H & P-A • Clissold House
“When we got to the top of the mountain, he ushered me over to a secluded spot with breathtaking views of the Côte d'Azur, and when I turned around he got down on one knee - total shock, surprise and bliss!”
Helen and Pierre-Ange overcame all the odds getting married at the end of 2020 in the beautiful setting of Clissold House in East London - just a stones throw away from where they live together. Let’s go back to when their story began, like many couples in the 21st century - a dating app. Who said romance was dead - they swiped right for each other and for their first date Pierre-Ange surprised Helen with a wonderfully romantic picnic on the Southbank.
The start of their histoire d’amour
Another M-B tale of two worlds colliding, Pierre-Ange is from the South of France and Helen from sunny Norfolk. I am sure Helen will confess to having her heart set on marrying a french man and it indeed came true. (Disclaimer - Helen is passionate about the language and studied French at Leeds University.)
Having spent many holidays together in Cannes, this trip could have been like every other, but Pierre-Ange had a plan up his sleeve which would begin the new chapter in their life.
“The proposal was totally unexpected. We were in the south of France on holiday and had spent the morning hiking up a beautiful mountain range near Cannes. When we got to the top, he ushered me over to a secluded spot with breathtaking views of the Côte d'Azur, and when I turned around he got down on one knee - total shock, surprise and bliss! We then hiked down the mountain in a surreal bubble of happiness and then spent a while finding signal to make those calls!”
Helen and Pierre-Ange got married against all odds in the middle of a global pandemic, in an intimate ceremony of five (+nine on zoom) at Clissold House in London. They had their fair share of challenges along the way, the biggest being the uncertainty of whether it would happen at all, and who could be part of their special day. As Pierre-Ange’s family are in France that was the hardest sacrifice they made, to not have them by their side. However, if ever there was a silver lining and a way of making the best of what was infront of you - this couple definitely succeeded.
“We planned the day in a way that allowed the family overseas to participate in nearly every aspect of the celebration.”
Pierre-Ange and Helen asked different family members to choose the wedding music for the ceremony; they chose a lunch menu that the family could also cook from home and enjoy at the same time. To top all of this off they had a video call set up for each key moment (from getting ready in the morning to the ceremony and finally for speeches before lunch). As they both had family members overseas - the wonder of technology allowed them to share their day in the most intimate way.
“The most important thing for us was to make sure that the ones we love most felt part of the special day, however far away they were.” - Helen
“We wanted our wedding to be ‘simple’ - it was a tiny wedding party, so we wanted it to be as stress and fuss-free as possible so we could just enjoy the day and focus on each other and time spent with close family.”
“I chose dried flowers for the bouquet so that I could keep hold of them if the date changed”
Helen and Pierre-Ange picked colours they loved when it came to choosing flowers and Pierre-Ange’s accessories. Coincidentally their colour palette tied in beautifully with the autumnal colours of the season and the gorgeous yellows inside the room where they had their ceremony. Helen and Pierre-Ange made a point of supporting small local businesses when choosing who to involve on their day as they wanted every aspect of their wedding to be unique and special. Helen’s bouquet came from a local florist and her jewellery from Marie-Blanche (us). Helen chose dried flowers incase her date changed but in her own words..
“they were utterly gorgeous and perfect for an autumn wedding anyway and now I have them sitting on my shelf to keep forever!”
“From choosing the design online, to the personalised box and hand written note, the service I received from Marie-Blanche was as special as the pearl earrings themselves!”
When it comes to speeches at a wedding (personally one of my favourite parts) the opportunity to speak is limited as per tradition with only the groom, father of the bride, best men and occassionally bridesmaids who speak.
Unexpectedly this wasn’t the case for Helen and Pierre-Ange with the most lovely outcome.
“It turned out that nearly the whole family had something prepared and we spent a very emotional and touching hour taking it in turns to share our love through words.”
“Another unexpected surprise was the amount of congratulations and kind words we received from total strangers we passed on the street when walking back to the house after the ceremony; someone even leant out of their 3rd floor apartment window to wish us well - felt like a total celeb!”
With the year that they had, and the unknown of when or if their wedding would even go ahead. The main advice that they would give is to not feel pressured in to doing anything you don’t want to.
When choosing vendors, they loved the idea of keeping it close to home, being able to cycle to their respective fittings made it all the more pleasurable and easy to organise.
“Traditions are lovely, but you can also create new ones - doing things your way is the key to making the process a fun one.”
“Sharing the planning made the wedding feel even more intimate and special, so if you can relax control, it is highly recommended!”
Helen and Pierre-Ange got married during a year of huge uncertainty and upheaval for so many, let alone planning a wedding at the same time. They are the proof that if you want something enough, it can happen. Ultimately they love one another, they may not have had the day they imagined but would they have had it any other way - I don’t think so.
Love conquers all
• Photographer: ● Nikhil Mistry • Venue: Clissold House • Catering: The Clarence Tavern • Flowers: Angela at Evergreen and Outrageous • Wedding Dress: Belle and Bunty • Groom’s Suit: Beggars Run• Cake: Mrs Penny Flynn • Hair and Make-Up: By Helen •