On the morning of the wedding, hairstylist Aaron Carlo – who also styled the bride on the day – was helping her to get ready when a minor miracle occurred. “He was sorting through my hair extensions and he said, ‘Okay, Perrie: what I’m about to show you is your something old, your something new, your everything in one, and you’re going to cry.’” Sure enough, upon seeing the precious locket he’d found caught up in the hair: “I sobbed,” she confirms, laughing. I was so happy and so relieved. It set the tone – I knew from that moment it was gonna be the best day ever.”
Celtic midfielder Alex and Perrie invited 140 guests (including the bride’s Little Mix bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, and footballers Mason Mount, Danny Welbeck and Kieran Gibbs), to join them for a weekend of celebrations in Portugal “I love the church,” says the bride. “It’s grand and beautiful but it’s also intimate.” Walking down the aisle surrounded by loved ones is already a core memory, she adds. “Alex isn’t a crier – he doesn’t get emotional that often. But when he turned around at the altar and saw me for the first time, we both just cried our eyes out. I thought: I’ll never forget this moment right here. It was beautiful. I’ve never experienced a room so full of love.”
Following the ceremony, guests milled into the courtyard for champagne and ice cream, where a traditional Portugese guitarist was playing. “We wanted to make sure every moment of the day was an experience for our guests,” says Perrie. “We had a sextet at the church, and a 16-piece band at the reception with a full brass section. It was incredible. I wanted the day to be full of music.”
Including, naturally, a nod to Little Mix’s hit-laden back catalogue: Sol & the Gang performed the band’s number one, “Wings”, during the party. There was a throwback to the bride’s crowd-pleasing rendition of “Don’t Let Go” as a TV talent show hopeful on The X Factor, too. Though Jade had to leave Portugal early due to festival commitments, Leigh-Anne was at her bandmate’s side on the dance floor. “We were absolutely going off to En Vogue… we still remembered all of our harmonies and the choreography!”
