second look in the evening too. Gem says, “I wanted them to be short, but options for shorter dresses are limited in style. After a few bridal shops and some bespoke options, which were quoted at around £5k, I did a big order from NET-A-PORTER in the January sales and found two dresses, both by Rebecca Vallance, that I thought would be perfect with some tweaks! The first dress (Madeline) had an open back, long sleeves and a split to the thigh. A local seamstress took it up for me to create a pencil skirt below the knee for a sophisticated look. The second was a fab cocktail mini dress (Calla) with a large bow at the back, which was fun for the post-ceremony. I’m so glad I had the second dress as weather was so hot that my friends and I got into the fountain to cool down.” The bride finished her look with heels from Reiss and pearl accessories from Etsy to represent her daughter Margo, whose name means pearl. The bride’s fantastic friend Jemma is an award-winning bridal MUA, so choosing her was the easiest part of the wedding planning process – she did a fantastic job! Ross wore a navy suit from Ted Baker with a pocket square from Reiss. He opted for no tie to make the suit look more relaxed. Everyone else wore what they wanted to feel comfortable, which is what the couple were aiming for. Most people brought more relaxed clothing for later in the evening. The couple’s daughters are 15 and three, so matching dresses were not an option. The bride found a cute organza dress online for Margo, who looked like a fairy princess, and they let Olivia pick her own gown. She went for a satin light gold River Island dress and looked gorgeous! TIME TO CELEBRATE The couple had an acoustic singer, Mitch Colcombe, perform during the drinks reception – he was brilliant! The bride comments, “He discussed our favourite type of music with us so he could personalise his set and learnt our first dance song, which took place before dinner in the sunshine around the fountain. He and his dad became an extension of our wedding party. He was such fun, and we highly recommend him for any event!” There was a mixologist after dinner to make everyone cocktails; it was brilliant but lethal, and everything got very silly after that! The pair made their own playlists during dinner and in the evening, where they moved the table and chairs to create a makeshift dancefloor. the day ended around 2 am, with guests stumbling down the road to their hotel. MEMORABLE MOMENTS The entire day was extraordinary and went exactly how the couple had imagined! They had an incredible day with great food, good wine and fantastic company. The bride comments, “There were so many amazing moments! As the day went on, my stick-on bra gave up and I had to take it off because it ended up being about 35 degrees. When we got our photos back, we saw our friends wearing it over the day, which was very funny!” She adds, “As a bride and groom with kids, we had some special moments and photos of the girls to treasure, thanks to our amazing photographer Anna. “Another standout moment was walking with our whole wedding party through Nottingham, followed by our photographer taking photos as she went. It was such fun, and we felt like celebrities! The great people of Nottingham were beeping car horns and shouting their well wishes; it was one of my favourite moments from the day.” HONEYMOON As the couple have kids, they didn’t plan a big trip away but managed to escape to Marbella for some quality alone time together for a few days. They stayed at the new Relais & Châteaux Hotel in the old town, which was a real treat. Here, they enjoyed sunny days on the beach, with tapas and cocktails. Plus, the photographer sent sneak peek photos while they were away, so it was lovely to reminisce on the day. 40
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