Notting Hill / Asylum Chapel Wedding of Dreams - Lottie Povall Wedding Photography

Let’s get straight to the point; this blog post is to show off Laura and Joe’s incredible Asylum Chapel wedding!

It’s to celebrate the untraditional, the fun, the style, the flower crown of dreams, a jumpsuit named after the bride and a fabulous, upbeat dance tribute to Laura’s Mum.

Finishing with a lovely Q and A with Laura and Joe themselves! A list of their incredible suppliers can also be found at the bottom of the page.

So, let's begin with their Notting Hill Photoshoot!

Let me show you how

many

great

photo

locations!

And donuts there are in Notting Hill!

Asylum Chapel Wedding Ceremony

Then off we went to Asylum Chapel!! – If you’ve not heard of it, it’s a gorgeous rustic building in Peckham. With incredible stained-glass windows. It’s a perfect venue if you don’t want to do too much decorating but you could also decorate until your hearts content!

Laura and Joe had the loveliest ceremony including their own vows!

If you can’t afford to have a celebrant ceremony that will be tailored to you. Then writing your own vows is a lovely personal touch to a registrars ceremony. And they are always so nice to hear!

Laura and Joe’s niece wasn’t so happy about the exchanging of the rings.

They streamed their ceremony for the friends and family who couldn’t make it. If you’re having a micro ceremony or have family in other countries then I highly recommend!

Post ceremony hugs are my favourite!

An essential post ceremony, pre groomsman photo bow tie adjustment

Onto the wedding speeches!

The speeches were full of heartfelt and funny stories from Laura’s Dad, Sister and the couple themselves!

If you’re struggling to write your speech I have a great how to blog post! You can see it here.

Followed by (potentially the best bit) a dance tribute to Laura’s mum.

Here’s a note from Laura and Joe on how they came up with the idea!

‘Joe and I love a boogie but the thought of a first dance felt intimidating and a bit forced. I wanted to do something joyful in memory of my Mum since she was always laughing and having the craic. Footloose was her favourite song, my nieces and nephews go to a dance group called Footloose and one of their dance teachers Nicole kindly choreographed it for us and ran a number of sessions on zoom to get us up to speed (quite literally!).

We have to admit the first attempt was too complex for us novices so we had to ask for it to be simplified haha. Joe and I met in Singapore so our families hadn’t had the chance to meet so the online dance sessions were great to break the ice. Mum would have had a right giggle looking down on us, she was always life and soul of any party so it summed her up perfectly!’

Followed by a mini reception with canapes and cocktails!

And then a serenaded coach journey to The Prince of Peckham. With a version of Celine Dion, I don’t think I’ll ever forget from Joe.

And a whisky toast was handed down the bus!

Tequila Time at The Prince of Peckham!!

Time to hit the Dance Floor!

Spot the falling lemon...

Now for a short Q and A with Laura and Joe

Let’s start with the romance, how did you two meet?

We swiped right on Tinder in Singapore lol

How did you pop the question?

In Copenhagen on our 3 year anniversary in front of Nyhavn harbour after a walking tour of the city, followed by Christmas markets.

Laura, your flower crown was amazing! Did you choose the colours or give Sandra free reign?

I chose the colours but gave Sandra lots of opportunities to be creative with the arrangement and type of flower. She is an incredibly talented lady and everyone should check her out! Such a positive and energetic person to work with! Find Sandra’s Instagram here.

The playsuit is named after you as well, how did that come about?

It was recently designed by the shop owner Karen and I was the first bride to buy it. It was the last thing I tried on and I totally fell for it and felt honoured to have it named after me which they updated me about in an email a few days later. I dropped my phone immediately in shock and screamed for joy! Such a cool experience and made it all the more memorable and special.

Laura’s jumpsuit is from Rock the Frock Bridal by The Couture Co

How was planning your wedding during the first, second and third lockdowns? Any advice for other couples?

It was definitely an experience! My advice would be to avoid dependencies on decisions from the government, assume the rules will be stringent and make your peace with having low numbers and restrictions if restrictions lift then you can invite more people. Build-in flexibility!

We set all contracts with suppliers and venues up in a flexible way so that we had a number of viable scenarios ranging from full ceremony and party on the day to very small service and deferred party. All our suppliers were amazing (including yourself Lottie, thank you!) and we found that upfront and open conversations to ensure both parties were comfortable with the flexibility prior to agreeing to work together was key.

Now you’re planning your second wedding celebration further through the pandemic, how’s it going? Has it seemed any different?

We are certainly more confident that there won’t be any restrictions (he says optimistically, haha!) We actually managed to have way more of a party at our first wedding than we expected, I think because of that we feel more like this is a celebration and a great excuse to bring a larger number of our favourite people together which is wonderful after the years we have all had, especially those who couldn’t travel at the time like Laura’s family in Ireland.

What were your favourite moments?

Speeches, our personal vows that we didn’t hear until the day, walking down the aisle and our dance-off at the end of the night (so pretty much all of it!).

One thing you wish you knew before your wedding?

What the covid restrictions would actually be on the day. We also did not expect such a level reaction from people as we had photos taken in Notting Hill before the ceremony, that was such a lovely way to start the day and we would highly recommend doing photos beforehand if you are not so up for a traditional style of wedding. There is something special about strangers being happy for you and sharing in your joy.

Not to toot my own horn, but how did I do?

Honestly Lottie you were absolutely awesome, I guess I should mention the photos first because that’s kind of the point! They are stunning and we love them all and are so happy not only with how they turned out but the speed at which you shared them and how easy you made it on the day and in the lead-up to the day.

Beyond the photos, we really appreciated how easy it was to discuss with you our thinking about splitting the day into two separate days if restrictions weren’t lifted, your understanding, flexibility and no-nonsense approach removed any stress for us. It was great hanging out with you on the day because we did the day together scouting the venues for good photo spots by the time the wedding day arrived we considered you a friend and that’s how it felt on the day.

Memories of us eating jerk chicken in our car when it was pouring with rain outside on the scouting day and you enjoying a well-deserved pint at the end of the night, putting down your very heavy camera and staying to party with us.