Today's real wedding is a pure burst of joy, colour, and all-round coolness. London couple Briony and Adam wanted an affordable wedding that would still allow them to have everyone they wanted on the guestlist. No small feat, but this pair pulled it off in style (like a gold sequin wedding dress and bridesmaids in jumpsuits kind of style!). Their venue, Trinity Buoy Wharf, was not only big enough to accommodate their many guests, but it offered epic views and fun photo ops for the wedding party, expertly captured by Meghan Lorna Photography. From the pie and mash catering and the lucky cat favours, to the incredible DIY ceremony arch and chic online buys, this gorgeous bash is a lesson in how thriftiness and stylishness, need not be mutually exclusive!

Briony and Adam explain that they met ‘years and years’ ago, when Briony first started university. “I started going to gigs in Leeds and got to know Adam then through a shared love of watching sweaty bands in small rooms,” she recalls. “We knew each other for about 10 years before we finally got ourselves together!”

Essential last minute bridesmaid selfie!

We love Adam’s ridiculously sweet proposal, “He sellotaped a ring into my 30th birthday card with a message saying “Will you marry me?”

The couple knew exactly how they wanted their wedding day to look and feel, “As bright and colourful as we could manage, decor that reflected our personalities,” describes Briony. “And an informal format where everyone could relax and have fun.”

Each bridesmaid rocked her own uniquely coloured bouquet, the bright floral headbands are such a gorgeous touch too!

Briony’s talented sister, also a bridesmaid, spent weeks making the spectacular flower arch, “It was brilliant,” gushes the bride. “Pretty much all of our suppliers were friends (we are lucky to know so many excellent creative people) which made everything feel a lot more personal for me.”

These guys were eager to have a big party rather than a traditional wedding, “Our priority was a big celebration with space for everyone we wanted to invite – done as cheaply as that many people would allow.”

We can’t believe Briony got this spectacular Badgley Mischka gold sequin wedding dress on eBay! It's such a phenomenal dress, and provided serious glamour to the city setting.

As an unexpected highlight, Briony had lots of fun hanging out with her pals on the day, “Having my best friends with me all day as bridesmaids was an experience I didn’t anticipate being so special. We all got photos taken with personalised bendy straws which are my favourites of the bunch.”

We love a big bridal party, especially when they're as fabulous as this posse!

Briony and Adam tell us their photography - by Meghan Lorna - was the highlight of the whole wedding!

The music choices were always going to be key for a couple who fell in love over years of gigs, “We walked in to Bron-Yr-Aur by Led Zeppelin, signed the register to Modern Love by David Bowie and walked out to Cool Waves by Spiritualized,” says Briony. “We also had our centrepieces reflect our shared love for music which was important to me. We had an AMAZING band who did nu-metal/2000s rock hit covers called the Honourable Men Of Rock, but I’m not sure if they’re still going…

After pulling off their creative, colourful celebration, Briony has some very practical tips to impart on other couples, “Try to chill out, accept that not everything will work out exactly how you planned it and that’s okay. If you’re staying away from home on the night of the wedding, remember to take your overnight bag to the venue with you – I forgot mine in the furore of leaving the house and had to sleep in my contact lenses and wear Adam’s shorts to breakfast the next day.”

Finding a great venue that could accommodate their large guest list was tricky for Briony and Adam; until they found Trinity Buoy Wharf, “I love being by the Thames and it’s a beautiful building with incredible grounds - great for photos,” says the bride.

The unique wedding favours? Briony’s brother-in-law’s handiwork! “My brother-in-law imported us a bunch of lucky cats from China as he is fluent in Mandarin!”

We have to say, we were instantly enamoured with this pair’s catering choice! “Our catering was done by Pieminister and they were absolutely brilliant and really stepped in as event planners/on the day organisers. Cannot recommend them enough – and they happily catered for dietary requirements. I thought they’d be expensive but they were actually more reasonable than our other quotes.”

Dried flower confetti and sustainable cutlery kept waste to a minimum, while adding to the colour and laid-back feel of the decor.

The couple had the kind of honeymoon lots of newlyweds will have on their bucketlist, “We did a road trip down the West Coast of America from Seattle to San Diego and it was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone, even though Donald Trump is making America a less desirable destination these days.”

Sounds like this bunch were partying into the night! Thanks so much to Briony and Adam for sharing your day with us, and to Meghan Lorna Photography for documenting it all so beautifully! Hit the gallery below for even more from this fabulous wedding.