On a beautiful September day, our real groom and bride Vikki and Nigel were applying the finishing touches in front of their evening black-tie wedding dresses soiree in the Cotswolds, England. The intimate wedding evening featured stylish attire, including a set of customised Jimmy Choos, a bright pink bridal clutch along with a dapper midnight tuxedo. The couple applied their very own twist by ditching the formal first dance, jetting off on the pre-moon and showcasing some DIY fabulousness from your creative bride. Photographer Suzie Smith captured the black-tie magic therefore we can share this excellent album. Take a peep!

Let's begin this gorgeous story by sharing how Nigel and Vikki fell in love. Six years back, Nigel the master of a joinery business, was inspired to make the windows for that house Vikki had moved into. Nigel’s wife had sadly died, even though they originally met in a professional capacity, Vikki and Nigel became friends, after which eventually more. Then one Saturday evening in December of 2021, having just returned from a few drinks at the pub, the pair sat right down to enjoy a relaxed dinner."We started having hypothetical chats about ‘if you had been to marry’ and ‘what would it be like’ transitioned into ‘shall we obtain married?’ It was perfect! There was no record on one knee, just a couple deciding to spend the remainder of their lives together!" they are saying.

We are merely tickled pink with this particular pink fluffy bridal clutch from Mulberry filled with beautiful pearls, which Vikki combined with black suede customised Jimmy Choos with crystal ankle embellishments along with a delicate pearl hairpiece.

To match the feather detail in her glamorous bag, Vikki's exquisite Jenny Packham wedding gown was adorned with the delightful addition of pearls and feathers! The delicate black waist belt complemented her black bridal shoes to perfection, the classic style was accentuated having a bunch of long-stemmed fluffy white roses.

Groom and groomsman interior sitting shot

The groom meanwhile wore a midnight blue tuxedo by Zegna, and shoes by Paul Smith. While Nigel's son chose a chic black tuxedo. Looking very dapper gentlemen!

The ceremony was held within the venue's Pink Room, which was followed by a champagne reception within the snooker room. "Nigel includes a 25-year-old son named Tom, who lost his mum - Nigel’s wife - in 2016. We desired to make sure Tom felt a part of our big day, therefore we told him first, obviously, that people chose to marry, after which I asked if he'd walk me in at the time. He was thrilled, so when he greeted me, right before we walked into the ceremony together, he explained I looked beautiful, which meant the planet to me!" says Vikki.

Their favourite ceremony readings were From Beginning to End by Robert Fulghum, and Here's Tonight Now by Ms Moem. The creative bride Vikki, added a DIY touch with her hand-designed order of service booklets.

As Vikki and Tom entered the Pink Lounge in the Slaughter Manor House, there were a few teary eyes. "Nigel walked right down to us in the front from the room, where he’d been waiting. He shook Tom’s hand, and I gave Tom a kiss around the cheek, after which Nigel and I walked as much as the front of the room together to become married. It was very special and significant," says Vikki.

The overall vibe for that wedding day was black-tie chic. Taking place late in the afternoon, the little but perfectly formed wedding was built with a sophisticated order from the day. “We were encompassed by love and laughter for the 'happy ever after," they are saying. As it would be a second wedding for both, and as being a more mature wedding couple, the pair wanted something different which is just how their wedding aesthetic thinking emerged. "Marrying later at 5 pm resulted in we could really focus around the sophistication and also the style from the black-tie wedding" they add.

The Slaughters Manor House is a modern-day country house hotel within the heart of the Cotswolds and also the only venue that the pair viewed as it stole their hearts! With this type of small wedding, the venue could accommodate their demands and wishes perfectly. They describe what made the venue 'the one': "From the numerous conversations using the events manager, Emily Kate, towards the menu tasting and also the actual day itself, they might not have done more for all of us!"

Instead of getting a formal first dance, Vikki asked their singer Andrew, if he could sing On Days Like These which is the theme music in the original 1960s version of the film, The Italian Job. "Nigel didn’t know I had carried this out, and thus when Andrew started to sing it as being the third song in the set, it seemed only natural that people should wake up and dance into it - therefore we did!" she says.

When you are looking for advice, the pair say: "Think carefully about what you want. It’s your entire day, nobody else’s. Don’t over-complicate things, you don’t want to get stressed. Take moments during the day to look, listen and don't forget. It really does fly by. I actually planned what I knew as a ‘pre-moon’ for all of us, 6 weeks before our special day, simply to get away for four nights to pay attention to us, and also have some special time. We were built with a lovely romantic burglary Santorini, and I really recommend it prior to the lace wedding dress closer," says Vikki.

The couple continued the celebrations in Lake Garda in Italy. It stayed in the beautiful Hotel Eala, a five-star hotel around the banks of the lake, which was designed for a magical honeymoon! A very special thanks to Vikki, Nigel and photographer Suzie Smith for sharing this elegant black-tie big day with One Fab Day.