“The plan had always been to create two completely distinct bridal looks, which is one of the joys of having more than one wedding celebration – you can embrace different sides of your style and get the best of both worlds,” she reflects. “The town hall look reflected my love of modern glamour and sharp tailoring, while the main wedding gave me the chance to fully embrace a romantic, fairytale-inspired bridal moment.”
“As founder of HAX, I live in tailoring,” says designer Hattie Glendenning. “I wear a suit most days, so when it came to the big day, I knew I didn’t want to wear one. But for our ceremony at Lambeth Town Hall, which was small and intimate, with just family present, a suit felt exactly right. I knew I didn’t want to wear a white suit, so I chose a charcoal flannel version with brown stripes and a double-breasted cut. A month later, we had our wedding celebration at Chelsea Physic Garden. For that, I wanted something completely different. I wore a two-piece set with a high neckline, bell sleeves and a small train. The town hall outfit was structured, tailored and decidedly not bridal, while the wedding look was more relaxed and bohemian.”
Indeed, for many fashion-obsessed brides, the rise of multiple-occasion weddings, including town hall ceremonies, means that they can explore every facet of their personal style. “I think it’s a great opportunity to experiment with a different facet of your personality that might not be obvious from your main wedding look,” explains stylist and bridal expert, Rosie Boydell-Wiles. “We all have so many different versions of ourselves aesthetically, so sometimes brides find it hard to pick just one look that illustrates who they are. It’s a tall order to try and do that in a single outfit, and the decision paralysis is real. I think that’s why many brides opt for a tailored or more structured look for the civil ceremony, then something more dramatic or romantic for the wedding day; it’s a lovely contrast.”
Thanks to social media, there’s also something undoubtedly iconic about “that” shot of the bride and groom emerging from the town hall onto the steps, being showered in colourful confetti as a small handful of their loved ones watch on. “Today’s brides don’t just want one mega dress and one photo in the frame on the mantle piece… they want a carefully curated wedding wardrobe, an instantly Instagrammable moment and every fashion detail captured on 35mm film,” explains bridal fashion stylist, Sophie Jones-Cooper of My Bridal Stylist. “With the town hall ‘just married’ moment now so instantly and widely documented, and being the first glimpse of the newlyweds, the outfit has to be beyond expectation and equally as iconic as the main dress.”
