Thibaut and I met at Notting Hill Carnival. He was in one of the mass bands and the way he tells it, he was sitting at the top of a truck that was making its way down the carnival route when he spotted me from afar. He got off the truck to come and speak to me and he asked for my number. I was initially hesitant to give it, so I asked for his instead. I texted him that evening, and we’ve spoken nearly every day since.
We got engaged on our fifth anniversary. Thibaut had cooked my favourite dinner – Pastelón or plantain lasagne, a Dominican and Puerto Rican dish – before heading to a friend's house for a games night. When we arrived, I walked into their living room to find it filled with rose petals, candles, heart-shaped balloons and a sign reading ‘Marry me’. I was in complete shock. Thibaut got down on one knee, gave a speech and asked me to marry him, to which I of course said yes. He had chosen an engagement ring that suited me so well, an 18-carat yellow gold halo ring with 1 carat of diamonds.
When I began looking for wedding dresses, I really struggled to find something that felt right for me. I wanted a dress that was classic and elegant, what I thought was a pretty easy brief, but I couldn't find anything in the bridal shops I visited. My maid of honour, Bianca Saunders, had come with me and knew I was starting to feel despondent. Conveniently for me, Bianca has her own clothing brand and she offered to make my wedding dress. While she primarily designs menswear, she has dressed Sabrina Elba so I knew I was in good company. I was so excited to have a custom-made wedding dress, one of the first ever for her brand.
Working with my best friend was a fun and exciting process. It also gave me insight into her world as a fashion designer and what it takes to turn a sketch into a tangible product. She asked me to pull together a mood board of everything I liked and everything I disliked. Once she saw these references, she mocked up an initial sketch that I instantly loved. As bridalwear is not her expertise, we found a team who knew how to create bridal patterns and gowns to support us in bringing the dress to life.
My wedding dress was the one area of wedding planning that I felt really relaxed about. The initial team we worked with didn't quite get the design correct, so after having my first fitting we decided to go back to the drawing board and find a new team who could more accurately deliver our vision. For some people, this unexpected hiccup could have been a major issue or caused friction in the friendship, but it didn’t for us. I trusted Bianca, her talent and the process. I knew we’d get back on track, and we did.
We ended up working with a wonderful freelance pattern cutter. She asked lots of questions about fit, style and comfort before creating a dress pattern that was exactly what I wanted. Bianca and I then went fabric shopping, selecting a beautiful MacCulloch & Wallis ivory satin for Bianca’s team to finish the dress with. I was so excited to try on the final product. When I put on the dress, I felt beautiful and like the type of bride I had imagined myself being.
Everyone's clicking on...
Bianca's team also made my veil and garter for the perfect finishing touches. I wore off-white Miista strappy heeled sandals for my wedding shoes and opted to rent my wedding jewellery, selecting Alighieri earrings and a necklace from Hurr via Selfridges.
We had a traditional church wedding at our local church in Deptford. The building is nearly 300 years old and provided the perfect backdrop to our wedding photos. I walked down the aisle to Frank Ocean's ‘God Speed’, walking out after the ceremony with my husband to ‘Prototype’ by OutKast, both played on the church organ. That day was the first time we'd heard the organist's rendition, which made it even more special to us.
From the food to the music to the overall vibe, my favourite part of the day was the party, with our reception held at Core Clapton, a former Edwardian parish hall in East London. My background is Jamaican and British and my husband’s family are Congolese. We really wanted to infuse both of our cultures into our day so we found a caterer who could provide both Jamaican and Congolese food.
Our DJ Man Like Naija, is a good friend who I’ve known since university. He had guests on the dancefloor before food was even served, playing everything from Dancehall Music, Soca, UK Garage and Grime, all the way to Congolese Rumba. Another of our friends was the Master of Ceremonies and kept our guests engaged with interactive games throughout the meal, something everyone loved.
I’m definitely biased, but I think that it was one of the best parties I’ve ever been to.
Alexandria Dale is the Digital Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from the celebrity style moments worth knowing about to the latest fashion news, there’s nothing she loves more than finding a high street dupe of a must-have designer item. As well as discovering new brands, she’s passionate about sustainable fashion and establishing the trends that are actually worth investing in. Having worked in fashion journalism for six years, she has experience at both digital and print publications including Glamour and Ok!
