Real Brides: Katie

James and I met via Hinge two weeks after I moved from London to Yorkshire at the end of the first lockdown in the UK. I’d had a terrible time dating in London, and my little sister told me to move to Yorkshire, where I’d meet a good man and have the family I longed for. Long story short, she was right, and via the miracle of IVF, we had our two sons in 2022 and earlier this year.

I had a very specific idea of the wedding dress I wanted. I found it on Pinterest and located the closest stockist to me, which was Rachel Ash in Market Harborough, two and a half hours away from where we live in Leeds. My sister and I traveled there in March 2023; it was the first dress I tried on, and I knew it was the one. I tried on quite a few others, as it would be rude not to, but ultimately came back to that dress—it was very me! I paired it with a gorgeous Theia satin petal cathedral-length veil to add more detail to the look. I received an astounding amount of compliments on the day, which I’m sure is the case for most brides, but so many people told me it was the most stunning wedding dress they’d ever seen.