The Bride & Groom

They met on common ground, both working for a menswear brand in the heart of the West End carving out careers in the fashion industry, Stuart in the area of Brand Management & Jade working in Product Development. But life started out very differently for Jade & Stu….

Jade

My parents don’t tend to stay in one place for too long. I was born over 11,000km away from here in mum’s hometown Bandung in Indonesia. Within months of me being born we had moved to Singapore where my dad had started a new job. Singapore was a great place to grow up as a kid, spending most of my time outdoors I remember sunny days spent on roof top pools eating ice-cream and competing with my dad on who could swim the furthest underwater without coming up for air.  

With mum being one of twelve siblings, my sister & I have been raised in a close knit, if not slightly crazy family environment where your business is everyone’s business. When I was eight we moved back to Indo for a year or so, where I was schooled in Jakarta. The only half white girl in a very local school, and towering above everyone in my class, I had to work pretty hard to blend in - let’s just say it was character building!

In little over a year we moved again, this time to England. Along with the change in climate, the UK was a very different place altogether. It was really where I matured, met my closest friends and where I’ve found the person I want to spend (almost) every day with. There’s so much to be grateful for in my upbringing, so many good memories & events that I’ve been lucky enough to experience. Home for me will always be hard to pin down, but I know wherever I end up, I want it to be with Stu. I’m excited for our future together!

Stuart

“Well it’s finally happened” I can hear my father’s voice. “Hallelujah you’re not a boy anymore”. Well Mam and Dad, you’re right on both counts. I’ll be 39 when I get married. “Miracles do happen”, well mother you’re right again. As you can grasp, brought up in a loving, understanding and caring home I developed a very thick skin.

My answer on all accounts was ‘I haven’t met the right person’. Well I have now! Loving, understanding and caring Jade is the perfect foil for my northern grit. Some say negative, others say pessimist. I say realist.

Growing up in an end terrace council house with a childhood anyone would envy. Two loving parents, three loving siblings, a massive park, rolling fields and hand me downs a plenty. There are lots of things my parents lovingly raised me with - manners, ideals & social perspective.

I cannot neglect my sibling’s influences - schooling me on Americana, Punk, Northern Soul, New Wave and Indie. Sorry sis, Wham never registered on my gaydar! I have early memories of The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and The Stones.

Overall I’ve met some amazing characters and beautiful friends in my life, some who you will meet and others who will live forever in my memory.

Here’s to the future and the next chapter. Thank you for being part of our journey x