Romany found Andy under a tree in Hampstead Heath during an ‘alternative picnic’ and a year and a half later they were engaged. Their wedding concept was inspired by rich fabrics, autumnal colors, and the history of their venue, The Charterhouse in London.
Romany told us: “We wanted it to be like stepping back in time – candles everywhere. We wanted everything to be timeless and romantic, as well as warm and cozy, but OTT and luxurious at the same time. Originally our concept was ‘Faded Arcadia’, inspired by Victorian garden cemeteries. Our wedding was in the fall (our favorite season), so we wanted that feeling of evenings drawing in and also being cozy.
Including personal moments in their day was important to this pair, and Romany chose a special tune to walk down the aisle. She explained: ‘I walked down the aisle to a recording of the music box my mum put on to help me fall asleep when I was a baby. It’s a deeply personal music box to me, a beautiful sound that I’ve known all my life, so walking down the aisle with this music meant a lot to me.
The couple included some fun historical facts about the venue in their program, as Romany explained: “The ceremony took place in the Norfolk Cloisters, the champagne reception in the old library and the dinner took place in the large bedroom. I made a list of fun facts that happened in each space, things as the medieval hermit who once lived in the cloister wall where we held our ceremony, and Queen Elizabeth I meeting with her privy council for five days before his eventual coronation in the Grand Chamber where we were having our dinner. Our guests were able to read to see what interesting historical things had happened in the space they were seated in to engage with the history of the venue for each part of the wedding.
With the venue as the main expense, they saved money by having virtually no decorations. Romany told us: “We had to reduce our budget, so we decided not to have a florist. I highly recommend finding a place that you absolutely love the way it is. Then you can let the space speak for itself and only make the lightest touches. We added twisted willow branches, pomegranates, and gourds, and it was done!). The oldest parts of the Charterhouse date back to the 14th century, and most of the spaces we used were Tudor, so being able to have real candles in these spaces was an unexpected delight.
They then moved the party to a second venue, Butcher’s Hook & Cleaver pub around the corner. Their first dance was David Bowie’s As the World Falls Down from the 80s movie Labyrinth, and they wanted to create a similar vibe.
“We wanted to give the pub the feel of the crystal ball masquerade scene from the film. We bought 40 yards of iridescent bead strands to drape over the chandeliers, white fans to put in the windows, and a batch of embroidered masquerade masks to attach to the railings which I spray painted silver. I thought the masks would just be a nice background, but several guests took the spirit of it and detached them from the decor and wore them throughout the evening! Which was great.
“This wedding was the culmination of such a long journey that we tried to be together,” the bride concluded. “Like so many couples trying to plan their wedding in our crazy Covid times, we have had many different plans, plots, and versions of our marriage that have fallen apart and have to be rescheduled over the past two years – six times in total! We also had additional complications with immigration as I am from the United States.
“One beautiful thing that came out of the hard journey of the past two years is the resilience of our relationship. I was glad we were engaged when I had to leave the country and move back to California. It made the separation a little easier to know that we had taken this big step in our commitment to each other. And although the times apart often made us sad, it proved to us that we can withstand a lot as a couple and come out stronger than ever. , so in that way, it was a gift. When we (finally!) found ourselves next to each other on our wedding day and read each other our vows, there was no doubt that our marriage would be built on a solid foundation. We have braved the battlefield over the past two years and come out of it unscathed. I have complete faith in us that we can conquer anything as long as we are together.
SUPPLIERS
- Photography: Emma-Jane Photography
- Venue: The Charterhouse, London
- Evening Venue: Butcher’s Hook & Cleaver, London
- Bride’s Dress: Catherine Blades Couture
- Bride’s Shoes: Vivienne Westwood
- Bride’s Crown of Moons Headpiece: Hysteria Machine
- Bride’s Hair and Makeup: James Adisai
- Rings: The London Victorian Ring Company
- Groom’s jacket: Sir Tom Baker
- Wedding Cake – London: The Little Blakery
- Wedding Cake – LA: Conjurer’s Kitchen
- DJ: Simon Landmine
