Ashleigh and Fergus decided to elope to London for their wedding. Eloping is something which many people toy with at some point during the deepest, darkest days of their wedding planning - but few actually go ahead with it.

We talked about it a few weeks ago in an Ask Lolly post and generally the reaction was mixed, some people felt that it wouldn't be fair to family members and others were themselves eloping to wonderful distant lands - but the one thing which stood out was the fact that eloping actually removes everything unnecessary from the day.

Essentially a wedding is about two people promising themselves to each other for the rest of time. That's it. As pretty and fun as everything else is...at the heart of it, it's just about your love for each other.

And while it might not be something you would consider, there is no denying the love and joy that radiates from Ashleigh and Fergus at their London elopement. Have a good read of Ashleigh's report too - she's a wise soul.

Ashleigh The Bride:Fergus and I met through friends like many couples do and though it wasn't love at first sight - there was definitely a connection. I think we both had spent so much time looking for someone with all the same interests that we were shocked when we realized that our differences where what we loved the most. Though we did bond over our joint love of music of course! During our early dating times Fergus would try and teach me guitar and I helped him work on him singing. Music and outdoors are our two loved pastimes and it is wonderful to have a partner to do both with. I believe love is finding someone who makes you whole. Who makes you love yourself and in turn by doing so gives you the capability to love another.

Fergus and I are both from Canada and we decided about a year prior to our UK trip that while we were over there we would elope. His father had accidently spilled the beans that Fergus was going to propose on the trip and it became a funny topic of conversation for us. While on a road trip one day we were talking about life and the future and how it can all be so overwhelming sometimes. I work as a hair-stylist and makeup artist and I help brides through their special day all the time. It has always been one of my favorite parts of my job. Unfortunately sometimes you see a beautiful happy woman coming in on the day of her special day in a sort of daze. Flowers, dresses, shoes, table settings, invitations, family, booze, food, and etc. I feel like sometimes with all the extras that we keep adding to make our special day amazing we forget the most simple, most important things. Celebrating with that one person who you love enough to tie yourself to for eternity. That person that you commit to waking up to every day - morning breath and all. I guess you could say "all you need is love" inspired our wedding.

Because I do hair and makeup for a living, I decided that I would bring over my own curling wand and makeup from Canada. Unfortunately some of my makeup was thrown out at the airport so the day before the wedding I ran down to Selfridges to try and find something similar to what I was looking for. I had an unfortunate allergic reaction so I would remind anyone to make sure even if you're in a rush to check ingredients if you have sensitivities! Luckily I caught it right away and thoroughly washed my face and had a glass of wine to calm my nerves (haha). I used a curl wand on my hair and a set of clip in extensions for volume and a bit of extra length. For my makeup I did a soft smokey eye using colors from Too Faced - Boudoir Eyes. I added some soft fake lashes to the outer corners of my eyes to add a bit of drama without overdoing it.

I had my dress made by a local designer and together we found something that was both flattering and my style, as well as something that could be rolled up in a travel suit case and travel around the world! I didn't want to spend the day feeling uncomfortable, so I tried to find things that I felt both beautiful but most like myself in.

I decided to find my shoes and jewelry while in London a week before the wedding. Originally I was only going to wear my Birkenstocks but decided that it would be fun if I could find some other shoes that were both easy to walk in and cute. It was a bit last minute but I finally found a pair of cute little heels on one of the main streets in London from a company called Call It Spring, which is actually a Canadian company, very ironic.

Fergus and I decided that we wanted this day to be about us and our love and exploring the city together. We both felt like sometimes it's a bit hard to try and focus on spending time with all your guests and friends at a wedding and also spend time with your new life partner. We wanted to have our own moment away from it all. Away from all the extras and when we got home to Canada we did a dinner with the family and celebrated our trip and our special day with them. So when we contacted Harriet from Weddings Vintage we asked both if she would be our one and only guest but also if she would help document the day for us in a way that both showed our commitment to each other but also showed that we were mostly just out to have a fun time together.

We were so lucky to have found Harriet, to be able to look back at the photos now and see certain loving expressions on each other's faces, that are usually private captured by a lenses is priceless. We felt at complete ease with her and she really did make it all happen for us on our special day.

I was not originally going to have flowers but Fergus's aunt is a huge lovers of flowers and her garden in New Eltham inspired me to think on my feet the day before hand and find a store that sold flowers. Now thinking back I am very thankful I had something in my hands because it helps if you get nervous hands!

We wanted to stay in a hotel close to Abby Road the night of and the night before, so we decided to stay in the Marylebone area. While looking at a map we noticed Regents Park and thought it might be nice if we were able to get a couple of shots in a garden area reading our love letters to each other. We honestly just lucked out that it happened to be so stunning! While I got ready in the hotel, Fergus went out to the park and wrote his letter (the morning of! Though I'd only wrote mine the night before haha). He took some pictures on his phone of some areas in the park he thought I might like and brought it back to the hotel. I made him pass the phone through the door because I didn't want him to see me. I guess I still held on to some long standing traditions.

We decided to meet At Queen Marys Rose Gardens and go from there. Fergus drew a circle on a map as to where he would be standing and then he was off. I met Harriet for the first time in the downstairs lobby and we set off about 15 minutes after fergus to give him a head start. Unfortunately I am rubbish with maps and had not been to Regents Park yet so we got a bit lost...but about a half an hour later Harriet and I found my patient groom waiting by the Garden Entrance.

I was recommended by a family friend to try and make my own veil because they can be quite costly and if you are crafty and look into it they are not overly hard to make.

My advice would be to remember that sometimes when things go wrong it's more fun. Decorations only last a night, but memories last a lifetime. Remember this one day is about you, your love for each other and throwing a big party to celebrate. What good party doesn't have a couple hiccups? Learn to laugh at the stress and just enjoy your day like you would any other day. Sometimes we can wreck our own day by putting to much stress on it coming together exactly how we planned on a sheet of paper. But life has bumps in the road. Love to riding the bumps together with a smile.

Photography by Weddings Vintage
Shoes Call It Spring | Venue Regents Park | Veil Handmade by Ashleigh