Bride and groom kissing in front of fairy lights

Maria and Josh met when they both worked at sea. “We had an instant connection around our love of food,” says Maria. “We became close friends really quickly and it turned into love without us looking for it. He is my soulmate and best friend. Our first date was a visit to a brewery in Alaska and it was perfect.”

Wedding dress hung at window

A picturesque proposal

Josh proposed in a lavender field near London. “I love flowers so we took a day trip to visit some lavender fields,” says Maria. “We had talked about getting married, so it was a choice we both made together. I wanted a unique ring and got a beautiful rose gold one. It was us and that was all that mattered! We celebrated getting engaged at Cakes and Bubbles in London.”

Wedding dresses Edinburgh 

Maria found her dress when she walked past WED2B’s store in the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre, Edinburgh. “I had been looking for dresses but nothing really felt right,” she says.

“I wanted something different. Plus, I needed it soon, as we had a short engagement. Everyone at WED2B was so nice and helpful. Trying on dresses was the first time the reality sank in and I felt like a bride. My family and friends live abroad, so I had to video call them and show them the dresses. The staff were so helpful, they held the phone for me and took pictures, so I could share this moment with my family.”

Bride having her dress buttoned up stood at window

A vintage style dress

“I wore Niamh,” says Maria.

“The moment I put it on I knew that was the one. I wanted something different and unique and a short dress was just that. It had a vintage feel to it and it allowed me to wear fun shoes, which I really wanted. The dress felt like it was made for me. I didn’t have a clue of what I wanted when I walked in, so the staff gave me five completely different styles and this made it so much easier. That’s how I found it.” (For similar styles try Edna, Dollie or Kristina)

Glittery red shoes with tulle skirt

A stylish hotel venue

The couple married in the cellar room at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh. “It was the first venue we visited,” says Maria. “We quickly fell in love with the style and it was the perfect size for our intimate wedding. The event coordinator was absolutely lovely and so helpful and the rooms were spectacular. We got married on 20th February 2022 and I am so glad we chose this venue, as they made it perfect.”

Bride and groom stood on steps of Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh

The big day

“My best friend is a professional hairdresser and she travelled all the way from Colombia to style me and be one of my bridesmaids,” says Maria. “We got ready at the hotel in a lovely conference room with my sister, my mum and my aunt who both walked me down the aisle to an acoustic version of ‘Falling In Love With You’. The most special moment was exchanging rings. We had made them ourselves at a workshop where you could create your own wedding rings. It made them so special to us.”

Bride sat at dining table with cocktail in hand

After the ceremony there was a cocktail reception in another room at the hotel with canapés and drinks. “Then we headed back to our wedding breakfast in the cellar room,” says Maria. “We had an acoustic duo sing and we danced to ‘Levitating’ by Dua Lipa for our first dance, which is one of our favourite songs.”

A love of travel

The couple had a travel-themed wedding. “The invitations were in the form of boarding passes and we had luggage tags and mini suitcases as favours,” says Maria. “We also had a travel-themed photo booth and travel decorations. Instead of a cake we went with a donut wall, so we could choose different flavours and it was lovely. The colour palette was burgundy, so I wore burgundy shoes and accessories and we had burgundy candles. We did a lot of our own decorations, which I really liked, as I felt involved with it all.”

Bride and groom holding glasses of prosecco with raspberries in

Magic moments

“It’s hard to pick the most memorable moment,” says Maria.

“Everything really! It felt so special but mostly it felt like it was very us and not just another typical wedding. We had a sparkler send off and it was really fun. Getting ready with my friends felt really special, too.”

My top tips…

"Get ready at the wedding venue,” says Maria. “It took so much stress away to just be there and not have to think of traffic and ruining my hair and makeup on the way."

Maria’s Dream Team

Photographer: Rebekah Molloy

Venue: Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel 

Donuts: The Kilted Donut 

Flowers: Rose Parks

f you would like your big day to be one of our real weddings please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch. Or click here for more details about WED2B’s wedding dresses Ireland.