pink weddings magazine » 23
Emma and maja
W
e met through playing for the same rugby
team, the Hampstead Ladies, and were
friends for several years before we got
together. Seven years on, we still love
watching rugby together, although we don’t play it anymore.
I proposed in the Blue Mountains in Australia after
planning for a year. Maja had no idea, even when we checked
into a beautiful cabin in the bush surrounded by parrots and
amazing scenery. The terror of asking the question meant
that I missed countless opportunities of sunsets looking out
over giant valleys. I had made a label for a wine bottle that
said ‘will you marry me’ and in the end, after smashing that
all over myself, I just went out on the deck and asked Maja.
Afterwards I remembered I had a ring. A total disaster, but
also perfect.
Our dream was to have a wedding that we could invite
everyone we loved to, without having to worry about money.
We wanted it to be in London, near to where we all live, and
we wanted a kind of warehouse/prohibition vibe, which is
just our kind of style – relaxed, full of joy, and an
environment that would make us remember for the rest of
our lives that we were cool once!
The date was kind of fun because we realised 4 July was
one of the Saturdays around when we wanted to have the
wedding. Half of Maja’s family is American, so we just called
it ‘No more independence day’ and went for that date.
This became our theme, which we put on little badges for
people as part of their favours, and included fake
moustaches.We had made a request that any guys who were
able to grow beards and moustaches did so as ostentatiously
as they could, so the fake ones were for everyone else. The
décor was aimed at having a relaxed, prohibition vibe but
with a bit of specialness – it was a wedding after all! Edison
lamps, festoon lighting, light boxes, bunting and homemade
stars transformed the room.
I wore a top and trousers both from Reiss, and Maja’s
dress was from John Lewis. She realised half way through the
wedding that the label was still on, so technically she could
take it back!
Maja wore her great grandmother’s hand-made white
leather wedding shoes – which remarkably, fit her like a glove
– to the ceremony and then switched into some more robust
sparkly numbers for the reception. My shoes were silver
brogues from Clarks.
We both agreed straightaway that neither of us wanted
to be in a white dress or a suit. Maja wanted to wear a
dress, so her school friends took her out for a day of wine
and shopping and found her dress that day. I didn’t see it
till the day, but was told it was mint green so I could try
not to clash.
I knew I wanted to wear trousers, partly because it would
be a month after knee surgery so I’d have a swollen knee,
and partly so I could feel really comfortable and dance like a
lunatic. Two friends took me on shopping trips, one to
Westfield and one to Harrods. I never even talk to shop
assistants normally, scuttling around with my head down,
but we had outfit after outfit appearing at the changing
room and it was a great experience. In the end I found my
outfit on my own, but I never would have done so without
the help and advice of my friends.
Emma and Maja met playing rugby and threw
themselves into planning a celebration that
reflected the joyful spontaneity of their relationship.
Emma looks back at a day to remember.
Photos by Stephen Bunn Photography.
with a tackle…
