Her make-up artist was Mary-Jane Gotidoc, who she’s worked with on countless shoots over the years, while Kei Takano, a Japanese hairstylist she loves, did her hair. “I really wanted an Asian beauty team, partly because they’re friends and partly because it felt important culturally,” she shares. “Greta Lee was basically the main reference on my beauty moodboard. The overall look was very clean and minimal.”
Ayo was inspired by old photographs of Nigerian men who came to Britain in the ’80s and ’90s for his suit, including pictures of his dad. “I wanted something looser and longer in silhouette, something that nodded to West African tailoring traditions while still feeling contemporary and British,” he explains of his Paul Smith tailoring. His wedding band, also designed by Castro, echoed Amy’s engagement ring using the same dual diamond motif. “I loved being part of the creative process because, as a groom, you can sometimes feel like more of an accessory to the wedding,” he shares.
The flowers ended up being particularly special, as Amy arranged the bouquet by Sage Flowers in a family vase, which was taken from venue to venue. “It’s actually not valuable at all—my dad bought it years ago in Chinatown – but it had always sat in our house unused,” she explains. “I wanted to finally fill it with flowers and give it purpose. Sage built the bouquet colors around that vase, which made it incredibly emotional for me.”
The couple was married at Islington Town Hall, with the wedding breakfast at their favorite restaurant Morchella in Exmouth Market, and the evening reception at The Sekforde—the idea was that everything would be walkable, as well as a nod to Amy’s London heritage—though a London Routemaster was hired for the novelty too. “For my parents and relatives flying in from the US and Nigeria, it was also a way of introducing them to the London life Amy and I have built together,” says Ayo. “We wanted the wedding to reflect our dual identities—our migrant family backgrounds alongside the lives we live in Britain.”
One moment that Amy remembers most fondly was the Nigerian tradition of a money dance, which Ayo kept secret from her until it happened. “I secretly texted all my relatives beforehand and told them to prepare,” says Ayo. “After our first dance, which was to ‘That’s All’ by Baby Rose, I suddenly pulled out a stack of dollar bills and started spraying them over Amy, and then my entire family joined in. The tradition symbolises prosperity for the married couple.”
Music was incredibly important to the couple, as Ayo used to DJ, so he was left in charge of the playlist, curating the entire day. “The ceremony music included Nigerian music, R&B, and songs that meant something deeply personal to us,” he explains. “By the evening, the playlists shifted into uplifting classics that encouraged everyone outside into the warm London summer evening. That was exactly what I wanted—our friends spilling onto the streets together, drinking and talking outside in the heat.”
After the meal, speeches, dancing, and the cake—designed by set designer friend Alice Andrews—the party ended at 8.30 p.m., just as the couple wanted. “It wasn’t about flashy statements, it was all these tiny personal details that connected our families, histories, and friendships together,” shares Ayo. “Both our jobs involve creating things for other people all the time, so the wedding became this rare opportunity to create something purely for ourselves.”
