This London Bride’s ‘Disney-Esque’ Wedding Dress Was Inspired by Her Mother’s Vintage Biba

After getting engaged on a road trip to Scotland, Sara El Dabi and Oskar Proctor traveled to Florence to find a vintage engagement ring to suit the creative strategist bride’s style. The famous Ponte Vecchio delivered. Nestled near the bridge, the couple found veteran jeweler Bernardo Antichità; Inside the quaint store was the Georgian sapphire treasure they would bring home after a trip filled with Botticelli and Barolo.

There was no doubt that the couple would hold the reception at Sweetings, London’s oldest fish and oyster restaurant, which essentially insists that you follow its crab dressed in a jam bun or steamed sponge. Photographer Oskar had shot the beloved, no-frills bar for The world of interiors Sara was previously very close to the staff, who treated the newlyweds and their 100 guests to portions of fish, chips and mushy peas. “It felt like a home away from home,” says Sara, who used ice buckets as vases for the roses from her friend Zahra Suzanne’s garden and loved that the restaurant served Black Velvet cocktails in pewter mugs.

After picking up his bride-to-be at The Ned, where the bride did her own hair but hired Maha Alselami for her makeup, the couple took a black taxi to Ironmongers’ Hall near the Barbican for a short ceremony and simple. As they hid in the annex waiting for the family to arrive, Oskar’s reaction to Sara’s wedding dress, inspired by a favorite dress that belonged to his mother, was priceless.

“My mother saw this Disney fairytale pink dress with puffed sleeves in a magazine and hitchhiked from Newcastle to Biba on Kensington High Street to buy it,” says Sara, who worked with a seamstress to create a tribute to the look that she had always made her feel special. She sourced a beautiful ivory duchess satin from Shepherd’s Bush market, which holds a special place in her heart as it contains original Sudanese toub fabric which evokes memories of her family, many of whom are now in Cairo. His friends, including VogueChioma Nnadi (who provided her sparkly Gucci heels) played a vital role in the rest of the bride’s look. “Part of me will always be known as a late ’90s and early ’00s R’n’B fanatic, and so the sparkly double-G logo seemed to be the essence of that,” says the former DJ. “I wanted the fun rhinestone added for good measure. »

A peach Vivienne Westwood veil – “I always loved the idea of ​​a colorful veil” – complemented the personalized silk clutch given to Sara by her dressmaker, while the couple’s wedding rings came from an old jewelery store in Ramsgate and made the perfect canvas for Sara’s stunning sapphire engagement ring to pop.

After the oysters, speeches and mountains of Lily Vanilli cake, the night on the town ended with Sara and Oskar’s loved ones crowding the makeshift dance floor as Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do for Love” echoed through the nooks and crannies of Sweetings. “It was reminiscent of a hot, sweaty club in 2008,” Sara recalls with pure joy. “Everyone came out to see us and be a part of our story.”