Nikki Parkinson is the ‘go to girl ‘ for styling! Her blog, Styling You, helps busy women get out the door each day looking and feeling the best they can. As Nikki says, it’s not about embracing the latest fashion (although this certainly helps!). It’s about really understanding what makes women tick and what drives their personalities so they can dress accordingly – and feel amazing!
I am so excited today to have a glass of bubbles with Nikki and to chat about how she styled her own wedding!
Tell us about you and your business/blog?
I’m a former journalist who said goodbye to media land seven years ago to start a personal styling business … only to find myself back in “new” media land with my blog Styling You that has grown to be my full-time business. Styling You aims to help women find greater personal confidence through unlocking their style. My book, Unlock Your Style , contains all the keys to doing that. On the blog each day we help women with advice around trends to try and beauty products to embrace. We also have a community of women sharing their #everydaystyle outfits as part of an ongoing style Instagram challenge.
Everything we do is aimed at getting women to think about prioritising themselves (something most of us are not good at!) and showing that just a little thought into how your present yourself to the world each day can go a long way to helping you tackle what that day throws at you.
Tell us about your wedding?
We were living on the Sunshine Coast and loved the beach so chose a beachside lunch-time wedding. I’m a big fan of the long lunch and in our heads we thought this might save on the drinks bill. Wrong! It was a beautiful September day in 2004 surrounded by family and friends and filled with laughter and tears. I remember looking around the room at one point and noting just how much fun everyone was having. This was our aim and to this day it’s what I remember the most.
What was your most memorable moment (or moments!)?
Apart from everyone having fun, it was quite an emotional day. It was touch and go there for a few days as to whether my father-in-law would be able to fly home for the wedding, having been in a health emergency in the UK a few weeks before. He did but the enormity of what had happened to him and his survival had us all in tears.
The wedding was also the bringing together of my two children from a previous marriage into our new family. We symbolised that with a sand ceremony, where each of us poured a cup of sand into a glass vase. That vase and sand is still with us and we light a candle in it to mark special occasions.
Now, possibly the moment to top all moments was after the reception. We’d warned the bar across the road that we’d be heading there ‘en masse’ at 5pm. On arrival, I handed them one of our mixed CDs (pre iTunes playlists!). The first track was Young MC’s ‘Bust a Move’ – and so it became our unofficial bridal waltz!
If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Provide more shade for our guests when they were drinking and celebrating whilst we went to the beach to have photos after the ceremony. It ended up being a very hot day and people got very thirsty very quickly!
Who are your favourite vendors?
Julie Whitehead Cakes was amazing! Julie drove the cake up from Brisbane. We truly had no idea how big it would be. It was massive and full of chocolatey decadence. Such a tasty way to serve dessert at a wedding.
Wendy Makin Bridal Designs. I loved working with Wendy to create a timeless gown that ended up being a combination of two different gowns she had in her collection at the time. I’d still choose something similar today.
Who was your photographer?
Images by Lou O’Brien. Lou was a photographer at the newspaper we both worked at and we knew she’d be perfect for the job. She was someone we knew could work quickly and capture the candid moments.
Images via Images by Lou O’Brien
What advice do you have for others planning their wedding?
Think about the overall feeling you want to remember about the day and plan towards creating that feeling. The details are important but what you’ll remember most – ten years on – is just how enjoyable the day was. And on a note about the dress. It’s so important that you understand your personal style and choose a dress or gown to reflect that. Yes, it’s going to be a stunning version of your personal style but it should still be essentially YOU.
Thank you Nikki for sharing your wedding day stories with us: your advice on choosing a gown that is essentially you is so true! For more tips about discovering your own personal style, head to Styling You for fun and inspirational words of wisdom!!
I enjoy reading this article. There are always exciting things that make a wedding special and unique. I like the interview style of this articule. Looking forward to reading more in the future.