From virtual date nights and cocktail hampers during lockdown to a chic civil ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall, step inside Emily Champion and Nick Letherbarrow’s stylish city wedding – complete with vintage diamonds, Limoncello spritzes, and plans for a dreamy Greek island wedding.
The Story So Far
Nick and I are a dating app success story, having met on Bumble back in 2020. However, COVID hit and stopped our first in-person date from happening leading to the start of our relationship blossoming virtually over many many FaceTime dates. It felt like a jump back to the olden days, curating special surprise cocktail hampers for one another for our Friday date nights, spending extortionate amounts on overnight shipping. Each time we went back to the supermarket, the shelves would get more and more empty so by the end, we were really having to get creative, clutching at the last limes for our special Moscow Mules.
This unique start to our relationship definitely meant we connected on a deeper level than most, falling in love with one another before ever meeting in real life – a very surreal experience. We used to listen to joint playlists while lying out on our separate patios (myself in the Cotswolds, Nick in London) and at one point even sent our fragrances to one another as you forget how important senses like smell are for discovering connection.
Finally, restrictions lifted enough for us to meet IRL! I headed back to my London flat having ordered a huge Ocado to host the ultimate Mexican night – pretty sure we were galavanting around my flat drunk on life (and margaritas) until about 4am. Needless to say, we made it official pretty quickly – we’d been dating for a few months already after all!
We discovered a love for travel together early on, trying to navigate ourselves to anywhere COVID restrictions would allow – Croatia stole our hearts first and that’s when @emzandnick was born.
Fast forward 5 years, we’ve travelled to 20+ countries and whilst our DNA says otherwise, we’re now practically Greek (13 islands and counting). So it made total sense that Nick would propose to me over a morning espresso freddo outside our favourite little fisherman’s hut in Kimolos, looking out across the Aegean wondering how we got so lucky. A vintage trilogy ring from the 1950’s centred with a spectacularly stunning cinnamon coloured brown diamond hugged either side by two natural juicy diamonds. The middle diamond turns different colours in different lights, from orange to yellow to champagne – golden hour lighting is definitely my favourite!
Venue
Naturally, Nick and I are taking our nearest and dearest out to a remote island in Greece for a big fat Greek wedding – however, let’s discuss our civil because just as many people warned us, it took us by surprise how absolutely magical it was and now we’re wondering how Greece can top it – but we know it will!
We got married in Marylebone Town Hall – a lot of our friends had chosen Chelsea so we decided to mix it up a little – we also loved the grand interior and beautiful marble stairs. Just 18 of us in total (vs 80 in Greece), we wanted it to be super intimate. I stayed at 11 Cadogan Gardens the night before with my Mum and got ready in a very quintessential and spacious suite overlooking Pavilion Road. The front of house found it endlessly funny as I phoned down to request multiple champagne buckets of fresh ice at 6.30am not for champagne, but to de-puff my face (highly recommend).
The ceremony was in The Westminster Room (central largest room because go big or go home) at 10am and we organised a champagne reception to follow (something that Marylebone offer – love) to extend our time there a little and soak it all in otherwise it’s very much one in, one out. We spent a bit of time taking some epic photos with Nina Wernicke – the most incredible photographer – she did a mixture of digital and film and we were totally obsessed with the result. At around 11.30am, we hopped into black cabs and made our way to Lina Stores in South Kensington to raise a glass (or 10) of Limoncello Spritz and indulge in their divine sharing menu – we hired part of the restaurant and the food and hospitality there was truly amazing! At around 5pm, we knew the show must go on so retreated back to 11 Cadogan Gardens for more champagne on their beautiful terrace. The night ended with a Shake Shack in bed but I guess nobody needed to know that…
Fashion
My dress was from Sau Lee, styled by Rachael Perry – she is such a vibe and we shared the same vision to channel an inner cool girl bride with a side of feminine classy energy.
Rachael loaned me her outrageously fab Aquazurra Tequila Platforms – I’ve hunted high and low and you can’t get them anywhere anymore but I’m keeping an eye on all the second hand sites because my oh my, they are SO comfy. Perfect for anyone wanting serious height without sacrificing comfort.
I bought my Miu Miu bag in Paris to use at some point for my wedding celebrations – I never planned to use it for the UK but in the end, I think it worked perfectly.
Finally, I completed the look with a pair of Fendi sunglasses – the little diamanté detail is so cute and allowed us to crank up the volume for our confetti exit as husband and wife!
Jewellery
Boodles very kindly loaned me a selection of their diamonds.
Wedding bands were from Gemima. Nick went for a classic yellow gold band and then as a “more is more” gal, we created the most epic champagne diamond ring with an art deco/vintage style setting to match my central diamond in my engagement ring. I also had a skinny half diamond band made as a stacker between the two which ties them together so well. We both have a blue diamond on the inner part of our wedding bands as our “something blue” but mainly as a nod to our favourite place in the world, Greece!
Food & drinks
It was all SO good! The burrata starter and then cacio pepe had to be winners for me, paired with a refreshing Limoncello Spritz!
Entertainment
After we’d already booked Marylebone Town Hall, we thought it would be a good idea to go to the opening evening to see what it’s actually like having only ever admired from the outside before. As we climbed the stairs, we heard the beautiful sounds of pianist, Michael Raggatt. At that moment, we knew iPhone audio wouldn’t be enough and we’re so pleased we opted for live music – it really elevated the whole ceremony. Michael played ‘Dandelions’ as I walked down the aisle and it was a real tear-jerker.
Beauty regime & wellness
My glam squad were so special because they were some of my closest friends. Georgia Habboo did my makeup and Willis Galbraith did my hair. Georgia knew the brief without me even telling her the brief as we have very similar taste – bronzed, glowy, natural – myself but elevated. Ever since I saw Aussie influencer Georgia Hayes rock this wedding hair, I knew I needed to weave it into my wedding plans somewhere – I showed Willis once and he recreated it so effortlessly – and even better if I may say so myself?! Having that warm, familiar energy around me when emotions were high was everything I could’ve asked for and more!
I’m a big believer in not getting roped into feeling like you need to totally transform yourself for your wedding day – it’s too much pressure and not sustainable. I’ve fallen in love with Classical Pilates at LifeBody in Barnes over the past year and it’s been life changing for my mental and physical health, keeping me grounded and connected like never before. Skin-wise, I’ve had a bit of a nightmare with acne but regular LED treatments and a simplified routine have really helped me – I forgot I even had acne on the day and Georgia was able to cover them up seamlessly whilst ensuring I didn’t look caked in makeup.
Honeymoon
No planned mini-moon for our civil ceremony however, it was my 30th birthday shortly after and Nick took me away to Kefalonia (Greece again, shock horror) for 5 days which definitely doubled up as a mini-moon/pre-Greek wedding relaxation trip. We stayed in one of the luxury villas at The Wildt – blue skies every day and now our Vitamin D levels are overflowing!
Advice
Don’t be afraid to go all out. Last minute, my anxious brain told me I’d gone too over the top with my dress. That other people go more casual and I kept thinking I was going to look silly. Scrap all of that – it’s your day, wear and do whatever you want. You set the vibe and your guests will follow. I felt like a million dollars and can’t wait to do it all over again!
Pace yourself. Turns out you feel drunk *without* any alcohol on your wedding day so don’t have the same tolerance levels as normal – definitely going to adopt a one alcoholic drink followed by one soft drink rule for my Greek wedding – I want to be fully present for it all and would rather avoid a sore head the next day.
Keep it intimate (if you’re planning on having a larger celebration afterwards). There’s very few times in your life that you can share such a special occasion with your nearest and dearest and it felt amazing to be able to chat and enjoy every single person’s company without feeling too overwhelmed.
With Thanks
Bride / Groom: @emzchampion @emzandnick
Venue: @adaytorememberlondon
Hotel: @11cadogangardens
Pianist: @uk_wedding_pianist
Caterer: @linastores
Dress: @saulee
Florist: @gillysrose
Photographer: @ninawernicke
Wedding rings: @gemima
Jewellery: @boodles
Makeup: @georgiahabboo @georgiahabboo_makeup
Hair: @willisgalbraithhair
Stylist: @rachaelperrystyling
