I met Nick through friends when we were teenagers. He proposed after 13 years together on a moonlit walk along the beach in Crete whilst we were on holiday. My engagement ring is an elongated cushion-cut diamond on a yellow gold band with a hidden halo of stones to give it something special whilst keeping it minimal. A few weeks later, in October 2024, we were married!
There were a number of reasons we decided to get married so quickly. We didn't want a winter wedding but equally, didn't want to wait until next summer to become husband and wife. My dad is battling cancer and we don't know what the future holds for him health-wise, so the wedding actually gave us something to focus on in a hard time. Plus, you know what they say, there's no time like the present! When I then decided to grow my own wedding flowers and only had a few weeks left to plant the bulbs before the cold weather came in, it seemed to confirm we'd made the right choice.
Of course, planning a last-minute wedding didn't come without a few issues and stresses – finding available vendors being the biggest struggle. We lucked out a lot with it being the end of wedding season, and we held our nuptials in my parents' garden. With no time to think about things for too long, it forced me to make quick decisions, booking everything in just six weeks. We had no idea you had to buy wedding rings so far in advance, so two days before the wedding and after frantically running around to every jeweller in the area, we ended up finding a pair of vintage wedding bands which I love!
I absolutely loved wedding dress shopping. As a fashion-lover, it was amazing fun. I thought about buying a vintage dress or something simple and ready-to-wear, but after trying on a selection of gowns I found myself leaning towards the theatrical, romantic and dramatic designs. With neither the time nor funds to buy one of these dresses or have one custom-made, I decided to make my own wedding dress.
I studied costume design and founded my own fashion brand, Fuchsia Shaw, in 2019. Feeling like I was left with no choice other than to dust off my sewing machine and give it a go, I ended up loving the whole process of creating my dress. It was so exciting to bring to life my vision of a traditional silhouette with a modern twist. I ended up also making a little jacket and dress combo, rather than a dressing gown, to wear while getting ready on the morning of the wedding.
For my wedding jewellery, Another Mother sculptural pearl drop earrings provided the finishing touch to my ceremony look along with my mum's wedding pearls (a gift from her grandmother) worn as a bracelet for my ‘something old’.
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After the ceremony and our wedding breakfast, I changed into a Rotate Birger Christensen high-neck floral embroidered dress with an asymmetric ruffled hem, rented from By Rotation and paired with Simone Rocha oversized ribbon bow earrings.
When it got to about 9 pm, I snuck off and surprised everyone with another outfit change, returning in a Shona Joy champagne bias cut gown with a sheer, sparkly sleeved top layered over the top.
I love clothes, so the more looks I could have on the day, the better! I had been tempted to buy a pair of beautiful white Prada heels but my wedding shoes ended up being from Zara. Thankfully so, as they got absolutely trashed dancing in the grass.
Our wedding was in my parents' village with the ceremony at the local medieval church and the reception in their garden. Nick and I both stayed with my whole family at my parents' house the night before. We all got ready together, still sorting the last remaining bits that morning, like setting up the champagne tower and doing the seating plan.
With Nick and my mum walking to the church first, my dad and I realised we had 20 minutes to kill so had a glass of champagne together in the garden. My favourite memory from the day is walking down the aisle with my dad and sister as a string quartet played Lana del Rey's ‘Young and Beautiful’.
After the ceremony, all of our 35 guests came back to my parents' house. The caterer set up almost a whole kitchen on the driveway, serving onglet, salmon and vegan steak as we all sat on two long banquet tables under fairy lights strung from the marquee roof. I’d collected vintage glassware to create a champagne tower and we drank Bellinis, raspberry daiquiris and piña coladas.
I was worried about entertainment for such a small wedding, so a friend set up a game of bingo with the tables competing in dance-offs between rounds. It was so funny and got everyone on their feet. The string quartet played Chappell Roan and dance music and we danced the night away.
When it comes to planning a wedding, there are no rules. Just make it a day you love and will enjoy! I DIY-ed so much of the day myself and relied on family and friends to help set everything up and bring my vision to life. Everyone getting involved made it even more special and I have memories of the week leading up to the big day that I will treasure forever.
Alexandria Dale is the Digital Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from the celebrity style moments worth knowing about to the latest fashion news, there’s nothing she loves more than finding a high street dupe of a must-have designer item. As well as discovering new brands, she’s passionate about sustainable fashion and establishing the trends that are actually worth investing in. Having worked in fashion journalism for six years, she has experience at both digital and print publications including Glamour and Ok!
