Love Story – Emily & Nick Brierley

Even a pandemic could not stop this whirlwind love story.

Emily and Nick Brierley are two Sydney primary school teachers who, while managing a whole new world of teaching their students, also pulled off planning a wedding.

Emily and Nick had known of each other in passing, but they had not properly met until another teacher had graciously decided they would be a good match, and casually set them up. Not long afterwards, in May 2019, Emily and Nick had their first date and connected instantly. Within a year, and during April’s lockdown, Nick proposed to Emily. Emily tells how it was a strange time. They couldn’t properly see people to be able to celebrate, like couples normally would, and the reality clashed with how they had always envisioned that time of their lives to be.

Not knowing how long this strange new world was going to last, Emily and Nick decided on a short engagement and set a date that coincided with the next school holidays, just three months later!

But planning a wedding during that time was full of unknowns. Emily says it felt strange not knowing where they could marry or how many people they could share their day with, as restrictions were changing daily.  Though they had liked the idea of a small wedding, not knowing how small was frustrating. Initially, it seemed it would only be their parents and witnesses, Nick’s Best Man and Emily’s Brides-Mate, with dinner at Emily’s family home.

Emily admits that while it was very hard knowing they couldn’t have everyone there, including her brother and his family in Singapore, and her aunt in Perth, they decided that they didn’t want to wait two years for everything to be back to ‘normal’ and so they continued with their plans.

But those plans weren’t short of obstacles. With stores closed, shopping was limited to the uncertainties of online purchases. Emily and her mum trawled the ASOS Bridal website and found a dress that looked like what she was searching for. Full of nerves about it not fitting or not looking like the picture, when it arrived and she tried it on, it was everything she had hoped for. Emily found the perfect shoes to match from Panache Bridal Shoes, and everything fell into place. Even the groom’s and best man’s outfits reportedly took an easy 15 minutes in a suit shop.

Meanwhile, as the date approached, panic was setting in about where they could wed. Then, exactly one month before the wedding, they had an email from a venue that turned things around. Restrictions had changed to allow square meterage for social distancing, and they could accommodate a wedding. Their wedding! Emily happily recalls the moment as being when things started to go in their favour. They booked the venue, flowers, cake, band, made online Canva invitations, and created an invite list, in one weekend.

On the 4 July 2020, Emily and Nick shared their vows at Sacred Heart Mosman, celebrating afterwards with 60 guests at Burnt Orange restaurant. They feel grateful that at that time, they were able to have what was a perfect number to them.

Emily and Nick’s wedding was unconventional in many ways—but when they look back on their perfect crisp winter day wedding, they both agree that they loved every minute of it and say that they wouldn’t change a thing.