Sarah & Nairn in Marylebone

A multicultural elopement in london

Midwinter in Marylebone with Sarah and Nairn, in perfect overcast light for their Scottish–Chinese wedding:

“We wanted to celebrate both of our cultures and heritage, whilst keeping things small and intimate. All the red colours were for luck, and I wore some of my grandmas jade jewellery so felt like I had a piece of her with me on the day [and her red umbrella], Nairn wore his family dress tartan and was even able to have a dried thistle in his boutonniere.”

Aside from just being really, really ridiculously photogenic (despite saying they weren’t, because everyone in London says they’re not, even though it’s totally not true), Sarah and Nairn also had a pretty good strategy for enjoying their wedding day and making it truly theirs. They got ready together at The Landmark – spending the morning with your about-to-be-spouse is honestly the best idea, everyone should do it – and then strolled to the town hall to get married with just two friends and Sarah’s mum in tow, and me taking the pictures.

“It was really nice to have some quiet time the morning of the wedding where we got to slow down and take in the moment over a room service breakfast and just enjoy each other’s company. Family can be interesting with their opinions on just about everything to do with your wedding plans: we suggest setting boundaries and expectations early if you can. And Rachel really made us feel really relaxed and helped make our day extra special.”

If you’re planning a multicultural elopement in London, I hope Sarah and Nairn’s pictures prove that a) winter weddings aren’t dreary and dull and b) city elopements aren’t unromantic. You can make it as personal and intimate and joyous as you like. Seriously, look how happy they are! Even my face was hurting from smiling.

You can read more about Sarah’s experience of wedding planning during a pandemic and finding the world’s most comfortable cheongsam at Rock My Wedding.

hotel
THE landmark london

CEREMONY VENUE
OLD MARYLEBONE TOWN HALL

Cheongsam
EAST MEETS DRESS

SUIT
kinlock anderson

BOuQUET
bohotanical

BUTTONHOLE
WOLVES LANE FLOWER CO

“A year to the day from their engagement and after spending most of 2020 shielding, this couple married in an intimate ceremony at the Old Marylebone Town Hall in London. After enjoying a quiet breakfast together in their hotel room, the couple made their way to the classic venue in their beautiful outfits. While Sarah wore a red Cheongsam dress and accessorised with her grandma’s jewellery, Nairn looked suave in his family’s tartan and a thistle buttonhole – a beautiful nod to both of their heritages! Every capture will fill your heart with joy.” — Rock My Wedding

“In March 2020 it became clear that dress shopping for my cheongsam/qipao was not going to be what I envisioned. I found East Meets Dress who were fabulous and were able to ship me my cheongsam which is the most comfortable one I’ve ever worn! They were so helpful during the measurement process. All of our suppliers were very helpful and extremely understanding during a very unpredictable planning process.” — Sarah