspur, roses, lilac, ranunculi and a touch of eucalyptus as a nod to the Aussie groom! In order to ensure we had the budget for the staircase, my Mother, sister and I did all the bouquets, hair flowers and buttonholes ourselves. Vic was so amazing she hosted us one evening in order to teach us the basics for these elements!

A Paloma Blanca palest blush pink gown with bespoke lace jacket and cathedral veil from London Bride Couture in Pimlico. I found my dress on my first visit to a bridal boutique (I had lots more booked!), fell in love with it decisively and paid for it there and then. It was the third dress I tried on and knew it was the one, I felt blissfully comfortable in it, it was the large gown style I knew I needed to live up to our imposing venue and its design was both classic with the addition of the exquisite Italian lace jacket and modern with pockets in its volumous skirt. It was the perfect dress for me and I felt just like myself in it.

My wedding shoes were Georgie Girl by Diane Hassel. I knew my priority was comfort as I wanted to be able to forget about whatever I was wearing on my feet and be able to dance the night away without a care in the world and these were absolutely perfect. A pretty lace covered court with a good height heel! I also had a pair of palest blue suede Russell & Bromley ballet pumps as a back up. 

I kept my jewellery very simple and wore my grandmother’s antique citrine and pearl pendant which was an incredible sentimental piece for me. My mother gave me beautiful yellow gold and pearl drop earrings on the morning of the wedding which complemented the pendant. In my hair I wore my Mother’s Victorian floral silver hair comb which she entwined fresh flowers around.

I had the wonderful team from Cosmetics a la Carte come to the club to do the bridal party make up. I was very nervous about having my make up done by someone other than myself and really didn’t want to end up looking too made up – Cosmetics a la carte totally understood this and created the perfect natural look for me, which lasted the entire day. They were also a fantastic presence on the morning of the wedding – very calm and attentive.

My sister and I shot off to Duck & Dry in Chelsea first thing in the morning of the wedding to get our hair done. We grabbed a coffee and croissant at Bluebird and had the most relaxed sister’s hour before the chaos kicked in – it was perfect!

Jamie wore classic morning dress with a champagne linen waistcoat from Favorbrook and a Hermes silk tie which was a gift from his two brothers on the morning of the wedding. A really special touch. He also wore the Omega watch he had inherited from his grandfather, who had worn it during WW2 and Korea.

I had five beautiful bridesmaids including my sister who was my maid of honour. They all wore full, floor length oyster duchesse satin skirts which were made by my Mother who was once a wedding dress designer. They wore the palest blue lace tops with the skirts and looked absolutely stunning! My gift to them all was a monogrammed Liberty print kimono gown which my wonderful Mother also made!

The chef and his team at the Savile Club were absolutely incredible throughout the whole process. From our first meeting, they really listened to our taste preferences and what foods held meaning for us, our backgrounds and relationship. It was a hugely important factor to us and we were delighted with the result. Our menu was very seasonally inspired using local ingredients (where possible) and we managed to include dishes which held real meaning to us – a burrata caprese salad which emulated the meal we had immediately after getting engaged in Rome and a watermelon vodka amuse bouche which we devoured night after night on our first holiday together to Greece!

Pol Roger Champagne flowed throughout the night– a favourite of Jamie’s mothers which certainly kept the party going! Jamie is obsessed with watermelon and insisted on watermelon vodka shots in-between main course and pudding.

Chris Allerton – An incredible recommendation from a friend, Chris turned out to have served in the same division as Jamie in the Household Division before going in to Fashion photography for the likes of Ralph Lauren, so he was natural choice for us as soon as we sat down with him.  Chris was an absolute hero – he blended seamlessly in to the Wedding guests, got the most amazing images for us and joined in with the party by being utterly charming to absolutely everyone. The fact that he is now the chosen photographer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also makes the fact that he shot our wedding feel pretty special!

Will Warr – Another incredible recommendation from a friend, we were very undecided about hiring a videographer but as soon as we saw Will’s previous films we were totally won over. He captured the day in the most perfect way and watching it back it made us remember the day in a whole new light. Something I would most definitely recommend to any couples out there dithering over the decision – you won’t regret hiring Will!

We used a very classic invitation from The Letterpress of Cirencester and then I hand painted the floral crest and did all the calligraphy on our orders of service, menus, and seating plan. We had them printed at Kall Kwik of Chelsea who were fantastic and we were very pleased with the end result.

Jamie secured the Scots Guards piper (piper to Her Majesty) to pipe us all out of the Oratory after the church ceremony, and it was a complete surprise for me which was incredibly touching. The piper also piped us into the wedding breakfast and did a wee spell of tunes during the reception drinks before the speeches.

For dancing after dinner we hired The Supreme Collective, an amazing 7 piece band with three incredible female singers. They had an awesome (and huge) repertoire of songs we picked a playlist from in advance and kept the dancefloor buzzing all night – exactly what we wanted and I couldn’t recommend them enough! 

A cliché, but really the standout moments for us was during the meal – being able to look around at the exquisite room full of our family and friends chatting and laughing was all that we hoped it would be. More light hearted standout moments were when Lord Monckton got up to perform a piece of piano music he had written for us for the day and finally a guest screaming ‘Mum! I caught the F***ing bouquet’ when fate decided she was next!

Ceremony: The London Oratory 

Reception: The Savile Club, Mayfair

Transport: https://www.atbeauford.co.uk/

Florist: Foxgloves and Glory

Bridal Fashion: Paloma Blanca from London Bride Couture

Bridal Shoes: Diane Hassel & Russell & Bromley

Make Up: Cosmetics a la Carte

Hair: Duck & Dry

Groom's Fashion: Favorbrook, Hermes & Omega

Champagne: Pol Roger

Photographer: Chris Allerton

Videographer: Will Warr

Stationery: The Letterpress of Cirencester & Kall Kwik

Music: The Supreme Collective