“I was never that bothered about getting engaged until Conall asked me,” declares Rebecca Rhys-Evans, a London-based fashion and beauty editor (at Who What Wear UK, no less). “I told him numerous times over the years that if he were to propose, he better not do it in public or in a way that would embarrass me, as I would have no issue saying ‘no’. With this warning in mind, he did it in the most perfect, most ‘us’ way possible.
“After attending our friend’s wedding in Philadelphia, we took a trip to New York, and on the first morning when we woke up in our hotel in Brooklyn, he gave me coffee in bed (a ritual for us, like many couples) along with a wrapped gift. It looked like the shape of a book and it felt like a book, but when I opened it, it wasn’t a book I’d ever heard of. ‘Yo Bex’, read the cover. Conall and I met on Bumble almost exactly four years before and those familiar with how this dating app works will know that women have to send the first message. ‘Yo Conall’ was mine.
“The book, which Conall typed out and had bound, was a book of all of our WhatsApp conversations until we first said, ‘I love you’. The flirting, the tiffs, the (sort of) sexting… it was all there in print. When I first met Conall, he worked full-time as a conceptual artist, but this book, for me, will always be his best work. There was no kneeling (apparently the bed was too high and he would have looked ridiculously small), but there was coffee and us in a bound book—and that was enough for me to say ‘yes’. After that, we got ready and went straight to an appointment he’d made at Andria Barbone in the diamond district to find me a ring. I’d been following them for years on Instagram, and right there and then, he bought me my antique engagement ring of dreams.”
After the engagement, wedding planning began and Rhys-Evans was faced with her self-proclaimed “biggest conquest” to date. Her creativity, industry expertise and love of secondhand items were reflected in every aspect of her wedding to creative director McAteer, resulting in a two-day event that saw them get married first in London—with a reception hosted at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)—followed by a countryside service and party at the bride’s family home.
Scroll on to read more about how the wedding unfolded in the bride’s own words, and expect plenty of vintage touches, a show-stopping cake, insanely stylish wedding looks (yes, there are multiple) and even bow-adorned pets.