Daniela & Goncalo: A Charming London Wedding at The Elgin

Just a bit of context: We are a Portuguese couple who moved to the UK five years ago, on our own. From the beginning of our wedding planning, we knew we wanted to marry in London with a very intimate and small ceremony. We also wanted to offer a unique wedding experience to our family and friends, so we planned it to blend British and Portuguese traditions.

Our venue was The Elgin in Maida Vale, which we found online. We were looking for a typical English pub with a rustic, intimate, and homely atmosphere. We booked a viewing at The Elgin (our first-ever venue viewing), and we absolutely loved it—the pub atmosphere, the location, and the vibe were exactly what we had dreamed of. On the same day, as a courtesy, the Elgin team offered us a voucher to try some dishes from their menu. We really enjoyed the food (which was an important factor for us), the service, and the team we spoke with. We decided to move forward with our booking for the first floor, and we cannot recommend it enough. Organising our big day was smooth; the team was incredibly helpful and constantly in contact with us. On the day, everything was perfect—the room was set up exactly as we requested, the food was delicious, and the staff took great care of our guests and us.

I envisioned a minimalist white wedding dress—one that could also be worn again for other occasions. I had a clear idea of what I wanted, so I searched and discovered the perfect dress from Mango’s Capsule Collection (their party line). It was the first dress I tried on, and I instantly fell in love with it—the material, the style, and the fit were exactly what I had hoped for. I made a few custom changes, including adding a V-shaped back and lace details, which I also incorporated into my veil. I worked with a skilled tailor who helped bring my vision to life.

As for my husband, he selected a dark blue suit from Marks & Spencer. Since we were having an informal wedding, we opted for a relaxed dress code—no tie for anyone, including the groom and our guests.

We selected and curated the décor and styling. We didn’t follow a specific theme—we simply wanted an elegant look that complemented the pub’s rustic charm. We decided on a soft and cohesive colour palette of beige, white, gold, and lilac. To keep costs down, we sourced most of the décor elements from Primark and IKEA — including candle holders, bud vases, picture frames, tea lights, and jars. One of our family members kindly made the tablecloths and napkins to fit the tables perfectly.

I designed all of the printed materials—invitations, menus, welcome signs, table plans, and place cards—using Canva. We found much inspiration on Pinterest, which helped us bring everything together beautifully.

We decided not to hire a professional florist to keep the budget low. Instead, my mum and I created all the flower arrangements, including my bouquet. My mum has always loved flowers and enjoys arranging them, so it felt special for us to do it ourselves.

A few months before the wedding, I visited the New Covent Garden Market in Battersea to explore our options. I wanted to understand the different types of flowers, colour combinations, and sizes. I also spoke with flower suppliers and got their contact information to order flowers for the wedding. That day, I bought some flowers and experimented with different arrangements at home to help us finalise our choices. After trial and error, we settled on white, lilac eustoma, gypsophila and eucalyptus as the perfect flowers for our big day. We returned to the market two days before the wedding to pick up our flower order.

Our wedding cake was made by Victoria Sponge, and we opted for a two-tier design with different flavours for each layer. The bottom tier was a rich carrot and nut cake, while the top tier was banana bread with sweet pineapple pieces—a unique and delicious combination. For the design, we kept it simple yet elegant with a smooth white cream frosting, accented by delicate touches of gold leaf cascading down one side. The cake was decorated with fresh eucalyptus and sprigs of gypsophila, tying in beautifully with the overall styling of the day.

The venue took care of all the catering, offering a selection of specific menus tailored for weddings and parties. All we had to do was select our preferred dishes and specify the quantities we wanted. The food was delicious, and the service was exceptional. We highly recommend them.

We first discovered Sasha Weddings through an Instagram post—she had photographed a wedding at our chosen venue, and we instantly fell in love with her work. We were looking for natural, candid photos that would truly capture the essence of each moment, and Sasha delivered exactly that. Not only is she an incredibly talented photographer, but she’s also a true professional. We couldn’t have been happier to have her with us on our special day. Our wedding photos are everything we had hoped for and more—they capture the magic, the emotion, and the joy of each moment beautifully.

We truly loved everything about our wedding—the entire day was filled with so much love, laughter, and unforgettable moments. But if we had to pick a highlight, it would be the moment we arrived at the venue and the party really started. The energy and excitement were pure magic from that point on.

We know how stressful planning a wedding can be, but if there’s one piece of advice we’d share, it’s this: try to soak in every moment, because the day flies by so quickly. Don’t stress if everything doesn’t go exactly according to plan, or worry too much about whether everyone is having the perfect time. What truly matters is how you feel—it’s your day, and your joy makes it special.