Lucy and Laurence’s story is the ultimate in everything happening for a reason. Even the way they met was by chance: they matched on Bumble when Laurence happened to be driving past the service station Lucy was at. They bonded over the fact that he was going back to Australia in three weeks, where he was living, and Lucy had plans to visit family over there, nearby where he was. Nine months of chatting online without having met in person led to them finally meeting when Lucy arrived in Australia, and within two weeks she had moved in! When Covid hit they moved back here, had their gorgeous boy and then got engaged on his first birthday, at home and surrounded by candles. The fun-loving couple wanted a laid back affair for the wedding with minimum stress. Their venue, the Cleave and Wake in Nottingham, was the perfect vibe - Art Deco meets modern with amazing staff, champagne towers and heaps of fun. Yet when it came to finding her dream dress, Lucy’s experience was far from stress free – until she came to Alice Rose that is, and again proved that everything happens for a reason.

“Our wedding was in September and we started planning in January, so we always knew we had a tight time frame. I went to a bridal shop near me and was unfortunately hugely let down, which meant that four weeks before the wedding I was frantically messaging every boutique I could find asking if they could help. I’d wanted a really chill wedding, and yet the whole thing was proving so stressful. Shop after shop messaged back saying unfortunately it was too late, until I got a message back from Donna saying that no bride goes without a dress on her wedding day. She said I wasn’t going to be leaving the shop without my dream dress, and I really felt like she cared. She took all of my stress away.”

“I was so grateful, but was worried that I wouldn’t find anything I liked as everything would be too floral and lacy. That was until I saw Suzi Quatro hanging right in the middle. I tried her on and completely fell in love. She looked really familiar, and it turns out that it was one of the first dresses that I’d pinned on my Pinterest board right at the start of my search! Cherilyn, the seamstress, is right next door, so Donna got her to pop in and make sure there and then that it could be altered – nothing was a problem for her and I felt like I was in safe hands. Everyone at Alice Rose is so knowledgeable  - they know the dresses inside and out and nothing is a mystery. It was such a relief – everyone remembers your dress on your wedding day and we’d got to the point where we were considering postponing the wedding but Donna stopped the whole thing from stopping!”

“What’s even better, I actually loved my dress so much more than the first dress. I loved the simplicity of it – it was classic but modern at the same time and it made me look great! I loved the way it gorgeously sat on my shoulders and hugged everything just right. The material gave structure without being too stiff and it was so flattering! I was able to dance all night in it and it felt so comfortable. It fit in perfectly with the venue, which was elegantly simple with arch windows and big chandeliers. We’d styled it so that everything was white and it looked like the dress was made for the place.”

“My advice when choosing a dress is take your time – don’t buy on a whim. If you can, get a seamstress to make sure your dress can be altered – I really valued the fact that Cherilyn came in and reassured me, and I wish I’d had this the first time as I would have made a different decision. In terms of the wedding, just enjoy it! It only happens once so make the most of it!”

Lucy’s sensational Suzi Quatro is from our fabulous boutique. Book an appointment HERE or ring 01530 587210 to make your dream dress appointment. 

Credits:

All Photography by Georgia Smith Photography: georgiasmithphotography.uk

Hair and Make Up by the bride herself!

Event Styling by More Than White: morethanwhite.co.uk

Flowers by the bride herself!

Venue Cleaver and Wake: cleaverandwake.com