Congo meets Ghana
Ghana meets Congo in a Bilingual London Wedding
On first meeting with Stephanie at Claridge’s hotel for our consultation, I knew instantly we would be a fit! Straight away, it was clear this multi-cultural celebration spanning two continents was about to be spectacular! The Bride from Ghana and Groom from Congo had great plans for a bilingual wedding that celebrated both cultures in the heart of Central London.
From the traditional wedding we were fortunate to be able to familiarise ourselves with the families so when it came to the big wedding on July 20th 2019, it was like seeing old friends again!
Planning
The planning phase is always exciting me; I love everything about wedding design and planning and how we take a blank canvas, infuse the couples’ taste and needs to produce a wedding that truly reflects them. We always start with a moodboard and look at wedding branding such as the logo, colour schemes and overall feel before instructing our carefully selected suppliers to help us bring the vision to life.
London’s most Central Venue Northumberland Avenue was the chosen venue for its grand ballroom, various rooms available and late finish time of 2am!
The guest experience is always at the forefront in all planning and decision making, I always look to how each guest will be guided through the day from the initial invitation ( we had beautiful acrylic Bilingual invitations created) to the actual day being guided to church, the reception and their onward journey.
The Grooms family came from Belgium, France and Congo so we hired 4 coaches to transport them through the various locations for the day and take out the hassle of finding their own way. Each coach had a bilingual hostess on board who was the point of contact and assisted with any queries. (They came really handy when a coach dropped off guests at the top of a road and told guests to walk 10 minutes up the road at the wrong location!) Needless to say, all guests arrived safe and sound, well hydrated and on time at each of the locations.
The Big Day
We started the day at Bride’s apartment for hair by the talented Kirby of Platinum Tresses and celebrity make-up artist Alexandrina of Alexiglam who glammed up our Bride and Bridesmaids ready for the day. Prep was followed by a photo and video shoot that captured a beautiful gift from the Groom to his Bride on their wedding day.
In the heart of central London, the Groom too prepped with his groomsmen ahead of their morning photoshoot with Zapfoto before heading to the church service in Hampstead.
Following the service and mini reception in the grounds of Hampstead free Church, cars arrived in 5 minute intervals to transport guests to the reception where they were greeted by the EBP hostess team, while the Bridal party were whisked off to Mayfair for a Royal photoshoot and dress change for our bride at the Ritz Hotel.
At the reception, the guest experience began in the Annex which held cocktail hour with food from Favour Catering (who wowed us with Traditional delecacies the whole evening), the bespoke photo area and had live jazz & soul music. This room was relaxed and warm with food circulating and drinks flowing before guests were ushered by their hostess upstairs to take their place at one of the 150 place settings each with a handwritten place card with their name (so many compliments and many took them home)
The reception was magical! Everything from the place settings, tablescapping and entertainment was planned with the guest experience at the forefront. The uber talented team at Enchanted By Syma created the dream reception for our couple which included hues of blush, ivory and white peonies, roses and hydrangeas with foliage. One of my favourite aspects of the reception setting was the half-moon gold and white tables that added and extra special touch to the floor plan. A combination of candlelight and gobo lighting was used to set the romantic scene throughout.
This wedding reception was beautiful in not only the look but in the moments created for both the couple and the guests. We were guided through the love story of the couple with moving speeches, (Stephanie surprised her groom and new family with a speech in French) there was ample entertainment in the form of a Congolese Live band, Ghanaian dancers and DJ set to end the party!
Wedding Planning Tip
Hostesses make sure your guests are well looked after throughout and handle things such as seating, directing guests and being available to cater to your guests needs.
#Ebpexperience
EBP Touch- For each wedding, we add special personalised touches. For Stephanie & Sylvain, in honour of their cultural heritage, we created a bespoke photo area that incorporated items from both the Congolese and Ghanaian cultures, Items included fabrics, shoes, and apparel for guests to interact with!
Focus and Indulge on things you have complete Control over… whether it be your dress, cake or favourite songs you want played. Delegate roles so everyone feels included and focused on their own contribution whilst allowing you time to breath.
Lastly Practice your smile during stressfull times so on the actual day it’s perfected and brings forth happiness and beautiful pictures.
EBP Bride Stephanie
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Images Courtesy of Zapfoto
