* Laura, Administrator at a Higher Education Institution & Alexander, Finance *
Easy, plain, and simple are not the words most people start with when trying to plan a wedding, but from the moment Alex and I met I never doubted our love and wanted our wedding to reflect that carefree attitude we bring to our everyday life together.
It was not supposed to be easy to plan a wedding in the UK with all our family and friends living in Canada, South Africa, America, and Australia, so from the start of our planning we made a pact to choose the easiest option for everything. We wanted everyone to feel invited to our wedding and unfortunately had to accept that time, travel, and cost would prohibit many from coming on such short notice. Instead of worrying about renting hotels and block booking flights we accepted that whoever ended up coming was meant to be and would be a valuable part of our day. Looking back this was one of the best decisions as we were so touched and honoured to see all of our fifty-three guests and enjoyed spending the week of the wedding with them. I couldn’t imagine any other guest list than the one we ended up with.
Plain is not a theme you see a lot on the wedding blogs. Colours, themes, sparkles, and poofs are always encouraged. We didn’t have a huge budget for our wedding and since we were getting married in London, one of the loveliest cities in the world, we figured why obstruct it. My dress, shoes and blazer were all bought online at bargain prices and of course my husband, his brother, and father wore their family tartan and looked more handsome than ever. The bridesmaids were flying over from Canada, so they chose their own simple nude dresses off the high street. Bouquets and centrepieces were simple hydrangeas bought in bulk from the Covent Garden Flower Market and arranged the day before the wedding. Our reception was held at a local pub in a beautiful blue dining room with food taking centre stage.
Simple was hard. I was surprised how easy it was to start with a simple idea and get carried into complexity. Looking back though, on the day it was the simple moments that I valued most. The cake our friend made for us, the walk from the church to the pub, the Vicar’s smile as he cracked jokes during our ceremony, and the bottles of pretty-cheap champagne everyone enjoyed in the church garden after the ceremony. Even our simple tissue paper pom-poms, that bridesmaids helped make, created a beautiful atmosphere in the reception and became great props for the late night dance party.
For me, simple was also about stepping back and becoming a yes-bride. By keeping things easy we ended up surrounding ourselves with vendors that were friends of friends and local experts who were all there to help us on our wedding day. I was floored with the support everyone gave us, from setting up to serving champagne. Saying yes to all this help kept everything simple for Alex and me to enjoy the day, not control every detail.
There is nothing more easy, plain, and simple than true family and friends, and that was what was mattered most on our wedding day. Thank you cards didn’t do justice to how grateful we were for each and all of their help to make the day the most easy, plain and simple wedding we could have hoped for.
The Info—Photographer: John Sanders / Venue: Christ Church Highbury and The Drapers Arms / Flowers: New Covent Garden Flower Market / Laura’s Dress: BHS Bridal / Alexander’s Blazer: Joe Fresh / Laura’s Makeup: Benefit Cosmetics / Laura’s Shoes: Brandosa / Laura’s Glitter Flats: Tescos
