Conor continued the colourful theme with a sage green suit, and was honestly a hero to keep it on the whole day, despite the 36 degree heat. (A terrifying and also very Kolkata-appropriate temperature.) We were worried about our guests but, despite some transport issues, every single person made it, and, with the aid of many a handheld fan, remained standing by the end of the day.
My favourite thing about the wedding was how intimate and personal it all felt – a small enough gathering that we were able to properly spend time with every guest, and end the afternoon sitting together in the corner of the pub, hand in hand, as all the people we loved the most mingled and laughed and cried.
I also loved how quintessentially London it was. Conor is a born and bred Londoner, from Pimlico, and, after being served each other’s profiles as our “most compatible” match on Hinge four years ago, our first date was a drink outside the National Theatre. (Conor works there part-time, alongside being a playwright and teaching screenwriting.)
Since then, I’ve always considered us to be a very south London couple – we live in Bermondsey, and Conor previously lived in Forest Hill; we had our first kiss at a grotty bus stop just south of Tower Bridge; and can most often be found ambling down Bermondsey Street, eating in Borough Market, drinking at the BFI bar, watching plays at the National Theatre, films at Peckhamplex and spending weekends at the Horniman Museum or wandering through Sydenham Hill Wood.
We also have a soft spot for Camberwell – Toad Bakery, Nandine, Lala Books, Theo’s. One Sunday earlier this year, we were having a roast at the Camberwell Arms when we heard their upstairs room was available for private hire. We took a peek and knew instantly that this was where we wanted to bring everyone after we got married. We could have had a far-flung destination wedding, but there was something special about doing it all on our doorstep, knowing that we’d come back here for hundreds of meals in the decades to come and get to reminisce about our wedding day.
The best moments, though, are always the ones you can’t plan for. On the short walk from the registry office to the pub, Conor and I, trailed by our friends and family, passed a huge crowd of school kids who were waiting at a bus stop. Spotting my bouquet, they burst into a spontaneous round of cheering and wild applause. It was like something out of a rom-com – and the most London thing we could possibly imagine.
