Elegant Destination Wedding At The Oyster Shed
I'm not going to lie to you, this wedding is perfect. That's right, the ideal celebration captured by the one and only Kathryn Hopkins Photography. For any party that is punctuated with the Bride wearing Stella York is one we're bound to take note of, and we've got it all waiting for you to see in THE VAULT!
From The Bride...Andy and I met when we were both working for the charity Age UK. We were both part of the charity softball team and met at the first practice of the season. After a couple months of knowing each other Andy moved to Brixton where I was also living at the time and the rest, as they say, is history.
Andy proposed in India when we were on a two week trip last year. Apparently he thought proposing at sunset on a beach in Goa was too cliché, so instead decided to propose in Munnar in our hotel room, as the mist descended and monsoon rains appeared! He didn’t have the ring with him (travel insurance woes) so a temporary ring had to suffice. He even went to the effort to film a congratulations video from my family and friends to show me after the proposal. However, we had some technical difficulties and the hotel’s wifi was really weak so we had to hop in a rickshaw to the town nearby where I say in an internet café with Indian music blaring, headphones on, listening to my nearest and dearest wishing us all the best. And I wouldn’t have had the proposal any other way.
My dress was the second one I tried on. My maid of honor was living in Crystal Palace at the time and had occasionally walked past a bridal shop (Love Bridal) so we gave that a go. They are absolutely lovely, there’s no pressured whatsoever and they really listen to what you want. I didn’t have much thought about what I wanted my dress to look like so Julie (MOH) and I decided the first three I was going to try on by the names of the dresses. Julie has close links with Australia and one of the dresses was called ‘Kylie’ so it made the top three. It turned out to be the one.
I wanted something simple yet stylish that suited my frame. I loved the back of my dress, for us girls that don’t have a size able chest it’s nice being able to make a statement at the back! I wasn’t going to have a veil but it made me feel so ‘bride like’ it was a must.
Jewelry was kept to a minimum because of the style of the dress but I had a ring that was my great grandmother’s (something old) a bracelet from Andy’s mum (something borrowed) and Andy surprised me with pearl earrings from Tiffany and Co for my wedding gift!
We knew from the start that we wanted a London wedding. We both live in London and love it, so couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. We struggled at first to find somewhere that really suited what we wanted. At first we were looking for an all in one but everything we found was a bit too formal.
The Oyster Shed where we had our reception is just amazing. The location is ideal – right on the river with a brilliant view of the Shard. It’s normally closed on a weekend because it’s in the city so there aren’t a lot of people about at the weekends so they only open for private hire. It’s very London but with a nautical twist!
The great thing about the Oyster Shed is that it already has so much character. There’s lots of different colours and knick knacks that we didn’t really need to add much else as it would take away from the charm of the venue. What we loved as well were the rustic tables with mismatched chairs – we’re not formal people so the set-up really suited us. In the end we added a little bit of bunting, some photos of our grandparents on their wedding days (as they have all sadly passed away) and that was really it! I did have to have my US mailbox for our cards as a nod to my US heritage.
Ultimately, we wanted a relaxed day and the Oyster Shed really helps with that. Everything is in one room, but with enough space for people to spread out - people could be dancing the night away or relaxing on one of the leather sofas while all the while having a truly spectacular London backdrop behind them.
Andy proposed in India when we were on a two week trip last year. Apparently he thought proposing at sunset on a beach in Goa was too cliché, so instead decided to propose in Munnar in our hotel room, as the mist descended and monsoon rains appeared! He didn’t have the ring with him (travel insurance woes) so a temporary ring had to suffice. He even went to the effort to film a congratulations video from my family and friends to show me after the proposal. However, we had some technical difficulties and the hotel’s wifi was really weak so we had to hop in a rickshaw to the town nearby where I say in an internet café with Indian music blaring, headphones on, listening to my nearest and dearest wishing us all the best. And I wouldn’t have had the proposal any other way.
My dress was the second one I tried on. My maid of honor was living in Crystal Palace at the time and had occasionally walked past a bridal shop (Love Bridal) so we gave that a go. They are absolutely lovely, there’s no pressured whatsoever and they really listen to what you want. I didn’t have much thought about what I wanted my dress to look like so Julie (MOH) and I decided the first three I was going to try on by the names of the dresses. Julie has close links with Australia and one of the dresses was called ‘Kylie’ so it made the top three. It turned out to be the one.
I wanted something simple yet stylish that suited my frame. I loved the back of my dress, for us girls that don’t have a size able chest it’s nice being able to make a statement at the back! I wasn’t going to have a veil but it made me feel so ‘bride like’ it was a must.
Jewelry was kept to a minimum because of the style of the dress but I had a ring that was my great grandmother’s (something old) a bracelet from Andy’s mum (something borrowed) and Andy surprised me with pearl earrings from Tiffany and Co for my wedding gift!
We knew from the start that we wanted a London wedding. We both live in London and love it, so couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. We struggled at first to find somewhere that really suited what we wanted. At first we were looking for an all in one but everything we found was a bit too formal.
The Oyster Shed where we had our reception is just amazing. The location is ideal – right on the river with a brilliant view of the Shard. It’s normally closed on a weekend because it’s in the city so there aren’t a lot of people about at the weekends so they only open for private hire. It’s very London but with a nautical twist!
The great thing about the Oyster Shed is that it already has so much character. There’s lots of different colours and knick knacks that we didn’t really need to add much else as it would take away from the charm of the venue. What we loved as well were the rustic tables with mismatched chairs – we’re not formal people so the set-up really suited us. In the end we added a little bit of bunting, some photos of our grandparents on their wedding days (as they have all sadly passed away) and that was really it! I did have to have my US mailbox for our cards as a nod to my US heritage.
Ultimately, we wanted a relaxed day and the Oyster Shed really helps with that. Everything is in one room, but with enough space for people to spread out - people could be dancing the night away or relaxing on one of the leather sofas while all the while having a truly spectacular London backdrop behind them.
