Our most asked question is ‘how do you know when you’ve found ‘the one’? Some brides may not always have a straightforward dress journey and for our Emma, who was ready to give up hope, until she found The Jess dress by Eva Lendel at AP.

Read all about Emma and Derek’s dreamy day below!

Hi Emma! Lets start at the beginning, how did the two of you meet?

Derek actually interviewed me for a job 9 years ago. He tells me he fancied me from the minute he met me hence getting the job. We never actually got together until a year after though when he slid into my DMs. I was happy about that though as I secretly fancied him from the interview also. I knew pretty early on he was the one - it was just different with Derek. We have been together for just over 8 years now.

So having been together 8 years, Derek had some time to plan the proposal. Can you tell us what happened?

Derek booked for us to go to Dubai in March 2019 which was my Christmas present. We were at dinner one night and he surprised me with a dessert which revealed we were flying to Bali in the morning for 2 weeks which was a huge surprise. Our first day in Bali we were on a tour and stopped off at Padang Padang Beach. We asked someone to take a photo of us but Derek had secretly asked them to video. He then got down on one knee and said nothing through nerves! I prompted him and he eventually asked if I would marry him which was the easiest yes ever. The full beach was clapping and it was all caught on video which was amazing. My ring is just perfect and I had always wanted to go to Bali but didn’t think it was somewhere I would ever get to visit so it was extra special.

You started wedding planning during Covid, how was your experience?

Our planning was somewhat stressful but it was still an amazing experience that I’d love to do again. We booked our venue first, it was probably the easiest thing to plan as we both absolutely loved it. It surprised me how far in advance suppliers book up and how much choice there is with everything which can be overwhelming. There were so many best bits but we really loved our meal tasting with our parents.

What did you book first for your wedding day?

We booked our venue first, it was probably the easiest thing to plan as we both absolutely loved it. It surprised me how far in advance suppliers book up and how much choice there is with everything which can be overwhelming. There were so many best bits but we really loved our meal tasting with our parents.

Now your dress journey can begin! You tried on about 16 dresses in total across 3 different shops, tell us how you found AP?

I came to Anne Priscilla specifically to try the Eva Lendel Jess dress after buying another dress elsewhere and falling out of love with it. I initially went shopping with intentions of buying a long sleeved backless dress and picked the complete opposite. At the point of buying my first dress from another bridal shop, I was a bit overwhelmed and underwhelmed. I had tried so many dresses on that I felt there couldn’t be much more out there and my initial dress was the best out of everything I had tried.

Tell us about the moment you knew it was “the one”?

When I came to Anne Priscilla and tried my dress, I just knew. I was emotional, my mum was sobbing and I just felt like a bride. I could vision me wearing it on my wedding day and I didn’t want to take it off in the shop. I felt comfortable and confident in my dress, it was plain satin material which I was absolutely certain on this time round buying a second dress but it was totally outstanding and had an overskirt which allowed me to have 2 looks.

Karen was your AP stylist on the day, how integral was her advice?

Karen was extremely patient and understanding of my situation in knowing that I had to be absolutely certain with the next dress I bought and needed to love it and not change my mind again. Her expertise was invaluable in helping me make the right decision.

So, after all this planning how was the day itself?

Everything was perfect but celebrating with all our closest family and friends was just amazing. The weather wasn’t great in the morning and the rain didn’t look like it was going to stop but then the sun shone and we had our drinks reception outside, everyone was in such a good mood. We had a pianist during our drinks reception who then stayed to play during the meal (which was amazing) and then a band for our evening reception followed by a sax player for the last hour and when the lights came on nobody wanted to go home.

Tell us about your decor, did you have any surprises for your guests?

Our venue was decorated with all fresh flowers which included floral pillars, floral staircase features, floral aisle decor, individual roses in vases for centre pieces and all matched the bridal bouquets. The atmosphere was something I’ll remember forever.

We also had an artificial letter hedge which spelled out ‘The McNaughtons’. It was one of our favourite things we had planned - we didn’t tell anyone about it and everyone was amazed by it. It’s still a talking point of our day!

When Derek saw you for the first time, what has his reaction?

He was really emotional and absolutely loved my dress, he said it wasn’t what he expected but it was the right choice.

And your guests?

My guests also loved it. My bridesmaids hadn’t seen my dress before the wedding and there was lots of tears during the reveal.

Did you break or make any traditions?

We had music during our meal which we hadn’t experienced at a wedding before. We had the Glasgow piano man who really set the tone for the rest of the day and got the party started. People were up dancing during our meal and I never got to finish my dessert because I was too busy dancing! I also did a speech which isn’t usually tradition for the bride but I wanted to say thanks to all of our guests and give a few special mentions, especially my maid of honour who flew in from Australia!