An Edgy, Street Art Inspired Elopement In Shoreditch

This inspired elopement celebrates LGBTQ+ love and the incredible street art of edgy Shoreditch in London, UK. Proving that elopements don’t need to be fancy or expensive.

Words by photographer, Kirsty Mackenzie Photography

I wanted to create some inspiration to show that not all elopements need to be fancy or expensive. Getting married to your love can be as easy as nipping to your local registry office, wearing something you feel fierce in, and heading out around London to enjoy the sites and street art! Love can look like many things, but it feels like this.

Photographing Clara & Marley’s love was so magical, it was a complete honor to meet them and see them connect. They met while traveling and plan to go on all the adventures together when restrictions ease.

Clara & Marley’s love story just goes to show you that no matter what road you’re on, it’s okay when you’re with the one you love.

Who are Clara and Marley, the humans behind the images?

We met four years ago at a party on the beach while Clara was traveling in the Netherlands, which is where Marley is originally from. We had both asked our friends who each other was. Clara said to her friend, I’m going to marry him and pointed at Marley. Marleys English was not excellent, and he said it was too much effort to speak to Clara. So after a few failed attempts of conversation, we danced instead of talking.

What Is Your Favorite Memory Together?

This is difficult because we’ve done so much in the amount of time we’ve had together. Still, if we had to pick one, it would be when Clara hired a boat to ask Marley to be official. And a lot of effort went into it. Still, the boat broke in the middle of the water, and we had to use our arms as pedals. It was hysterical! Our phones died, we were drunk, and I ran with no shoes on to a local pub to ask if I could charge my phone to ring the boat owner for help, and the pub wouldn’t allow me in. Hence, I very unsafely asked a stranger if I could charge my phone. When I arrived back at the boat, Marley had fixed it, so it was all unnecessary after all!

What Has Been The Biggest Challenge You’ve Had To Overcome Together?

We are both from different countries, and our first languages are both different. So sometimes certain things are harder to explain. It can cause problems if you can’t express yourself in the way you need to. We made it possible by finding strategies and always taking our time to listen to each other to express ourselves better. Marleys English is fantastic now, and people cannot even tell English is not his first language. But we still continue to communicate with our previous methods.

Tell Us Your Favorite Thing About One Another.

C: My favorite thing about Marley is how supportive he is of everything. Always cheering me on, making me feel like anything is possible. Pushing me to put myself in some situations that may scare me. But he is then always there to catch me if anything goes wrong.

M: My favorite thing about Clara is her ass.

* Clara says no try again *

Okay, my favorite thing about Clara is her sense of humor, and how she makes it fun everywhere she goes. With an ability to look at life not too seriously.

What’s In The Future For You Both?

We have both got the same passion for travel, thankfully. All of our travel plans have been put on hold because of COVID, but we will eventually go ahead when allowed. We don’t live too far in the future trying to stay quite present. For now, our primary focus is traveling, but Clara talks about children an awful lot recently.