We had a small, intimate wedding on 31st July 2021 with only 16 guests. We had to reduce our numbers due to covid, so we are planning on a big party on our 1st anniversary for everyone who was unable to attend the legal wedding.
We got married at St George’s Hall registry office with a beautiful dinner and reception at the Pen Factory in Liverpool.

Six years ago, we met on Tinder and hit it off straight away. Nung proposed just before the pandemic hit, at a drum and bass gig of our favourite DJ, Calibre. I actually walked down the aisle to one of Calibre’s tracks and his the first gig we went to post-lockdown.

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Wedding planning was quite easy actually. I used to be a teacher so I’m used to spreadsheets and organising, and as the pandemic unfolded around us we had a limited choice of suppliers… which actually made the decision making easier! We had a sense the day planned might not go ahead, so we planned B for our smaller wedding. The venue and suppliers were brilliant and flexible, postponing everything to 2022 and arranging a smaller, informal day at The Pen Factory, which was perfect.
We knew we wanted a rustic theme. And as I am a wedding Macrame artist (@big_day_macrame), I wanted to create something for our own wedding of course! The great thing about these backdrops and dreamcatchers is they can be kept. So our dried flowers and my macrame creations can be kept for next years party and our own forever keepsakes. When we found out we had to downsize, the Pen Factory was perfect as it’s bright, friendly and informal, and we could hang my macrame creations too! St George’s Hall set up a webcam so we were able to stream the ceremony and speeches for those who live abroad, and my brother who was pinged the day he was due to travel! We are so grateful for Zoom!

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I thought I knew exactly what kind of dress I wanted, I had a pinterest board as long as my arm… but all my shortlist ended up being completely different and once I tried on my ‘dream dress’ I found I had no idea what I wanted!

The funny thing is, all my friends kept asking if I could or would macrame my dress. The dress I ended up choosing does like quite similar, but it’s definitely not my handiwork! I must have tried on 20 dresses and ended up buying the Wonda Dress (style 18459) from Bridal Couture Italia in Bolton.
When I first saw the dress I wasn’t sure I liked it, but I tried it on thanks to some encouragement form Vittoria, and I fell in love with the lace detail. When I was told it could be customised, I was hooked. I knew I wanted a strapless dress, so Vittoria and Pina made it strapless with a sweetheart neckline and attached a nude underskirt so the lace stood out from top to bottom and made arm bands from the removed sleeves. Moral of the story- sometimes you don’t know what you want until you try it on!

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I cannot recommend Bridal Couture Italia enough. They are a family store and really do treat you like a member of their own family. They listened to what I wanted, and knew me better than I knew myself! I actually created a bespoke wedding dreamcatcher for them to say thank you. It replaced their ‘I said Yes! to the dress' and now hangs on the wall of their shop. I just love seeing happy brides-to-be stand next to it!

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The wedding day itself was perfect- other than nobody’s taxis being on time! My favourite part was when we sent all the guests on a Mersey Ferry River Cruise while Nung and I went for a walk with our photographer and friend, Chris around Albert Dock. My advice for future brides is to find time for you and your new spouse just the two of you… we popped into the Turncoat Gin bar for a G&T expecting it to be empty, but it was packed and we got a round of applause!
 

Written by Emily Cook