If you’re planning a wedding at Refettorio Felix in London, or if you’re having a DIY wedding, you’ll find tons of inspo from this wedding!

Alice and Lizzie celebrated their wedding at Refettorio Felix, a drop-in centre and community kitchen serving vulnerable people in London, which also happens to be a beautiful event space. It was a gorgeous day and one of my fave weddings last year!

The wedding

Alice and Lizzie had already had an intimate legal ceremony at Southwark Register Office earlier that morning. So they decided to have one of their friends lead a short but sweet welcome speech and ceremony to kick off their Refettorio Felix celebrations. They entered the hall to a shower of confetti before getting on the stage for their mini ceremony. Their friend shared some kind and thoughtful words about their relationship before announcing them as married in front of their loved ones. It was so personal and the perfect start to their celebration.

The afternoon

The couple continued their celebrations with glasses of bubbly and delicious snacks, homemade by their wonderful friends and family. During which one of their close friends introduced herself as the designated health and safety officer (complete with clip board and high vis vest) as a way to announce the order of the day. We then slipped outside and used a nearby street as a backdrop for some relaxed couples portraits. For dinner, they had an incredible selection of homemade curries, followed by speeches and a bake-off style array of cakes for dessert. Again, all made by family and friends!

The evening party was kicked off with an incredible surprise performance from Alice’s choir, followed by live music from New Power Soul Club (there were friends involved in that, too!).

Why Refettorio Felix is a great place to get married

Refettorio Felix is a gorgeous, light-filled, blank canvas space, perfect for a diy wedding, and is one of the loveliest places to get married in London. The venue offers a cool village hall vibe on a quiet street in Earls Court, as well as affordable rates that help fund the amazing work that the charity does. I love photographing weddings at Refettorio Felix because it’s such a relaxed venue, the light is always gorgeous and perfect for photos, and it’s amazing that holding weddings there will support a great cause.

The couple

Alice wore a textured, puff-sleeve white dress from Nobody’s Child, and Lizzie wore an open back white jumpsuit from Sezane, and they both looked incredible. Perfectly dressed for their relaxed, DIY celebration!

The couple got in touch with me earlier in the year, and their enquiry sounded like they were planning the type of wedding I love photographing! They wanted a relaxed photographer, and I loved that they just wanted to have a fun party with their friends and family. They mentioned that they were having food cooked by their friends and family, but I was still very impressed by how much they contributed. Not just cooking an incredible meal, but also baking cakes, arranging flowers, and helping with wedding planning! It was probably the most DIY wedding I’d been to in a while, and it was all the better for it. Alice and Lizzie’s community of loved ones showed up, contributed, celebrated and showered them with love! 

“Marni you were amazing! We had the best time, with the most wonderful people, including you, capturing it all. Thanks for giving us such a wonderful record of our day and our talented friends”

If you’re planning a wedding at Refettorio Felix, then I’d love to hear about your plans!

Credit where it’s due

Venue – https://www.refettoriofelix.com/

Hair – Alice’s aunt and cousin, who are hairdressers

Flowers – Alice’s mum, aunt and nan

Cake – 9 very kind friends brought a cake each

Catering – Alice’s dad, and their friends Sara & Chris

Band – https://newpowersoulclub.co.uk/