Modern Bride | Sophie Whitelaw

We caught up with London jeweller, founder and bride to be Sophie Whitelaw, renowned for her refreshing approach to bespoke engagement ring design, to talk all things weddings.  

What does being a modern bride mean to you?

Planning a wedding that feels inherently us as a couple: keeping the traditional elements that feel right, that we’re excited about and ditching the ones that feel totally forced.

How did you and your partner meet?

I could bore you with a very longwinded story we
both loooove to tell but in short, we both vaguely knew each other when we were at university in Scotland but were never close enough to keep in touch post-graduation. When lockdown hit, we became penpals and spoke every day for over a year from New York City (where I was living) and Oslo (where he was living). As soon as my visa wasn’t extended, we knew we had to meet in person so we decided on a weekend in Rome - the rest is history.

Describe your dream wedding day in three words.

90s rom com

Who or what inspires your bridal style the most?

Elizabeth James in the Parent Trap/Four Weddings
and a Funeral/Notting Hill: I am a total sucker for a 90s rom com and we’ve decided that that would be the subtle, overarching theme of the day. I may or may not be wearing gloves.

What’s your favourite piece from the collection, why?

The Alina top because it is bold and so versatile and I just know I will wear it a million times post-nuptials.

Are there any wedding “rules” you’re choosing to rewrite?

Any plus-one rules. We want it to be a total love bubble of everyone we love and know really well.

What’s the best part of about being apart of other couples engagement stories?

Hands-down presenting the finished engagement ring to the client. It is a real labour of love and to see the clients face light up with emotion is the greatest joy. It’s the moment the proposal becomes tangible and very real and it’s now over to them for the final steps.

Being a designer, how did you decide what engagement ring you wanted?

I had an inkling of what I would like for a long time and when we got engaged I decided to treat myself like a client and explore options, before finally returning to my original design: our Arran ring. The marriage between
the clean, sleek lines of an emerald cut diamond and the twenty-two baguette cut diamonds, resembling fluted glass, feels timeless but still so cool. It covers the breadth of the finger so well that it is flattering on any hand shape. I think it taps into the 90's vibe I always revert back to too.