WEDDINGS Stacey & Tim prove that the best things come to those who wait.

Mum’s the Word

A Mothering Sunday proposal to the couple’s favourite tune was music to the ears of local bride Stacey. She and husband Tim married in The William Cecil at Stamford and after two deferred wedding dates, both agree that it was a case of third time lucky!

Wedding Photographer: Barney Staniland, BGS Weddings, 07919 927105, www.bgsweddings.co.uk.

EVIDENTLY, the best things come to those who wait. That has certainly been the experience of Stacey and Tim Nicholls, who married in Stamford in autumn.

Stacey is a shift manager at a local supermarket and when Tim came to work for her in the run up to the festive season their eyes met over Christmas puddings and panettone, leading to the couple getting together when he graduated from University and began working in the emergency services.

The couple got together in 2016 and very soon Stacey was not so much suggesting a proposal, as issuing firm instructions to the effect. Happily, Tim delivered in perhaps the most touching way possible.

In 2019 the couple had their first child, which they named Tristan. Mothering Sunday that year, the three were rushing to get out of the house to enjoy Sunday lunch with their family and the first such day as parents, which as we all know is a tall order with changing bags, prams and so on.

Tim, however, asked the family to take a few minutes to relax, and presented Stacey with her Mothering Sunday card. He also asked smart speaker Alexa to play their song, My Girl by The Temptations. In the card was a message from Tristan asking if she would marry Daddy. Naturally Stacey was thrilled and said yes immediately, and that day was more memorable than the family could ever have anticipated.

“With Covid, it was a case of third time lucky,” says Stacey. “We eventually married in August but it was the third date we’d settled on, having cancelled the other two as we’d have had to restrict the guest list. Meanwhile I had been looking online and researching colours, venues and so on, during which I’d come across a particular website and had entered a competition.”

“When Maria from the site, Bespoke Weddings, phoned to tell us we’d won venue hire and a bridal suite package, we were thrilled. We’d seen the venue, Stamford’s William Cecil, but thought it might be a bit expensive for the 60 day guests and 100 evening guests we had planned to invite.”

“A few weeks later we had a second call and we’d been entered into the second round of the competition and also won a food and drinks package for 50 guests. That really freed up the budget for other elements of the wedding... so actually, the first couple of cancelled dates enabled us to win two rounds of the site’s competitions and to have our preferred number of guests without having to cut down the guest list. We were thrilled with The William Cecil, too. It was a lovely historic venue and the team were all super.”

“The next decision I made was the dress. I had no idea what I wanted, but I visited Susan Nichols at Snob bridal in March and tried a few on. When I first put on the dress, I absolutely knew it was the one.”

“It was an A-line dress by Mori Lee called Sabrina, and had a lace overlay and spaghetti straps. The men went to Formal Affair in Peterborough and chose deep blue suits that could be paired with blush pink.”

“We worked with Keepsake Boutiques to artificial arrangements that would not only reflect the colour scheme but also provide us with something we could keep after the day. Our cake supplier, Country Kitchen Cakes, was based down the road in Weston, and created our cake, which was delicious!” >>

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

STACEY & TIM

Wedding Ceremony & Reception: The William Cecil, Stamford, 01780 750070, www.hillbrookehotels.co.uk. Wedding Dress: Susan Nicholas Opulent Bridal (SNOB), March, 01354 680077, www.s-n-o-b.co.uk. Wedding Suits: A Formal Affair, 01733 260930, www.aformalaffair.co.uk. Country Kitchen Cakes: 07929 403352 www.countrykitchencakes.co.uk. Entertainment: The New Foundations, www.thenewfoundations.com. Photographer: BGS Weddings, 07919 927105, www.bgsweddings.co.uk.n

“He also asked smart speaker Alexa to play their song, My Girl by The Temptations. In the card was a message from Tristan asking if she would marry Daddy.”

>> “We had four bridesmaids: two of my friends, my sister and my cousin. Tim couldn’t decide between his two best men, so he had them both.”

“One really lovely highlight of the reception was a soul and Motown band, called the New Foundations, based in Nottinghamshire. Naturally one of the songs they performed was My Girl!” “We’ve deferred the honeymoon but we did have a minimoon to The Spa at Barnham Broom as part of a visit to Norwich.” “It was a super day and we were so glad to be able to share it with all of our friends and family.” n

Wedding Photographer: Barney Staniland, BGS Weddings, 07919 927105, www.bgsweddings.co.uk.