LYDIA & MATT ~ A MODERN WEDDING IN LONDON
Happy Wedding Wednesday! We are so happy to share with our dear readers and brides-to-be this stunning Real Wedding from awarded wedding photographers Liam Collard Photography whom, with their photojournalistic style and expertise in lighting, captured this beautiful, modern wedding in the city of London, England.
How They Met
London couple Lydia and Matt first met at the Fence Bar in Farringdon when Matt was celebrating his birthday. A mutual friend invited Lydia, assuring her that Matt wouldn’t mind. However, if you ask Matt the same question about how they met, he will explain that Lydia gate crashed his party! No matter which one is telling the truth they both say they are obviously truly delighted to have been brought together on that very special day. Before the proposal Matt and Lydia broke tradition with the arrival of their daughter Rose Luna. It was a beautiful time in their relationship and a perfect addition to their family, making Charlie a big brother and going from a family of three to a family of four.
The Proposal
When Rose Luna was just 3 months old Matt arranged a family weekend away to escape the bustle of the city for a few days to enjoy a peaceful setting with an early October trip to the Cotswolds. The cottage was very charming, surrounded by gorgeous countryside with a large roaring fireplace that kept the cottage cosy and warm. Once the children were in bed they settled down in front of the fireplace for a romantic meal, opening up a bottle of champagne. They chatted for hours discussing the joys of their family, future plans and dreams. At that moment Matt proposed to Lydia, asking her to be his wife, with a custom made diamond engagement ring from Hatton Garden and engraved with the proposal date.
The Wedding Day
Lydia and Matt love the buzz of living in London and chose to get married in this Capital as it perfectly reflects who they are – a modern day city couple who enjoy visiting new restaurants and bars, exploring different postalcodes and checking out London’s beautiful architecture. They moved to Dulwich village 3 years ago and have walked past their dream wedding day venue Christ Chapel in Dulwich Village hundreds of times, as well as attending there regularly. The chapel gave them the traditional British service they were after as well as providing a fantastic personal touch with their vicar John Watson taking the service accompanied by the St Barnabas Church Choir.
On the morning of the 28th day of May 2016 bride Lydia, her maid of honour and sister Megan, plus five other bridesmaids including her flower girl, started to prepare for their big day. First step was a trip to local hair salon Stephen GMs in East Dulwich then to have make-up done by Alyse Baker, London. Lydia stepped into her bridal gown by Stephanie Allin Couture and bridal shoes by Manolo Blahnik – Hangisi 105. The lovely bridesmaids wore beautiful dresses from Coast and her flower girl wore a pretty little bridesmaid dress by British designer Rachel Riley and designer shoes by Papouelli, making for a truly elegant wedding theme. Meanwhile, groom Matt and his best man Paul got suited and booted in wedding suits by Simon Dowling Bespoke with ties from Diverso.
The chapel was beautiful dressed with flowers from Lola’s boutique, London arranged by Janet, the Chaplin’s wife of Dulwich College. Lydia and Matt invited 90 guests to celebrate their day with them travelling from across the UK and far flung places including Portugal and the USA. They tied the knot with their wedding bands from Tiffany London. “One of our favourite wedding day highlights was walking out of the chapel into the chapel garden, the sun was shining and we had the time to greet all our close friends and family who congratulated us on our marriage.” It was an absolute pleasure to have their two children at the wedding day, adding so much fun to the event. Charlie their son conducted the congregation during the ceremony, it was a classic moment.
The Wedding Reception
As much as wanting a traditional wedding Ceremony, Lydia and Matt also wanted a modern wedding reception, so the iconic Gherkin building in the City was a perfect choice. The architecture of the dome gave them the grandeur for the wedding breakfast and later created the perfect party atmosphere. The bride and groom arranged musical entertainment by Harpist Alexander Thomas and Pianist Ben Noke. During the beautifully emotional speeches the photographers were able to capture some fantastic moments of both the bride and groom and their guests, and again at the top of the Gherkin when the glamourous couple where photographed for their portrait shots – the favourite photograph is the silhouette shot of Lydia and Matt on floor 39 of the Gherkin.
Joined by an additional 40 guests, the evening entertainment kicked off with music by funk-soul and party bandThe Funk Soul Brothers; Adam Martin, Tom O’Grady, Sarah-Jane Lewis, Eric Guy and Ric Elsworth with late night dancing to DJ Prelude Entertainment
THE PERFECT WEDDING TEAM
Photography LIAM COLLARD PHOTOGRAPHY
Hair GMSHair
Make-up ALYSE BAKER ARTISTRY
Bridal Gown STEPHANIE ALLIN COUTURE
Shoes MANOLO BLAHNIK
Flower Girl Dress RACHEL RILEY
Groom Suit SIMON DOWLING BESPOKE
Ties DIVERSO LONDON
Florals LOLA FLOWER BOUTIQUE
Venue THE GUERKIN LONDON
Entertainment Harpist ALEXANDER THOMAS Pianist BEN NOKE Music Band FUNK SOUL BROTHER & PRELUDE ENTERTAINMENT