real wedding –  Laidback London city elopement

30 December 2020

Emilee and Joe’s wedding is a picture-perfect example of a 2020 wedding; love enduring, joy triumphing, and how micro can be just as mighty (plus, some exceptional wedding outfits. Plural.)

After 16 years together, Emilee and Joe had planned their wedding to be a surprise. “Neither of us wanted a big do so this was our way of keeping things small and low-cost,” Emilee explains, “which was all fine until Covid came along and made everything a million times harder! However, on the day of the ceremony, and on the party day a few days later when we finally revealed all our 30 guests, the atmosphere was electric. I don’t think anybody thought it would happen because of the Covid restrictions, so when it did the mood was pure elation.”

The ceremony took place at Southwark Registry Office in Peckham, after a chaotic morning. “With new restrictions on the horizon, we were waiting to hear if the party on Friday would be able to go ahead, and Joe was also working in the morning so we were running chaotically late when we arrived!” Emilee recalls. “But the registrar made jokes and made us laugh the whole way through.” They opted not to have professional photographers, instead inviting their friends Imogen Barrer and Beth Muxworthy to take some pictures to remember it. After the ceremony they made their way to Forza Wine in Peckham for rooftop drinks, and dinner with our four best friends at Trullo in Dalston.

Having worn a floral frilled Rixo dress for the ceremony, Emilee changed into a black Rasario dress for the party a few days later, coupled with Alighieri earrings and The Row sandals; Joe wore a mixture of COS and Arket.

“On the day of the party we had dinner at The Camberwell Arms, our favourite pub. Food is a very important part of our lives so getting that part right was essential to us, especially as we couldn’t have the band we planned to have and the day was cut short due to restrictions. We chose The Camberwell Arms because their menu is always stunning and they choose great natural wines. On the day they created an incredible Anglo-Italian feasting menu featuring a porchetta, fritto misto, burrata and lots of tasty sides.

And whilst food and drink were flowing, came Emilee and Joe’s favourite part of the day: “The impromptu speeches. Because nobody really knew until the day what was going on (although many had their suspicions), there were no planned speeches. On the day my Dad stood up and said a short and very emotional speech that brought everyone to tears and then the floodgates opened and we couldn’t stop people from standing up and spewing their messages of love and support. It was so special!”

When we asked them for any advice, Emilee and Joe said: “Just do it. We thought about postponing to 2021 when we could have had our original 60 person wedding party but in the end we decided that a wedding of 30 was fine for us. We just really wanted to be civil ceremony-ed! I would also say that micro weddings really are the one. Why not have the most divine intimate do with the people who matter the most to you? I understand that not everyone can get out of inviting great aunty Mary but it’s your wedding and you should do what makes you two happy. That’s why you’re getting married after all!”