Retro Loveliness: A One-of-a-Kind Wedding in London’s Oldest Theatre

We want to remind all the couples out there currently planning that there are no rules when it comes to your wedding. For example: if you’re torn between whether to opt for a small + romantic City Hall civil ceremony or to go all in on the big-guest-list celebration of your dreams, we’re here to tell you that you can actually do both. And Alyssia + Chris’s chic, retro, multi-part London wedding is the proof!

It’s also proof that unique venue choices—without fail—will make for a totally unforgettable day for both you and your guests. 

After matching on Bumble, Alyssia + Chris began a love story that led them to this beyond-charming multi-day wedding full of fabulous vintage-inspired details. The couple collaborated with planners from Bijou Studio to create their dreamy legal ceremony in a dilapidated church as well as the subsequent bigger ceremony + reception in Wilton’s, a historic London Music Hall first opened in the 1850s (some of the venue’s structures date back as far as the 1600s!).

“Before we settled on any visual styling we always knew how we wanted our guests to feel when they attended our wedding,” say Alyssia + Chris. “The key things for us were that they were well fed, had plenty to drink and felt that our day was unique to us. The best compliments we received were “it felt very you.’”

There were retro dresses and fluttery fringe pennant flags. There were bows and pearls and string lights. And the history of the spaces added a dreamy timelessness to each event.

So glad we have these gorgeous photos from Joanna Bongard so we can give you a peek into how it all went down!

The Legal Ceremony

We are in love with those lovely pastel blooms by Bud Flora!

Daydreamer Creative Studio was behind those bold teal fringe-edged custom pennant flags. So into that retro font!

Why not carry your bouquet in a cute bridal purse! Especially one as cute as this pearly handbag!

This reminds us so much of another one of our favorite purse-meets-bouquet moments: this coastal garden party wedding!

“Our attire for the legal ceremony was inspired by 60s London,” Alyssia says. “I wore a custom made A-line dress by a local Islington designer, Adelais London and Chris chose a custom Richard James suit in a bright teal. I accessorized with the Shrimps Antonia bag (which I had coveted for years!), a short custom made veil and a pair of Prada heels.”

Alyssia’s 60’s-inspired accessory vibe was retro perfection. That bow-adorned wedding veil! Those sheer, floral bridal gloves! 😍

Check out some of our fave high neck wedding dresses if you’re loving this mock neck silhouette!

And don’t miss our collection of the cutest short wedding dresses if you’re digging this higher hemline!

So smitten with Alyssia’s platform ankle strap wedding heels by Prada.

“We both love vintage style so we definitely wanted some vintage influences among some more modern touches,” Alyssia remembers. “We’re really into Elvis and anything 60s so we used Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding photos as a starting point.”

We’ve got a great tutorial for a DIY floral dog collar if you’re dying to create this kind of floral magic for your own pup!

A swingin’ 60’s bridal look wouldn’t be complete without some white frame cat eye bridal sunglasses!

The Wedding Day

After making it all very official with their charming legal ceremony, Alyssia + Chris got ready for their second round of “I Do’s.” And with those Margot Cream Satin Bow Mule from Loeffler Randall, we already like where this bridal style vibe is going.

“I grew up watching ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ so had planned a trip to Kleinfeld in New York,” says Alyssia. “It was intended to only be for the experience but… (going against our planner’s warnings!) I fell in love with a dress there. I continued the search in London but nothing quite matched up so I made the trip back to New York to purchase my dream dress.”

The Ceremony

When your wedding location is also a performance venue, you can pair twinkly string lights with amazing theatrical stage lights for a truly impeccable glow.

The Cash Cows were on hand to provide live music (in these amazing matching ensembles, no less!).

Our Favorite Memory
Other than walking down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time, the most memorable part was our Drag Queen bursting in after speeches, surprising everyone and roasting the Groom! She really got the party started and our guests said singing along to her set was one of the best parts of the day.

“We knew we didn’t want a religious wedding and a standard legal ceremony felt too simple for the importance of the day,” says the couple how they arrived at their double-ceremony model. “We settled on a Humanist ceremony where we worked with an amazing celebrant Nat Raybould who helped us tell our story.”

“We were able to weave in elements of Alyssia’s Peruvian heritage with a reading in Spanish and Chris’ Celtic background with a handfasting ceremony,” recall the newlyweds. “We ended the ceremony with a collective toast after handing out a custom cocktail to each of our guests, and a song that everyone joined in with.”

Our Musical Choices
Processional
 “Romeo & Juliet” - Dire Straits
Recessional
“Everlasting Love” - Love Affair
First Dance
 “Can’t Help Falling in Love” - Elvis Presley

Very into these deep green bridesmaid dresses and the way the way they make the bridesmaid bouquets pop!

“We both wanted our outfits for our Humanist ceremony to be extra special,” Alyssia says. “After exploring Saville Row and Bond Street in London, Chris settled on a custom Gucci suit. He wanted a retro feel so went for a double breasted, wide legged suit to suit our vintage inspired stylings.”

“I wanted to continue the floral motifs,” she adds, “so had a custom veil made by Madeleine Daisy and chose some porcelain flowers for my hair.”

The Reception

Alyssia + Chris brought the funky retro vibes with this custom velvet + fringe reception seating chart.

Tinted glass + ceramic table decor from Wren Arc set the stage for a delicious reception dinner by Gatherers.

“We really wanted lots of personal touches,” says Alyssia, “so we sourced the place settings from Peru which doubled as keepsakes for guests, custom made frilled napkins, and I designed all the stationary to match the styling.”

“We went for a vintage style wedding cake with peach accents,” says the couple of this three tier masterpiece from April’s Baker, “and we took the peach through a lot of the flowers and table styling, adding peach velvet bows to tie our custom made napkins.”

Our Advice
Don’t be afraid to make the day your own. Don’t feel pressured to make decisions because you feel you have to or it’s the ‘done’ thing. Our amazing planners at The Bijou Studio advised us really early on to do away with a classic green and white theme and be more adventurous because they knew it suited our style more. They were so right and we’re so happy we listened!

Congratulations, Alyssia + Chris, on your magical multi-event wedding! Sending all our best wishes from across the pond!