Fun Heartfelt & Colourful Community Wedding

Settle in as you are about to be blown away by Emily and Matt’s fun community-feel wedding. Their day was a riot of colour and party vibes in a gorgeous garden setting complete with majestic tipi reception. Swoon!

I adore their cool outfits. Emily wore an embroidered wedding dress for the day with a statement headpiece and a sequin jumpsuit come evening. Matt meanwhile wore his dad’s wedding suit and chose a batik shirt. They both looked incredible.

It’s awesome that they got ready together, had their entrance together and treated guests to a drinks reception before the ceremony. It just goes to show you can totally shake up your wedding timeline from the usual traditions and make it awesome.

Joanna Nicole Photography, thank you ever so much for sharing with us these seriously beautiful shots from one very special celebration indeed.

Fun Community Wedding

The Proposal

Matt – I had bought the ring, and had a vague plan to propose at a scenic spot during an upcoming break in the Lake District. Then we came home tipsy after a garden party and were discussing our impending move abroad. I said “So things are really moving then”. Em replied, very seriously, “Are you getting cold feet?”

In the moment, the only way I could think of to prove that I wasn’t was to propose then and there, so I did. I grabbed the box from my sock drawer, opened it, and then Em high-fived me.

The Vision

We live in Singapore, so a big part was always bringing as many family and friends together as possible, and activating our community to recognise and support our marriage. We wanted good food, good drinks and good music.

Budget

We had priorities. Em’s dress cost £90, we managed flowers for £250. But the whole wedding cost £31k*, 80% of which was tipis, catering and booze. Matt refused to compromise on food, and it was delicious!

*with help from (three sets of) parents

The Venue

We decided that having tents in a friend’s field would give us maximum flexibility to do things our way. It did but also presented a mind-boggling number of choices and logistical challenges. But Matt was the last one on the (silent disco) dance floor at 3:30 am which we couldn’t have done in a traditional venue!

Your Outfits

Matt: I wore the morning suit my dad wore at my parents’ wedding in 1978. To leave my own stamp, I paired it with a batik shirt from a Singaporean boutique, Yeo Mama Batik. In the evening, I had another batik shirt with white jeans and colourful Converse.

Emily: I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to wear a dress. But wandering through Phuket old town I saw an embroidered kaftan in a shop window and knew that was my wedding dress. It cost 90 quid.

I paired it with shoes from Irregular Choice and a headpiece commissioned from an Instagram shop called Luna Blue Collection. I had been waiting for an occasion to buy a Rosa Bloom piece, and our first dance was it. I wore an Aphrodite jumpsuit in Solar with gold Converse, all the better for dancing. It cost much more than 90 quid.

The Ceremony & Music

The structure was non-traditional: we had mingling and drinks before the ceremony with both of us present. A bespoke cocktail menu was provided by Gimlet Bar. Mariachi Rey were our roving band, who played Can’t Help Falling In Love as we walked down the aisle together, and I Say A Little Prayer as we walked through the flower petal confetti to the bar to get our first drink as a married couple.

The celebrant was our dear friend, who guided us through the ring exchange as well as hand-fasting, and we had readings from friends and family and a song (To Conquer Pain With Love by Mariam the Believer) sung by Matt’s cousin.

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Joanna Nicole was recommended to us by Parrot & Pineapple, who shot two of our friends’ weddings. We loved the warmth in her photos, and how well she captures candid moments. She was great at walking us through what to expect and recommended we hired a second shooter as we had a lot of guests. We’re delighted with the results!

The Styling & Decor

We started by hiring the tipis (from abroad, having never seen them in person until the wedding setup). We love travel and wanted to bring together colourful, eclectic elements from across the world.

We spent several years (thanks, Covid) trawling markets across southeast Asia for lengths of batik fabric in as many patterns as possible. These became napkins, which were our wedding favour.

A friend brought papel picado bunting back from Mexico. We bought lanterns from Vietnam and umbrellas from India. We also had a neon sign made, and our stationery was designed by a friend including motifs that were meaningful to us.

All this was thrown together in the days before the wedding by our friends and family!

Flowers weren’t a huge priority for us so we decided to DIY, prepared that they might not turn out well. Turns out Em’s aunty is the daughter of a florist! We took one trip to a wholesaler, and she created a bouquet, three bridesmaids’ bouquets, a centrepiece and 12 buttonholes. They were iconic.

The Honeymoon

Still to come. We’re going to Oman for 2 weeks. We wanted to go somewhere neither of us had been and would be outside our usual holiday ideas.

Memorable Moments

A lovely sunny afternoon turning into pouring rain and 4 lads activating the “emergency gazebo”, running across the field to provide shelter for the cocktail bar.
The unrehearsed ceremony somehow coming together beautifully.
The speeches.
Matt’s 90-year-old great uncle ripping up the dancefloor.
Great head-to-head battles in the silent disco provoking non-stop dancing.

Advice For Other Couples

Matt: the best I received (and will gladly pass on) was “Something will go wrong. So choose now, ahead of time, that when it happens you’ll laugh.” For me, it was the point when we realised that one of the kegs of beer had been supplied with the wrong connector so we had half as much as we’d planned, necessitating a mid-wedding beer run from kind friends.

Em: don’t worry about people having fun. Bringing people that you love together will ensure everyone has a great time.