Nicola + Michael

How did you meet?

Michael and I had been friends for a few years but ended up on holiday together in Spain for a mutual friends wedding and from when we arrived in Spain we were inseparable and our love continued to grow from there.

When did you know they were the one?

I lived in London and Michael lived in Aberdeen when we got together in Spain and a few weeks later he came down to London and asked me to be his girlfriend and at that moment I knew it was forever and a few months later I moved home to Aberdeen and we moved in together.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

His relaxed, laid back take on life

His beautiful blue eyes – I am so glad our babies have his eyes

The way he laughs at me when I say stupid things, the way we laugh together and the fun times we have and the way he loves me for exactly who I am.

Who proposed and how?

Michael proposed to me with the help of our baby boy Freddy the day before his 1st birthday in September 2020. It was very intimate and just the 3 of us. It was perfect, we had also just had a still born baby at 20 weeks a few weeks earlier and Michael said he had considered not proposing because of what we had gone through but decided to go ahead because he wanted to make me smile and give us something to look forward to.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

So I actually bought two dresses Harlow and Parker.

My dream dress was always a backless, simple, crepe dress. However I had my baby girl Summer in August 2021 and because our wedding was in August 2022 and with timelines for ordering dresses etc I went dress shopping at the end of October 2021. I went to the shop with Archie in mind as the one. However because I was only 7 weeks post-partum after a c-section my dream dress seemed like it could never be reality because I was very self conscious about my scar. This was my second c-section within in 2 years and my body just didn’t feel like my own. I found wedding dress shopping a very difficult and overwhelming experience, made harder because I went to a lot of shops and tried on a lot of dresses. When I tried on Harlow it seemed to suit my body shape at that time so much more and because of the texture and sparkle you couldn’t see my scar so I bought it.

The next few months went by and I questioned my decision but constantly shut it down because I knew I couldn’t have what I really wanted, when my Harlow dress arrived it was also far too big, by body had really changed. My seamstress took it in about 6 inches either side and it still wasn’t right…fast forward to 2 weeks before the wedding in August 2022 and I just woke up knowing I didn’t have the right one and I had to try and find it! I went to Ivory Grace in Aberdeen and Emma told me about Parker. They had just got it in and I put it on and I fell in love. This was the only dress I had seen myself wearing on my wedding day and I had tried on so many. I wasn’t conscious of my scar and I felt the tight fitting, simple, classic dress was everything I had dreamed of and now I actually felt like I looked nice in it. It was perfect.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding? 

Our first dance, the speeches were done so Michael was relaxed and one of my bridesmaids sang an acoustic version of ‘I get to love you’ – by Ruelle and it was such a beautiful, special moment I will treasure forever.

What were your favourite details? 

The swing, I had a vision of our photos on a swing and Michael made one for me and hung it from the tree on the event grounds the day before the wedding.

Our logs, candles and jars of baby’s breath. We did all the rustic decor ourselves and it was really special.

Also our neon sign we had made that read “With Love and Kindness”.

What advice would you tell other brides?

Go with your gut. If something is not right you can change it. Do what you want to do for you and your partner never to please anyone else.

Any standout vendors?

Our photographer- Sophie Alexandria. She’s incredible!

MWL DESIGN:

Parker

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Sophie Alexandria

RETAILER:

Ivory Grace