Cool Britannia

Philippa and Kevin took inspiration from rock'n'roll London weddings for their big day...

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Early days…

It was Philippa's future bridesmaid Tara who introduced her to Kevin. "Tara and I were flatmates and she had been friends with Kev for a while. I met him one evening when he came over to see her and was instantly smitten," says Philippa. "When we finally became a couple, Kev admitted that he had felt the same. Tara jokes about how she could see sparks fly the moment we met!"

The proposal…

Brighton set the scene for Kevin's surprise proposal. "My girlfriends had paid for a night away in Hotel Pelirocco for my birthday so Kev and I took full advantage of it and went for the weekend," recalls Philippa. "He proposed to me in our room which, unbeknown to me, came after an aborted attempt to do so on the beach earlier, as we watched the sun go down.
"It was a complete surprise even though Kev had requested my father's permission and also asked his mother for his grandmother?s engagement ring to give to me."

Hen and stag parties…

Both Philippa and Kevin had fun and games planned for their hen and stag celebrations. "Sixteen of my girlfriends met in Hyde Park for a champagne and Pimm's picnic and silly games before an open-air Fatboy Slim gig," says Philippa. "Afterwards we booked a private karaoke suite for some self-indulgent warbling. On the way home we even managed to get the whole top floor of the night bus to sing along to Valerie by Amy Winehouse!"
For Kevin, a trip to Northampton was organised. "Sixteen of us went to War Fighters who use infrared laser guns that fire across massive distances. It allowed us to run around and play at being soldiers," he says.

The venues…

Kevin and Philippa say Old Marylebone Town Hall was an obvious spot for them to say 'I do'. "It's quite a rock 'n'roll venue which we liked," says Philippa. "Both Paul and Linda McCartney and Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit got married there so it's a very 'London' spot and has a fabulous ceremony room."
After scouring pubs and restaurants for their reception, the couple organised a relaxed affair at St Germain bar and bistro in Farringdon. "We didn't want a formal or traditional wedding venue," says Philippa. "We wouldn?t choose to eat out at a hotel so it was important that we picked somewhere that would reflect the kind of place we would go to with friends and family."

The dress…

Philippa opted for an individual bridal look. "I wore a 1950s-style red dress with a black sash from London designer Candy Anthony. It was knee-length with a full petticoat," she says. She finished the look with a black birdcage veil, made by her sister-in-law, and a hand-tied bouquet of Grand Prix roses, red celosia and black tie leaves.
"My bridesmaid Tara looked gorgeous in a black LK Bennett dress and patent platform shoes," says Philippa.
With a red and black colour scheme in place, Kevin chose a striking black suit with a red tie, as did his best man, youngest brother Richard.

The decorative touches…

For Philippa there was only one form of transport to travel in true city style on the day. "We chose 1964 red routemaster buses for our guests to travel in and I hailed a black cab with our photographer to get to the ceremony, which was not only good fun but provided some great photo opportunities too."
When it came to the finer details, Philippa and Kevin kept their venue décor simply striking. "St Germain is predominantly black and white which matched our colour scheme so I didn't want to go over the top with decorations," says Philippa. "We just asked them to order red flowers for their bar display to fit in with our theme."

The honeymoon…

Moving from one city to another, Philippa and Kevin celebrated their newlywed status with a break in Barcelona. "It's an amazing city with everything from haute couture, markets, beaches and mountains to fabulous restaurants. We loved it," says Philippa.

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