When Clare and Charlie were planning their wedding, it was of the utmost importance to them that it reflect their East End roots and their love for their city and country. So there was never any question as to where the wedding would be held – it just had to be London.
After a ceremony at Etheldreda’s Church in Holborn, the couple chose to hold their reception at the Law Society for its grand building, awash with history, interesting features, and fabulous location. And of course, the incredible staircase, always such a bonus for weddings!
Every aspect of Clare and Charlie’s wedding reflected their personalities and their families’ backgrounds. Their table names were street signs, they travelled between the church and the venue in a red double decker bus, they used a red pillar post box for the cards, their invitations were silhouettes of London landmarks, and Clare paid charming tribute to her dad, a London black cab driver, with a vintage taxi for the wedding car.
They chose a colour scheme of white and navy, with a dash of red, to represent the British flag. Clare wore a beautiful 1950s style tea-length dress which fit her personality aptly and looked fabulous alongside her seven bridesmaids, who were also dressed in short and sassy numbers.
In-keeping with their theme, the couple wanted a traditional pie and mash for the wedding feast, which was served in the grand Common Room. After meeting with the chefs and having their tasting, they decided upon a steak pie with mashed potato and mange tout, with a smoked cheddar, rosemary, leek. For dessert they chose a trio of English desserts, mini Victoria sponge cakes, apple crumble with custard, and mini trifles.
Their pre-dinner canapés were similarly British: fish and chips with tartar sauce in mini newspaper cones, mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and horseradish and dinner party favourite, prawn cocktail, and later in the evening waiters and waitresses brought around finger food of crusty bread filled with smoked bacon, vine tomatoes, rocket, and mustard and thin and crispy pizza topped with Margherita sauce, goat’s cheese, and rocket.
Their favours were cake pops, and the couple had a sweet table with Clare and Charlie’s favourite sweets including chocolate éclairs and candy laces. Many guests commented upon these two cute and personal little touches.
A typical London girl of the era, Clare loved Old Skool Garage when she was growing up so Charlie arranged for prominent London club DJs Motive and CWD to perform. The evening ended with people dancing on the stage, tables, and chairs – exactly the sort of party atmosphere the bride had hoped for.
Clare said: “Looking back, my wedding day was fantastic – it was fun and laid back but surrounded by beautiful London architecture. I wanted the day to be a celebration of our background and not pretending to be anyone else. The church was beautiful and the Law Society provided a stunning venue which made a fantastic backdrop for the photographs.”
