The Bride Wore McQueen And Chanel For Her Magical Winter Wedding
Thanks to a certain new variant, Lucy Delacherois Day and Matt Elek’s winter wedding went from party for 200 to intimate ceremony attended by just 40 of their closest friends and family. But despite the last-minute stress (the couple made the difficult decision to scale things back three days before the wedding on 16 December), the bride recalls feeling “extremely serene” on the day.
“As Omicron cases started to rise and rise, we felt that to protect everyone’s families and Christmases we should downsize dramatically,” says Lucy, a former member of the British Vogue team who still works in magazine publishing. “It was crushing at first, but it feels like it was the right decision. We had a beautiful, intimate wedding with 40 people. The ceremony was in St Mary’s in Islington, filled with flowers and all done by candlelight. It was very emotional and romantic.”
One element of Lucy’s wedding plans that didn’t change? The dress. “It was the first and only dress I tried,” says the bride, who landed on Alexander McQueen at one of her quarterly girls’ dinners with friends Bella Musgrave, Violet Vestey, Nura Mosley and Serena Hood (“We were all OG Voguettes at some point in our lives”). “Serena said I had to go McQueen, and the next day I was having lunch in town and popped into the store on the way home. They found the dress in the back of the store cupboard, and the minute I tried it on, I knew.”
Lucy’s mid-length lace dress was “everything a dress should be”, she says. “It’s that combination of delicacy with a touch of sexiness… the dream! It has the most beautiful lace detailing ever, and a corset to complete the look – classic McQueen.” To ward off the December chill Lucy added a white Chanel bomber jacket with feather sleeves that was “so extra and so fabulous”. And as a finishing touch, “sparkling Choos, which never fail me and completed the whole outfit”.
Her “something borrowed” was also extra special. “I wore drop diamond earrings that were my grandmother’s, then my mother’s,” says Lucy, who fell for Matt, now an executive director of the creative industries group The Vinyl Factory, when they met through work. As for her bridal make-up, she sums it up as “natural meets Disney”. “Bambi was my beauty icon!”
Following the ceremony at St Mary’s, the newlyweds and their guests walked en masse to Bellanger, one of Lucy and Matt’s “favourite places on earth”. “They have fed our kids more steak frites than anyone!” she says of the restaurant, which was decorated like a Christmas wonderland for the occasion. “We took over the whole place, and dined on goat’s cheese quiche, steak frites and tarte tatin.”
Lucy chose not to hire a wedding planner, and says the planning process – changing restrictions aside – was “quite chilled, actually”. “I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted,” she says. “We eat in Bellanger every Sunday and know the team there really well, so we were very confident we were in safe hands. We have four kids between us and just really wanted to make the wedding about them and about our wider family. No bridezilla vibes!”
The results, she says now, were nothing less than “magical”. “I feel madly in love, and unbelievably happy to be married to Matt.”
Andrew Leo1/23The bride was walked down the aisle by her proud sons.
Andrew Leo2/23“We got engaged on the top of the South Downs in Firle, Sussex, where I am from. Overlooking home at sunset. It was very romantic, I have to say.”
Andrew Leo3/23“My baby bridesmaids wore Little Alice London dresses and La Coqueta shoes, tights and bows,” says Lucy.
Andrew Leo4/23Leaving the church as man and wife.
Andrew Leo5/23The flower girls wore matching festive tartan from La Coqueta.
Andrew Leo6/23The bride wore a lace Alexander McQueen dress and Jimmy Choo heels.
Andrew Leo7/23The bride threw a “so extra, so fabulous” Chanel bomber jacket over her McQueen dress.
Andrew Leo8/23The couple turned to Dansk Flowers on Upper Street in Islington for their flowers.
Andrew Leo9/23The happy couple captured in front of Islington’s landmark Screen on the Green cinema.
Andrew Leo10/23“Our boys all wore Ralph Lauren from head to toe.”
Andrew Leo11/23“It had been quite a rollercoaster week [leading up to the wedding] for nerves and anxiety, but on the day I felt extremely serene.”
Andrew Leo12/23Lucy’s sparkling Jimmy Choo heels “never let me down”, she says.
Andrew Leo13/23“Bellanger is our restaurant. We are in there once a week and Jo Cromwell, the GM, and her whole team are like family at this point.”
Andrew Leo14/23Guests were entertained by a live band.
Andrew Leo15/23Lucy describes her bridal beauty look – courtesy of make-up artist Tamara Belova and hairstylist Hannah Domney – as “natural meets Disney”.
Andrew Leo16/23“My dress has the most beautiful lace detailing ever and a corset to complete the look – classic McQueen.”
Andrew Leo17/23Younger guests tearing up the dance floor at Bellanger.
Andrew Leo18/23The menu was based on Lucy’s “last supper” of choice: “Goat’s cheese quiche, steak frites, and tarte tatin. With lots of red wine!”
Andrew Leo19/23London band Wandering Soul got the party started at the reception.
Andrew Leo20/23A dance with the father of the bride.
Andrew Leo21/23Bellanger was decorated like a Christmas wonderland, says the bride.
Andrew Leo22/23Lucy opted not to hire a wedding planner, preferring to keep things relaxed.
Andrew Leo23/23“Looking back now I feel madly in love, and unbelievably happy to be married to Matt.”