A Fitzrovia Chapel London 5-year anniversary wedding

Last year, at one of my favourite central London wedding venues, the stunning and timeless Fitzrovia Chapel, I had the pleasure of marrying Rose & Dave.

Like many couples I’ve married, they tied the knot at the height of covid, with only their parents allowed as witnesses. They always wanted to follow up with a big wedding, but life got in the way - alongside a transatlantic move to Miami, and a new career for Rose.

So, for their 5th anniversary, they decided to celebrate in style with everyone they loved at Fitzrovia.

In the time between them booking in their wedding and the day itself, Rose got pregnant. So we looked at ways to include their baby in their ceremony in a fun and exciting way - and landed on a mid-ceremony gender reveal! Which was a first for me - and oh so exciting to get to announce (via a fun card game unwittingly played by their guests, mid ceremony.)

They had a hidden brass band up on the balcony in Fitzrovia, which creates the perfect surprise moment. In an ode to Love Actually, they played All You Need Is Love, as the couple walked back down the aisle together.

How did you find out about celebrant ceremonies and what made you decide to have one?

We found out through the venue we had booked (Fitzrovia Chapel) and when we did some research we realised it was exactly what we needed to make the ceremony personal to us, as we had a vision for what we wanted the ceremony to be like but no idea how to do about it. 

How was the process of creating your wedding ceremony?

Roxy made the process of creating the ceremony very easy, it was nostalgic looking back at our story and remembering details we’d use in the ceremony. And it was fun brainstorming with Roxy about different ideas to include in the ceremony. 

Looking back at the day, how did the ceremony feel?

The ceremony felt so us! Very personal to us and so special to share with our family and friends. It was our favourite part of the day. 

What was the best of your ceremony and why?

This is hard to choose! We loved doing our gender reveal as part of the ceremony, using a card game to reveal the gender.  We may have messed up the cards a little bit but Roxy saved the day and helped us share the news of our baby girl with our family and friends. We also loved the readings from family, and the way Roxy recounted our story. 

Tell me about your vows. And how did it feel to hear your partner’s vows?

The vows were so special, and I’m so glad we decided to write these ourselves because we were already legally married and were not including a religious element to our ceremony, so it felt really important that these were personal. Hearing them for the first time was very emotional and heartwarming. 

How did your ceremony go down with your guests?

They loved it! So many guests commented on various elements of the ceremony that they loved, and thought it was so unique. 

Did anything unexpected or funny happen during the ceremony

We planned a card game to reveal the gender of our baby, there was supposed to be only one pink card left at the end revealing a baby girl, but we laid out the cards wrong and there was both a pink and blue card left. So the reveal didn’t go as planned but Roxy helped us to reveal the correct gender!

What was going through your mind as you walked down the aisle/waited at the front?

We greeted guests as they arrived at the chapel and then walked down the aisle together. I didn’t want the pressure of walking down the aisle and that moment where everyone is staring at the bride, it’s just so not me. So being able to greet the guests and say hi before really calmed my nerves. Then walking down the aisle together sums up what the day was about, celebrating being together (since we are already married 5 years). 

What would you say to couples considering a celebrant ceremony?

I wouldn’t consider any other option. It’s the best way to make your day so special and personal to you, it’s likely the only opportunity you get to do something like this. It will stand out to guests as nothing like other weddings they have been to because everything in the ceremony has been chosen by you. And Roxy’s warmth and the way she told our story really added to it all. 

What stands out as your absolute favourite moment of the day?

Walking back down the aisle at the end with a brass band playing ‘All You Need Is Love’, having just finished the ceremony and being so pleased with how it went and being so excited to catch up with family and friends. 

How would you describe the vibe/style/look & feel of your day

The vibe was sophisticated yet relaxed, intimate and funny. 

What's the best piece of advice you would give to other couples getting married?

Do the bits that you care about and skip the rest. If you’re anxious about any particular part of the day, you don’t have to include them. We greeted guests as they arrived to the chapel, we walked down the aisle together, we skipped a cake cutting / first dance. We didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen, neither of us had a hen or stag do. We felt like we could get away with making the day exactly what we wanted because we were already married, so our guests didn’t have the same exp

Tell me about your wedding location. How did you decide on the venue?

We needed something in central London, we saw photos of Fitzrovia chapel and knew instantly that it was perfect. The venue itself is incredibly beautiful, the location is very central so it felt like a true hidden gem. 

If you could it all over again, is there anything you’d change?

I honestly wouldn’t change anything!

Venue @fitzroviachapel

Photographer @albaturnbull