An intimate festive micro-wedding at Dundee Registrars Office

 

When asked what the highlight of their wedding was, newlyweds Olly and Anisha are quick to respond.

“The fact that it went ahead!” they reply. “Finally arriving at the registrars office and knowing it was happening.”

Their wedding story is typical of 2020 couples, characterised by uncertainty, stripped back numbers and doubts over whether it would actually happen.

They finally did say “I do” right at the end of December in an intimate celebration filled with love and happiness.

Read on to hear how their day went down, captured beautifully by Ross Alexander Photography.

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Olly and Anisha first met four years ago in London through dating app Bumble – “yep it works” says Anisha.

The couple dated for just under three years before Olly proposed at the top of Whistler mountain in Canada. Cue an “Are you serious?!” from Anisha.

The answer of course was a resounding yes and they have a large celebration planned for some time in 2021 but were determined to get married, whatever the size of wedding before.

However, right up until their wedding day they weren’t sure it would go ahead.

“The biggest change was on 19 December when all UK governments announced there would be only one day of mixing at Christmas followed by a strict lockdown,” says Anisha.

“Our hearts sank, we cried, we thought it would be cancelled.”

However, their registrar put their minds at ease and confirmed they would be allowed to travel to Dundee registrar office for their ceremony.

The couple wanted to marry in Dundee, close to Olly’s Angus home, as a nod to his Scottish roots, while their bigger celebration will be held in Cheshire, near to Anisha’s native Manchester.

The night before the wedding was a whirl of excitement. Anisha’s family went out for a “cheeky Nando’s” while Olly joined his family for dinner at his dad’s farm.

The next morning Anisha’s mum joined her at the Malmaison Hotel for breakfast and bubbles and then the bride took her time to get ready.

At one point Anisha had been left with nothing to wear for her wedding.

While she had already picked out a wedding dress for the bigger celebration, she didn’t have an outfit for the small ceremony.

Luckily, she and her mum had already been bridesmaid outfit shopping on Wilmslow Road, and area of Manchester famed for its Indian and Pakistani clothes shops. 

An emerald green traditional Pakistani outfit that she had tried on just for fun turned out to be perfect for her ceremony – “clearly everything happens for a reason!”

On the day of the wedding, she accessorised with a beautiful pair of emerald earrings, gifted by her maid of honour, alongside an “incredibly special” emerald and diamond pendant from Olly’s mum.

She finished off the look with a pair of red tartan shoes.

“They clashed with my dress but looked awesome,” laughs Anisha.

Olly complemented his bride with an emerald Black Watch kilt and tartan mask and a pewter kilt pin Anisha gave him as a wedding present.

Anisha admits to being incredibly nervous walking down the aisle to Pomatter Pie, the instrumental from her favourite musical Waitress.

“I had to let it play for around 20 seconds to get to the right part,” she says. “That felt like a lifetime!”

Olly and Anisha opted for a neutral, non-religious ceremony and praised their amazing celebrant.

“We didn’t get much chance to talk about the ceremony beforehand due to the nature of the pandemic but she was truly brilliant!” says Anisha.

The couple wrote their own promises before they made their vows – a mix of funny and authentic moments and promises about their relationship, prompting Olly to get a lump in his throat.

“We were both emotional at this point but gathered ourselves to get through the rest of the ceremony,” says Anisha.

“It was really special.”

Olly and Anisha had initially planned a drinks reception at the V&A museum’s restaurant but when Covid restrictions put paid to that they switched to an intimate dinner at Olly’s dad’s home.

They created a cosy atmosphere with lots of candles and vases and a sweet “Aye Do” neon sign above the dinner table.

The father of the groom treated them all to homemade salmon en croute while Olly’s mum made summer pudding and peach tart for dessert.

A family friend had made one wedding cake while Anisha’s mum brought another from the same company that had made her first birthday cake.

Olly’s brother Henry, who was his best man, made a wonderful speech, including just how hungover Anisha had been on the couple’s first date.

“Both hilarious and embarrassing to admit to the whole family!” she says.

Now that they are finally Mr and Mrs, they say they feel closer to one another and grateful to be married.

And they advise other couples to accept what they can and can’t control and try to stay positive.

They say, “It is so hard these days but at the end of the day, big wedding, micro-wedding, elopement; it’s all about love!”