The couple met on a night out in London in 2017 – Alex was celebrating her birthday and James was on his Christmas night out with his mates. It was James’ dance moves that first caught Alex’s eye! James proposed in Dubai in February 2019. Alex explains, “It was really beautiful and James had arranged with the hotel for the room to be set up for the proposal with a rose petal bath and champagne on arrival. It was a total shock and I was blown away but in hindsight I wish I wasn’t wearing my travel outfit because I looked scruffy in all the photos we took to capture the moment!” Due to Covid, the wedding was postponed, but after a three-year engagement, the pair tied the knot at Braxted Park on 9th July 2022. Here, Alex tells us all about the special day... SETTING THE SCENE Alex and James knew they wanted to get married in Essex and after some research, found Braxted Park. It was fair to say they searched no more as Alex tells us. “It’s a real mix of modern meets traditional. We also knew that we weren’t going to have a church wedding as neither of us are religious so seeing the Orangery and how beautiful it was sold the venue for us. The grand entrance when you drive down the long pathway to the main house at Braxted Park is really special. It makes a great impression straight away!” The pair married in The Orangery. The Ceremony went really smoothly – and as a civil ceremony was quite short – which worked out well as James had to hold their 11-month-old daughter throughout the service as she would cry if anyone else tried to hold her. Alex remembers, “She’s a total Daddy’s girl! We love looking back at the ceremony on the wedding video as having her there with us throughout the ceremony was special, especially because if we’d got married on our original pre-covid date she wouldn’t have been there at all. It felt like a really special moment.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS Alex’s dress was by Essence of Australia. “I searched a few shops locally and ended up going back to my original location, the Bridal Shop in Romford.” Alex tells us, “The ladies that work there are so lovely and it was one of them who asked me to try on the style of dress that I ended up going for. I don’t think I’d have picked it myself but when I tried it on it fitted like a glove and it just felt like The One. I’m so glad I took the assistant’s advice and tried it on!” James wore a three-piece navy suit from Jack Bunneys in Upminster. The groomsmen then all wore the same suit but had a different colour waistcoat and tie so that James stood out. The bridesmaid’s dresses were long, navy in a mix and match style. They all looked stunning. REAL WEDDINGS 37
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