A Classically Elegant Wedding at The Ned, London

The opulence of The Ned’s architectural grandeur balanced with notions of understated elegance and classic details, distilling the atmosphere with a sense of symmetry, at Jenny and Shane’s wedding.

White florals meandered in architectural shapes across the mantle, while softly lit candles flanked each side at the poetic ceremony in front of the grand fireplace in the Saloon Room. For the wedding reception, banquet style tables were dotted with silver candelabras, artfully arranged floral installations, and hand painted menus.

The bride wore a Lola Varma silk slip dress with organza overlay and a structural white blazer over top, mirroring the feeling of paired back elegance with playful touches.

The wedding was classically captured by photographer Rebecca Rees.

venues in london for wedding reception

Our Story

Names / Jenny Pierce & Shane Lennox

Location / London, United Kingdom

Wedding Date / May 4th, 2024

Guest Numbers / 80

venues in london for wedding reception

How We Met

We met, as all great romances do, on a dating app in early 2022. Our first date was at the Drapers Arms in Islington, and then snuck in one more date before Shane headed off on a six week trip to Amsterdam that he had planned before we met. We spoke daily during that trip, and then continued to date when Shane returned to London, taking our time to get to know each other. The rest is history!

Our Engagement Story

Shane: I wanted the proposal to be a surprise, so I took the risky decision to propose on a Thursday evening in November of 2023. Jenny isn’t one for a big show, so I decided to do it at home in our front hall when she got back from work.

As no one expects to be proposed to on a Thursday night in November, my surprise worked like a charm. The only words that Jenny could get out were ‘what the heck!’, repeatedly, but she did also manage to say “yes!” eventually.

Jenny’s words turned out to be prescient, as we headed to Heckfield Place on Friday morning for a joyful, champagne filled weekend!

What we love most about each other…

Jenny: Shane is one of the most present people that I’ve met and I think that’s a pretty difficult thing to do these days. His ability to live in the current moment means that he’s a great listener, is very observant and thoughtful and is generally just fun to be around.

Shane: Jenny has a deep understanding of who she is and what matters to her, and that shows up in all of the things that I love about her: her smile, her confidence, our chats, and the relationships she has with friends and family. She is easily one of the most magnetic people I know.

The Setting

Wedding Location

We are both Canadian but have both lived in London for many years so it was an easy decision to have our wedding here. It felt particularly personal to have the people we love the most celebrate with us in the place we call home.

We chose The Ned, a hotel and members’ club in the City, as our wedding venue. The Ned is a restored bank and is undeniably beautiful, but was also one of the few venues in London that was able to accommodate all of the elements we wanted for the day – ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing.

We agreed right from the start that we wanted the planning to be low stress, intuitive and that where possible, we would prioritize ease so that we could focus on what really mattered to us. So we saw one venue, which was The Ned, and the decision was clear.

Aesthetic

The Ned is such a stunning space and definitely brings a level of grandeur to the aesthetic, but we wanted to be careful that it didn’t feel too formal or stiff. We wanted the wedding day to feel really warm, comfortable, intimate and joyful – we wanted it to feel like us. So the intention was for the decor to provide a bit of a counterbalance to the environment – organic, playful, personal.

The combination of the two – the venue and decor – meant that we found an aesthetic that was timeless, but not traditional.

Preparation

Jenny: I got ready with my bridesmaids at our house in London and it was a (surprisingly) relaxed and low key morning. Keeping with the intention of the day feeling really personal, it was special to have all of my closest friends gathered round the kitchen, making breakfast and getting our hair and makeup done. We were also very lucky that it was one of the first warm-ish and sunny days that London had seen in quite a while so we were able to have a glass of bubbles in the garden before heading to The Ned.

Shane: The groomsmen didn’t start quite as early as the bridesmaids, so I had time in the morning for a coffee with my family and a run. I met my groomsmen at Cecconi’s at The Ned at noon, and we had a relaxed lunch before heading up to the 6th floor (avoiding seeing Jenny on the way!).

After a few photos of us getting ready, we opened some champagne. We then went to meet the bridesmaids and got the show on the road.

Photography

Rebecca Rees was our photographer and we were lucky that she was able to capture both our wedding day as well as our welcome drinks at The Walmer Castle the night before.

Rebecca’s photographs struck us as super stylish and timeless, but also really authentic which is what we loved most. We wanted to be able to look back on the photos and remember the feeling of the day and we knew Rebecca would be able to capture that.

It was evident from the very first call with Rebecca that she had such a calm and warm energy – we knew immediately that she was the person we wanted to work with.

Videography

We loved working with Lee from Shutterbox Films but given how recent our wedding was, have yet to see the film – but can’t wait and know it will be beautiful and candid as all of Lee’s work is!

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

Our ceremony was in The Saloon room which has a beautiful fireplace at the front of the room and was the focus for our wedding decor. The mantle was dressed with a cascading floral installation and we had hurricane candles on the floor on either side of the fireplace.

We wanted the ceremony to feel intimate and felt lighting could play a big part in this. So despite it being 3pm and sunny outside, we had pulled the sheer curtains on the windows and were selective about which lights were on in the room so it felt softly lit and cosy.

Reception Décor

Our cocktail hour took place on the terraces that overlook St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we set up a bar with lots of champagne and oyster shucking. The bar was styled with displays of Asian pears, which looked beautiful, but were apparently also delicious as we heard from the many guests who decided to give them a try.

Our dinner took place in The Tapestry Room, which is a striking room with walnut panelling, pastoral tapestry and crystal chandeliers. The room was set up with two long rows of banquet-style tables dressed with white table cloths, silver candelabras and playful sculptural florals in white and bright greens. The hand painted menus and place cards were layered on top of each other at each place setting which brought a bit of personality to the table. Each champagne coupe was tied with a delicate black bow.

It was important to us that all of our friends and family knew how much it meant to us to have them there, so we decided to dig through the photo albums (both physical and digital) to find our favourite photo with or of each guest to put at their place setting. It was a fun conversation starter and brought out a lot of great memories.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

We worked with Hannah from Studio Porter who was amazing from start to finish. She pulled together all of the ideas we had into a clear aesthetic which served as the guide to make sure that all of the different elements came together in the way we hoped.

Hannah also managed all on-the-day coordination and the prep needed to do so leading up to the day – including detailed function sheets, aligning supplier set up / take down and the day-off styling. It is thanks to her that we were able to have a relaxed few weeks leading up to the wedding and enjoy our wedding day as we did. Hannah is so lovely – patient, thoughtful and has a great eye for design so we were lucky to work with her.

Flowers

We worked with Hattie Fox on the florals and she has incredible taste – the best sense of style. We stuck to pretty classic colors with white and bright green but wanted the style of the arrangements to feel unique, organic and sculptural. Each bouquet was unique – using different types of florals and arrangement but were tied together but the colors.

venues in london for wedding reception

Stationery

Jenny’s bridesmaid Mary, who is a talented designer and illustrator, helped with our save the dates and invitations which were sent digitally given the timeline (we planned the wedding in 5 months).

For wedding stationery on the day, we worked with Sam Pauletto who is a calligrapher based in Australia. He made hand painted escort cards, table numbers, menu and place cards for us – and they were without a doubt one of our favourite elements of the decor. Many many photos were taken in particular of the place cards and menus and we are in the process of having some framed to go in our house.

There is something about the hand drawn element that made our tables feel more fun, quirky and relaxed. We avoided any typical wedding signage (ie welcome signs) as it felt at odds with the vibe we were after.

Favors & Bonbonniere

We had matchbooks made to accompany the cigars we put out and as a small wedding favour for our friends to take home to remind them of the day. The matchbooks were printed with an illustration done by one of Jenny’s bridesmaids Mary on one side and with one of Jenny’s favourite post-cheers-sayings, “down the hatch” on the other.

Cake

We regularly frequent Violet Cakes in London Fields so it was an obvious choice for our wedding cake. We decided on cupcakes so that we could have a range of flavors and landed on violet, raspberry, vanilla and Amalfi lemon.

Food & Beverages

We had a sit down dinner with three courses that guests could choose beforehand. The dinner service at The Ned is particularly impressive and was definitely a topic of conversation at the wedding.

For drinks, we had wine, beer and spirits available throughout the day and then a few drinks of choice: lots of champagne (Jenny’s go-to drink), picantes for cocktail hour on the terrace and espresso martinis after dinner as everyone headed back to The Saloon for dancing.

venues in london for wedding reception

“Each bouquet was unique – using different kinds of florals and arrangement but tying them together by color.”

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

I wore a Lola Varma dress with a silk slip base and silk organza overlay. I should probably be embarrassed to say this but it gave me hints of Elizabeth James in the Parent Trap in the best way possible. The wedding dress was timeless but interesting and I felt completely comfortable and like myself in it. I wore it with white flats from The Row.

A few days before the wedding, I found a white blazer from Joseph that I decided I’d get in case the weather was bad. Luckily, the sun was shining and the blazer was just an added bonus that I think really tied everything together.

We worked with Papir by Hannah to make a few embroidered pieces – including patches for inside both of our jackets and a bouquet ribbon with writing from a letter my late mom had written me when I was 14. It was incredibly meaningful to have something from my mom with me on the day.

For dinner and dancing I changed into a dress from Proenza Schouler with Prada slingbacks.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

Jenny: My engagement ring is an east-west emerald cut that I had reset in a chunkier gold band by Ilaria Icardi. My wedding band was made by Rebecca Pinto and has diamonds pressed into a gold band. I had saved a photo of Rebecca Pinto‘s rings years prior and was really excited to see it come to life.

Shane: I wanted to find something a bit different, and in the end chose a file-finished gold band from Jacqueline and Edward.

I wore silver earrings and the bone cuff from Tiffany’s.

Hair & Makeup

I wore my hair in a tight low bun that was very simple from the front but from the back, the bun was braided. It was a work of art (thanks to Lilia Mullinger!) and looked a bit like a cinnamon bun – my fav!

My wedding makeup was very natural – I don’t wear much makeup usually and was nervous about feeling unlike myself, but Keeley Wilson is amazing (talented but also just the best vibes) and made me feel great. Keeley also did my makeup for the welcome drinks the night before.

Groom’s Attire

Navy suits, black shoes, and navy polka dot ties from Drake’s.

The Details

Transport

Two classic black cabs!

Honeymoon

We coincidentally already had a trip booked for the week after what would be our wedding date before we even got engaged. So we decided to keep that trip – to Copenhagen and Stockholm, two of our favourite cities. A particular highlight was staying at Ett Hem, a personal favourite and it was so nice to return for this special occasion.

“Bringing in our personality to the tablescapes we placed hand painted menus and place cards layered on top of each other at each place setting.”

Wedding Songs

Ceremony Song: Sea of Love – Cat Power

After Ceremony Song: Eight Days a Week – Beatles

First Dance: Fever to the Form – Nick Mulvey

Entertainment

We booked a DJ via Matt Maurice who allowed us to provide a list of songs we really wanted to hear and songs to avoid. In particular, we wanted to avoid many of the super popular wedding songs and opt for some more underrated options.

Celebrant

We had Shane’s friend and groomsman Ben as our celebrant for the wedding. Ben was one of the first friends that Jenny was introduced to when we were dating and there was no one else we could have imagined in that role. It was super special to have such a good friend be there with us and part of such a big moment. It is undoubtedly why the ceremony felt so personal, cosy and warm.

venues in london for wedding reception

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

There are so many memorable moments, not least the sun coming over the terrace while the champagne was flowing during cocktail hour. But a really meaningful moment was about a month before the wedding, our friend and officiant Ben set up a call with us to ask some questions to help him plan the ceremony. He was really thoughtful about it and asked us about everything from logistics to how we wanted the ceremony to feel and about our relationship up until this point. We ended up spending 2.5 hours chatting with him and it was such a gift. It gave us the opportunity to reflect, reminisce and ultimately, head into the final weeks of wedding prep with the total clarity that this was such a rare and surreal moment and we wanted to soak up every bit.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

Mostly that everyone has an opinion and the only few times we got sidetracked in planning was when we were too tuned into opinions other than our own. Your wedding is a reflection of who you are as individuals, a couple and the people you love most so following your intuition feels like the best way to truly reflect that.

Beyond just soaking it all up (!!!), a practical piece of advice that we found helpful is that if you can reduce complexity – for example, by having a venue that can manage all of the elements of the day, or that can provide catering and tables, dinnerware, linens, etc., it definitely reduces stress and leaves more space for thinking about some of the fun and personal touches you want to add.

venues in london for wedding reception