A Boho Wedding at Petersham Nurseries with a Pre-Loved Rime Arodaky Dress + Cocktail After Party

Laidback styling and country garden wildflowers met with one of London’s prettiest venues on Anna and Jay’s wedding day

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Emily Deane

8 July, 2020

If having all the fun with none of the fuss and making your celebrations as sustainable as they are stylish are among your wedding must-haves, then you’ve certainly come to the right place for inspiration.

From the gorgeously understated Rime Arodaky wedding gown purchased from pre-loved purveyors Stillwhite, to the garden blooms and seasonal menu, every inch of this stunning day is an eco-conscious, bohemian couple’s dream.

Anna and Jay met through a mutual friend in their early twenties and were together for almost a decade before they got engaged. Just over a year after their engagement, they planned the ultimate bohemian, eco-friendly city celebration. Their gorgeous say started with a ceremony at Orleans House Gallery before taking a boat trip across the river to their reception at Richmond’s Petersham Nurseries and finished with an after party at Revolution.

Photographer: Yulia Tsezar of YTZ Weddings

The Wedding Dress

Anna opted for both a day and evening wedding dress (we totally don’t blame her!), purchasing her first gown, the Tasha dress by eco-friendly designer Rime Arodaky, from a pre-loved online seller. “I bought the dress from stillwhite.com, as I think it’s so sad that such beautiful dresses only get worn once and then sit in the attic for 30 years!

“I love that is was simple, elegant, modern and chic. I loved the lace detail on the bust and back. It felt like a proper wedding dress, but still understated.”

For the evening, Anna was keen to wear something she could really move in. “I wanted something a bit looser for dancing in the evening, and the Reformation dress I found was perfect. It’s a sustainable brand which does wearable party dresses so well.”

The bride teamed her day dress with a pair of silver Stella McCartney platforms and accessorised the look with a simple hair vine from ASOS and a vintage pearl and diamond ring given to her by her grandmother.

Bridal Beauty

For Anna, hiring Charlotte Gardner of Polka Dot Hair & Makeup wasn’t just about nailing the boho waves and natural glow she rocked on the day; Charlotte also proved to be a valuable asset during the pre-wedding preparations.

“I booked Charlotte quite last-minute, opting to pay for her to travel up from Brighton as her website was so good. She and her assistant were a dream on the day and Charlotte nailed exactly what I wanted for hair and make-up. Her demeanour was also very upbeat and calming – exactly what you need to ease the pre-ceremony nerves!”

The Wedding Party

Anna’s bridesmaids wore pretty blue tea dresses from Realisation Par, teamed with their own shoes and some fresh flowers worn in their hair.

Each bridesmaid was also gifted with a kimono, handmade by a friend using Liberty fabric, to wear on the morning of the wedding, and the girls got ready together at the Bingham House Hotel in Richmond.

The groom and his groomsmen wore navy suits with grey ties, all from Moss Bros.

The Ceremony

Anna and Jay chose the magnificent Octagon Room at Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham for their ceremony and Anna walked down the aisle with her father to Ben Harper’s Forever.

During the ceremony two readings were given, the first a long-time favourite of Anna’s – Love by Roy Croft – and the second an ode to celebration, Epithalamium by Liz Lochhead.

Following the ceremony, the couple and their guests ditched their heels and took a short walk to the pier to hop on a ferry to the reception.

“I really liked the ferry ride and walk between the ceremony and the reception venue. It was lovely to be able to do that as I wasn’t sure if the weather would permit.”

The Reception Venue

Anna and Jay wanted a rustic and informal feel for their wedding reception and Petersham Nurseries was the perfect venue choice. Not only did the venue fit the aesthetic but it also offered the ideal dining experience for laidback celebrations.

“One of the major reasons I chose Petersham is that they use seasonal, locally-sourced and organic ingredients for their dishes, with an Italian accent.

“The venue and food have a bohemian, rustic feel to it which I struggled to find elsewhere in London. We went for a family sharing style of serving to keep it informal – we got so many positive comments on the food afterwards!”

The Wedding Flowers and Cake

Both the wedding cake and floral arrangements were created in-house by the fantastic team at Petersham Nurseries. The rustic, Amalfi lemon cake was embellished with multi-coloured fresh flowers, complementing the vibrancy of the floral décor.

“I wanted the flowers to be colourful and almost mismatched, as if you’d just picked some wildflowers or a range of things from the garden. We had a large vase which was transported from the wedding ceremony to the reception venue where we had posies on the table and several large vases scattered around.”

Anna’s bridal bouquet featured garden and antique roses in muted shades as well as freesias, rosemary, mint, lisimachia, limonium and taracetum.

The Décor and Special Touches

Adding a personal element to their décor, Anna and Jay’s tables were named after places they had lived and – along with the invitations, seating plan and signs – were handcrafted by Kate Ridyard.

Continuing with the plant nursery theme, Anna and Jay gifted their guests with seeds as well as sweet treats.

“I chose chocolates from the V&A with quintessentially English names like ‘Eton Mess’ and ‘Cream Tea’, as well as some assorted seeds for guests to grow in their own garden, wrapped in the V&A signature designs.”

At the after party, the couple decorated the space with silver balloons from The London Balloon Lady, each with paper greenery added to match their natural, nursery theme.

The Entertainment

Anna and Jay took to the floor for their first dance to At Last by Etta James – a childhood favourite of Jay’s.

During the day, guests were treated to the sounds of The Kingston Jazz Trio, and by night, Revolution’s DJ. The reception party carried on long into the night with cocktails, celebrations and wild dancing.