Inside: Adrien Mallevays and Matthew Shaw's Hackney Town Hall Wedding

Adrien Mallevays and Matthew Shaw chose an intimate Hackney Town Hall wedding for their legal moment – 25 guests, matching Cartier rings and a walk to lunch through their own neighbourhood.

The story so far

We met many moons ago (12 years!) at university, and things got serious very quickly. We started living together when we both moved to London and enjoyed a fabulous decade-plus of pre-married life. We always knew we wanted to get married but were never in a rush; the time came many years later, when Matthew popped the question.

Choosing the engagement ring was very straightforward, as Adrien had set his heart on a Panthère de Cartier years ago and made sure to drop some not-so-subtle hints. Thankfully Matthew agreed with the (extremely precocious) choice, and we now sport matching rings.

Back in March 2025, on holiday in Rajasthan, the staff at the RAAS Devigarh hotel near Udaipur helped Matthew surprise Adrien on a private terrace.

Venue

This is the beginning of our wedding journey, with more to follow next year. We absolutely wanted to begin with a small London civil ceremony. We have lived in Hackney for eight years, so the choice was obvious: our ceremony took place at Hackney Town Hall, under the expert care of their registrars, with 25 of our closest family and friends.

We made the most of a perfect London spring day and took our guests on a walk from the Town Hall through London Fields, Haggerston and De Beauvoir to our lunch venue, The Baring. The Baring has the most wonderful private dining room, with one large communal table that we dressed with bright flowers to match our invitations.

After lunch, everyone followed on to our home in Stoke Newington for a party.

Fashion

We had lots of discussion about the suits! We did not want to match, but wanted to complement each other in a very relaxed way. Matthew wore a double-breasted suit from Richard James. Adrien wore a dusty-pink suit from Edward Sexton. The suits are some of our favourite things from the day – they were perfect. As a nod to ‘groom tradition’, we wore fabric boutonnières from Lanvin. Matthew’s shoes were his father-in-law’s hand-me-downs, worn with much love.

Jewellery

Our engagement rings! We love them so much, and wore them again for the ceremony.

Bridal party

We left our wedding party in peace for this one! They will have much more to do at the main wedding, so we let them be.

Transportation

After our Hackney Town Hall wedding, we opted to walk with everyone through London Fields and De Beauvoir to get to our lunch destination. We opened a hamper of tinned cocktails after the ceremony and handed them out for the stroll. It was a great moment for everyone to catch up, and for us to show our family some of our favourite parts of the neighbourhood.

Tablescape

We wanted to embrace the beauty and simplicity of The Baring’s private dining room. It was the perfect space for us, and we loved the white linen and plates, with the food at the centre.

Our friend Nancy created the most beautiful floral arrangements. She used our invitations as a starting point, and placed bright, colourful displays throughout the room to bring everything to life. The flowers were a real showstopper, and made a true occasion of our lunch.

Food & drinks

The Baring prepared an elegant spring menu honouring British ingredients, all laid along the table for everyone to share. The food was perfect, and exactly what we love eating: light, fresh and seasonal. The standout for us was the poached trout main, and we finished on a whimsical note with jumbo-sized rhubarb fools to share.

Advice

A civil ceremony at Hackney Town Hall was an interesting one for Matthew (being surrounded by weddings through his work) – this was his first time experiencing a wedding from the other side.

We initially thought this would simply be our ‘legal moment’, but were taken aback by how emotional and powerful the day felt. Don’t underestimate this! We are so pleased we organised an intimate civil ceremony, and will really cherish the day.
Pause, breathe and enjoy walking down the aisle (Matthew forgot everything he’s ever told his clients).
Perfect your guest experience. Think through your timings, what information your guests have, and how the day flows. Big or small, this is vital for any wedding and will make it sing.