And The Bride Wore... House Of Ollichon, Lizzie McQuade and Kat Maconie

A red-haired bride on her wedding morning is smiling and touching either side of the giant Lizze McQuade bow that's on her head. She's wearing a halterneck jumpsuit by House Of Ollichon.

Beautiful bride Ruth showing off her Lizzie McQuade giant bow which has gold embellishments. She has a wide smile and the bow sits perfectly on her bright red, curly hair. There are 2 bridesmaids in the background who are wearing champagne coloured outfits to compliment Ruth’s House Of Ollichon bridal jumpsuit.

Photography by Lee Garland

OMG! This has to be the cutest un-wedding look we’ve seen yet!

I can’t tell you how excited I was to stalk Ruth’s wedding on Instagram having met her just a few weeks before at The Un-Wedding Show in Shoreditch. I was immediately drawn to Ruth and her bright red hair, loud jumpsuit, and amazing shoes (which I’m still trying to source for myself) It was Ruth’s second time at The Un-Wedding Show, having previously attended with a friend who was getting married… LOVE this support from un-wedding brides!

I remember Ruth telling me about the struggles she had when she was shopping for her outfit:

‘I did not suit wedding dresses. I tried all shapes but there was something about my curly hair and pink cheeks that didn’t work with the body stood in front of the mirror. I hated the fact that I wasn’t comfortable and couldn’t walk, move or DANCE freely!’

I could have written that myself. It’s kind of the reason The Un-Wedding exists so more couples stop trying to squish themselves into the traditional wedding shaped moulds when it’s just not them!

I mean, how INCREDIBLE is Ruth’s version of ‘bridal’? You don’t even need to know her to know that this playful yet glamorous ensemble suits her personality to a ‘T’, right? Ruth opted for a dancefloor-friendly halterneck jumpsuit from House Of Ollichon. She teamed it perfectly with an oversized bow from Lizzie McQuade with a gold leopard print embellishment and train, making it the perfect alternative to a wedding veil. And she didn’t stop there, oh no, Ruth also opted for a pair of statement wedding shoes from iconic shoe designer Kat Maconie cos shoes are her thing and that’s what weddings should be about, right?

A happy bride and groom posing for a portrait on their wedding day. The groom has brown curly hair and the bride has red curly hair. She's dressed in a halterneck jumpsuit, giant bow and statement shoes. There are green grass and tall trees behind.

Ruth and Phil posing for a photo as the sun goes down on Hobbit Hill. They both have big, charismatic smiles and Ruth is throwing her head back with glee and kicking her heel up to show off her Kat Maconie chain heel wedding shoes. Phil is wearing a navy suit and yellow tie that compliments Ruth’s bright red, curly hair.

Anyway, back to the start!

Ruth and Phil first met at a house party in Manchester… this is how all the best relationships start IMO

‘Almost like a cartoon character, my jaw hit the floor. His brother and friends ran a club night called Audio Farm (now a brilliant festival) and Phil, who was at Uni in Liverpool, had come home for the opening night. I couldn’t take my eyes off him and at this point had been staring for a while and probably looked a bit creepy and weird. I sashayed over, full of beans with bags of confidence, I knew exactly just what to say…

‘MAYONNAISE!’

‘CHICKEN, RICE AND PEAS!’

I just knew that yelling all of my favourite foods at him would grab his attention, and as if by magic, it did!’

Needless to say Ruth’s bizarre pulling technique led to the couple sharing their first kiss that very night. Take notes people!

On-site accomodation at Hobbit Hill wedding venue.

A series of cute wooden huts in amongst the trees at Hobbit Hill wedding venue.

So, Ruth and Phil have been inseparable since 2009 and finally got engaged in 2019 for their 10 year anniversary.

‘Phil had planned a trip to Italy for my 30th and for our 10 year anniversary. One day before we flew he said ‘I know there is a lot of expectation but I need to save up to propose. I love you so, trust me, it’s going to happen, but it’s not going to happen on this trip.

Of course, I smiled and said ‘no problem babe’ and downed my gin and tonic whilst simultaneously ordering another one.

We were in Venice and the one thing Phil really wanted to do was a gondola ride. We were up early and wandering after breakfast when we passed a huge, beautiful, gold and black gondola with a ginger gondolier.

A GINGER Italian?! We had to be friends!

Suddenly Phil looked all flushed and flustered which is rare.

We were sailing around and I was loving the little tour from our new mate then Phil asked me to turn around for a minute. I did what he asked wondering if he had been tricking me this whole time because if this was a pair of shell earrings from the market I was going to scream the whole of Venice down! All i could feel was him elbowing my back and trying to get something out of his pocket. He got himself sorted and asked me to turn back around and there it was - an engagement ring and Phil’s big grin and he asked me to marry him.

I screamed the whole of Venice down anyway, so much so, that the ginger gondolier thought I was being attacked!

We spent the rest of the day drinking champagne and Aperol spritz in the sunshine!’

A pretty red head bride with curly hair is peeping out of a window on the morning of her wedding.

A very happy looking Ruth peeping out of her window on the morning of the wedding.

A pair of champagne coloured plisse bridesmaid's outfits hanging on a white wardrobe. There is an embellished festival hat on top of the wardrobe that says BRIDE
A bride and her 3 bridesmaids standing in front of a wooden wall and laughing. The bride is wearing a halter neck jumpsuit and giant box and the bridesmaids are all wearing champagne coloured plisse outfits.

Ruth and her beautiful ‘maids standing in front of one their wooden hut on the morning of the wedding. They are all dressed and ready to rock!

Wedding planning priorities

Ruth and Phil enjoyed a 2 year engagement, setting themselves a £20k budget.

Self-proclaimed ‘disgustingly organised’ Ruth had organised the venue, food, band and flowers within the first 6 months but all the personal touches took time, right up until the day before in fact.

The couple had no particular theme but decided what was important to both of them to set the tone for the day and it went a little something like this:

  • Informal, constant joy and FUN!

  • Bride to speak (and SING!)

  • AMAZING live music

  • DELICIOUS food

  • ESPRESSO MARTINIS

  • COLOUR

  • Original vows

  • Short Service

  • RECYCLE + REPURPOSE

‘Before we started planning, we both agreed on what we didn’t want and what we’d loved from previous weddings.’

They held onto a few traditions that were important to them including Ruth’s dad walking her down the aisle and my personal favourite, the first dance. Ruth also decided to keep her outfit a secret until the wedding because let’s face it, that get-up deserves MAXIMUM IMPACT!

A red head bride in a white halter neck jumpsuit and giant bow on her head, walking up the aisle with her dad.

A delighted Ruth walking up the aisle with her dad. She looks absolutely gorgeous in her halterneck jumpsuit and giant bow and she is holding a colourful bouquet. All of the guests are smiling.

A rustic wedding venue all set up for a summer wedding with round wooden tables and chairs and colourful florals.

The wedding reception all set up and waiting for the guests to enter. There are round wooden tables and chair with clear glassware and colourful floral arrangements.

Wedding traditions you don’t need to do

In true un-wedding style, the couple decided to switch out the traditions that didn’t suit them. These included:

  • Not staying together the night before the wedding

  • Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

  • Tossing the bouquet

  • Changing your name

  • Only the men give speeches. ALL THE WOMEN spoke!!

‘We didn’t do wedding favours in the end, we’d thought of lots of ideas but decided against it, and in hindsight, I’m glad. That money went behind the bar on espresso martinis!’

A pair of eggs in a basket that have been painted as a bride and groom.

A basket with 2 illustrated eggs inside. One is meant to be Ruth and the other is Phil.

Make new traditions

‘Instead of reenacting the ring giving at the humanist ceremony we painted each other onto giant eggs as a bit of fun and gave them to each other during the vows.’

And why not eh?!

A bride and groom standing in front of a colourful floral ceremonial arch. You can see guests on either side and a celebrant in front of them.

Ruth and Phil exchanging their original vows to one another. They are holding hands and facing each other, standing in between a floral installation. There are guests on either side and their celebrant is in front of them.

A groom in a blue suit is reading his vows to his bride who is laughing and holding a painted egg. She's wearing a halter neck jumpsuit and giant bow on her head.

Ruth is laughing and holding her painted egg whilst Phil reads his vows to her.

Like many of the weddings you will have been to or read about lately, Ruth and Phil’s big day was affected by Covid. On top of disappointment and cancellations they sadly lost a grandparent along the way and Ruth’s godmother was unable to attend due to catching Covid.

‘Covid changed our plans dramatically but we didn’t let it get us down. Well, we did, for a solid month but then we moved on. We continued with the legal ceremony as planned (as you were allowed 15 people at the time) but we moved the humanist ceremony and party weekend to the following year and it was SO WORTH THE WAIT! We nearly didn’t bother but I’m so glad we did!’

A stylish wedding party standing in the sunlight of some woodland. The groom and his groomsmen are wearing blue suits and yellow ties and the bride is wearing a halter neck jumpsuit and big bow. Her bridesmaids are wearing champagne plisse outfits.

The wedding party all looking super stylish as they pose together in the sunkissed woodland at Hobbit Hill.

A very happy bride and grrom holding hands and walking through the woods on their wedding day. they are both smiling. The groom wears a blue 3 piece suit and yellow tie and the bride wears a giant bow in her red curly hair and a halter neck jumpsuit.

A very happy looking Phil and Ruth walking hand in hand through the woods, towards the camera. Phil looks dapper in his blue 3 piece suit and yellow tie whilst Ruth looks adorable with her giant bow placed perfectly on her curly red hair.

The best bits of the wedding day

‘We loved all the key moments. The ceremony and beautiful poems that were written and read, the speeches and champagne. The time away with the photographer which was some of the only moments we had just the 2 of us. The first dance, the bands and the confetti canons… that was the official time to be drunk and dance our socks off with loved ones! Loved up conversations in the bathroom with family and friends. And taking my HUSBAND to bed because I was the last woman standing!’

A red haired bride wearing a halter neck jumpsuit is dancing at her wedding with her arms raised above her head. She has a giant bow in her hair.

Ruth - last woman standing on the dancefloor!

Advice for couples planning their wedding

Ruth has come up with some cracking advice for other couples planning their modern wedding.

‘If anything makes you really stressed - don’t bother. The most important things on the day are the people who are there, a beautiful and personal ceremony, good food, booze and music!

Stick to your budget and ask for help if you need it.

Make sure you have time for just the 2 of you.

Add in simple and special things that are unique to the 2 of you. It really makes the day shine. We painted each other as eggs for our ceremony. Totally ridiculous but our guests loved it!

Don’t drink until you eat! You’ll last all night, remember everything and be the last woman standing on the dancefloor!’


Stellar advice from a stellar bride!

CONGRATULATIONS RUTH AND PHIL! See more from their incredible wedding celebration in the galley below!

Melissa Woods