SECOND TIME LUCKY

time lucky SECOND Iona and Chris’ day oozed City chic Images courtesy of Clara Cooper Photography

Believe it or not, Iona and Chris’ first date didn’t quite go to plan, but fate played its course and brought them back together. “We met on the dating app Tinder and arranged our first date in a bar in Shoreditch,” says Iona. “We couldn’t hear a word either of us said, so we decided to go to a restaurant and asked all the same questions again. It just didn’t seem to click, so unfortunately, we went our separate ways,” she says. Two months later, that all changed. “I got a drunken text from Chris at 3am and we agreed to meet in Canary Wharf for a second date,” she says. “It was fun, and exciting and we got on like a house on fire! This time around things felt different. We’d both got new jobs, which we loved, and the timing was perfect. We ended up spending the weekend together and the rest is history!”

Chris proposed to Iona on the highest peak in Europe. “I knew he was going to pop the question on holiday, but the day itself was incredible. Chris took me to a viewing glass gallery at the summit of Mont Blanc and got down on one knee. I’d love to say it was just as romantic as it sounds, but we had a strange local man watching the whole thing from a few feet away which was a little awkward!” she says. “It was Chris’ first skiing holiday, and the resort was somewhere I’d been to a few times when I was a teenager, so it meant a lot that he’d planned it there. He’d even asked permission from my father beforehand. It was simply magical!”

The duo had a journey ahead of them to get to their big day. They’d hoped to wed in Tuscany, then decided on Scotland but due to Covid, plans were changed, dates postponed and some desposits unfortunately lost. They then started the planning from scratch and decided to get married in London, as this was where they met and fell in love.

Iona tells us more…

When we went to view The Old Marylebone Town Hall, we fell in love with it. We also discovered that my grandparents got married there in 1946, so we knew it was meant to be!

My wedding dress was by Suzanne Neville and I accessorised with a Jesus Pedro cape to add that bit of extra flair. In terms of style, I really wanted to go for city/chic, so selecting Ham Yard Hotel and Haymarket Hotel for the drinks reception and dinner was the absolute dream combination.

I wanted a second outfit to change into – an evening look to dance in so I opted for a Ronald Joyce jumpsuit. It still felt very bridal as it had a train so it was perfect.

Chris wore a navy Hawes & Curtis two-piece suit with fine zigzag styling and accessorised with a bright orange Hermes tie that was borrowed from my father. His groomsmen wore matching suits but with navy ties. Our bridesmaid looked gorgeous in a navy Twobirds dress. My Mum is a huge fan of the Haymarket Hotel designer, Kit Kemp. The style’s stunning and it was the perfect backdrop to our day. Our pink peony centrepieces added a colour pop to our tables.

Our three-tier cake was decorated with a beautiful flower design and framed by floral displays. It looked and tasted beautiful.

I opted for a classic white hand-held bouquet. Our table numbers were a subtle design on clear Perspex with black writing.

The seating plan was printed on a white board with flower detailing and placed on a frosted acrylic stand. Our place names were tied to the contemporarydesigned menus with pink ribbon to complement the centrepieces.

For our entertainment, we had a harpist at the ceremony and a folk duo at the reception.

We felt completely loved. We had 58 guests and that made it intimate and personal to us. Our registrar also said he really could feel the love from everyone in the room, which was lovely.

A soul duo performed at the dinner and for our first dance, which was perfect.

Chris said that one of the best moments for him was the first time he laid eyes on his bride at the ceremony, which was really sweet. On the wedding morning, our cars couldn’t get to us due to a huge protest on the street outside, so I lifted up my dress and strode out onto the gridlocked streets of London to grab a black cab. It felt like a movie.

The speeches were incredible - both funny and emotional. The food was spectacular and our guests were so kind and happy for us.

IONA AND CHRIS’ LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Venues, Old Marylebone Town Hall, www.adaytoremember.london/old-marylebone-town-hall; Ham Yard Hotel, www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/ham-yard-hotel/; Haymarket Hotel, www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/haymarket-hotel/ | Photographer, Clara Cooper Photography, www.claracooperphotography.com | Dresses, Eleganza Sposa, www.eleganza.co.uk | Jewellery and accessories, Christine Fyfe at Bridal Atelier Loch Lomond, www.facebook.com/bridalatelierlochlomond | Hair stylist, Michael Van Clarke, www.vanclarke.com | Make-up artist, Kristina Gasperas, https://kristinagasperas.com | Suits, Hawes & Curtis www.hawesandcurtis.co.uk | Cake, White Petal Cakes, www.whitepetalcakes.co.uk | Flowers, Bloomsbury Flowers, www.bloomsburyflowers.co.uk | Transport, Gold Wedding Cars, www.goldweddingcars.co.uk | Stationery, Say It With Print, https://sayitwithprint.co.uk | Rings, Mr Harold & Son, www.mrharoldandson.com | Wedding planners, Illy Elizabeth Weddings, www.illyelizabethweddings.com; Poppy Sienna Events, www.poppysiennaevents.co.uk | Entertainment, Sternberg Clarke, www.sternbergclarke.co.uk | Entertainment Nation Ltd, www.entertainment-nation.co.uk