Inside the Town Hall wedding of London-based writer and publisher Georgia Spanos

“After getting married, we drank Champagne out the front in paper cups, while my friends blew up heart-shaped balloons and threw confetti at us.”

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It makes sense then, that their wedding would be done differently. Forgoing traditions that didn’t speak to them, as well the excesses of the modern wedding industry, theirs was an intimate celebration that “felt lavish just with the homemade, personal touches,” Georgia says.

Following an intimate ceremony at Islington Town Hall, the couple headed to the pub for lunch before checking into a hotel and ordering room service. The next day, they were joined by friends at the park and indulged in a five-hour-long classic British lunch at St John’s restaurant, followed by dancing, karaoke and cocktails at a local bar they’d rented out. “It was my dream,” says Georgia “I wish I could do it all over again.”

How did you meet your partner and how did the proposal happen?

We met at a bar in Fitzroy in 2018. We started talking while waiting in line for the bathroom and hung out all night from there! Ryan had been living in Australia for a couple of years already (having moved from London, though originally from Wales) and being born and raised in Melbourne myself, I’ve always been drawn to new energy in the city.

We continued to hang out throughout that year, both planned and unplanned – I bumped into him a lot. I was preparing to move to Europe and Ryan was moving back to the UK, so in the following year we grew closer and decided to move to London together. We’ve been here ever since!

There was no proposal, just a growing conversation over the years. We decided to book an appointment with my best friend, Bella, who is a jeweller at Bella Clark Jewellery and that was our official decision.

What venue did you choose for your wedding and how did the day play out? 

There were multiple venues. We wanted to keep it fun and varied. We officially got married at Islington Town Hall on Friday the 13th (a great date for us) with my two best friends and Ryan’s brother. After getting married, we drank Champagne out the front in paper cups, while my friends blew up heart-shaped balloons and threw confetti at us. Those were the best moments of my life!

Since we got married at 10.30am, the pubs weren’t open yet, so we enjoyed these street moments while the sun peeked through the clouds. Then, we slowly walked to the pub and had lunch together with a few more friends, before heading to our hotel, The Standard, and ordering room service.

The following day, Saturday the 14th, was our celebration day. We met 25 of our close friends at a park Ryan chose, where we set up hand-painted decorations and served pink Champagne (in paper cups with our faces and butterfly stickers on them). We then all walked as a group to St John’s restaurant through the cobblestone streets, where we ate a classic British lunch for five and a half hours. Our friend Emily embroidered ‘G&R’ napkins for guests to take home – one with Australian bottlebrush plants and one with Welsh daffodils.

We ate huge artichokes, Welsh rarebit, fish pie, lamb, mussel salad, bread and butter pudding and pavlova with coffee to finish. We drank loads of wine and Guinness. After lunch, we made our way in black cabs to a fun bar we’d rented out, draped with hand-painted ‘Just Married’ decorations. More friends joined us and we all drank espresso martinis and did karaoke all night. It was my dream!

How did you choose your flowers?

With Ryan being a gardener, he was in charge of my flowers. I didn’t see them until they arrived and trusted him fully. I had two bouquets, one for Friday and one for Saturday. Ryan knew a lady who has a British wildflower field, so she picked them from her garden and sent them to us. Most of the plants featured in them can be found in wild fields in the UK – including wild carrots! I’m currently drying one of them at home.

Where was your outfit from, and what was the process of sourcing it like?

Organising the outfit was so fun! I wish I could do it all over again. Being half Italian and raised by my Nonna (who recently passed away), I wanted to feel classic and true to my heritage. That meant dyeing my hair back to its original colour (dark) and looking up Dolce and Gabbana looks. I purchased a Dolce and Gabbana silk bolero and corset dress online (for Saturday), which fit perfectly. I paired them with ShuShu Tong heels and a Simone Rocha clip.

My Friday registry office dress was a spontaneous after-work purchase one day with a friend. She had just passed a cute shop called Hai and wanted to take me there. I tried on a casual white dress with a rose in the middle and it felt so good on my body that I bought it right away. I paired it with the Dolce and Gabbana bolero. I also purchased some lace gloves from Hai which I pulled out at the end of the night. Both outfits felt romantic and like a great homage to my heritage.

What about your partner’s outfit?

Ryan is a garden designer and landscaper and had his work uniforms made by a workwear company in London called Ventura Foreman. He wanted to feel aligned with his daily life, so they made him a suit. He paired it with an embroidered shirt by Bode on Friday, and a vintage Yves Saint Laurent shirt on Saturday. He wore Yuketen shoes and a butterfly brooch from Japan.

In terms of beauty, what look did you go for on the day and what was your inspiration? 

I was my own beauty team! I had recently returned to Melbourne for my Nonna’s funeral and during that time, my mother had the idea to go to Mecca and have them teach me makeup techniques. I told them I wanted to look classic and Italian, so they showed me some looks. I’d never worn foundation before, so that was off the table. I wanted to look like myself.

They gave me tinted moisturiser and taught me how to apply blush properly, style my eyebrows, and do a cat-eye. On the day, the cat-eye felt too intense, so I kept it simple. My main makeup accessory was my juicy Dior plum lip gloss mixed with Hourglass red lipstick. For my hair, I had it cut the night before and was given a loose blow-dry, which matched the look I was going for.

Tell us about the photography. Who shot your photos?

We already own several film cameras (especially since Ryan shoots gardens and plants often), so we didn’t feel it was necessary to hire a photographer. We simply purchased loads of film and brought all the cameras, passing them around to our friends. We were confident our friends could take great shots, and they did!

Any advice for others getting married and wanting to do it themselves?

Have faith in your abilities! The wedding industry can really take advantage. Our wedding felt lavish just with the homemade, personal touches. Our biggest expense was the alcohol – everything else was well-priced and not over the top. Plus, it felt more special having everything controlled by ourselves and our close circle. These touches are always remembered.

Follow Georgia here.