Two decades of love leads to simple, elegant wedding for Rosie & Nick

Rosie Miles and Nick Hawes prove it’s never too late to get hitched, marrying in a simple and elegant wedding 20 years after meeting.

After becoming high-school sweethearts, the Birmingham pair, both 38, later had two children and said they would eventually get married “probably in secret, one day”.

But the passing of Rosie’s mum put things in perspective. “Suddenly cementing my own little family became increasingly important,” she explained.

Including family was a priority, with the couple deciding the family needed something to celebrate. “Even though it had taken us 20 years to get engaged, we didn’t want to hang around with the wedding,” says Rosie. “Obviously my mum couldn’t be there, but we didn’t want to regret anyone else not being there.”

They married on August 23, 2014 with 100 guests by their side. “Neither of us are religious so our ceremony was at the Register Office in Birmingham,” says Rosie. Guests were transported to the reception at The Old Library in Digbeth in a vintage Bristol bus!

Rosie and Nick took a simple approach to styling, saying it was “not fussy” – just like them. “We made the place names out of driftwood that Nick’s mum collected from the beach,” smiles Rosie. “I made candlesticks out of small tin cans and our vases were larger cans. Our seating plan was displayed on a large piece of driftwood.”

Photos courtesy of Jay Emme Photography.

Rosie quickly learned that choosing a strapless wedding gown came with responsibility. “I spent the whole summer making sure I didn’t get strap marks,” she laughs.

“In keeping with the simple theme, we had gypsophila for all the bouquets and throughout the venue,” describes Rosie.

The unusual wedding cake was inspired by an upside down Christmas tree Rosie’s parents once owned. “All the family got the reference,” smiles Rosie.

“Jay, our photographer, was brilliant,” praises Rosie. “She’s a friend of mine and I’d always known that if we ever got married I’d want her to take the photos.”