A HELPING HAND

A helpingHAND

Florals, creativity and a whole lot of fun was at the heart of Raabia and Alex’s celebrations

Images courtesy of Kristian Leven Photography

Raabia and Alex met in 2016, at the law firm that they both worked at. “I’d just joined as a paralegal and Alex asked for my help with some documents, which I messed up. Luckily, my poor file management was no barrier to romance,” Raabia shares. They got chatting at the pub after work one evening and never really stopped from that point onwards. “We had so much in common and discovered a mutual love of cheese, comedies and craft beer,” she says.

Alex proposed in their home in Hackney on a rainy Tuesday during lockdown. “He sent me away to Ikea and transformed our home with candles and post it notes of sweet messages and inside jokes. It was a beautiful fire-risk!” It was no surprise as the nearlyweds had already chosen their venue, but Alex made it incredibly special, nonetheless.

Here, Raabia tells us more about their day…

I accessorised with a floorlength veil, an embellished headband and simple gold jewellery that my grandmother had bought for me.

I wore a beautiful lace gown from Brides Do Good. They are a social enterprise working to reduce waist in the wedding dress industry and their profits fund educational projects to end child marriage.

The bridesmaids wore pale blue skirts and white tops in different styles that they chose. I really wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable and beautiful on the day, and to be able to wear the outfits again.

Alex opted for a grey three-piece and bold floral tie and his groomsmen and women wore matching grey tones with floral accents.

We wanted a large and airy space that we could fill with beautiful flowers and Trinity Buoy Wharf met all our needs and more. It’s a beautiful warehouse space by the river overlooking the Millennium Dome and the City. 46

The ceremony was so heartfelt and the speeches were a real highlight for us. Our caterers and florists completely transformed the space and the venue provided some lovely furniture and indoor plants.

The aisle was lined with stem vases, which were later used to decorate the tables. Our florists made the wonderful suggestion of displaying a flower cloud for us to be married under.

The floral theme was carried through to the cake and deserts which were iced with orange and pink flowers.

Our party favours included floral temporary tattoos, flower seeds and colourful soaps.

We knew we wanted lots of bright flowers decorating the space.

Our bouquets were brimming with vibrant flowers.

We wanted lots of interaction and fun so we had a guestbook table with polaroid cameras so friends and family could snap a photo and stick in the book throughout the day. Our wooden table plan complemented the décor perfectly.

During the evening, the band really filled the dancefloor they were brilliant.

Alex’s speech was particularly memorable as it ended with a video from my family all around the world who unfortunately couldn’t travel to London because of Covid. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! All of our suppliers, family and the bridal party went above and beyond to make it the happiest day of our lives.

RAABIA AND ALEX’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Photographer, Kristian Leven Photography, https://kristianlevenphotography.co.uk/ | Venue, Trinity Buoy Wharf, www.trinitybuoywharf.com/ | Dress, Brides Do Good, www.bridesdogood.com/ | Hair and Make-up artist, WOJ Beauty, https://wojbeauty.com/ | Groom’s suit, Reiss, www.reiss.com | Cake, Miss Cupcakes, www.misscupcakes.co.uk/ | Flowers, Worm, www.weareworm.com/ | Catering, Boulevard Events, www.boulevardevents.co.uk/ | Rings, Kind, www.kindjewellery.com/ | Band, London Brass All Stars, www.hackneycollieryband.co.uk/ | Wedding planning, The Wedding Arrangers, http://www.theweddingarrangers.com/