Ready for a gorgeous couple who are guaranteed to cheer you up with their story full of meant-to-be, do-it-your-way vibes? Claire met Simon four years ago when he came to help refit the Co-op that she was working at and they instantly hit it off. Claire found herself feeling deflated that he was leaving and tried to find a way of contacting him but eventually gave up, telling herself that if it was meant to be, it would be. Cue Simon messaging her later that day as he’d been on his own hunt to find her, and they didn’t look back! When it comes to the proposal, Claire says she had been hinting for a while and really wanted it, but yet it came when she was least expecting it. They’d gone round to her brother’s house and Claire was mid cheese twist (!) when she looked around and saw Simon on one knee. He proposed with lyrics from Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits, as it was when he was listening to this song that he realised he loved her – we love this! They chose to get married on a cruise for many reasons, probably the most important one being they love cruises! They didn’t want a long engagement and had everything booked four weeks after they’d got engaged! P&O did everything, from photography to hair and make up, so they didn’t have to plan anything, and they even made their honeymoon part of their trip. The result was a stress-free wedding full of the people who value them and the love they have for each other.

“When it came to looking for a wedding dress, I didn’t really know what to expect. My sister-in-law found Alice Rose Bridal and it seemed perfect, as well as local, so we didn’t even bother booking any appointments elsewhere! When I walked into the boutique and saw all the beautiful dresses, I didn’t know where to start! I wanted a slimmer fitting dress as I’d lost some weight and wanted to show off my figure, but then I also wanted the princess dress that every little girl dreams of. Once I’d started to try the bigger dresses, though, I didn’t even want to try on the slimmer dresses! I hadn’t known what I wanted, but once I tried on Gucci by Dando London, I knew it was the one! I didn’t even want to try on any more dresses – I knew I was done! It was absolutely stunning.”

“I loved everything about the dress! I love the flowers and the little bit of sparkle, and I love the straps – I didn’t want it to be strapless but I also didn’t want sleeves so it was perfect! I had it altered so that it had flowers on both sides, and I’m still so in love with it. I have it hanging in my spare room and every day I go and look at it and get that same feeling still. I wish I could wear it every day!”

“I was so worried about walking up to the ceremony without Simon with me as I was so worried about the attention being completely on me, but as soon as I walked out wearing my gorgeous dress I loved the attention! I found I wanted people to be looking at me and the dress helped me feel this way. Something overtakes you and makes you want everybody to know that this is MY special day. I absolutely loved it!”

“My advice is not to settle. You just know when it’s the one – if it’s meant to be, it will be!”

Claire’s gorgeous Gucci by Dando London and fur wrap are from our fabulous boutique. Book an appointment HERE or ring 01530 587210 to make your dream dress appointment. 

Credits:

The couple’s only supplier is P&O Cruises as everything was part of the package!: www.pocruises.com/ceremonies-at-sea