Inside: A Non-Traditional Wedding In Bodrum The Wedding Edition

The Story

The story of our wedding in Bodrum began when we met on an app. It was a New Year’s Day date so impressive both of us made it! Three years later, Tom proposed when in the Seychelles. He hired a boat and also a photographer for the day who appeared out of nowhere which was amazing as now we have those beautiful pictures captured forever. He outdid himself. My ring is a 4.6 carat centre emerald cut stone and 2 x 0.7 side stones trapeze diamonds. We flew to NYC to collect it and designed it ourselves.

Venue

We actually had three weddings if you include our legal ceremony (April) and then we split our wedding into a family celebration in May for 40 and then our actual wedding which was 65 friends at The Edition in Bodrum.

Our wedding at The Edition in Bodrum was split into three events; a welcome reception and rehearsal dinner, the wedding day and the day after Versace party by the sea. I wanted a non-traditional wedding but something still super elevated and chic. We picked Bodrum because it was our first two week holiday during covid together and we just loved it.

We had a violinist for the aisle music and cocktail reception and then acrobats, live music, fire dancers and belly dancers once the after party started as well quite a famous DJ in the area. The ceremony was on the water with a very paired back minimal aesthetic with white chairs and florals and hand caligraphered for guests on each seat. For the Versace party we had brunch in the hotel as a large group and then head down to private cabanas where everyone had too much rosè in the sun. My husband and I arrived on a speedboat

Fashion

Rehearsals; A Zimmermann dress for myself and Alaia gold Bombe heels. A Loro Piana linen suit for my husband. Wedding day; I had a custom dress with white Alaia Bombe heels and my husband wore a white Tom Ford tux jacket and black trousers.

Jewellery

I wore Van Cleef Alhambra drop earrings and my engagement ring. I wanted to keep it super simple and elegant.

Bridal Party

My bridesmaids wore black tulle v neck dresses and the groomsmen wore black tuxedos. My husband gifted them Lanvin bow ties which he also wore.

Transportation

Best bit of a wedding in a hotel rather than a typical venue is that no transport was needed as most guests stayed on site! Those that didn’t organised cars.

Tablescape

The best bit! I planned it fully myself and went for lots of glass candleholders, lots of white florals, white bamboo chairs and glass chandeliers over the tables. I have forever wanted Susannah Garrod illustrations as part of the day and we had her design two stunning ones for rehearsal and main day. All of the material, including huge signage was carried this with me from London, as Bodrum has limited resource on this front. We had everything from seating charts and place setting name cards.

We had embossed matchboxes with details of our wedding date on with a sparkler to light during our first dance. A rose matching the florals was also on each place setting, as well as a shot of tequila.

Food & Drink

The food was phenomenal, not that my husband or I could eat much on the day due to adrenalin and our wedding cake was an enormous tower made out of white Turkish delight. Drinks wise, we had an open bar the whole evening – I don’t really drink wine and it always causes me issues at weddings, so I wanted our guests to be able to choose whatever they wanted.

Entertainment

We had a violinist for pre, during and post ceremony playing modern music and I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of the temper trap, sweet disposition.

We had live music for post dinner entertainment and for our first dance which was Elvis Presley, can’t help falling in love with you. We’d had some dance lessons to help us with the routine which was fun and I would definitely recommend doing!

Beauty Regime & Wellness

I was having facials with my wonderful facialist Oksana as well as baby botox. I did a Roar PT 3 month session earlier in the year to shift a bulk of my covid induced weight and did some PT sessions at BXR in the run up. Hair wise, I went for it and got extensions – something I truly now wouldn’t recommend but equally, it gave me what I wanted for the day.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

No wedding list but we got some amazing gifts – a friend took us to Gleneagles for the weekend and some other friends got us a weekend at The Pig Hotel in Somerset.

Honeymoon

We spent 5 nights in Bangkok where we stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, and then three weeks at the four seasons in Koh Samui. Honestly the best month of my life. We also went to Miami after our legal ceremony a few months prior to our wedding.

Advice

It will be the best day of your life but is a lot more high pressure than you can ever, ever imagine. Focus on enjoying little moments with your partner wherever possible as it goes in a flash!
Your initial budget will become a distant memory as planning goes on – be flexible.
If hosting an abroad wedding, definitely host something the night before and after if possible – so many of our friends who met their have gone on to be friends and socialise post wedding, but also it gives everyone who didn’t attend hen/stag dos, a chance to bond