Charlotte in Houghton NYC for a minimal modern London wedding

Oh my goodness – Charlotte & Liam’s wedding is utterly beautiful! Taking place at three of our absolute favourite urban venues, Asylum, Tanner Warehouse and The Ned, our couple opted for a minimal modern London wedding with elegant styling inspired by Scandinavian simplicity.

We didn’t stock Charlotte’s dress designer, Houghton NYC for very long as sadly the label is no longer available, so we’re absolutely delighted to have such been able to provide Charlotte with her stunning ‘Gamilla’ wedding gown. Those sleeves are heavenly!

Gamila Off the shoulder wedding gown by Houghton NYC

Which dress did you choose in the end? I chose the Gamila gown by Houghton NYC. I loved the minimal look, the sleeve detail was the right mix of elegant and different that I was looking for without trying to be too ‘edgy’. I originally thought I would go for a detailed lace mermaid number thanks to oversaturated pinboards but when I tried those styles on they just took away from me and I became the dress. With the Gamillia I just felt like me but better. I think I could have gone for a dress that showed off more of my figure but they didn’t feel right, it was a very instinctual decision.

Dress Shopping

I only took my mum with me when I tried dresses on. My mum’s face doesn’t lie and she is always honest. With my dress she just looked shocked and sure, I had tried on princess dresses beforehand in another store and she cried the first time I ever tried one on but with my dress she just looked like she wanted to make sure I loved it before she was honest about the fact she thought it was the best one too.

My favourite part of the dress shopping experience was meeting Emma, I walked in the chapel and I noticed her get a whole picture of my style and vibe. She just got it right away. Having worked in a fashion environment most of my life I recognised in her the passion and retail love that is rare and special. I trusted the team right away. There was no trying to get me into something that wasn’t quite right and no sales pressure whatsoever. Emma knows her collections inside out, she knows what works on what bodies, what personalities suit styles of dresses etc. I am someone who is quite clear on what I like and didn’t like so it just worked so well.

Styling

I went for statement earrings from Isabella May, handmade gold plated earrings featuring three freshwater pearls. I loved them so much I had them shipped from Australia. Then I had a simple veil as to not hide the sleeve detail and keep things bridal. I felt incomplete without a veil. The shoes were meant to be, I had seen them online a year before I was even engaged so when it was time to hunt them down they were out of stock everywhere and then by chance, a brand new pair was on Vestiaire in my size. They are Senso ‘Neave’ heels and has this god heel that worked well as my dress has a sit up the back so they peaked out occasionally. They were so comfortable too!

A minimal modern London wedding

We just went minimal and modern with some classical elements in there. We are both quite minimal in our interior and clothing taste, we like monochromatic, Scandinavian things. The details were important to my husband and I as he is a designer. The flowers were a huge inspiration for me. I entrusted Hattie at That Flower Shop in Hackney and she did an absolutely incredible job, we had perspex boxes and the most beautiful sculptural flowers. In hindsight, I would have gone for a more minimal reception venue to show the detail more love but we were limited for choice in the area. Liam works as an animator in the music industry so we owed it to our friends and family to throw a decent party and so we had the dance floor professionally lit and DJ’d with horns and glow sticks for good measure. It was awesome. One of my favorite moments was when my dad surprised me with a father-daughter dance to ‘My Girl’, I cried the whole way through.

The best bits

The vows, walking up and back down the aisle and then the drinks right after with all our friends and family. I also loved the time having our photographs taken after, our photographer was awesome and we got to spend some time just having photos taken and just enjoying those moments.

Advice from the bride

Don’t rush the major things, get a real feel for your vendors as you might like a venue for example but get a feel for whether or not the team is good, the place is managed well, read reviews. Remember everyone gets stressed, that’s normal but don’t get too caught up in the details, the important things are your vows, the music, food and drink, and fun. Don’t get pizza down your dress like I did at 2am….