Having just popped back from a city break to London, I was thrilled when I spotted today's real wedding in our inbox! With London being a hub of activity, I wasn't surprised Rory and Claire embraced the city they lived in and incorporated it into their celebration. With Jamaican roots on Claire's side, this isn't your average city wedding, it's a fusion of classic London elements combined with chilled Jamaican vibes. The photographs by My Love Story Photography are bound to put a smile on your face this morning...
When it came to finding Mr Right, Claire often pondered the idea of how she would know who he was, it turns out you just do...Rory and I met on a dating website, yes everyone, my name is Claire and I met my husband on THE INTERNET! Right from the get go we just clicked. It is funny but I spent a lot of my late 20’s fretting and wondering if I would ever find him, this man I was supposed to be with and how would I know him when I did. Turns out you really do ‘just know’. We dated for 2 years before he proposed and I nearly took his arm off when he did!
The pair had a slightly unconventional proposal, but all's well that ends well as they say...We had a row actually, one of our very few serious ones, serious enough for Rory to take himself off to calm down! When he came back he got down on one knee and said “Are you going to marry us then?” To say I was surprised is to take English understatement to its extreme. It was more romantic than it probably sounds!
During the ceremony Claire and Rory organised a steel drum duo to play a little nod to Claire's Jamaican roots. Just like in Friends when Phoebe and Mike got married outside Central Perk...
We had the invitations, ceremony booklets and posters specially designed by my friend Rehanne and I picked my favourite quotes about love and life for them.
Claire wore her mother’s, godmother’s necklace, a precious family heirloom and borrowed a crystal headpiece from a friend who had worn it for her wedding the year before!
The recurring thing people say to me about our wedding was how in love we seemed and how relaxed it all was and what a great time they had as a result. Weddings should be about love and happiness and the start of married life. It should be a chance to get all your nearest and dearest together to celebrate, it shouldn’t be about stress and formality and worrying what people will think of you. Well said Claire and I think the readers will agree you guys look like two smitten newlyweds!
It had been bride Claire's dream to have an authentic London bus as part of her wedding to Rory, but unfortunately the budget couldn't stretch for the iconic double-decker. The couple's lovely friends chipped in and organised the bus as a surprise for the couple, and boy were they surprised! It was tears galore and more emotional hugs and kisses all round!
While we take in the very cool red bus, we must stop and admire Claire's beautiful wedding dress. Crafty Claire bought the gorgeous guna second-hand from a handy little online boutique called Still White... I knew I wanted a 50s style full-skirted dress and also knew I wouldn’t be spending thousands on a dress I would only wear once, so I was thrilled to find my dress on the site for a nice bargain!
How cute are the white roses and 'Happy Wedding Day' sign? I also wouldn't mind that pillow for myself!
When it came to a theme for their wedding day, Claire and Rory wanted a proper London celebration and between their city location and epic red bus I think they got just that... I loved being in London on the wedding day, especially the photos of us at Shepherd’s Bush roundabout and walking down the Uxbridge Road. That’s our manor and it was so lovely to be there on our wedding day. We were literally stopping traffic at one point!
Claire accessorised with a red and green bouquet, red nails and the cutest green satin peep toe shoes. While Rory looked sharp in a soft navy blue Ted Baker suit, adding colour with a stripey tie.
When it came to the venue they choose a place in the city that they both loved and had visited many times...We love Bush Hall, we actually live down the road and had been to gigs there. It is a stunning old Music Hall and the team there were fantastic from start to finish, patient and kind and super helpful even when I was being (more than) slightly crazy towards the end of planning.
My dad is Jamaican and Rory loves spicy food so we wanted a Caribbean feast. We served curry goat with rice and peas – a proper dinner, not fancy sit down meal. We also wanted a live band as we both love live music and a good band beats a DJ every time. We called in every favour, used every talented friend and I haggled like my life depended on it!
So what advice did this fun lovin' couple have for others planning a celebration. "Don’t sweat the small stuff! It really doesn’t matter what shade of pink your ribbons are, on the day I promise you won’t notice! Also, be present on the day, really enjoy each moment as it comes, let people come and talk to you and don’t worry about trying to get round to everyone, you don’t go to a wedding expecting to spend loads of time with the bride and groom!
A huge congratulations to Claire and Rory on their city celebration. A big Thank You goes to My Love Photography for sharing their work with us at One Fab Day. To see more of their work pop over to www.my-lovestory.co.uk
The Details
- Ceremony: Marylebone Town Hall, London
- Reception: Bush Hall
- Photography: My Love Story Photography
- Wedding Dress: Still White
- Groomsmen’s suits: Ted Baker
