Shot by Fruitcakes on Film, Shikha and Shiv’s London wedding sat somewhere between registry office formality, members’ club after-hours, and that unmistakable London social set energy. They envisioned a ceremony that was deeply intimate yet visually considered, proving that scale has nothing to do with impact. The aesthetic landed in a precise mix of 1970s restraint and Y2K courthouse chic. It felt styled without being staged, like London itself had been edited into the story.
Location: London, UK
Style: Chic, Modern, Urban
Time of planning: A few weeks
Number of guests: 8
Setting: Registry office and Restaurant
Season: Winter
Bride's Morning & Fashion
Shikha’s bridal look leaned firmly into society-girl tailoring instead of bridal fluff. Her Self-Portrait boucle chiffon dress read almost like a refined day suit: a ladylike short-sleeved jacket silhouette, a softly sculptural neckline with a hint of drape, jewel button closures, and a clean pleated skirt. Paired with Manolo Blahnik heels, the look held onto texture and a quiet shimmer, staying deliberately restrained in colour.
That restraint set up the palette for the rest of the day. Pastel pink on the bride’s side and baby blue on the groom’s introduced a playful, slightly nostalgic colour story that ran through the ceremony and beyond. Guests didn’t just follow the brief, they elevated it, from heart-toed Alaïa slingbacks to silk-tied Birkins, turning the dress code into part of the visual composition rather than a background detail.
"Shikha is the most beautiful woman in any room, and our wedding day was no exception. She carries this undeniable main-character energy wherever she is, the whole world seems to tilt towards her.”
The colour carried through in more subtle ways too, slipping into the interiors and even into the film by Fruitcakes itself, where blue and pink light leaks at Lilibet’s echoed the palette without ever feeling staged. By keeping her own look neutral, Shikha allowed the colour to live everywhere else, across people, spaces, and moments, giving the entire day a cohesive but never overworked visual rhythm.
Groom’s Fashion
5 Minute Walk
Not many couples live close enough to walk to Marylebone Town Hall, and that five-minute route quickly became the defining moment of the day. After hours, in the rain, with glowing crossings, passing headlights, and last-minute Selfridges umbrellas, the city turned a simple walk into something unmistakably London. The forecasted downpour the bride had worried about became part of the story itself, prompting a last-minute shift from taxi to a simple, “Shall we just walk?”
"Every detail fell into place and everything worked out exactly as it was meant to. I was very worried about the rain forecast, but our photographer suggested buying some beautiful umbrellas and reassured me that the rain could make it even more magical.”
The same approach was carried into the lead-up to the ceremony. Drawn to Fruitcakes on Film‘s completely unstaged style, the couple avoided anything performative. Arriving early to the Town Hall, they used the quiet as it was, not as something to fill, stepping into one of the side rooms for a few frames before slipping away for five minutes alone.
Ceremony
Inside, the ceremony held that same balance between structure and ease. The courthouse setting echoed the couple’s overall aesthetic, layering past and present into something that felt sharp, current, and entirely their own.
The moments themselves stayed light, quick, and genuinely personal. Short, witty vows landed exactly as intended, with Shiv’s laughter cutting through the room, while heart-shaped confetti scattered across the steps outside, quickly softened by rain and the bride’s Manolos.
Сeremony leaned into subtle but deliberate choices. A double exposure held both the exchange of Cartier rings and the immediate celebration that followed in a single frame, while the kiss was preserved in black and white, with Fruitcakes rarely uses in photography unless it feels very intentional.
Reception
The reception unfolded as a natural continuation of the day, more like a private social diary than a structured programme, with flashes of late-90s party pages running through it. The couple returned to 108 Brasserie on Marylebone Lane, revisiting their first date with the same table and the same orders, a Margarita for Shikha, an Espresso Martini for Shiv.
Around them, family gathered for cocktails and Gujarati pendas, shared as a quiet nod to heritage, a moment of “sweetening” the celebration. Even the setting played along, with surrounding artwork and an unexpected portrait of Peter Sellers slipping into the frame as an unplanned cameo.
Dinner moved to Lilibet’s in Mayfair, caught in its opening week, where the atmosphere shifted but the tone stayed consistent. Patterned curtains, layered textures, and soft, low lighting framed the space, while a seafood-forward menu anchored the experience, fish served with a kind of theatrical ease that echoed the interiors. The venue never broke character, holding that balance between old-world detail and something more current, without tipping into nostalgia.
Throughout, small visual moments carried the narrative. Snow White mirrors, both in the restaurant and the powder room, caught Shikha in reflection, adding a subtle sense of framing.
The cake, an olive oil vanilla sponge with date and sea salt buttercream, finished with bright maraschino cherries, landed somewhere between tradition and irony. The evening closed without a hard finale, just a natural tapering off, marked by the exchange of a limited-edition perfume, one last detail in a day built on precisely chosen ones.
Advice from the couple:
• Let go and trust it will all fall into place perfectly.
PHOTOGRAPHER Fruitcakes on Film | MUAH Grace Darling Makeup | BRIDE’S DRESS Self-Portrait | BRIDE’S SHOES Manolo Blahnik | BRIDE’S EARRINGS Self-Portrait | GROOM’S SUIT Sandro Paris | GROOM’S TIE Gucci | FLOWERS Titania’s Garden | CAKE Alleyway Bakery
