Inside: Anna Whitehouse And Olly Bretton’s Chic Winter Wedding At The Mandarin Oriental

Writer, broadcaster and campaigner Anna Whitehouse, known for founding Mother Pukka and reshaping the conversation around modern motherhood, equality and mental load, married Olly Bretton in an intimate London wedding rooted in meaning and memory. From a Chelsea Town Hall ceremony to a festive reception at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, where the couple had their first date, the day blended personal storytelling with elegant city glamour. A red Routemaster, winter sunshine and a room scented with Neom set the scene for a celebration that felt deeply personal, joy led and entirely true to them.

The story so far

We met on Hinge and got engaged on an incredible beach in Thailand after just a few months. We really did just know. It felt instinctive and exciting in the best possible way. The ring is an antique Art Deco piece from Grays Antiques, which I absolutely love. It felt important to choose something with history and character rather than something brand new.

Venue

We got married at Chelsea Town Hall with our closest family and friends, which felt intimate and perfectly us. Afterwards, we jumped on a red London bus and headed to the Mandarin Oriental for our reception, which felt incredibly special as it is where we had our first date. We knew how magical the hotel would feel at Christmas, and we were right. We had our wedding breakfast in the Loggia Room overlooking Hyde Park and the sun shone for us, which made the whole day feel even more magical.

Fashion

My dress is from Savannah Miller’s bridal collection, named Tania. It is a stretch crepe, off the shoulder corseted gown with generous draping from the high hip across the bodice and into the skirt, creating a very flattering silhouette. The pleated sleeves frame the décolletage beautifully and the deep side slit flows into a dramatic cathedral length train.

My fittings took place at Rozie Bride with Izie, who owns the boutique. I tried on a few of Savannah’s dresses before landing on Tania and knew straight away it was the one.

Olly hired his suit, and the children wore mostly Monsoon and Reiss, with Lola’s shoes kindly gifted by Sophia Webster. My something blue was my navy coloured nails.

Jewellery

I wore Percy Langley earrings and a Rosa Clara hair slide.

Bridal party

I had bridesmaids, but I wanted everyone to wear what they felt good in, with just a small hint of something blue. The children again wore Monsoon and Reiss, which worked perfectly for the relaxed but polished feel we wanted.

Transportation

We travelled from Chelsea to the Mandarin Oriental on a red London bus from Routemaster Hire, which was such a fun way to move everyone through the city together.

Tablescape

Styling was by Florence & Vera Events in conjunction with The Flower Lounge. The room was scented by Neom, who also provided a take home candle for each guest as our wedding favour.

Instead of traditional place names, we had a Polaroid photograph of each guest with either me or Olly, using our favourite picture of us with that person from over the years. It became such a talking point and made everyone feel really special. Our cake was by Bella & Bean.

Food & drink

We served Champagne on arrival, salmon roulade to start, followed by fillet of beef. During the dancing, we switched to Palomas, which felt fun and celebratory.

Entertainment

Our first dance was the opening of Wonderwall by Oasis, before our four older children pushed us off the dancefloor with a choreographed routine to Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC. No one knew it was coming and they had been practising for months. It was a real highlight of the day.

DJ Joss played until the party wrapped up, and we also had Sharky & George to keep the kids entertained, which was brilliant. They brought so much energy and made sure the children had the best time.

Beauty regime & wellness

On the day, my hair was done by Hadley Yates Salon and my make up by Hannah Martin.

Wedding gifts

We asked for contributions towards our honeymoon in 2026.

Advice

My biggest advice would be to have someone you trust completely managing everything in the run up and on the day. I had the wonderful Kate from This Is Kate as my planner, who project managed the entire wedding and kept a close eye on the budget, which can so easily spiral in the excitement.