A Slice of Shoreditch Style ~ A Relaxed, Cool and Contemporary East London Wedding

Hey! As you read this, I'll be preparing to make my debut BBC radio interview this morning! Yikes! Tune in to BBC Radio Tees here
around 10.45am this morning, where I'll be questioned over a 15 minute period or so
about my role as a wedding blogger and to talk about my book, Style Me Vintage Weddings! Don't worry if you miss it, you'll be able to tune in to the station to listen later in the afternoon when the 'listen now' feature goes live on this page.

But first, let's enjoy this very stylish couple's wedding that was submitted by the rather stupidly talented photographer (and really lovely guy), Nabeel Khan.  Nicoletta and James tied the knot on 23 February 2013 with a ceremony at Shoreditch Town Hall, followed by a reception at Ozone Coffee Roasters for our Reception.  I'd like to start this feature with this wonderfully crafted film by our favourite super8mm filmmaker, Mark W. Brown. What a beautiful combination of super-8mm film and wonderful photography, I just love it!

"We decided about four days before the wedding that we did actually
want a film of our day in super-8mm format, which felt like an unusual way to do it, plus it got us away
from awkward talking to camera shots and long speeches!"

Film Production Copyright (c) 2013, Mark W. Brown

"We met in India at the end of 2008. I was on a solo
holiday and James was travelling through South East Asia en route to
London. We actually spied each other out on Palolem Beach in Goa but
only met in Hampi and then ended up bumping into each other again on a
beach in Gokarna. Random. James makes a small joke about how he was
stalking me but I think it might be true. We hit it off in a purely
friendly way (or so I thought), he moved over in February and we hung
out for about 6 months before he finally showed me ‘his true feelings’. 
That was pretty much that.

Towards the end of October 2012, a job offer in New
York precipitated the decision to get married. We then realised we were
really excited about getting married and focused on that rather than
leaving London. We gave ourselves a short deadline – originally wanting
to do it in January but we landed on the 23rd of February – my mom’s a
teacher and that date sat in the middle of her half-term. So you could
say we ended up planning our wedding in just  3 months."

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Nabeel Khan

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

I'm a little bit smitten with Nicoletta's personal style, in particular, that beautifully fitted Alan Hannah wedding dress (it's called 'Sorrento), and lovely little white lace gloves. This is a woman after my own heart.

"I wore the Sorrento design by Alan HannahI’d initially wanted something vintage, so going to the Teokath bridal boutique
felt like a bit of a gamble. I tried a few different dresses but this
one felt different – it made me feel glamorous! I just loved everything
about it, and the fact that it was of a ‘Hepburn’ style and a vintage inspired silhouette satisfied my
desire for a vintage wedding dress.

Also, because it was a sample dress, I was able to get it
off the peg – so I got it dry cleaned, made some very small alterations and
voila! It was my perfect dress."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"Our florist was Linda Cottee
who was amazing! She understood what we were after and made
recommendations/gave suggestions based on the colours we wanted, types
of flowers (seasonal) and style. She was the consummate professional and super
nice to boot."

 Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"When it came to planning our wedding, I started out looking at wedding blogs.
We both wanted something that would reflect our personalities and had a
bit of character – nothing too fancy or chintzy but still at least a
little classy.

We also had people coming from all over the world – the
‘UN of weddings’ – and wanted to give our guests a bit of British
flavour, and as a result, it all became a little ad hoc.  We loved the light
and colour at the Shoreditch Town Hall, we got a Routemaster to drive
us around East London, stopping at Victoria Park for sundown (love
Viccie Park)."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"My friend
made all our bunting and we used that to decorate the Town Hall and
Ozone."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

 Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"Our cake designer was Lily Vanilli.
Our cake was going to the served as dessert and we wanted it to be good
but not ridiculously extravagant. So we went for a simple chocolate
cake with a pistachio and petal décor."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"James is from New Zealand and I'm South African. We always
thought that choosing where to marry was going to be a bit complicated
but when we decided that we were
actually going to do it, we
knew it had to be in London, near Bethnal Green where we live. We chose
Shoreditch Town Hall for our wedding ceremony – we both fell in love
with the room as soon as we walked in, it was full of beautiful, natural
light and had a piano too! 
We used Ozone Coffee Roasters for our Reception – we’d been trying to find a venue where we could eat, drink, dance in one space and Ozone was perfect.

Ozone was open and light but still provided intimacy, the kitchen
was in the middle of everything and the whole venue was just a great
canvas. We went for blues, purples and whites because we saw a colour
swatch in a magazine and thought they felt like the right colours for a
winter wedding."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"I’d been so worried that everyone would get
bored on the bus…ha! Provide some champagne and a pretty route and
voila!  People were pole dancing by the time we met them at Victoria
Park!"

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"Linda Cottee, our florist, sourced
our little cacti and put them into little purple pails. We used them as
name placeholders and a little take home for our guests."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding 

"Nabeel Khan was our photographer – he took the photos for a friend friends’ wedding. We loved their photos –
they were natural, uncontrived, fun – and we loved the rest of his work
on his blog.

So I called Nabeel and he was available (getting married at the end
of February makes speedy planning relatively easy). We met at the
Dovetail in Clerkenwell and hit it off immediately. He’s fabulous!
"

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

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Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"I found my shoes at Freya Rose.  They are the ‘Natalie’ design, with a pearlised heel – simple and elegant."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"My hair and makeup stylist, Cheryl Brisby, is amazing! I’d had a
make-up trial with someone else and had a fixed idea of what I wanted
to do with my hair. Cheryl topped the makeup and told me that my hair
wouldn’t work the way I wanted it to but what about an up-style? She was
totally right!"

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"We discovered that our ceremony room had a piano – the joy! I just
walked down the aisle with the usual track 'Here Comes The Bride', played on a piano by the fabulous Nicholas Durcan."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"We asked James’ sister to
read E.E.Cummings’ ‘I carry your heart’ for us. It has a special
meaning to us and it makes me well up – in a good way! – whenever I read
it.

 

'I carry your heart with me,

I carry it in my heart

I am never without it

anywhere I go you go, my dear;

and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling.'" 

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"My grandparents – who live in South Africa – sent
their wedding bands over to me a few years ago – a small, subtle hint!
They’d met James when we went home to South Africa for Christmas and
fell in love with him. At the time, it totally freaked me out but it
turned out that they were just a bit more perceptive than I had been at
the time. We had them resized at ECOne on Exmouth Market and they were
able to keep the engraving on the inside of my grandmother’s ring –
'Tullio e Elena 26-12-1953' – the date they were married."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"We hired a Red Routemaster from Traditional Travel
to take our guests on a whirlwind East London tour. They were super –
we’d put everyone on the bus with champagne and popcorn while we took
some pics in Shoreditch. Apparently the cups had gone awol and on
request the driver stopped at a Tesco so they can get some. Really,
really friendly and accommodating."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"James designed the wedding
invite and we used blackboards as signage and to tell our guests
where they were sitting (kindly made up my two really good friends of
mine)."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

"Melissa Hughes did the catering at Shoreditch Town Hall. She was
AMAZING – the food was totally brilliant, looked great and tasted
incredible."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

 Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"You don’t need to meet/ see/
have a look at millions of suppliers – pretty quickly, you can get to a
gut feel of who you like and why. Roll with it. It really doesn't need
to be complicated. 
People are everything – choose right, keep them happy and play with where and how you seat them. We had 55 people in total.

My sister sang at our wedding ceremony.  She covered Elton John’s
'Your Song' and Nina Simone's 'My Baby Just Cares', while Nicholas whizzed
away at the piano. 
OMG, there
were a few tears! Other than that, our friends & family pretty much provided
the laughs for everyone.  James is really into music and created a ‘romantic’ Spotify list
to get us through most of the day. One of his best friends – Matt Henry –
got us dancing after dinner, with tunes ranging from electronic to
soul."

Alan Hannah Sorrento Shoreditch Wedding

What a fab day, totally and utterly relaxed and wonderful – and the
essence of which is captured beautifully within this movie from
super-8mm film maker Mark W. Brown, as much as it is in these photographs from Nabeel Khan

You can see more from Nabeel on Love My Dress here, and more from Mark W. Brown here.  Also take a peek at our Alan Hannah pages – and pop back this afternoon to see the very latest Alan Hannah collection exclusively here on Love My Dress. It's pretty darn gorgeous!

I'd love to hear back from some of our readers on this one – are you an Alan Hannah bride, or are you tieing the knot East London contemporary cool style?

With much love everyone – see you on other side of that interview this morning!

Annabel

Heart

Photographer – Nabeel Khan
Venue – Ozone Coffee Roasters for our Reception
Brides Dress – Alan Hannah, Sorrento via Teokath at Elys
Brides' shoes – Freya Rose
Bride's accessories – Accessorize + Ernest Jones (pearl drop earrings)
Groom – Hugo Boss suit + Oxford Toe Brogues by Loake + vintage cufflinks buttonhole by Linda Cottee
Bridesmaids – Coast dresses + Hobbs shoes
Flowers – Linda Cottee
Cake – Lily Vanilli
Transport – Red Routemaster from Traditional Travel
Catering – Catering CompanyMelissa Hughes, Shoreditch Town Hall

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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