Beccy and Dan planned this incredible Hackey Town Hall wedding in just two weeks! Much like other couples that planned to get wed in 2020/2021, their plans needed to be tweaked as restrictions changed, and in the end they got married surrounded by just 13 of their nearest and dearest.
Even with an intimate guest list, Beccy and Dan did not hold back on the style and gorgeousness! Their stylish day is filled with beaut inspiration from the pastel blousy blooms to the epic pink bridesmaid outfits, Dan’s blue Prada suit to Beccy’s INCREDIBLE Simone Roche wedding dress… LOVE!!!
Come take a further look….
Beccy and Dan…
How did you meet and get engaged?
We met in 2014, as we were both working in the buying department of Urban Outfitters HQ. We didn’t get together until a year later, at a colleague’s birthday party at Lucky Voice in Soho—a drunken kiss very quickly led to something serious.
We got engaged in 2019. We were going to visit some friends in Gothenburg, Sweden where we had previously lived, and took a walk to the top of a hill which overlooks the city and the ocean. It was close to where we used to live, and we’d often go for evening walks up there. Two of our friends had helped to plan the whole thing, and were on hand with champagne and to take photos when Dan got down on one knee.
Was there an overall theme to your day?
No—it was important to us that everyone felt extremely comfortable and relaxed. Because we got married whilst there were still so many covid restrictions in place, we were just happy to be able to get the small amount of people together that we could. We didn’t want to add any extra pressure.
How long were you planning it for?
We got the announcement two weeks before the date we had planned pre-covid that the wedding was able to go ahead, albeit in a much smaller capacity than we had imagined. So in all honesty, everything came together in those two weeks, as we had held off on planning anything due to the pandemic. However, both of us had bought our outfits in lockdown, so we at least had those ready to go!
How was your day unique to you?
It was unique for a variety of reasons—I don’t think either of us had envisioned having our reception on a farm. But we also hadn’t envisioned getting married in a pandemic with only 13 people able to attend! Because of the restrictions and the times in which we’re living, we weren’t able to do a lot of regular wedding stuff, which will always make it unique in a way.
Where was your wedding / reception venue and why did you pick it?
We knew pretty much from the moment we got engaged that we would get married at Hackney Town Hall. It’s an iconic building, and we’re proud Hackney residents, so that part was a no brainer.
Pre-covid we had planned to have our reception at Moth Club, another local institution. However, we found a new venue two weeks before the wedding, after the government announcement. A friend who lives close to Stepney City Farm suggested the Allotment Kitchen. We both took an afternoon off work to have a look around, and decided then and there that it was the spot. We didn’t even try the food, we were just happy to have found somewhere that would take us at such short notice!
Who was your wedding photographer and why did you chose them?
The wonderful Sophie Lake was our wedding photographer. We found her through Instagram, a week before the wedding which seems a bit insane now. We looked at her work and her style was exactly what we wanted—natural, candid photography that wasn’t cringe or overly posed, which a lot of wedding photography can be. We can’t recommend her enough.
Your outfits! Tell us more about them! Was there any special details, accessories or reasons behind your choices?
As we said, our outfits were one of the only things we had managed to arrange in advance. Let’s start with Beccy’s…
“I chose this gorgeous Simone Rocha dress which my mum had actually spotted in Selfridges in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit. We don’t usually see eye to eye when it comes to fashion, so I was quite surprised she liked it! I had only tried on one other dress before this one, so it ended up being an easy decision. I knew I wanted to wear something by a London based, female designer and nothing that was overly ‘bridal’ so this more than filled the brief. I also bought the matching socks to try and recreate the runway look, but I didn’t end up wearing them.
I paired the dress with Margiela platform Tabi Mary Janes, which I had spent hours looking for online, as they don’t make them anymore. I finally found a pair in Paris on Vestiaire Collective. They were already sold, but when I messaged the seller to explain that they were for my wedding, she cancelled the other sale and sold them to me instead. I wore a string of pearls which my dad gave to my mum as a wedding present, and I also wore the same earrings my mum wore on her wedding day, which were a gift to her from my grandma. I topped off the look with a Shrimps bag and pink Miu Miu sunglasses which I had already.”
And Dan’s…
“I wanted a light blue suit which was inspired by a 1960s Japanese film called Tokyo Drifter. I had always wanted to buy a Prada suit, and after searching for a while I found the perfect colour match.
From here I decided I wanted to treat myself (you only get married once!) to a pair of Toga Virilis loafers which have a Western themed buckle on them. This then led me to finding a shirt which had Western embroidery details. I wanted an off white shirt, and given the time of year, I wanted one that was a bit more substantial in terms of weight. After months of looking, I found the perfect shirt from Jil Sander via a Swedish menswear store (Tres Bien).
Then to top off the originally unplanned Western style, I took a huge risk in buying my first, and likely my only, bolo tie. Once I had an idea what Beccy was wearing, I wanted to tie my look back to hers in some way. Luckily, I found a pair of socks which matched the print on her dress perfectly.”
Tell us about your wedding flowers? Was there a particular theme or colour palette?
Sage Flowers, who are based in Peckham, did our wedding flowers. They’re known for their bright and colourful arrangements, which was exactly what we wanted. Nothing boring! Whites, pinks and blues were the rough palette, mainly because those colours went with our outfits, but we gave the Sage girls our full trust. We knew that whatever they did, it would be amazing, and it was.
Which decorations / props did you use on your wedding day? What was the overall look you were trying to achieve?
We didn’t really have any. No decorations were allowed at Hackney Town Hall. We had the flowers, a few balloons and a light up ‘Just Married’ banner at the Allotment Kitchen which Beccy’s mum bought—we kept it very lowkey.
Let’s talk food! What style of food did you go for and why?
As we said earlier, we didn’t taste or try any food before the wedding. We trusted our friend’s recommendation and went for it! However, the food at the Allotment Kitchen was absolutely delicious. Everything throughout the three courses was so fresh and homemade. We had a mix of vegan, vegetarian and meat eaters in our small party and they more than catered to everyone. We went back a couple of weeks after the wedding to have lunch.
Cake! Who created your wedding cake and what theme did you go for?
April’s Baker did our heart shaped cake, and they were a recommendation from Beccy’s sister. Their cakes are very retro and kitsch, with lots of icing. We went with the same colour palette as the flowers, and had our initials piped on the top. Beccy is vegan, so the cake had to be vegan, but we didn’t tell anyone…
Tell us about your wedding stationery – who designed them for you and what style did you go for?
As we had such a small amount of guests, we didn’t have any wedding stationery. However we will shout out our pre-covid invitations, which featured work by the wonderful Cassandra Frances. She’s tattooed Beccy a few times and did a very special commission which we used as the artwork. The original painting is now hanging in a big gold frame, and is one of our favourite things.
We also had custom candles made as a gift for our guests by the wonderful Bard Candles. Ben helped us to choose the perfect scent, and even did the wax seal on the boxes in a blue to match our outfits.
Tell us more about your hair / make-up for your wedding. What kind of look did you want to achieve and was there any particular products/accessories you wanted to use?
The most wonderfully talented Cayden Foxx did my hair, and he created this incredible up do which took a lot of work. I said I wanted the biggest hair possible, and for it to look as far away from natural as possible, and he absolutely delivered! He also repurposed my mum’s wedding veil into this beautiful hair piece, which was clipped into the top of the beehive.
Tamzin Cummings, who is a pro artist at Charlotte Tilbury, did my make up and elevated my staple look of winged eyeliner and red lipstick. I didn’t want to try something different for my wedding day—I wanted to feel like a more glamorous version of myself.
Imarni Nails gave me the most incredible hand painted extensions to match the print of the dress, which took almost three hours to complete. She also painted my ring fingers with mine and Dan’s initials, because I wanted to be a bit soppy.
How did you entertain your guests throughout the day?
As we had a covid wedding, we weren’t allowed to do much in the way of entertaining. However, being able to sit around a table with 13 of our closest family and friends, eat delicious food and drink cocktails, was really all the entertainment we needed after being in lockdown for five months. We also had a lot of speeches, which provided a lot of entertainment throughout the evening.
Looking back, what was the stand out moments of your day?
When we came out of Hackney Town Hall and onto the big steps, a few of our friends who weren’t able to come inside for the ceremony were outside, waiting to greet us. Two of them had brought their dogs which was lovely, and just being able to see people who we love all gathered together, and to do something positive after months of misery, felt very overwhelming in the best possible way.
Do you have any advice for couples currently planning their wedding, for either the planning or the lead-up?
Stay calm, and stay true to you. Do what you want, and not what you think people will expect of you. As cheesy as it sounds, the day is not about anything other than the two of you getting married and spending the rest of your lives together—don’t lose sight of that!
Looks a beautiful wedding and totally unique! Everyone looks so happy!!!