I have such an amazing treat for you lovely Cwtchers today photographed by Ben Moore. Suzanne and Ryan from iPop are letting us share their stunning, uber cool London wedding. We all have those friend that just do effortless and it looks amazing well this is one of those weddings. I sat green with jealousy as I edited this absolute beauty. I don’t think a cup of tea is quiet cool enough. Pour yourself a martini and enjoy. ~ Kate
We really did not want to spend too much on our wedding, but we wanted all our guests to have an amazing day. We set ourselves a sensible budget….then went a couple of thousand over. As we work in the wedding industry we were very lucky to have been able to pull in some favours. We also chose to get married on a Wednesday as there are always midweek deals to be had with vendors. There were certain things we were happy to compromise on but we spent money on the really important things (Jimmy Choo’s). All things considered I think we had an expensive feel to our wedding for a bargain price!!
How would you describe your wedding theme?
We did not really have a theme as such but we wanted something cool, relaxed & luxurious.
What was your favourite part of your wedding?
We had our ceremony at Chelsea Registry office . At the time of booking it I thought it was quite fun and a bit Rock & Roll. As the day got closer I began question whether I had made the right decision. I kept looking back at the photos on line and thinking the room looked a bit underwhelming. I felt like I may regret not having the whole walking down the long aisle moment. On the day when I walked into the room and seen all my family, friends and Ryan in there it was magical. The decor was warm and glowy it felt like a dream. After the ceremony we walked out onto the iconic Chelsea Old Town hall steps on The Kings Road, all our guest threw confetti over us with beaming smiles , cars were tooting their horns, the public were waving and cheering…it was such an electrifying moment. I absolutely loved the entire day but this part was so unexpected that it was really special.
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
I got my dress from Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique and it was designed by Welsh designer, E&W Couture, the dress is called Greta. You can try on a sample then it is hand made from scratch to fit you. I was adamant that I would not spend a fortune on a dress…ADAMANT! Until I tried on my little beauty. I fitted it on before checking the price tag, disastrous move! Of course I fell in love. The event was made even more special as the day I went to the shop my mum & dad were visiting from Watford, my Nan was down from Liverpool and my best friend was visiting from Abu Dhabi. (This never happens!) They all agreed it was the one! I excitedly rang Ryan and told him the price and I think he spat out his tea! I did have a major panic after this as he is normally really chilled. It was way more that I wanted to spend and I worried that I had just got caught up in the moment. In fact I called the shop and postponed the first fitting! I did a bit more searching but it had stolen my heart and nothing compared. I knew I wanted something a little different but I didn’t know what until I tried this dress on, it is exactly what I was after. I asked Sophie, the designer, if she could make me a mini version for my little girl too which was an absolute triumph and a real talking point of the day. When I walked down the aisle the first thing Ryan said to me was “I cant believe you nearly didn’t get this dress, it is the best dress I have ever seen” I felt a million dollars in my beautiful dress. 
Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
I had 5 adult bridesmaids and my beautiful baby girl. I chose my best friends. Mel, Nikki & Sam are old school friends with over 20 years of tales to tell. Becky, her and I met when we were in the West End Production of ‘Grease’ The Musical. I played ‘Sandy’ she was Patty Simcox – I don’t think the characters were friends in the movie but we hit it off straight away :) Finally I chose Tamsin who proudly claims the cupid status as without her Ryan and I would not have met. Ryan chose his lovely brother as his best man.
Why did you choose your venue?
We love working in the wedding industry iPop play at over 100 weddings and events every year and The iGency our entertainment agency supply bands to hundreds more. As we play at so many weddings I did not want ours to feel like work, so we needed to choose something a little different. We met a great guy when we were out in Lebanon performing with iPop one summer…he seen us play at Iris a glamorous roof top terrace in down town Beirut and invited us to his equally glamorous restaurant Salmontini . It was literally the best restaurant I had ever been to with a cool vibe, with food to die for! He recently opened the same restaurant in the heart of Belgravia, London. We went for dinner one night and fell in love…we decided it was the one! We are real foodies so it was important to us that our wedding food was top class. The food on the day was sensational, we absolutely loved it and so did all our guests. Our vendors all said it was the best wedding food they had ever tasted and they work at a lot of weddings. We could not have been happier with the venue it was perfect.
Tell us about your photographer
Our photographer was the amazing Ben Moore . We wanted cool, candid shots with a bit of a rock and roll edge. When we got our photos back we were blown away. He truly captured the essence of the day. He was a dream to work with and his images are spectacular, we are thrilled with the results. We also had fabulous videographers Rich & Rhys from Aurora Video . They are based in South Wales but we were lucky enough to get them to follow us to London. They were so discreet on the day that you forgot they were there so they caught some magical candid footage. We recently got the hi lights video back and were instantly transported back to the moment. It is absolutely priceless! We can not recommend our photographer or videographers enough.
How did the proposal happen?
We got engaged in March 2014 after the birth of our beautiful little girl Seren Elvie. We had been together almost 8 years but having the baby made us want to make our little family official. The proposal was far from romantic. Ryan was away on tour drumming, he arrived back the day after my 30th birthday with no card or prezzie. I didn’t say anything because I am not really one for birthday fuss but he was definitely skating on thin ice. The next day he had to rush off early to a “rehearsal,” little did I know he was stopping off on the way to pick me up a rock! The following morning with a baby on the boob, greasy hair and cereal in my teeth he popped the question, in his own special way he thought it was romantic. On a positive note… If he wanted to marry me looking like that it surely must be love!
Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
Ryan made a cracking post box for cards out of 2 snare drums. Well done Ryan! I ordered some cool wedding signs from Not On The High Street then went and bought some nice frames. My favourite sign was ” The hangover only lasts a day, the memories last a lifetime.” My hangover lasted a little longer than one day I must admit.
What was your first dance & why?
We chose ‘Best Friend’ by Queen. We didn’t have a ‘song’ as such but really liked the upbeat feel and the lyrics to this one. I also had a father daughter dance ‘Sarah’ by Thin Lizzy. My dad is a huge Thin Lizzy fan and this song has always been special. iGency artist and iPop guitarist Luke performed live for us and changed the Lyrics to Seren (my daughters name) instead of Sarah. It was a surprise for my dad and he absolutely loved it.
In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
I do not think there is really anything I would do differently, I would just like to do it all over again!! The table plan had to change on the morning as a few people couldn’t make it. It was a bit of a pain but couldn’t be helped, what can you do? One other small thing was I forgot to take a mirror in my little handbag. I wanted to have a quick make-up check before the ceremony but I couldn’t see myself. Take a mirror girls for a last minute gloss.
Do you have any advice for future couples?
Don’t Sweat the small stuff it really becomes irrelevant on the day.
Relax and enjoy yourself on the day!
Don’t invite boring people…:)
Have the bar in the same room as the dance floor.
You get what you pay for do not compromise on quality live entertainment, photographer or videographer. Get the best your money can buy these are must haves and they are priceless.
This is not advice…just a fact. Table plans are a pain in the a**e!
Any other advise for future brides?
Because of our line of work lots of people have asked what entertainment we had. I think live music is such an important part of the evening. It can really make or break the night. It is so important that you go for top quality acts, don’t just go for the cheapest option, do not compromise on quality. People will remember the entertainment for years to come, book the best you can afford. As our venue was so intimate there was no room to have a full band so selected a number of our favourite solo artists including Kele Le Roc, and a female DJ, to keep us rocking until the early hours. We are very lucky that we have such a fantastic team of talent to call upon. The iGency can offer bespoke solutions for your event too if your venue is out of the ordinary or if you just fancy something unusual we can come up with some ideas for you.
What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
If I am completely honest I found the whole thing a bit stressful. We were so busy with work in the run up to the day that wedding planning seemed to be getting in the way and it was the last thing I wanted to do. Although we had been engaged for a while we only set the date in May 2015 so had around 4 months to get everything together. That said, I would not have done anything differently time wise. I must love a bit of stress. Last minute.com! After I had done all my planning I made a list of what needed to be done on the day and handed it to one of my best friends Chris who just so happens to be an event organiser. That was my favourite part of the planning process. A weight was lifted from my shoulders. Having him there on the day taking care of the finer details for me meant I could feel totally relaxed. I strongly recommend delegating these little jobs to someone so you don’t have to think about them on the day, if you don’t have a Chris ask your bridesmaids, best man, ushers etc.
The Suppliers
Photographer: Ben Moore Wedding Photography
Videographer: Aurora Video
Ceremony Venue: Chelsea Registry Office
Reception Venue: Salmontini
Bride’s Dress: Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique
Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Bride’s Headpiece: Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique
Groom’s Outfit: Reiss
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: French Connection
Bridesmaid’s Accessories: ASOS
Cake: Marks and Spencer
Flowers: Aime Bone Flowers
Hair: Luke Pluckrose
Make Up: Jo Sugar
Band: The iGency
DJ: The iGency
Any Reception Decor/Props: Etsy and Not On The High Street
Transport: London Retro Bus Hire and City of London Black Taxis Limited
WEDDING ALBUM
