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Victoria & Tom
A Waterside Wedding On The Thames
PHOTOGRAPHY Grey Lumley, greglumley.com
San Francisco set the scene for Victoria and Greg’s first meeting. “We were both travelling at the time and a mutual friend introduced us. After a year, and back in Windsor, we started dating,” Victoria explains. “Getting our dog Mylo really solidified our relationship, so of course we invited him to be part of our wedding when the time came!”
But let’s skip back a moment to the proposal. “Tom proposed in the Maldives over a sunset dinner, I had no idea and had assumed he never would!” the bride reveals. “He asked my mum and brother before we left and commissioned a bespoke ring from Graff Diamonds in London.”
Victoria’s dream dress was Maggie Sottero’s ‘Chesney’ design, purchased at Windsor and Eton Brides. “The team were amazing and the gown reflected our hopes for the wedding – that it would be laid-back and vintage. There was certainly a practical element to the choice because I needed to get on and off two boats gracefully!”
The bride accessorised with Rainbow Club shoes and a scalloped edge, sparkling veil. The scalloped edging matched her gown and the glittering fabric also enhanced the belt. “I wore a hoop beneath the skirt to kick the dress out. We got married outside with carpet along the aisle, so I didn’t want it to drag or lose its shape.” Inside, the bride added an embroidered patch in memory of her father.
“I loved seeing Tom in a suit!”
“He wore a suit and waistcoat from Next, with a pocket square and tie from T M Lewin and mid brown brogues. He chose a mid blue for the suit because black would have been a bit heavy for the summer, and the waistcoat meant that when he took his jacket off he still looked suitably formal.” Cufflinks to represent San Francisco, where they met, and Bray, where they married, formed the perfect accessory.
“My five bridesmaids were amazing! They organised a beautiful hen weekend in Bath and helped decorate the venue the day before. I’m so lucky to have been surrounded by so much love from these girls. They took their roles very seriously and did us proud on the dance floor later in the evening!” The girls dressed in floor-length, platinum grey Dessy gowns, accessorised with blush pink Pandora bracelets, gifted by the bride.
Emma Victoria Makeup took care of the bridal party beauty, using Yves Saint Laurent, Laura Mercier, MAC and Bobbi Brown products. “I wanted a relaxed feel for our hair, so we opted for half-up-half-down styles with curls, created by Amy-Louise Taylor and Rosie Scott.
“I arrived by boat to our waterfront Thames wedding ceremony!”
“We exchanged vows at the beautiful Riverside Marquee in Bray on Monkey Island. The venue is superb for summer weddings with its manicured lawn that leads down to the river. Drinks on the lawn followed the ceremony, before we surprised guests with a cruise down the river towards Windsor Castle!”
“Our Champagne reception was held on the boat, giving staff at our venue time to decorate between the ceremony and wedding breakfast.”
Guests dined on sharing platters to start, chosen to get guests mingling. The main course was a choice of New York cheeseburger in a brioche bun or San Francisco lemon and herb chicken, wrapped in pancetta. Both were served with Las Vegas ‘poker’ chips and salads. For dessert, indulgent Florida key lime pie and Parisian crème brûlées were served.
As the food suggests, Victoria and Tom themed their wedding around all the places they had travelled together. For the décor, they chose a platinum and blush pink palette, perfect for summer and a vintage theme. “We added rustic crates, flowers and vintage books,” the bride explains.
“It was a family effort to design the venue setup. We used silk flowers as my husband has hay fever, scenting our wedding with Jo Malone pear and freesia candles instead. The smell takes me back every time. For the blooms, we leant towards hydrangeas, peonies, white and avalanche roses. We can’t thank the planner at the Riverside Marquee enough, she was a star!” Hearts and Flowers provided the fresh flower bouquets.
Helen Scott Design supplied all the stationery, from save the date magnets to invitations, menus and even hangover kit labels! “I knew exactly what I wanted them to look like, but I needed a designer’s eye to make it work.”
“We commissioned our baker to create a five-tier, 2.5ft tall wedding cake, 100 cupcakes and 100 cake pops, decorated in our travel theme!”
The couple made use of the venue’s DJ, adding their own selfie station deckchair, now available to hire via Instagram as @propthequestion.
“We asked guests to RSVP with a song that would get them on the dancefloor!”
For their first dance, Victoria and Tom chose Frankie Valli and the Four Season’s ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ for a fun choice that wasn’t too much of an emotional slow dance.
Not many couples get to honeymoon for four weeks, but these newlyweds did!
“We started in Singapore, travelling around Kuala Lumpur and Bali next before heading on to Australia. Rooftop dinners, lots of surfing, island visits and a candlelit beach barbecue in Bali kept us entertained.”
SUPPLIERS
VENUE Riverside Marquee, Bray-on-Thames
DRESS Maggie Sottero at Windsor and Eton Brides
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Dessy
GROOM Next, TM Lewin
ACCESSORIES Rainbow Club, Windsor and Eton Brides
HAIR Amy-Louise Taylor, Rosie Scott
MAKEUP Emma Victoria Makeup
STATIONERY Helen Scott Design
FLOWERS Hearts and Flowers
VIDEOGRAPHER Daf’s Drones
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