From a Newcastle night out to a spontaneous pub proposal in Hackney, step inside Rory and Hannah’s sun-soaked Ibiza wedding.
The Story So Far
Hannah was technically a mail-order bride – I first learned about her after reading that she’d be at the same university as me, in her school-leavers’ programme. After meeting on a Newcastle night out in December 2014, we spent 10 years moving between Newcastle and North London – two cats in tow – before relocating to Saudi Arabia for work. We got engaged spontaneously in December 2023, at a pub in Hackney. I’d just picked up the ring after flying back from the Middle East and couldn’t wait for the next time we were together to seal the deal. It’s a vintage Art Deco sapphire-and-diamond ring from Matthew Wildsmith.
Venue
We fell for the big central courtyard straight away – Hannah immediately saw the vision for her designs and colour scheme. We loved the flow of the venue, with a designated area for each part of the day, all blending seamlessly into one another, and it made an excellent base for a day-two pool party. Around 50 of our closest friends also stayed out for a full week of partying, and the central location was perfect for it.
Fashion
I went to Rory’s first suit try-on with him and was slightly flabbergasted when we walked out 14 minutes later with his entire outfit ordered. Safe to say, my own experience was far less simple – I’d potentially still be humming and hawing 14 years later if we hadn’t already booked the day. I studied fashion design, so finding the perfect dress was always going to be my Everest. After trying on a host of gowns, I narrowed down the elements I loved but couldn’t find them all in one dress, so I went custom, working with Charlotte at Wilden London to design exactly what I wanted.
Jewellery
I kept jewellery minimal, to let the dress and my sentimental pieces shine. My mother gave me bespoke Eldon Jewellers earrings for my 30th, made using diamonds from my late gran’s jewellery. Rory chose the perfect antique engagement ring, but its unusual shape meant ready-made bands wouldn’t work, so I designed an octagonal halo band with baguette diamonds that echoes its stone cut and sits perfectly around it. Rory’s band has an inlaid baguette diamond and sapphire, so ours is a matching set.
Wedding Party
Each bridesmaid chose her own dress in my very specific – and much-explained – shade of chartreuse, letting her individual style shine. To reflect our ‘Black Tie – Formal but Fun’ dress code, I wanted varied textures, silhouettes and styles rather than traditional matching dresses, and the girls delivered in satin, chiffon and sequins from Rat & Boa, Maids to Measure, ASOS and Azazie. The groomsmen wore suits from Rathbones Tailor’s excellent rental service.
Tablescape
Tailored West led the styling across the weekend – tablescapes, menus and florals, the ceremony backdrop, signage and guest moments – so the celebration felt cohesive throughout. We wanted to capture the Ibiza we love: vibrant and party-ready, yet relaxed and elevated. We created a palette that celebrated the island while complementing the venue, with zingy greens reflecting the gardens and cacti, balanced by dusky pinks and earthy tones drawn from the terracotta tiles and architecture. Bespoke sun, palm and orchid motifs then ran across the menus, signage, banners, vow books and fans.
Food & Drinks
La Grande Bouffe are the venue’s exclusive caterers and, although we were initially keen to plan our own catering, we couldn’t have been happier with the Spanish sharing-style menu they created, or with how seamlessly the team ran the weekend. The live-carved jamón ibérico bar was a real highlight with guests, bringing Spanish theatrics to cocktail hour. We served a frozen passion fruit daiquiri as our pre-dinner cocktail – essential after a very hot ceremony!
Entertainment
We had a singer-guitarist, Claire Wakeman, for welcome drinks, the aisle and cocktail hour, to start us off on a chilled vibe – because we knew the rest of the day wouldn’t be. My friends and I fancy ourselves amateur DJs, so we lived out our Ibiza B2B fantasies until late, then again at the pool party on day two. Hannah walked down the aisle to Claire’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Songbird’, we came into dinner to DJ Sammy’s ‘Heaven’, and our first dance was to ‘Love at First Sight’ by Kylie Minogue.
Favourite Wedding Gifts
All we asked was that our guests came ready to party! For anyone who insisted on contributing to the honeymoon, we had a Prezola fund.
Honeymoon
We took an RV around the north-eastern US and Canada – breaking up the journey with a few nice hotels along the way. Hannah earned major wife brownie points by planning the route around England’s World Cup run, so we could catch matches in Toronto, Boston and New York. We tested the strength of the marriage early doors, rattling around in close quarters for three weeks, but we’re happy to report we made it back – still best friends, and with some amazing memories for life.
Advice
Decide what matters most to you, and book it big and early. After the venue, our first booking was our photographer, Ana Marina Sanz – a big outlay, but worth every single penny.
You can’t do it all, so do you! We forwent a traditional wedding band in favour of having our friends DJ: the music we actually listen to and love, played by the people we love.
Enjoy the chaos! Wedding planning can be stressful, but we laugh at and cherish the memory of sitting up at 2am making our own menus – and the 2am madness of the wedding-night dance floor.
With thanks
Bride / Groom: – @rorywesty @hannahcharyse
Venue: @lascicadas
Event styling, stationary & decor: @tailoredwest.studio
Caterer: @lagrandebouffe
Dress: @wildenlondon
Groom outfit: @suitsupply
Groomsmen: @rathbonestailor
Florist: @floral.manifesto.ibiza
Wedding Coordinator: @lovethisibiza
Photographer @ana.marina.sanz
Videographer @theweddingrewind
Makeup: @facebylisamarie
Hair: @ibizahairmakeupmobile
Gift list: Prezola
Music: @ibiza_wedding_music @cleanslateldn
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