OPPOSITES ATTRACT

REAL WEDDINGS attractOPPOSITES Carolyne and Ollie did their day their way, and loved every minute Images courtesy of Joasis Photography

Carolyne and Ollie met as graduates working for the same IT consultancy. “We’re opposites in a lot of ways, but then exactly the same in others,” says Carolyne. “Ollie makes me laugh and is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. We’re a great team.”

Ollie proposed on the duo’s seven-year anniversary at Retreat East near Ipswich. “It was no surprise really, more a gasp of finally!” she recalls. They’d already been ring shopping many months before. “Who cares for tradition? I’d rather wear a ring I absolutely love and share the process together, rather than have him stress about it alone, so I knew it was coming at some point. It was still sweet when it happened though,” she says.

They were keen not to follow classic traditions and their day truly reflected who they are and the things they love. “We had a focus on working with suppliers that were environmentally sustainable or had a good moral ethos, specifically supporting small independent businesses where we could,” Carolyne adds.

Here, she tells us more about their day…

Ollie wore a blue suit from Harry B rown. He wanted one with a fun lining and the peacock pattern fit the brief. He must’ve bought over 20 ties, but finally decided on a dark red colour.

I wore an embroidered Hermione De Paula gown with a beautiful low back and because the sleeves were so sheer, I wasn’t too hot in it. I accessorised with simple gold hoops from Monica Vinader.

We focused the day on who we are, rather than following traditions. We walked down the aisle together as equals - I don’t need to be ‘given away’ just because I’m a woman. The Brewery’s Sugar Rooms have beautiful floor to ceiling arched windows which let in so much natural light and The Queen Charlotte room has a party vibe to it. You can change the colour of the lighting throughout.

The Brewery’s a hidden gem in the heart of London. It was so us and we just couldn’t fault it - the venue, the staff and the food were just sublime.

Ollie has collected weird and wonderful beer coasters for years so I was keen to make the most of them in our table plan design. We also made push pins from fun beer caps. We gave guests mini beer and wine shaped cookies as favours. They fitted our theme and the venue well – everyone knew the wine was for me and the beer was very Ollie!

Our tables were named after our favourite pubs, wine bars and breweries.

For our centrepieces we reused flowers from the ceremony to create a trail of bud vases down the middle of the banquet tables and reused aisle arrangements at the end of the tables too. A lot of wedding flowers get binned at the end of the night so we set up a flower station! After the wedding breakfast, all flowers were left on a table with twine, brown paper and a sign inviting guests to make their own bouquets to take home. It was such a big hit!

We had flowers in abundance and they were all seasonal and grown in and around London.

Why just have a wedding cake when you can have a whole snack table? We’re big fans of Crosstown doughnuts and with Ollie being Welsh, we couldn’t not have Welsh cakes! Our stunning cake was created by Luminary Bakery, a social enterprise providing training, employment and community to some of the most disadvantaged women in London.

Our placenames and seat reservation tags were printed onto seeded paper so our guests could take them home and plant them to grow wildflowers for bees!

We created a C & O display for our card table using wine bottle corks and beer bottle caps that we’ve collected over the years. We still have them displayed in our living room. For our evening party The Sonics band performed. Everyone was dancing the entire night, they were incredible! Our friends’ faces lit up as soon as they saw the drum kit on stage.

A string quartet played for our ceremony and drinks reception. Hearing them play The Bare Necessities was sensational and will stay with me for a long time.

We filled gin bottles that we’d collected over time with fairy lights and used some as vases throughout the venue.

Who doesn’t love a good photobooth? It was hilarious looking back at all the photos in the album a couple of nights later.

Jo was the best photographer. She captured our day exactly as we’d hoped. She was such a calm presence to have around us and her photos speak for themselves! Before our ceremony we met at the hotel, had a proper hello without all our guests watching and then had some beautiful moments together before the wildness of the day took over. Our wedding represented us as a couple, and it was fun to share that with our family and friends – we had the absolute best day.

CAROLYNE AND OLLIE’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Venue, The Brewery, www.thebrewery.co.uk | Photographer, Joasis Photography, www.joasisweddingphotography.co.uk | Dress, Hermione de Paula, www.hermionedepaula.com | Jewellery and accessories, Monica Vinader, www.monicavinader.com | Hair stylist Company name: Love Hair by Lou, www.lovehairbylou.co.uk | Suit, Harry Brown London, https://harrybrownlondon.com | Cake, Luminary Bakery, https://luminarybakery.com | Flowers, Flower and Press, www.flowerandpress.com | Stationery, Papier, www.papier.com; Rosemood Atelier, www.rosemood.co.uk | Rings, Rachel Boston Jewellery, www.rachelboston.co.uk | String Quartet, Music Students for Hire, www.musicstudentsforhire.co.uk | Band, The Sonics, www.alivenetwork.com | Photobooth, King of the Booth, https://kingofthebooth.co.uk Doughnuts, Crosstown, www.crosstown.co.uk | Welsh cakes, Calon Lan Cakes, www.calonlancakes.co.uk

A LONDON WEDDING VENUE LIKE NO OTHER

Situated within 125 acres of National Trust parkland this 18th-century country house offered on an exclusive use basis. Leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind you and step into a world of tranquillity and natural beauty. Morden Hall exudes elegance, charm and sophistication, making this a truly spectacular place to celebrate. With intimate ceremony rooms where your loved ones can watch you take your vows, a dining room flooded with natural light and landscaped gardens for you to take in your idyllic surroundings, Morden Hall offers everything you could wish for and more for your special day. Morden Hall is situated in Morden, South London with its own tube station (Morden) just a 5-minute walk away and is the end of the Northern line. It is also just 10 minutes from the A3 connecting you to Surrey and close-by to places such as Wimbledon and Richmond

0208 1020553 | weddings@mordenhall.com | www.mordenhall.com | @mordenhallweddings