A bride, who is 21 years older than her fiance, has revealed her wedding struggles with her toy-boy groom as he insists she wears a traditional white dress.
Vanessa, 47, from South Africa, who admitted she was older than her fiance’s mother, appeared on tonight’s episode of TLC’s Curvy Brides Boutique to hunt for her perfect wedding dress with friends Jo Cooke and Alison Law.
But her ideas of a perfect dress seem to differ from that of her groom, Nathan, 26, who wants her to wear a traditional white wedding gown.
South African born Vanessa ends up opting for a dress that she knows Nathan will love, as she calls the wedding ‘his vision’ and ‘Nathan’s baby.’
South African born Vanessa arrived at the boutique in Essex for help finding her husband’s dream wedding dress
While bride Vanessa admitted she wasn’t bothered about what she wears on the big day, Nathan insists she walk down the aisle in a traditional white gown
Visiting the boutique five months before the big day, she revealed husband-to-be Nathan is ‘one of the kindest people’ she’s ever met.
Despite the 21-year-age gap, the couple say they fell for each other almost the moment they met.
Having met online, Vanessa invited Nathan over to do some chores at her home – and it didn’t take long for sparks to fly between the couple.
Nathan revealed: ‘I fancied Vanessa as soon as I met her – of course. I’m constantly bragging about Vanessa to all of my friends.’
The couple – who have a twenty one year age gap – met online, with Nathan saying he fell for Vanessa ‘straight away’
‘She knows a whole different amount of skills, photography, cooking, craft – these are all things that no one in my sort of age group knows anything about’
But having been married once before, she admits she isn’t bothered about having a huge white wedding.
The couple have chosen the unconventional venue of their favourite local curry house for their wedding reception.
But in every other aspect, Nathan wants a traditional day, with Vanessa revealing:’The wedding is Nathan’s baby.’
But she called the wedding ‘Nathan’s baby’ and said she wasn’t keen on having a big event to celebrate
Nathan couldn’t hide his distain when his bride Vanessa admitted she wasn’t planning on wearing white to the wedding
‘Nathan wants all the bells and all the whistles and I don’t.’ And the groom can’t hide his distain when Vanessa admits she isn’t planning to wear white – despite him telling her he ‘hopes’ to see her in the colour on the day.
She explained: ‘He wants me to wear a wedding dress. He wants a veil. He wants a train. He wants a tiara. I’m surprised he doesn’t want to put me on top of the cake.’
When Vanessa arrives at the boutique, she tells the same thing to boutique owners Jo and Alison.
The bride told boutique owner Jo Cook that the wedding was ‘Nathan’s vision’ and that she didn’t want a train, a veil or any fuss
She said: ‘Normally the wedding is all about the bride – this is Nathan’s day. I’ve been married before. It’s his vision.’
She shocked the wedding boutique owners by continuing: ‘I’m older than his mum. By a month.’
Vanessa and her friends admit they all call him the ‘sex hamster’, collapsing into fits of giggles.
But when it comes to the dress, there’s no messing about, with Vanessa saying: ‘I don’t want a veil, I don’t want a train, I don’t want fuss.
The bride ends up opting for exactly the kind of dress she knows Nathan will like – with plenty of lace, which he has hinted he loves
‘That’s the kind of thing I wouldn’t like. But that’s the kind of thing Nathan would like.’
And as the boutique owners begin to look through potential options, Vanessa has her groom’s wishes on her mind.
She said: ‘I know he loves lace. He has mentioned lace on so many occasions.’
But Jo and Alison are divided, saying:’I don’t know if I’m pleasing Vanessa or Nathan at the moment.’
But when she tries on one strapless gown, she can’t help but reveal she loves the princess dress
Admitting she ‘feels pretty’, Vanessa opts for a huge white princess gown, with plenty of lace – which she knows Nathan loves
The first dress leaves Vanessa chuckling and making jokes, so it’s up to the boutique owners to find her something that she could feel confident in.
And the second gown she tries on leaves her in awe, as she reveals: ‘I don’t think I would have ever thought about myself in this kind of dress.’
But she knows Nathan will ‘love’ the princess dress, and she admits she may finally be coming round to the idea, saying: ‘I love the way this dress makes me look. I feel pretty.’