“Hannah was, technically, a mail-order bride,” Rory jokes. He first learned she existed while flipping through their school leavers’ program, where everyone’s exam results and university destinations were printed for all to see, and noticed she was the only other person headed to UCL. A quick Facebook search put a face to the name, and he was sold. The wooing began with an immediate Snapchat follow and a “coincidental” bump into her on a night out, “a quintessential 2014 courtship if there ever was one.”
Location: Las Cicadas. Ibiza
Style: Black Tie Party on the White Isle
Time of planning: 2 years
Number of guests: 90
Setting: A 600-year-old restored farmhouse
Season: Spring
The next decade played out between North London and Newcastle, with their two cats in tow, before a move to Saudi Arabia for work. In December 2023, they got engaged spontaneously at a pub in Hackney. Rory had just picked up the ring after flying back from the Middle East, a vintage Art Deco sapphire and diamond from Matthew Wildsmith, and he couldn’t wait to seal the deal the next time they were together.
Where Was Your Wedding, And Why Did You Choose This Location?
We always knew we’d get married in Ibiza, an island we return to every year with friends and that already holds so many special memories for us. We fell in love with Las Cicadas immediately, with Hannah straight away seeing the vision for the day. We loved the layout, with different designated areas for each part of the day flowing seamlessly into one another: an aisle area that acted as a blank canvas for the ceremony, a pool for the cocktail reception, a courtyard for dinner and a barn that transformed into a “club” for partying till late.
We picked the last bank holiday in May, weighing up the weather, the island’s opening parties, and the logistics of a built-in day-two pool party. We were touched that around 50 of our closest friends stayed for the full week of celebrations, so the venue’s central location was the perfect base, and we organized a beach club day and a boat trip later in the week so everyone could enjoy the sea too.
Could You Walk Us Through Your Wedding Looks?
We went to Suit Supply together for Rory’s first try-on, and I was slightly stunned when we walked out 14 minutes later with his entire outfit ordered. Safe to say, my experience was a lot less simple, and I’d potentially still be humming and haah-ing 14 years later if we hadn’t already booked the day.
Having previously studied fashion design, finding the perfect dress was always going to be my Everest. After trying on a host of dresses, I narrowed down the elements I loved but couldn’t find them all in one dress. In the name of stress prevention, friends and family had lovingly banned me from creating my own dress, so I decided to go custom. This was perfect for me, as I was able to be involved in the process while still having the wow moment trying on my finished gown for the first time.
I worked in collaboration with Charlotte at Wilden London, who was amazing. A second look wasn’t something I wanted for myself – with our ceremony starting late due to the Ibiza heat, I knew I wanted as much time as possible in the dress, and I also suspected I wouldn’t want to step off the dancefloor later to change… Instead, we designed a gown with a detachable overskirt, giving me the drama of a full skirt and train for the aisle, before revealing a sleek column dress underneath – better suited to dancing once the evening got going!
We kept decoration on the overskirt minimal, with small lace motifs helping to blend the join, letting the detail instead come through in my lace-trimmed veil. The under-skirt, by contrast, was more heavily embellished, emphasizing the sense of a different look once revealed. Charlotte combined delicate pieces of the same lace as my veil with hand-painting and beading, forming abstract floral shapes of orchids, smokebush and other blooms that would feature in my bouquet and floral designs on the day. She then carried the same techniques through to my wedding shoes, hand-painting matching petals to create a complete bridal look.
I kept jewellery minimal to let the dress and sentimental pieces shine. My Mum gifted me bespoke Eldon Jewellers earrings for my 30th, using diamonds from my late Gran’s jewellery. My fine bracelet is an infinity bracelet, gifted by my Maid of Honour, when she asked me to be her Maid of Honour! Rory had chosen my perfect antique engagement ring, but its unusual shape meant it didn’t suit most ready-made bands. I therefore designed an octagonal halo band with baguette diamonds, echoing a style of cut from the engagement ring, which the ring slots into. I designed Rory’s band to feature an inlaid baguette diamond and sapphire, making our wedding jewellery a matching set. We had them both made by an artisan in Dubai while we were living in the Middle East.
Could You Tell Us About The Ceremony?
The ceremony backdrop used the venue’s natural arch, framed by bushes we knew would be in full pink bloom that day. Rather than a traditional flower arch, we wanted something a little different, pushing the pink even further and draping fabric across the arch instead, which helped make the ceremony feel more intimate and enclosed despite being outdoors. All-pink and dusky blooms on podiums finished the look. In the choice and style of flowers, we knew we wanted something that felt a bit wild, vibrant and captured the feel of the day, rather than structured or traditional flowers, so we found a florist whose house style echoed this. Working with Floral Manifesto, we picked interesting, exotic blooms with lots of movement and texture, including various species of orchids, smokebush, anthuriums, and amaranthus,
We had already legally tied the knot back in London, so this gave us a lot more free rein over the style of ceremony in Ibiza. Rory’s sister acted as our celebrant, and able to forgo the traditional repeat-after-me vows and running order, she treated it more like a toast: introducing us as a couple, and threading through anecdotes about our relationship.
Our bridesmaid Millie followed suit, and wrote her own speech to us in place of a conventional reading. Because we didn’t have to select pre-written readings, it was so special and emotional for their words to be a surprise to us both on the day. We then wrote our own vows, each recounting a few of our favorite moments together before weaving them into personal promises. It was perfect and felt so personal and authentic to us as a couple, with many of our guests saying they had never both laughed and cried so much during a wedding.
What was the inspiration behind your wedding?
The vibe was “A Black Tie Party on the White Isle”, celebrating the fun memories and Balearic atmosphere of the island we love, blended with the elevated, sentimental weight of a formal wedding. “Formal but fun” became something of a catchphrase, and the ethos behind most of our decisions: we wanted the emotional moments and gravity of a traditional wedding, and for the day to still feel smart and elevated, but without losing what felt authentic to us as a couple – namely, the Balearic spirit of the island, and throwing our friends and family the biggest party we could.
Tailored West led the styling across the weekend. Hannah and the studio created a palette that celebrated the island while complementing the venue, with zingy greens reflecting the gardens and cacti, balanced by dusky pinks and earthy tones inspired by the terracotta tiles and architecture. Rather than one consistent palette throughout, we wanted each space to feel completely transformed as guests moved through the day, color-drenching each area with its own distinct story.
Post-ceremony, guests moved to the pool for cocktail hour, where the palette began to shift – greens and browns creeping in ahead of the next reveal. By the time everyone reached the dining courtyard, the pink was gone entirely, replaced by vivid greens and chartreuse that played off the courtyard’s 100-year-old cacti. The venue’s architecture shaped the rest: a central fountain anchored a horseshoe-style dinner layout, dressed with florals, while a balcony behind our seats held a custom Tailored West banner. The fluid palm-motif banner in our stationery’s custom font framed every toast beautifully.
What Details Made The Reception Special?
La Grande Bouffe are the exclusive caterers for the venue, and although we initially were keen to plan our own catering, we couldn’t have been happier with the Spanish sharing-style menu they created and how seamlessly the team ran the weekend. The live-carved Jamon Iberico bar was a real highlight for guests, bringing Spanish theatrics to cocktail hour. We served a frozen passionfruit daiquiri as our pre-dinner cocktail, which was essential after a very hot ceremony!
We had singer & guitarist Claire Wakeman for welcome drinks, the aisle song, and into cocktail hour to start us off on a chilled vibe, since we knew the rest wouldn’t be! Rory and his friends fancy themselves as amateur DJs, so they lived out their Ibiza B2B fantasies until late and then again at the pool party on day 2!
What Made The Day Unique?
We wanted guests hooked and involved from the very first moment. Welcome drinks were handed out immediately on arrival, alongside “Bosty’s Bet Slips”, a nod to our cat Boston, and to the fact that Rory and his mates have never turned down a flutter. Guests filled in their predictions as they settled in, we collected the slips, a winner was eventually crowned – though it came down to a tiebreaker in the end, decided by guessing the colour of the maid of honour’s underwear, announced (with a prize, and a great deal of laughter) at the day-two pool party.
On the table, Tailored West designed us spinning menus, inspired by disco and DJ decks, with a palm motif and an abstract cat, another nod to our kitties! Guests had mini bottles of the liquor Chartreuse, sourced and gifted by my bridesmaids – a gentle poke fun at me for my commitment and love of the color scheme, and how, most of them having never heard of the color shade before, it had quickly become one of our most used words of 2026. For our guest book, we found a photography book from Spanish local Oriol Maspons, with images of hedonistic Ibiza in the 70s and 80s, which guests signed instead of writing in a standard book. It has since become a proper coffee table book – one we’ll keep out and flick through for years!
Not everything goes to plan! Tailored West designed us a custom card deck for guests to write “tips for a happy marriage” on day two, which we’d planned to eventually turn into artwork for our home. Between the sun, the celebrations and the pull of the pool party, it never quite happened. But we couldn’t let a good idea go, so we’re now working with Tailored West on a second life for them: the original deck design kept on the backs, with hand-painted moments from the week across the faces, which we will send to guests alongside their thank-you cards.
Advice from the couple:
• Decide what matters most to you and book it big and early. After the venue, our first booking was photographer Ana Marina Sanz. She was a big outlay, but we knew her editorial yet relaxed style was exactly matched to what we wanted, and she was worth every single penny.
• You can’t do it all, so do YOU! We forwent a traditional wedding band in favour of having our friends DJ. The music we actually listen to and love, played by the people we love.
• Enjoy the chaos! Wedding planning can be stressful, but we laugh at and cherish the memories of sitting at 2 am making our own decor along with the 2 am madness of the wedding-night dance floor.
