It was important to us that everything felt very clean and timeless, without being too minimal or too traditional.
Octavia —— I’m a primary school teacher but am currently looking after our daughter, Cosima. Mark works for a major London law firm, specialising in finance law. Mark —— Although we both attended the same university and had mutual friends, our paths only crossed when I was living with an old friend and his girlfriend, who was one of Octavia’s best friends. At her insistence, Octavia and I finally went on a blind date. I thought she was gorgeous and clever and I couldn’t wait to see her again.
Octavia —— After our first date, Mark swanned off to Florence for a pottery course before he finished his final law studies, so I didn’t see him again for five weeks. During that time, we wrote incredibly long text messages to each other. When he returned to London, we started dating in earnest. That was almost 10 years ago.
During lockdown, Mark started asking thinly-veiled questions about my ring size. One Saturday morning, he joined me on my early morning walk on Hampstead Heath, which is suspicious as he loves a Saturday lie-in. As we walked together in the misty morning, Mark proposed on a muddy knee at my favourite bench in the park.
We knew we wanted to get married in London, where we’re both from. We wanted the whole day to feel easy and relaxed, and I loved the idea that everyone could just jump on the Tube or bus to get to the ceremony. Style-wise, we both have strong opinions on what we like and dislike, so we were aligned on an unfussy aesthetic not led by trends but by our own tastes. It was important to us that everything felt very clean and timeless, without being too minimal or too traditional. We were happy to splurge on food and The River Cafe in Hammersmith was an obvious choice as we love their amazing Italian food.
I’d never envisaged myself getting married in a dress, and always thought I’d end up wearing a white suit. Thankfully, I was able to find a Max Mara tuxedo jacket and matching wide-legged silk trousers that needed little alteration before they fit perfectly. The struggle was deciding what to wear underneath the jacket. Ever since I was teenager, I’ve loved Vivienne Westwood’s iconic corsets, and after seeing one printed with François Boucher’s ‘Daphnis and Chloe’, I became intent on tracking one down. After much searching, I found one on Vestiaire Collective, and miraculously it fit perfectly. Mark —— I had fun with my outfit, a classic bespoke tailoring experience at a special London tailor. My father had previously given me a beautiful old cream shirt of his from the 1970s from a traditional Jermyn Street shirtmaker. I decided to get a shirt made from the same tailor in the same fabric and colour. It felt wonderful to wear and was a lovely thing to share with my father.
PHOTOGRAPHER Stephan & Nakita, @stephanandnakita GROOM’S SUIT Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, @whitcombshaftesbury GROOM’S TIE Rubinacci, @rubinacci_official GROOM’S SHIRT Harvie & Hudson, @harvieandhudson BRIDE’S OUTFIT Max Mara, @maxmara BRIDE’S CORSET Vivienne Westwood, @viviennewestwood RINGS Hancocks, @hancocks_london GROOM’S SHOES Baudoin & Lange, @baudoinlange BRIDE’S SHOES Russell & Bromley, @russellandbromley BRIDE’S BAG Isla De Gar, @isladegar BRIDE’S SUNGLASSES Miu Miu, @miumiu FLORA Scarlet & Violet, @scarletandviolet; Flowerbx, @theflowerbx CEREMONY LOCATION Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, @marrymeinchelsea RECEPTION LOCATION, CATERING & BEVERAGES The Surprise, @thesurprisechelsea; The River Café, @therivercafelondon CAKE Ottolenghi, @ottolenghi_restaurants REGISTRY The Wedding Shop, @theweddingshopuk STATIONERY Papier, @papier MAKEUP Francesca Panzera, @fpbridalmakeup HAIR Arron Guy BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Frederic Malle, @fredericmalle GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Le Labo, @lelabofragrances
