One of the positives that came out of Covid is the way micro-weddings were changed. Because, at some points in the past 2 years, micro-weddings at Old Marylebone Town Hall were the only option for couples, the creativity for them rocketed! 🚀
Previously being more categorised in the “shotgun wedding” view, they’re now often couple’s first choice, even using inspiration from the Elvis wedding chapel, last minute elopement vibes.
When Becky + Chris first spoke about getting married, they imagined an elopement overseas, even before Covid changed weddings. But instead of waiting, they knew they just wanted to get married, and have fun doing it.
That’s how the most chilled-out wedding planning process in existence came to be…
B+C met on a dating app, after one of Becky’s friends pried her into downloading one. She half-heartedly swiped on some good looking guys, then forgot about it.
When her friend checked her messages for her, Chris was awaiting a reply! Immediately they agreed he was gorgeous, (Becky’s friend describing it as “I wanna lick his face”), and Becky asked if Chris wanted to meet for a Monday morning coffee.
After that, they met every single day that week (twice a day! Morning coffee, and post-work walk), and that was it. They were in it!
Chris had originally booked to take Becky away and ask her to marry him, but lockdown canceled the surprise trip.
One weekday morning, on their 1 year anniversary, they went for a walk and grabbed some baked treats and sat on “their” bench on Brighton seafront. When they got home, before starting work for the day, Chris simply looked at Becky and asked “Will you marry me?”.
They were engaged for exactly 1 year!
PLANNING THE WEDDING… IN 15 MINS.
So I mentioned B+C’s wedding planning process was the most chilled out ever, right? Maybe I downplayed it… Here’s how it rolled out:
Laying in their courtyard in the sun, they decided to have a little look at some venues for the first time. They looked at the beautiful Marylebone Town Hall, realised their ideal date was available… And simply booked it!
The date they met, the date they got engaged, and the same date their wedding would be on!
B+C decided that because of the limited numbers they could have, they weren’t going to invite their families. But when your cousin is also your best friend, there’s room for a little leeway.
Becky called her cousin to let her know, who ended up forwarding them the details for the Mandrake Hotel. 15 minutes later, their ceremony and reception was booked!!
Talk about efficient! đź–¤
Their budget was ÂŁ4,000, and they only went over by ÂŁ200. That included everything for the day, from the food, to the outfits, to the travel.
It was important to B+C that they just get married. When they realised their overseas wedding wasn’t possible, the most important things became good food, a swanky hotel, and each other.
There was no theme, but they did keep the wedding date secret from everyone except the small party invited, which included just 6 guests!
When choosing the details that made up their looks, they didn’t aim for anything in particular – they just went with what they loved and felt right. And it all worked so perfectly! The colours they chose even matched the room they had their ceremony in!
While they kicked a lot of the usual traditions, like Becky having her best friend walk her down the aisle, and not having parents or family there, they chose to keep a few.
B+C didn’t spend the night before together, so that the first time they saw one another on their wedding day was when Becky walked down the aisle.
Becky tried on just 1 dress, and immediately knew it was the one. She ordered it online, and a lovely person close to Becky bought it for her as a gift. It was then altered by her friend at Luna Bee.
Chris had his Moss Bros suit made to order, and they ended up basing their wedding colours around the lining of his suit!
“Honestly we had the best day, it was effortless, relaxed and everything we wanted. We had no pressure for anything. And we loved our impromptu stop at a pub to enjoy fizz sat on the sidewalk after the ceremony.
I loved seeing Chris as I walked into the room, the look on his face. Actually I always ask him if we can renew already because we had that much fun.
My advice would be go with your gut, do not over think and do not over visit venues. The day goes by so fast, you need to be able to relax and enjoy it, to not worry. And hold on to what’s important to you as a couple, close off outside noise. You want something, go for it. If you don’t want something, don’t do it.
Because we hadn’t seen anything in person, only online, we had to set an idea of what it could be like. I have to say that everyone was incredible, made us feel so special and at every single venue went above and beyond for us to make sure we felt special.”
Photography – Natalia Case Photography – “O to the MG we love nat. I have written a whole blog and I’ll add the link here to can be copied over. Nat was a true highlight of our day, we love her and want her to be our neighbour and good friend.”
Hair and Make up – Lucy Beesley Bridal
Venue – The Old Marylebone Town Hall (Paddington Room)
Hotel – The Mandrake
Restaurant – Ember Yard
Earrings and wedding rings – Rebekah Ann Jewellery
Flowers – Phohm + Daisy Shop UK + Luxury House Plant Club
Ribbons for flowers – Ribbon and Thyme
Thank you Cards, Groom cards & other personal cards – Lindsay Marianne
Paper for invites & wedding announcements – Greenili
Biodegradable confetti bags (empty) – Wedco Handmade
Confetti – Handmade by the couple: Dried flowers for tea, baking etc
Bow tie and Pocket square – King and Priory
Dress – Gifted
Dress Alterations – Luna Bea
Suit – Moss Bros
Nails – Blu Belle Beauty
Click here for an amazing wedding planning checklist!