Let This Central London Wedding Inspire Your Inner-City Ceremony
Impossibly elegant, this spring wedding wooed its guests with its heritage buildings, an intimate setting and one very special couple…
Ibiza, in the summer of 2022 was the meeting place of ENT surgeon and chief future officer of Power Breathe, Sabrina Brar, and banker Anraj Rayat. The British pair were both on holiday with friends that knew each other and insisted they meet up. “Once at supper, I think we both knew it was inexplicably magical – we ended up going dancing at DC10, Sabrina changed her flights to stay the weekend in Ibiza and we met up in London for our first date night a couple of weeks later,” recalls Anraj.
Their engagement took place 11 months later on a weekend away that was masked as a day trip to Cliveden House Hotel. “When we arrived, Anraj said he had called ahead and the concierge kindly showed us around and pointed out the best walking routes. I thought this was incredible – little did I know they were also in on the engagement. In the blustery wind and rain, we braced ourselves and went on a walk around the grounds. Because of the weather, we had the garden to ourselves. In a corner of the estate, in a beautiful, secluded folly, Anraj got down on one knee, said he had met ‘the one’ and asked me to marry him. I was speechless. It was amazing. A blur. We spent the weekend at Cliveden by the fire and wallowing away in the infamous Profumo pool,” reminisces Sabrina.
The wedding was six months in the making and held in the Magistrates’ Ballroom at the NoMad London in Covent Garden. The couple decided to mastermind it themselves with the help of family and friends along the way. “We planned our wedding with some much appreciated input from our parents, including a very fun evening for our food and wine tasting. On the day, Millie our florist acted as our wedding planner and was absolutely fantastic. Our photographer Rebecca, and stationary designer Aisling made it all the more special,” says Sabrina.
The ceremony took place in the Council Chamber room at Islington Town Hall. “This is the [Town Hall’s] largest room, featuring a spectacular vaulted ceiling, beautiful stained-glass windows and the perfect red carpet for our entrance. The room could accommodate all of our 85 guests which is why we chose this venue. We exchanged simple vows and had two fabulous readings. Our friend Ed memorised and elaborately delivered the Shakespeare sonnet When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes whilst Tiffany emotionally recited For Me by Tracey Emin,” explains Sabrina.
The bride wore an Equinox dress from Halfpenny London with an Issa shrug. “Halfpenny was the third bridal shop I went to, along with my best friend Jo (my mother was on FaceTime)! I tried on two looks and instantly felt amazing in my dress. It was elegant, simple, corseted and wonderfully flattering whilst showing off my curves. Getting married in a hotel in London, I knew I wanted something elegant and fitted. The train was incredible. Material for days. I didn’t need to try on any more dresses. I knew this was the one,” smiles Sabrina.
The cooler-than-thou couple had a song list that had Spotify dreams are made of. Sabrina walked down the aisle to Crazy Love by Van Morrison and the song for signing the register was This Must Be The Place by Talking Heads. They walk out of the ceremony to Give It Up by KC and the Sunshine Band which played on the Town Hall speakers.
The menu was another hit with guests dining on seared scallops with apple, pine and parsnip, plus beef fillet with cauliflower, horseradish, black truffle and red wine jus. Lemon and almond notes dominated the sweet course that also featured ricotta poppy seed ice-cream. The cocktail menu paid homage to the couple’s heritage and included the Pink Elephant, Monsoon Malabar Martini, and East India Negroni.
Sabrina says if she could give advice to future bridesto- be it would be to: “Enjoy every part of planning your wedding. In the days leading up to your wedding, spend time with your fiancé and family – these memories will last a lifetime. On your wedding day, take a moment with your husband to take it all in – when you realise you are surrounded by everyone you love, it’s quite magical to see.”
With a shared love for the outdoors, the couple took to Scotland for their honeymoon. The new bride recounts, “We spent a week in the Scottish Highlands – walking in the wilderness, evenings sat by an open fire drinking whisky and time spent reminiscing about our wedding day. Scotland is a place that is very special to us. We could not have picked a better location to spend our honeymoon.”
Bride’s Black Book
Photographer: Rebecca Rees; Dress: Halfpenny London; Shoes: Sophia Webster; Jewellery: Tilly Thomas Lux; Wedding Ring: Brian Joslin; Groom’s suit: Favourbrook; Groom’s shoes: Crockett and Jones; Venue: NoMad London; Florist: Millie Richardson; Cake: Lily Vanilli, Music: The White Keys, Jasdeep Sing; Invitations: Aisling Erin; Make-up: Quelle Bester.
Photography by Rebecca Rees
From Harpers Bazaar Arabia’s Bride Autumn/Winter 2024 Issue