This Beautiful Bride Wore a Chic Secondhand Designer Dress to Her Intimate, Effortlessly Elegant London Wedding

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"We met on a dating app back in 2014. We talked for a few months before meeting in person; our first date was at the Natural History Museum Ice Rink. It was super casual and felt so easy, and after that we became inseparable! This may be odd to say, but I enjoyed dating him. It was fun and relaxed; we both planned enjoyable things to do, and despite our conflicting schedules, we still managed to make time to see each other. We had a lot of similar interests, and we both really looked forward to our time together. We made it official about six months later (which is now our wedding anniversary!).

"Joe proposed in May 2023 after whisking me away on a surprise trip to the Maldives. I had a feeling he might propose, but he was playing it SO COOL. He proposed at sunset on the beach, very on-brand for him! He is seen as the 'bougie' one amongst his friends!

"We finally decided to start discussing getting married in October 2024, but nothing really happened until January, so everything was planned in under six months!! We started looking around but wanted things to 'feel' right for us—no pressure to put on a grand wedding. This has pretty much been our entire 10.5 years together; a go-with-the-flow, natural vibe.

"Since our wedding was small and intimate, we didn’t host a traditional welcome event. We kept it super chill. I spent the night before with my best friend in Shoreditch, and we went to Smoking Goat for a little pre-wedding meal and just had some girly time together running over everything ahead of the big day."

"In the interest of keeping things minimal and embracing more sustainable planning methods, we created a wedding website using Say I Do. It was so easy, and we sent our guests a message on WhatsApp with a link to the website."

"I actually got ready on my own. I wanted peace and quiet on the day. We stayed at One Hundred Shoreditch the night before and headed to get my hair done early in the morning. My hair was styled by Talisha Cox at Elite Hair Lounge using Iman Hair clip-ins to create structure and movement.

"I headed back to my hotel to get my makeup done and wore the most gorgeous white, Mulberry silk pyjamas from Silk Works.

"My makeup was done by an amazing MUA called Nellie Freestone. We didn’t do a trial, but she absolutely nailed it. The day before, I had gotten my brows done with Jeta Brows, opting for a brow extension treatment to add fullness but maintain a super-natural look as well as temporary eyelash extensions with Lashify."

Trust your gut. Don't get caught up in trying to do things for social media or tradition. Make the day feel like you.

"I’d prepped with facials, lymphatic drainage, and microneedling in the weeks before. I also tried PDO lip threads for the first time to really enhance my pout ahead of the big day at BEA Skin Clinic. Aestheticians advise getting it done about six weeks before an event.

"My best friend came to escort me to Islington Town Hall in a black cab—very chill London-girl vibes!

"I have never been that conventional 'bridey' girl. I really dreamed of what my wedding would look like, but the only thing I did know was that I wanted something fun and stylish. I’d had a Mara Hoffman dress bookmarked on Pinterest for years. When the brand closed down in spring 2024, I assumed I’d missed my chance—until a friend spotted the dress on Vestiaire Collective in my size. I bought it immediately, even before we’d locked in our venue or decided on a wedding date! It was simple but sculptural—a white, strapless, consciously made masterpiece that felt like a perfect reflection of my style, and I got it for a steal at just under £300 including postage and customs fees. I had it tailored using The Seam and worked with a seamstress local to me to rework the dress to match my vision. Originally, I had wanted to take the dress up, but at the last minute, I completely changed my mind and we brought the skirt in to create a more tapered effect, elevating the style even more."

"I paired it with crystal embellished Jimmy Choo heels (found at Bicester Village), and my jewellery was a mix of sentimental pieces—my mum’s engagement ring, a pale blue sapphire with diamonds; a vintage, art deco necklace with matching earrings from my godmother; and a crystal heart earring from Orelia."

Buy your dress in a larger size (if available) and have it tailored to fit your body perfectly. Mine fit like a glove.

"My wedding band is super classic but glitzy—the Chloe lab-grown ring from The Diamond Store. It complements my engagement ring from Kimai perfectly. I love eternity style bands, and I wanted lab-grown diamonds as a way to be a little more conscious with my choices."

"Joe wore a butter-yellow suit from Suit Supply, which added the perfect amount of personality and warmth. It felt summery and unexpected—very him. He paired it with a crisp white shirt, no tie, and brown suede loafers from Loake Shoemakers. Effortless but elevated. He got his suit tailored the week before, and they can do it in store for you, taking away some of the stress in the run-up to the wedding!"

Don't be opposed to searching for your dress and shoes on resale platforms.

"I decided against having bridesmaids, but my two oldest friends wore matching black dresses from Rewritten along with jewellery from Orelia. Rewritten very kindly dressed me for my hen party, and I cannot wait to wear that amazing silk jumpsuit again and again!"

"We got married at Islington Town Hall in the Council Chamber. I grew up not too far from the area, so it felt deeply personal—plus, the space is gorgeous. Joe’s an Arsenal fan, so there was extra emotional value for him too. Our reception was just a short walk away at the Bellanger on Upper Street (part of the Wolseley Hotel Group)."

"With the ceremony taking place in a registry office, you aren’t allowed to have any religious elements, so I advise you to check before booking if you want anything remotely religious. We chose our own, modern, romantic vows and had one of my best friends, Charlotte, read a beautiful poem. Joe’s 17-year-old daughter was his best person and held the rings."

"For me, the most important part was that my mum was able to make it to the ceremony. Two months before the pandemic began, my mum suffered a debilitating stroke, leaving her non-verbal and bed-bound. The past five years have been a battle, but she was able to accompany me down the aisle, pushed by my best friend Sophie. She wasn’t able to stay for the wedding breakfast, but we were just so happy she could be there. I lost my dad the year after I met Joe, so it was incredibly emotional for me."

"The reception began with welcome drinks—Crémant with bread, olives and snacks, followed by a three-course dinner. We had a few speeches and Joe’s nan blessed the table before everyone ate. She is one of my favourite people on the planet, and it was a pleasure to be able to honour her in that way."

"The overall vision was 'effortlessly elegant vintage glamour.' I had originally wanted to get married in Las Vegas, so I took elements from that and adapted them for a city wedding. I had a custom faux floral bouquet from Ett Hem, as I wanted something I could keep, and rented arrangements from The Brighton Florist to avoid waste.

"Its art deco interiors and Parisian-brasserie feel were exactly what we were after—classic, stylish, but not too formal. The food was amazing, and although it was a private space next to the restaurant, we partied like we were in a private wedding venue!"

"We focused on lots of candlelight and subtle touches—nothing overly fussy. The restaurant provided a lot of the stationery: menus, place cards, etc. I printed a welcome board and some cards for the table at a local printing shop and designed them on Canva. We skipped a wedding planner and did everything ourselves, so it was a labour of love."

Use your Notes app. I planned 90% of the wedding on it.

"One of our friends was MC for the day, and we came up with some light entertainment in the form of a game of Family Feud. We printed some cards and he wore a Steve Harvey mask. Suffice to say, the game got incredibly heated!"

"We had the most incredible cake made by @Lubi_S_Cakes, and it was spectacular! The cake-cutting became a comical moment when the knife snapped in half in my hand. For favours, we gave guests personalised reusable shot glasses—a fun and useful keepsake. I loved that my friends brought their Polaroid cameras so we could have lots of photos on the day too."

"We are big party families and need no excuse to get on a dance floor. Our first dance was to 'So Amazing' by Luther Vandross—but halfway through, Joe surprised me by switching it to a soca song. We bonded early on over our love of soca and dancing, so it was perfect. The first dance turned into a dance-off and was one of the most memorable moments of the night! It felt like Notting Hill Carnival came to Islington that evening, and it was a night to remember!"

Bride: @biancaffoleyGroom:@joseph_alleyneVenue and Caterer: @bellanger_N1Photographer: @jkgphotographyMakeup Artist: @Nellie.CordeliaHairstylist: @elitehairlounge Florist: @thebrightonfloristBridal Bouquet: @ett__hemWedding Cake: @lubi_s_cakes