Alicia + Ben by Zara Staples

The plan then was simple – intentional, meaningful, contrasting and colourful.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Hello, I’m Alicia (or as most people know me, Liss). I work as a creative art director in London. Between work, I spend lots of my time doing different types of exercise, watching movies, starting DIY projects or spending time with friends. I also love cooking, eating, and eating whilst cooking. Ben is a fintech product manager. He loveeees to play football, actually kinda loves all sports, and is often roped into my DIY projects. He also enjoys eating. A lot. Together we love to travel; we try to go somewhere new every holiday.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met at Loughborough University 13 years ago. Being the year above, I (Alicia) had offered to help greet the new freshers. That’s when I met Ben. Emily (my best friend, but also now with the newest title of celebrant) and I moved Ben into his flat on his first day. Not only that, it was the old flat Emily and I used to live in! It now all feels very serendipitous. We were friends from the start, and both agreed to help the freshers the following year. Then we became kind of inseparable.

Spanish Wedding

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

It all started with how I approach any new brief – what are we trying to say? What do we want people to feel? It probably sounds pretty obvious, but we wanted people to feel like they were part of our wedding, part of our story. We wanted a day that was truly reflective of who we are as a couple.

It wasn’t anything complicated, but we did make very conscious decisions. We are (and I hope people would agree, haha) very joyful people, so colour was a must. We aren’t super traditional either, so we planned things to make it feel more relaxed and informal. And we are huge foodies, so a lot of decisions centred around that.

I wanted the design to work with the venue rather than against it – building on its natural softness and whimsy, whilst introducing contrast and a modern edge to keep everything from feeling one-note.

The plan then was simple – intentional, meaningful, contrasting and colourful.

I knew oranges were very prevalent in Spain, so that became the foundation decorative element and colour. With analogous colourways being my favourite, red was the next choice. I used different tones for variety and to help ground the rest. Then it was peppered with olive greens for variety and to complement the landscape.

The bridesmaids wore a Pantone range of red and orange, and the guys wore brown to complement their hues. Then the fabrics, signage, menus, fans and even the guys’ brooches all orchestrated around the same colourway.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

There were many different spaces to utilise at Mas Terrats, so we had the chance to add different design elements to make sure each space worked the best it could. As the bride and the art director, I felt like a kid in a sweetshop.

I started with the tables because I knew I wanted to make the decorations myself – and I needed time to plan! Surrounded by long grass and green foliage, I wanted the tables to be striking but simple. I made all the fruit & vegetable sculptures the day before, with help from my bridesmaids, of course. Grapes were constructed as candle holders. Tomatoes and cabbages were vases for single-stem florals. And oranges were a combination of the two. I wrote on chillis for the name cards. Cut bread to hold table numbers. And used bunches of tumbling grapes to finish the cocktail tables off.

I wanted cohesion between the spaces, so these fruit and vegetable sculptures were used throughout.

We decided to get married in the forest. The floor was, as all forests are, dark brown and dusty. I wanted to lift the eye to the greenery in the tall trees around us. So we draped the aisle in a soft ivory yellow fabric to reflect the light, and arranged it into a soft puddle at the end where we stood to get married. We added a few plinths, draped under the fabric, that held a few orange floral sculptures.

As food is so important, I made a few design decisions based on it throughout the day. The drinks reception was in an open grassed area, where we’d laid a long curved buffet table down the middle. The food was laid out like art – single slices of ham and cheese on mirrored boards, gildas in individual silver bowls and an oversized olive oil pot to dip into. It was stunning, and an informal way to include the guests.

We also made the decision to use the cake as our guestbook. Not just because we love (and I mean LOVE) cake, but also because I knew it would be imperfectly touched by all the guests, making it perfect for us. It was an orange and lemon cake, covered in white icing. Ten red icing bags were placed around the sides for people to sign their names.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We gave ourselves key words that we’d hope guests would use if they described our wedding afterwards, and we made sure we evaluated decisions based on those. We wanted guests to say they had fun, they felt it was reflective of us, and that they were very full. I think we succeeded!

There is so much information out there about how to get married, and what you should do, that it can be very overwhelming. Bringing things back to what makes you happy and what means most to you as a couple will always help.

And you can hire me if you like, as I loved doing this sort of art direction so much I’ve started it as a bit of a side hustle. You can find me on Instagram at @_by_liss

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

All our vendors were truly amazing. I would hire them all again. But a few very special shoutouts.

Rosa, who owns the venue, made Mas Terrats feel like our home. And with free rein to bring the day to life how we wanted, we couldn’t have been more thankful.

Our caterers, Delokos, constantly took our breath away. I first loved them because they displayed food like art. But when we tasted it, it matched up to the visuals. I don’t think there’s a single guest who hasn’t told me how amazing it all was, and how full they were too. We picked a family sharing menu to add to the relaxed nature of the day – sharing t-bone steak with a range of salads and sides. With canapés from more croquettes to scallops, it was all incredible.

Maria, our wedding planner, never once called me crazy for taking on all the mammoth jobs myself. With a creative vision herself, her hands-on help made it possible. And she made the day feel incredibly easy.

And of course, Zara. Zara was the first vendor we booked (after the venue, of course) almost two years in advance. I knew that her romantic, thoughtful, but also playful and relaxed photos would be exactly how we’d want to remember our day. And the photos have blown us away. We didn’t meet Max, the second shooter, until the day before. But his energy was infectious – we can see the fun the guests had in his photos.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Ben had a custom suit made from his Grandad’s shop, which was super special and added extra meaning when he couldn’t be there on the day. It was a dark brown, double-breasted light wool suit. He also wore a vintage floral brooch, as did all the groomsmen, that we had been collecting from various places throughout the year.

My wedding dress was from The Own Studio. I fell in love with the fabric of the dresses – they have almost an iridescent tone to them, which looks amazing in all different lights. The dresses are designed by two sister designers at their studio in London. It made me feel very cool!

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Classic engagement rings didn’t feel very ‘me’. So when I found Alice (The Line Of Sun), I knew if I ever got married I’d want a ring of hers. They have an organic, original feel, often with irregular shapes. We worked with Alice to create both my engagement ring and wedding ring, and I couldn’t be more obsessed.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

When planning the day, we knew food and drink were incredibly important for us and to keep our guests happy. So we knew that a lot of our budget would end up there. But as well as that, and especially because I’m a creative person, Photography was also paramount. When it’s all over, the only things you have left are the memories and photos – and thanks to Zara, we have hundreds of amazing ones to look back on.

London Legal Ceremony

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

It surprised us, but our favourite part of the day was the ceremony. We were both nervous because we had decided to write our own vows, and the thought beforehand was quite terrifying. But when the day arrived, the nerves fell away, and with our best friend there to marry us, we all fell comfortably into being the trio that we are. I think the relaxed feeling from us eased the guests and set the tone for the rest of the day. It was truly magical.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

We’ve spent the last 13 years having each other’s back, not taking life too seriously, and just enjoying the ride. Being married, none of that has changed. There is just a warm, knowing feeling that, after a bad day, you’re coming home to someone whose face alone will cheer you up. We don’t have any special rituals (just yet), but we did vow to always have ice cream and drink Aperol spritz in the rain.