Former Love Island star Francesca Allen married waste disposal executive Ed Crossan in a civil ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall on Thursday after six years of dating and a five-year engagement.
The 30-year-old reality television personality and her 36-year-old businessman groom celebrated their nuptials with a lavish luncheon at restaurant 34 Mayfair, surrounded by family and close friends.
Allen shared a kiss with her new husband as they kicked off the champagne-fuelled reception, where she danced on tables and partied alongside a live band. She posted snippets of the celebration on Instagram, flashing her dazzling wedding rings before welcoming guests onto the dancefloor.
For the civil ceremony, Allen wore a floor-length pillar-shaped gown featuring a bow across the chest, paired with a wide-brimmed hat with a matching bow. She styled her hair in dramatic bouncy curls and accessorised with diamond stud earrings, a tennis bracelet, and her engagement ring, alongside £910 Chanel slingback pumps crafted with a mesh body and leather toe cap. Crossan wore a light blue suit decorated with a calla lily buttonhole.
The newlyweds departed the historic town hall building in a vintage 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W121) convertible featuring red leather interiors, a classic two-seat model produced between 1955 and 1963 and valued at up to £100,000. They posed for photos on the stairs with their pet dog Stormi before driving away, with Crossan giving his bride a cheeky grab on the bottom as they walked around for photographs.
Allen strutted through crowds outside the venue after being showered with confetti. Guests at the wedding reception included Allen's sister Claudia and her former Love Island co-stars Georgia Steel and Elma Pazar. Claudia wore an elegant square-necked dress while her young son Tony stood at the front clutching his aunt's bouquets while holding Stormi.
Claudia's partner, also named Tony, is the brother of Paul Knightley, the partner of reality television star Sam Faiers. Following the ceremony, Allen shared a selfie cuddling up to Crossan while he enjoyed a paloma cocktail finished with a rim of salt and Tajin and a wedge of grapefruit, captioning the post: "Mr and Mrs Crossan."
She also shared a photo of table dancing at the party with the caption: "'THE AFTERPARTY, roll on wedding number 2,'" indicating that a destination wedding will follow their civil nuptials.
They looked every inch the superstar pair in their finery as they celebrated their union.
Pre-Wedding Preparations at The Landmark
Prior to the wedding ceremony, Allen stayed at The Landmark Hotel in London. She shared a video montage on Instagram depicting the morning leading up to the ceremony set to the 1977 song "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions, alongside the caption: "Just married".
In another morning video, Allen frolicked in silk bridal pyjamas on a hotel balcony, exited an elevator, and ran up a sweeping marble staircase. A caption across the video read "It's Coronation Day" while the track "For the First Time in Forever" from Disney's 2013 film Frozen played, referencing character Elsa's coronation day in Arendelle.
Allen posed for a picture alongside her sister and mother while wearing face masks. She also posted a selfie pouting in £86 Chanel Le Lift Flash Eye patches, which smooth the eye area and reduce dark circles and under-eye bags.
While sipping Buck's Fizz with their hair in rollers, Allen and her sister Claudia danced to Candi Staton's 1976 hit "Young Hearts Run Free." Claudia shared pictures of the night before the wedding showing the bridal party enjoying room service in their hotel rooms.
Bridal Glamour and Pre-Nuptial Countdown
Allen revealed that celebrity hair and makeup artist Joe Pickering-Taylor managed her glam for the big day. Pickering-Taylor has previously worked with stars including Emma Bunton, Toni Collette, and Emilie Goldblum.
Ahead of the nuptials, Allen excitedly revealed on Instagram: "'It’s officially the two week countdown till our civil!!'" Despite her fashion background, she surprised followers by posting: "'P.s I still don’t have an outfit,'" before unveiling her £910 mesh and leather Chanel slingback pumps. Claudia also shared a picture of the shoes held up on a balcony at The Landmark with the caption: "'She is nearly a wife'".
Love Island History and Business Background
Allen appeared on the fifth season of ITV's dating reality show Love Island in 2019, where she was coupled with Michael Griffiths and Curtis Pritchard before leaving the show single.
Crossan is the vice chairman of Powerday, a London-based waste management company owned by his father. He joined the family business in 2007 as a machine driver and worked in various roles before being appointed vice chairman in January 2019. The company's website notes: "Edward joined the family business in 2007, starting as a machine driver and has worked in various roles within the".
Crossan, who previously dated The Only Way Is Essex star Amber Turner, is a long-time family friend of the Allens. Allen revealed their romance on Instagram in November 2021 following years of friendship, during which they took family holidays together, including a trip to Marbella with the Crossan family shortly after her time on Love Island. At Christmas 2021, Allen revealed she was married to Crossan.
Crossan proposed to Allen at Home House, a private members club in Marylebone, and Allen shared photos of the proposal with her Instagram followers.
Speaking about her romantic growth prior to her relationship with Crossan, Allen shared that she was "enjoying being herself" after years of dating men "she didn't even really like." She explained: "I was in relationships throughout my younger years. I hadn't really been single until Love Island came about... I was always falling into relationships with people I didn't even really like... But now, I feel selfish and really enjoying being myself and happy in my own company. If someone comes along that ticks all the boxes, but maybe not now."
