I’m making it my mission to get to know all the other great wedding business that my local area of Islington, London, has to offer.
As it’s spring, and there’s rising excitement in the air for the 2026 wedding season, this week I visited two beautiful storefronts I’ve spotted whilst wondering my local streets: a wedding dress boutique and a florist.
Mirror Mirror: Wedding Dress Boutique
56 Penton St, London, N1 9QA
I was blown away by this stunning wedding dress boutique, just around the corner from Upper Street and Chapel Market. The lovely store manager, Meb, showed me around the two chicly decorated shop spaces, filled with countless stunning dresses and bridal accessories – a wonderful spot to sip champagne and admire your friend’s gown!
Mirror Mirror has a fantastic Instagram account, where many of their clients find them from, along with a website showcasing their different designers.
We chatted about the wedding world and the changing trends Meb has noticed over the years. The boutique has been an Islington staple for 37 years, housing pieces by a selection of designers that appeal to both British and international brides.
‘Lace is back!’ Meb tells me, with dresses by one of their most popular designers, Milla Nova, as a particular bridal favourite for this year. I was shown the dress that everyone wants this season; The Melrose – entirely gorgeous lace with a drop waist and a tapered skirt.
‘Last year we saw simpler, classic pieces, while the year before was all about head pieces and decorative Alice bands. This year it’s lace, and the veil is popular too.’
The Mirror Mirror style is best suited to weddings that are classic in style, although they also have an eye for unique pieces.
If I were planning a wedding with a Mirror Mirror dress, I’d also go for a classic, more formal invitation, with tasteful florals and calligraphy, such as this Gatefold Invitation I designed.
Interestingly, just as lace is on trend for wedding dresses, this chic Gatefold format that opens from the centre is all the craze for 2026 wedding invitations.
My Little Garden: an Islington Florist
185 Liverpool Rd, London, N1 1LA – Instagram
This whimsical storefront is nestled among the charming residential streets of Islington, which are already flaunting wisteria and cherry blossom trees.
The charming little shop is attached to owner Deborah’s own home, with a little welcoming bench and a few books placed outside it, for visitors to relax with their new bunch of flowers!
Deborah showed me behind the scenes, to the tiny shop. It was bursting with colourful tulips and had wonderful character, a touch of the countryside within London, with paintings and splashes of colour decorating the walls as well as in the beautiful flowers arranged effortlessly throughout.
Originally a concertina making workshop, the huge garden at the property (a market garden in Victorian times) supplies amble storage for the flowers.
My Little Garden provides floral arrangements mainly for weddings and events throughout London and in the countryside – Deborah has a particular fondness for Norfolk, where she has family.
If I were planning a wedding with the joyful colourful arrangements I spotted at My Little Garden, I would design an equally uplifting invitation filled with watercolour florals, or an illustrated menu to place alongside the flower arrangements.
Here’s one of more flowery invitation sets, perfect for pops of colour in spring or summer:
Keep up to date with my Blog into Summer and Autumn 2026, when I will be visiting more wonderful local wedding businesses in the North London area.
Check out more examples of my bespoke wedding stationery, including menus and other pieces for the day itself.
To chat about commissioning your perfect set of illustrated wedding stationery, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
