Emily + Dom by Emily Montay

Menorca is so beautiful; the island paved the way for the aesthetic of the wedding.

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

We’re Emily and Dom. Emily is a fashion buyer for Tommy Hilfiger, and Dom recruits robot-builders. After many years living in London, honing our careers, travelling at any given opportunity and spending the remainder of our time with friends, we took the chance of moving to Amsterdam. A few years on, and we have welcomed our son Stanley here; you’re now most likely to find us looking for ducks in our local park, with Stanley and our dog Pepper in tow.

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

Being raised in the same hometown in the UK, we’ve known each other since childhood. One of Emily’s earliest memories of Dom is him messing around with a bunch of boys on a school bus. Little did she know he would be her future husband, and three of those boys would be groomsmen at her wedding. Those long-lasting friendships are a testament to the loyalty she admires in Dom. Dom remembers that same school trip, seeing Emily on the bus and noticing her big, beautiful, blue eyes.

Wedding Day

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).

Menorca is so beautiful; the island paved the way for the aesthetic of the wedding. Despite viewing eight venues, we opted for the only venue we hadn’t visited based on a gut feeling. We were nervous when we finally went to see it in person, having already paid the deposit and confirmed the location to guests. However, as soon as we arrived and saw the rows of lavender, dry-stone walled garden and the Balearic Sea in the background, we knew we had picked the perfect venue that showcased everything we love about the island. As such, we were able to keep the decoration and florals simple; the natural beauty of Menorca was the canvas.

The one element we had always envisioned was a wedding breakfast outside on the lawn – guests seated across two long tables, with the feeling of a buzzing dinner party. We hired linen canopies for shade, but they ended up doing so much more than that. They softened the scale of the lawn into something that felt warm and enclosed, whilst still being completely open to the surroundings.

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

Emily loved every bit of it, especially the moodboarding stage. There’s something really exciting about pulling a vision together and then actually watching it come to life. Dom enjoyed the wedding breakfast tasting; the food at Sant Joan de Binissaida is incredible.

That said, planning a wedding is overwhelming, and despite a two-year engagement, a clear vision and 2,257 pins on Pinterest, a large portion of the wedding planning was left to the final few months. We couldn’t have done it all without our wedding planner, Anna. If you are planning a destination wedding, our advice would be to enlist local help. Anna has experience working with all of the local vendors and made great recommendations based on our taste and needs. She also handled all of the vendor communication, which took a big weight off our shoulders.

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

The hotel, Sant Joan de Binissaida, and our wedding planner Anna covered a lot, which was fantastic. It helped that they work together frequently, so the organisation both in the lead-up and on the day was seamless.

We were blown away by all of our vendors – the food and service from the hotel were both incredible – but we really struck gold with the music. We pushed back the date of the wedding after already booking the venue, and then struggled to find a band in Menorca with availability in October. We also found it a challenge to find a band whose sound we resonated with. Many of our friends and family are particularly passionate about music, which only added pressure to find the perfect act. Three months out from the wedding, we found a band from Leeds who were available as a three-piece (minus their usual sax player). Having booked the band on very little, it was the one thing Emily stressed over, especially given the band were flying in from the UK. We needn’t have worried; Funk Ocean played all the British classics, got everyone dancing and had amazing stage presence.

A week before the wedding, our best man asked to play his saxophone with them. Conor, who had secretly been putting in weeks of practice, met the band on the morning of the wedding. With none of them really knowing what to expect, he took everyone by surprise – you would have thought they had been rehearsing together for months. It was exceptional. Since then, numerous guests have asked for the band’s details for their own parties and weddings.

For the evening we asked two of our talented friends to DJ — they knew exactly what vibe we wanted without needing to ask, and it felt so personal to have them included in the day. Unbeknownst to us, they had also planned for Conor to come back out with the saxophone — they set the dancefloor alight together. It genuinely was the best night of our lives, and we couldn’t be more grateful for our friends.

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

Dom: Emily started her career buying menswear at Paul Smith, so that was always going to be the only option for our wedding. Much to my surprise, I was the more indecisive one when it came to choosing my outfit. I visited the London and Amsterdam stores six times before settling on a black double-breasted suit. Honestly, I think I kept going back because the experience in a Paul Smith store is so good and you always meet cool people working in their stores. I picked up a short-sleeve shirt for the welcome party and ended up changing into it again on the wedding night as a cool (temperature-wise) option for dancing.

Emily: I wore a Vivienne Westwood Cocotte gown. I never saw myself as a Vivienne Westwood bride, but when I tried it on, I instantly understood why people love her designs. Having a baby before the wedding definitely presented its challenges when I went dress shopping. I was still breastfeeding and emotionally adjusting to my changing body, yet I felt amazing and so feminine in the Cocotte gown. The bodice feels structured and stretchy at the same time; it is unbelievably comfortable. I paired it with an epic lace-trimmed veil from The Own Studio. The veil was rented via Hurr, so this served as my ‘something borrowed’.

In the evening I changed into an embellished 16Arlington dress. I had saved it on Pinterest a few years prior and then spotted it on a resale platform a fortnight before the wedding – many of my fashion choices are serendipitous.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Emily’s engagement ring is from Sophie Bille Brahe, and we have matching gold bands from Cartier.

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?).

The hardest part of being an expat is not getting to see your friends and family for long enough, or as regularly as you would like. Our choice to have a destination wedding was to selfishly get 99 of our closest friends and family together for a holiday. We stayed in Menorca for 2 weeks, and many of our guests turned it into a holiday too. This, of course, added expense not only for us but also for our guests, which is something we didn’t take lightly and are so appreciative of. That said, it was definitely worth it; getting quality time with everyone was so special.

Photography was very important to us. Emily made a directory of around fifty photographers and got lucky when she found Emily Montay on Instagram. Her photography is the perfect balance of editorial and romantic, intentional yet candid. Getting to know Emily, who had got married just a few weeks before us, has been such a pleasure; it felt as though she was a guest who had always been part of the day.

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

Without a doubt, it was when our best man played his saxophone alongside one of our groomsmen on the decks. Friendship has always been at the heart of our relationship – with one another, and with those who have supported us through every stage of it. It was a very special and heartfelt surprise, and we had so much fun. We didn’t want it to end!

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

We have one daily ritual which we incorporated into the wedding day – every evening we enjoy a cup of tea together, with some chocolate. It’s something both our parents have always done and is a lovely way to check in with one another.