There’s something endlessly romantic about celebrating love not once, but twice, and that’s exactly what Anna and Ali chose to do. Their marriage journey began with an intimate legal ceremony at Jesmond Dene House on the 24th of May 2025, surrounded by just 35 of their closest family, followed by a beautifully relaxed celebration at Peace & Loaf. Then, on August 16th, they gathered again, this time with 90 of their loved ones, to share a larger, joy-filled celebration to showcase their love.
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Captured in May by the talented Joss Denham, and later in August they had their wonderful photographer friend capture some beautiful moments for them. Their two-part wedding feels like a gentle reminder that marriage isn’t just a singular day!
Which gown did you choose from Marrime and was it love at first sight
"For my May wedding I wore Maude by Sarah Seven, and in August I wore the beautiful Candy also by Sarah Seven. I already loved the brand and was thrilled when I found out they were being stocked at Marrime".
"I knew from when I first saw the collection that I wanted to wear Sarah Seven. For my May wedding I wanted something simple and sophisticated, with a lovely silhouette. It felt very appropriate for a small, intimate wedding with close family. I loved the silhouette and the fabric. It was very me, unfussy, but classic".
"For August I knew I wanted something more ‘wow’, something that matched the big party atmosphere. I had seen Candy on Sarah Seven’s Instagram page, but in all honesty I thought it would be a bit much, as I’m quite petite and don’t love making a big statement. However, as soon as I put it on, I loved it. Whilst it’s very glam, it didn’t feel too OOT. The simple silhouette meant that I still felt like me, just with a little more pizaz"!
How did your dress influence the styling of your day?
"I don’t like fuss, and I didn’t want to feel like anything would distract me throughout the day. I chose both dresses because I didn’t think they needed much else, they spoke for themselves. In May I wore some Carvella shoes with added bling which I thought added a bit of character, I also wore white flowers in my hair that were passed down through my family".
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"In August the dress was such a showstopper that I didn’t want or need anything else added. I wore simple shoes and wore my hair up to show off the neck line. I had a pearl bag for later on in the evening which matched the embellishments nicely, I also asked all of my bridesmaids to wear pearls, whether that was through jewellery, handbags or shoes. The dresses themselves didn’t influence the styling of the day, I just chose what I felt special in and the other choices were quite separate".
Did you make any customisations to your gown or accessories?
"Other than alterations to the size so it fit perfectly, I didn’t do anything to either dress".
Describe how you felt wearing your gown.
"Wearing my first dress I felt relaxed and effortless. It was exactly what I needed on the day as I found the legal ceremony quite nerve wracking. I wanted to feel like I had nothing else on my mind, other than getting married, and that’s exactly how I felt".
"My Candy dress fitted so perfectly that despite it being so glam, I really felt like myself. I felt relaxed and comfortable, but equally like I looked the best version of myself. I felt a huge amount of confidence and no insecurities, which as someone who doesn’t like being centre of attention was really needed on the day! I can’t think of anything worse than needed to sort out my dress every two seconds".
What was the vision for your bridal look?
"For our legal ceremony I wanted to look classic, relaxed and effortless. For Aug I honestly didn’t have a vision, once I found the perfect dress I just let that shine. I wore my hair up in a Pamela Anderson up-do so that it was out of my face and felt effortless.
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I wanted it to be quite loose and relaxed so I still felt like me".
Did you change for the evening? If so, tell us about your second look.
"No, nothing could beat what I was already wearing"!
Tell us about your accessories!
"In May my shoes were Carvella sling-backs. I found them on sale. I wore small white flowers in my hair that my mother gave me. My bouquet was tied together with Greek lace passed down to me from my Greek great grandmother, via my mother. They were also tied with my mother’s satin belt from her own wedding dress".
"In August I wore shoes from Marrime and didn’t have any other accessories. I tied my bouquet together with the same heritage pieces as in May. During Ali’s speech he gifted me with a traditional Greek ‘crown’ which a bride and groom usually have placed on their head during an Orthodox ceremony. I worse this for the rest of the day… luckily it worked very well with my dress"!
Who created your hair and makeup look, and what was your brief to them?
"For our day in May I had a wonderful hair stylist from Boilerhouse Bridal, and Makeup by @makeupbycolette.x – My brief was relaxed and effortless, a Glam eye look with nice warm tones so i felt trulylike myself".
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"For our bigger day my hair and makeup was done by @allamoda_bridal, Louise and Georgia. For hair I wanted a relaxed Pammy style that felt chic but not uptight. For makeup I wanted a soft glam look that accented my cheekbones and widened my eyes. They all did such a wonderful job"!
How would you describe your overall wedding style/aesthetic in three words?
"May brought Classic, relaxed and effortless vibes, where as our day in August was more Bright, fun and carefree which really highlighted what we are like as a couple".
Was your wedding aesthetic inspired by fashion, travel, art, or anything personal?
"May wasn’t particularly planned. It was about simplicity and celebrating the importance of the marriage. It was therefore very low key and no frills. We kept to the basics and approached it with sophistication and class".
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"For August we wanted to reflect our love of summer and the overall carefree and fun feeling that comes with the season. As a couple we are laid back and love fun, so this also inspired everything we planned. I also wanted my Greek heritage to be part of the day".
Describe your palette — were there any colours, textures or florals that anchored your design vision, from bridesmaid dresses to wedding stationary?
"For the legal ceremony in May We kept it simple and didn’t have anything other than my bouquet and buttonholes which were blush tones. We had drinks outside in the lovely garden at Jesmond Dene House, and Peace and Loaf kindly dressed our tables for us with tapered candles".
"In August we had a Mediterranean palette of blues, whites, yellows and greens. We asked our florist to create an Amalfi-style set-up, but in a non-stereotypical and classic way. We wanted to create a feeling of community and family on our tables, so asked for décor that would work well on long banquet tables, What she did was beautiful! Our stationary reflected us as a couple, we wanted it to feel laid back and handmade, so we illustrated our invites and signage/ menus ourselves".
"I asked my bridesmaids to each pick a colour from the pastel palette, and pick their own dresses. They’re all very unique and love fashion, so I wanted them to feel like themselves on the day".
Tell us about the floral design – who was your florist and what was the vision?
"In May we used the wonderful Wildflower and Rose @wildflowerandroseflorist, she made a beautiful blush bouquet with traditional florals, and featuring my favourite flowers, peonies. She also made some lovely buttonholes".
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"For our August wedding My florist is my friend Chloe who luckily for me does lots of wedding! @lady_greenleaves. She created gorgeous plinths for the ceremony room, each topped with a range of wonderful flowers in colours from our palette. These were then moved into the dining room to surround our sweetheart table for the wedding breakfast".
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"Each of my bridesmaids also had flowers that matched their dress colour, which looked incredible. My bouquet was made up of all of their individual flowers, so it was very bright, big and beautiful! The long tables were dressed with small ceramic bud vases which drenched the room in colour. They worked really well with the small lamp tea light holders we had on the tables".
Any standout styling or décor moments you adored?
"We decided to hang black and white polaroids of both of us from plastic wire behind our sweetheart table. This added a bit of our story to the day and looked great in photos".
Your most unforgettable moment of the day
"The marriage bit! It was so lovely to be stood at the alter together and say our vows".
"There is actually too much to choose from! There was never a dull moment and it was incredible having everyone together in one room. The joy was truly palpable and I wished I could bottle it! Maybe at a push I’d say it was choosing to have a friend marry us, we were already legally married so were able to do it our way. It was so personal and enjoyable, and really took the nerves out of it"!
What advice would you give other brides planning now?
"There’s so much pressure to do and buy all of the things! I was lucky enough to have both types of events, big and small, no frills and frills, and I can truly say that both were incredible. In May I didn’t miss any of the extras that people tell you that you need to have such as the décor, the flower arches, the expensive dress, and honestly none of it mattered. Having our nearest and dearest there to celebrate was enough, and the photos still looked great even without the added styling. It’s very easy to get swept up in it all and that’s where the stress comes from".
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"I’d say to decide on what really matters to you and forget the rest. Enjoy the planning process, if you’re lucky you’ll only get to do this once! And do it together, otherwise, what’s the point"?
Would you do anything differently?
"For both days I was still getting hair and makeup done about 10 minutes before I walked down the aisle and I felt a bit frazzled. I’d suggest giving yourself a bit more time so decompress and have a laugh with your bridesmaids".
Describe your Marrime experience in three words, and what made you choose us?
"Exciting, personal and reliable. Everyone was so lovely and really elevated the experience of finding not only one, but two dream dresses! I came to Marrime as my family lives in Newcastle and I wanted her to be part of the experience with me, it was just a massive plus that they stocked Sarah Seven as i have always loved her dresses, which ended up working out perfectly"!
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We want to say a special thank you to our beautiful Marrime bride Anna, you looked truly amazing in both of your dresses, we simply could not be happier for you!
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