Real Weddings Bromley: Michael and Cantara’s industrial East London wedding venue

A modern East London wedding venue was the perfect setting for this contemporary couple. Our WED2B Real Weddings feature reveals more:

Michael and Cantara met when they were in college together, 12 years ago. “I fancied him at first sight,” says Cantara. “He forgot my name and tried to read it from my ID card! As he said in his wedding vows though, he made sure it was the last thing he ever forgot about me.”

A romantic proposal

Michael whisked Cantara away for a spa weekend to propose. “He’d disguised it as my Christmas present so that I wouldn’t suspect anything,” she says. “The trip was booked for March and, once we were there, we had dinner before heading up to the beautiful rooftop balcony overlooking the hotel grounds. Unfortunately we just couldn’t find a way up there! So we went back to our room instead and it was there that Michael surprised me by dropping to one knee and proposing. I later found out he’d intended to ask on the rooftop, as the sun set, and had been so nervous carrying the ring around. Bless him! We’ve been together for a long time and knew we wanted to get married. I always thought I’d know when he’d propose but he completely surprised me!”

Shopping for the dress

Cantara found her dream dress at WED2B’s Bromley store. “I went on a quiet Friday afternoon, so there were only three other ladies trying on dresses, which made it feel really private,” she says. “The staff were all lovely, they really put me at ease and made me feel beautiful.”

A Signature style

“I’d fallen in love with Sawyer from the Signature Collection online and kept stalking WED2B’s social channels for a glimpse of it,” says Cantara. “WED2B was the first (and last) dress shop I went to, so I didn’t know what to expect, but the staff were so lovely. I told them I had my eye on Sawyer, so they found it for me and helped me pick out four other dresses too, keeping Sawyer until last. The first four were all beautiful, but as soon as I tried Sawyer on I knew it was the one because I didn’t want to take it off. I couldn’t wait for Michael to see me in it! I wasn’t sure if I wanted a veil, so the lady brought one for me to try on and it just brought everything together. It even made my Mum cry!”

A modern East London wedding venue

The couple married at Trinity Buoy Wharf warehouse, an East London wedding venue. “London is our home, it’s where we met and both grew up so we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else,” says Cantara. “We loved the blank canvas of the warehouse, as Michael loves the urban city. It also suited my creative side, as I could choose absolutely everything that went into it and put our own stamp on it. I had such a clear vision of how I hoped it would all look and was so happy on the day when my dream East London wedding venue became a reality. We also loved how it overlooked the River Thames and The O2. We live by the river and frequently go to The O2 for date nights or with friends, so it’s an area that means a lot to us.”

The big day

“We got married on the 8th August 2018 - 08.08.18 - so we definitely won’t be able to forget our anniversary!” smiles Cantara. “I walked down the aisle with my Dad, who was wearing traditional Ghanaian cloth, as a nod to my where I’m from. My entrance song was ‘I’m Kissing You’ by Des’ree. I first heard it when I watched the film Romeo + Juliet in English class in secondary school and I said back then that one day I would walk down the aisle to that song.”

A moving ceremony

The ceremony was held in the warehouse in front of a copper arbour and officiated by one of their college friends. “She was the mutual friend at college that allowed Michael and I to start talking and hanging out at lunch times,” says Cantara. “She wrote the whole ceremony herself, making it truly unique and personal to us. Michael and I also wrote our own vows and declarations to each other. Michael cried reading his to me and I’ve never seen him cry before. It was very beautiful and emotional. We had two of our friends give readings too, ‘Union’ by Robert Fulghum and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.”

Celebrating by the Thames

After the ceremony there was a drinks reception by the river, while the newlyweds had photos taken. Then everyone went back inside for the wedding breakfast.

The look of love

The style for the day was modern, minimal and industrial, with lots of white, greenery, greys, blacks and copper accents. “Our East London wedding venue was dry-hire, so we hired in everything, even down to the napkins,” says Cantara. “It meant everything suited our style, which I loved. I designed all of the stationery myself and added copper foil accents with my maid of honour, who runs Izzy Bee Designs. We bought faux candles and added copper accents to them. A friend drew an oak tree to use as a fingerprint guestbook. My maid of honour created mini models of us in our wedding outfits as cake toppers. Michael and I also made the copper arbour and seating chart stand, as well as the marble, hexagon tile place names that were the wedding favours. I loved that so many of our nearest and dearest helped make our day happen.”

Tiers of joy

The couple went for a two-tier wedding cake covered with white chocolate ganache, as neither were keen on traditional cake icing. “There was a tier of salted caramel and a tier of white chocolate. It was so incredibly delicious!” says Cantara. “I knew I wanted a simple white cake with a white drip and our friend Amber, who runs For Goodness Cake, brought it to life beautifully. We had so many compliments on it!”

Snap happy

Dinner was followed by cake-cutting and the first dance. “Then the dance floor opened up, our photo booth arrived and the drinks started flowing,” says Cantara. “We also surprised our guests by having pizza delivered, which went down a treat! The photo booth was so much fun. We hired one that was open, so everyone could join in, and the photos came out great! It was a perfect way to make sure we have photos of all our guests.”

My most memorable moment…

“Oh how could I possibly pick?” says Cantara. “Standing at the top of the aisle and seeing the venue all styled for the first time, then seeing Michael and feeling so full of love for him. Our personal ceremony and emotional vows. My Dad’s funny and loving speech. Michael not knowing how to cut a cake properly! Our friends bringing the dance floor to life. The food! And just having the best day of my life with the love of my life, who I now get to call my husband.”

Cantara’s Dream Team:

Photographer: Captured by Katrina (capturedbykatrina.co.uk) 

East London Wedding Venue: Trinity Buoy Wharf (trinitybuoywharf.com)

Planning and decor: Simply Cantara (the bride) (simplycantara.com/category/wedding)

Florist: RB Floral Design (rbfloraldesign.co.uk)

Catering: Peppercorn (peppercorn.uk.net)

Cake: For Goodness Cake (instagram.com/forgoodnesscake2)

Stationary: Simply Cantara (simplycantara.com/category/wedding) and Izzy Bee Designs (facebook.com/izzybeedesigns)

Celebrant: Bakita Kasadha (bakitakk.com)

Photo Booth: Blithe Booth (blithebooth.co.uk)

Furniture Hire: Yahire (yahire.com)

Tree hire: Supazaar (supazaar.co.uk)

Make-up artist: Natalie Ama (natalieama.com) and Blow Ltd