Shabania and Tim
The Wedding:
Tim & Shabania met in Trinidad & Tobago, during Tim’s posting as British High Commissioner, when Shabania visited his official Residence, to help organise an event. In truth, she fell in love with Tim’s border collie dog, Katie, first and later on their friendship bloomed. Following their engagement in 2020, their plans to get married were inevitably delayed and complicated by COVID. However, they were married on 14 August 2021, at The Mansion Registry Office in Leatherhead, Surrey, UK with a wedding breakfast at The Mill at Elstead, before hosting drinks and dancing at their home in Godalming. With continuing COVID restrictions, they decided on a small wedding with just 14 guests, family and a few friends, organised at short notice, which made it a really relaxed, fun and intimate affair.
The Car:
Tim & Shabania’s transport was fun and iconic: with three venues for the wedding, they arranged a classic, vintage double-decker London bus (our Party Bus) to transport their guests; and with their shared love of classic sports cars, the couple hired a Caterham 7 open top track car, to drive between the venues, which attracted a lot of admiring looks and thumbs-ups.
The Dress:
The dress, entitled “Elements,” was by designer Needle & Thread London. It was embroidered with intricate motifs, symbolising the Ayurvedic theory of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Cut from a fine beige recycled tulle, it was also embellished with shimmering beads and flowers and with hummingbirds cascading from the waist down, reflecting Shabania’s love of nature and her home country.
The Cake:
Arranging a cake at short notice was not possible, so Shabania designed it instead. Two brandy fruit cakes with 24ct gold leaf depicting a map of the world to reflect their travels, topped with a home-made gluten-free chocolate cake, featuring a “Mr & Mrs Stew’ suitcase tag, a miniature canvas and easel bearing their logo, a fondant wedding bow to tie it all together and fresh flowers cascading down the side.
The Bouquet:
Shabania also designed and made her own bouquet, starting at 4am on the wedding day morning! Using her skills and knowledge built as owner of flower company “1001 Petals,” Shabania created for herself an unforgettable bohemian design, featuring orchids, wax flowers, anthurium, eucalyptus, thistle, roses and Aechmea bromeliad.
Photographer www.nickclark.co.uk
Gown: Needle & Thread London
