All weddings are nice... but English weddings are classic.
When one of my favorite people from the MBA invited me to her wedding in the English countryside, I was so excited to attend. Since the UK is such a long distance from Hong Kong, I decided to make a mini-vacation out of it, with some time in London before heading down to the south coast.
My hotel was in the financial district, which is an area I never spent much time in when I lived in London over a decade ago. The area between Liverpool Street and London Bridge has a very corporate feel now, but it has really come alive with some attractive skyscrapers (for London standards) and good restaurants.
I spent the first afternoon walking around, shopping a bit, taking pictures, and just being awestruck by how attractive everyone is.
It's almost tradition now that I have to visit my former schools whenever I am in a city where I studied, so I made the familiar jaunt to the LSE campus in Kingsway. I have such a feeling of pride whenever I go back, and I also love to see the improvements that have been made across campus.
It is so easy to walk around London, so I just spent the afternoon making my way through Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, and my favorite street in the entire city: Regent Street.
On the morning of the wedding, I caught an early train to Eastbourne and planned to meet an MBA friend at our hotel so we could travel to the country estate together. I was already dressed in my suit and feeling good.
Then, Murphy's Law came into play and the baby next to me spilled his bottle of milk all down my blazer. Lovely. I glared at the mother until she handed me some baby wipes. I did my best to clean up, but the combination of milk and baby wipes isn't exactly the best scent for a formal wedding.
When I arrived at the hotel, my friend assured me that I smelled ok and we immediately set off for the ceremony.
We pulled up at the estate and I was completely spellbound.
The groom welcomed us in the driveway and ushered us to the back yard, which had an incredible view of the surrounding cliffs. White chairs and a romantic pagoda were set up for the intimate ceremony.
Sometimes wedding ceremonies are just associated with the boring formalities before the reception, but this one was too meaningful to ignore. People were invited to speak from all stages of the couple's life, and I heard at least four languages: English (representing the bride), French (representing the groom), German (representing their current home and colleagues from Luxembourg), and Spain (representing the MBA).
Following the ceremony, Louise and Pierre were showered with confetti as they walked down an aisle of their friends and family.
And now, the real fun was about to begin. We had cocktail hour by the pool - drinking french wine and eating traditional French and English hors d'oeuvres. My favorite was the mini fish and chips, appropriately served in a tiny mock newspaper.
After cocktails and photographs, we went through the receiving line and the beaming expression on the bride's mother's face was infectious. She made me feel so welcomed and appreciated for coming all the way from Hong Kong.
As could be expected, the reception hall was in traditional English style, and perfect for the group. The meal (called breakfast, even though it was actually a dinner) was fit for a king. Again with a fusion of cultures, it was a traditional English meal, paired with French wines.
One of the highlights, at least for me, was a Spanish dance performance by Louise's former flatmate from Barcelona. I had the pleasure of watching her dance when we lived there, and it truly is captivating to watch someone move with so much passion.
After the dinner, we were ushered out to a tent that was set up in the back yard for cake cutting and tea while they re-set the room for dancing. The traditional English fruitcake was made a friend of the bride's mother and it was much better than any fruit cake I have ever tasted before.
Before the dancing began, the groom's friends presented together a slide show highlighting their experiences together. Following that, the first dances ushered in the last couple hours of letting loose. Even though I am a horrific dancer, I couldn't help but get sucked in by the enthusiasm on the dance floor. The only people not dancing were the elderly French family members, who just sat in a row along the perimeter of the room.
By the end of the night, we were all exhausted and it was so convenient that the couple had pre-ordered taxis to take us all back to our hotels. As we rode back into the town, our group discussed how every single detail was impeccably planned and executed without a single flaw.
The next morning, I was up far too early (thanks to jetlag), and feeling like I had just been punched in the face (thanks to wine). Instead of just laying in bed, I decided to peel myself out of bed and go for a run along the coast. It was the perfect way to end my quick trip to the coast.
Unfortunately, I had to cut my trip short because of an emergency at work. As I flew back to Hong Kong that evening, it almost felt like I had only dreamt about being in England for the storybook wedding. My short time there may not have been ideal, but it was enough to rejuvenate my fond memories of my time living in London and the great friends I made during the MBA. I am so thrilled to have been part of such a special weekend.
When one of my favorite people from the MBA invited me to her wedding in the English countryside, I was so excited to attend. Since the UK is such a long distance from Hong Kong, I decided to make a mini-vacation out of it, with some time in London before heading down to the south coast.
My hotel was in the financial district, which is an area I never spent much time in when I lived in London over a decade ago. The area between Liverpool Street and London Bridge has a very corporate feel now, but it has really come alive with some attractive skyscrapers (for London standards) and good restaurants.
I spent the first afternoon walking around, shopping a bit, taking pictures, and just being awestruck by how attractive everyone is.
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| The Gherkin building |
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| The Shard along the south coast of the Thames River |
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| Tower Bridge on a gorgeous day |
It's almost tradition now that I have to visit my former schools whenever I am in a city where I studied, so I made the familiar jaunt to the LSE campus in Kingsway. I have such a feeling of pride whenever I go back, and I also love to see the improvements that have been made across campus.
 |
| One of the new academic buildings at LSE |
 |
| The Iconic "Old Building" at London School of Economics |
It is so easy to walk around London, so I just spent the afternoon making my way through Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, and my favorite street in the entire city: Regent Street.
 |
| Covent Garden |
 |
| Stately buildings lining Regent Street |
On the morning of the wedding, I caught an early train to Eastbourne and planned to meet an MBA friend at our hotel so we could travel to the country estate together. I was already dressed in my suit and feeling good.
Then, Murphy's Law came into play and the baby next to me spilled his bottle of milk all down my blazer. Lovely. I glared at the mother until she handed me some baby wipes. I did my best to clean up, but the combination of milk and baby wipes isn't exactly the best scent for a formal wedding.
When I arrived at the hotel, my friend assured me that I smelled ok and we immediately set off for the ceremony.
We pulled up at the estate and I was completely spellbound.
 |
| Driveway to the estate where the wedding was held |
 |
| Traditional English country home |
The groom welcomed us in the driveway and ushered us to the back yard, which had an incredible view of the surrounding cliffs. White chairs and a romantic pagoda were set up for the intimate ceremony.
 |
| The bride and groom say their vows |
Sometimes wedding ceremonies are just associated with the boring formalities before the reception, but this one was too meaningful to ignore. People were invited to speak from all stages of the couple's life, and I heard at least four languages: English (representing the bride), French (representing the groom), German (representing their current home and colleagues from Luxembourg), and Spain (representing the MBA).
Following the ceremony, Louise and Pierre were showered with confetti as they walked down an aisle of their friends and family.
 |
| Showering the bride and groom with confetti |
And now, the real fun was about to begin. We had cocktail hour by the pool - drinking french wine and eating traditional French and English hors d'oeuvres. My favorite was the mini fish and chips, appropriately served in a tiny mock newspaper.
 |
| Mini fish and chips during cocktail hour |
After cocktails and photographs, we went through the receiving line and the beaming expression on the bride's mother's face was infectious. She made me feel so welcomed and appreciated for coming all the way from Hong Kong.
 |
| The ESADE Contingent |
As could be expected, the reception hall was in traditional English style, and perfect for the group. The meal (called breakfast, even though it was actually a dinner) was fit for a king. Again with a fusion of cultures, it was a traditional English meal, paired with French wines.
 |
| The main course of the "breakfast" |
One of the highlights, at least for me, was a Spanish dance performance by Louise's former flatmate from Barcelona. I had the pleasure of watching her dance when we lived there, and it truly is captivating to watch someone move with so much passion.
 |
| Spanish dance during the reception |
After the dinner, we were ushered out to a tent that was set up in the back yard for cake cutting and tea while they re-set the room for dancing. The traditional English fruitcake was made a friend of the bride's mother and it was much better than any fruit cake I have ever tasted before.
Before the dancing began, the groom's friends presented together a slide show highlighting their experiences together. Following that, the first dances ushered in the last couple hours of letting loose. Even though I am a horrific dancer, I couldn't help but get sucked in by the enthusiasm on the dance floor. The only people not dancing were the elderly French family members, who just sat in a row along the perimeter of the room.
 |
| First dance by the bride and groom |
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| Everyone else joined in to dance with the live music |
By the end of the night, we were all exhausted and it was so convenient that the couple had pre-ordered taxis to take us all back to our hotels. As we rode back into the town, our group discussed how every single detail was impeccably planned and executed without a single flaw.
The next morning, I was up far too early (thanks to jetlag), and feeling like I had just been punched in the face (thanks to wine). Instead of just laying in bed, I decided to peel myself out of bed and go for a run along the coast. It was the perfect way to end my quick trip to the coast.
 |
| View of the cliffs along my morning run |
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| View of the quaint English beach town along the coast |
Unfortunately, I had to cut my trip short because of an emergency at work. As I flew back to Hong Kong that evening, it almost felt like I had only dreamt about being in England for the storybook wedding. My short time there may not have been ideal, but it was enough to rejuvenate my fond memories of my time living in London and the great friends I made during the MBA. I am so thrilled to have been part of such a special weekend.
