Monochrome MAGIC

Lydia and Michael’s timeless wedding, was elegant with a black and white edge, lots of champagne and cocktails!

Images courtesy of Jessica Lily Photography and Mike met while at work, Mike was the general manager of a gastro pub and Lydia worked there while at Uni. “We got talking and he eventually asked me out on a date,” shares Lydia. Although, their first date was a disaster where they ended up driving round the M25 for a few hours! “We spent that time getting to know each other and realised we had a lot in common and a similar sense of humour,” adds Lydia. “I was attracted to his beautiful smile, humour and the ability to always put a smile on my face, no matter what!

“We’ve now been together for 13 years and wouldn’t change it for the world, we are best friends and soul mates rolled into one.”

Mike proposed on 7th April 2021, on the day the couple picked up their puppy, Norman. “We’d got home and I’d gone upstairs to work (I was working from home during lockdown). Twenty minutes later Mike was calling me to come downstairs and he’d filled the lounge with flowers, candles and my favourite champagne and was on one knee with Norman next to him, asking me to be his wife! We spent the day celebrating and drinking then our family joined us in the evening. I was shocked and didn’t expect him to propose when he did but it will forever be one of my favourite days.”

The big day was set 2nd September 2022, with Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond setting the scene. Here, we find out more about their day…

Planned To Perfection

When dating, Lydia and Mike would always go to Richmond for dinner and drinks and always said they would marry there. “It was actually the only area we considered when looking at venues, it has a very special place in our hearts,” shares Lydia.

Wanting a black-tie wedding with champagne and cocktails, Bingham Riverhouse was everything the couple imagined it would be and knew from the moment they saw it, it was the one. “We wanted it to feel more like an event than a wedding,” shares Lydia. “The reception room and gardens are stunning, and the interior matched our vibe exactly. The inside of the venue is pale green with lots of gold accents and has an Art Deco feel to it. It has the most beautiful reception bar, decorated with extravagant floral arrangements, for guests to get a drink before the ceremony, and it boasted an extensive cocktail list!”

The venue has stunning grounds offering al fresco nuptials, which the pair had set their hearts on, and luckily for them the weather was dry and they were able to host their ceremony outside.

For the finer details of the day, the couple’s table plan was a black and white design fitting to the ‘modern and elegant’ design brief. The flowers even reflected the theme, a mix of roses and orchids in neutral tones in a black vase. “Our florist designed our table centrepieces and they were perfect. We wanted floral displays which would stand out, not take up too much space and have a contemporary, timeless aesthetic,” shares Lydia.

Looking The Part

Knowing years before tying the knot that she wanted a crepe-style material, tight-fitting dress from Made with Love it was a simple dress shopping experience for Lydia. “I wore a dress called Rosey by Made with Love. I saw Made with Love on Instagram a few years back and knew it would be one of their dresses. I made an appointment with the London shop and it did not take me long to decide and I managed to buy the sample dress meaning I took it home the same day!”

Day to day, Lydia loves wearing headbands so made sure she wore one on her wedding day. “I choose a pearl headband, from Six Stories, which I paired with a plain cathedral-length veil also from Made with Love,” shares Lydia. Wanting the dress to speak for itself, Lydia felt little jewellery was required and simply opted for her mum’s gold and pearl drop earrings and a couple of her sister’s bracelets.

The groom wore a black custom tuxedo from Suit Supply which had satin details and a pale blue/silver lining to the suit and back of the waistcoat. His shoes were patent black evening shoes with gold accents from ASOS, and he completed his big-day look with gold and black cufflinks.

The best man wore a complementing suit from Moss, while Lydia’s sister and bridesmaid wore a stunning gold/champagne maxi evening dress.

Time To Celebrate

To entertain guests, Lydia and Mike booked a singer for the drinks reception who also played the guitar. “We saw him at a friend’s wedding the year before and loved him so much we booked him there and then. All the guest enjoyed this and it created much more of a party atmosphere for the day,” recalls Lydia. “After the evening meal, we arranged a cocktail hour on the terrace. As an insight to our relationship, we decided to serve three cocktails that meant something to both of us: Mike chose a negroni, I a picante and we both enjoy espresso martinis.”

After their much-loved cocktail hour, a DJ and sax player entertained guests with a half-hour garage set and then a house/Ibiza set. “The guests loved it and everyone was on the dancefloor,” shares Lydia. “We also provided a glitter/face gem table to encourage people to decorate their faces as if hitting the clubs in Ibiza. The photos of this are epic!”

Memorable Moments

“It was the most amazing day of our lives, it was incredible from start to finish and felt like a dream,” recalls Lydia. “Everyone said it would go by so quickly but until you are in it you can’t quite understand what people mean. We remember smiling all day and just feeling like the luckiest people in the world. I was incredibly relaxed and excited whilst getting ready but I understand Mike was extremely nervous mainly because he would be greeting all the guests and the one who would be doing the speech.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds had time on their own for photos and decided to have a number taken in the upstairs bar. “We each ordered a cocktail and just sat and had a conversation,” remembers Lydia. “It felt like such a special moment for us, having only just got married, to take some time to be alone. We have some stunning photos of this moment which we will cherish forever and have made an agreement to go to the venue for a drink every time we are in the area.”

The couple’s incredible photographer also specialises in champagne spray photos which the couple were excited to try. “The photo is stunning, and the champagne spray looks like something from a movie! For the rest of our lives, on our anniversary, we are going to get a bottle of champagne and recreate this photo, we want to make an album of these photos to give to our future children.”

Finally, another standout moment for the happy pair was a sparkler shot they were able to capture in the evening. “Before the photographer left, we really wanted a photo of a few people holding sparklers around us. We didn’t expect it but almost all the guests got involved and we have epic photos and videos of us walking down an aisle of our guest holding sparklers whilst we are holding flares.”

Fun And Games

“It’s a tradition in our families to ask all of the guests to bet on how long they think the speeches will take. My uncle decided to take this very seriously and went round to everyone with his clip board and change box to get them to bet. Our best friend won the bet and all the money and the sheer excitement on everyone’s faces was amazing.

“The speeches were perfect and everything we wanted. It’s always a worry they are going to be rubbish and paint people in a bad light, but they were all amazing, we were touched by the words of the best man and my dad.

“We also asked a very close friend to sing our first dance song: I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons. It meant so much to us that he was able to do this on the day, he’s a very talented singer and it’s something we can cherish forever.”

WISE WORDS…

“We made a pact when we began planning the wedding to not get obsessed with the detail and it was the best thing we could have done. We agreed to tell suppliers what we were thinking and imagining for the day but to let them run with it and come up with something amazing. They are the ones with the knowledge and talent in their field and people need to trust them. We did our research on who to book and made sure their Instagram pages reflected our style but other than that, we put our faith in them and couldn’t be happier we did. It can be such a stressful time, but couples just need to relax and remember why they are doing it. No one on the day will know if something goes wrong as no one other than the couple know what is meant to happen.” – Lydia

ROLL CREDITS: LYDIA AND MIKE’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK Venue, Bingham Riverhouse, www.binghamriverhouse.com | Photographer, Jessica Lily Photography, www.jessicalilyphotography.com | Dress, Made with Love, www.madewithlovebridal.com | Hair stylist, Alfie from Beaumont Hair, https://beaumonthair.co.uk | Make-up artist, Marley Rumer, www.instagram.com/marleyrumermakeup | Suits, Suitsupply, https://suitsupply.com | Flowers, for keeps., www.forkeepsflowers.co.uk | Stationery, maple & rae., www.mapleandrae.co.uk | Wedding rings, Almaas Diamonds, www.almaasdiamonds.com | Entertainment, Sax player, Matt Pearse Sax, www.mattpearsesax.com | DJ, Red Events, www.facebook.com/redeventsentertainment