Contents

TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

Inspirations

CHAPTER TWO

The Cryer

CHAPTER THREE

The Con

CHAPTER FOUR

A Rathkeale Wedding

CHAPTER FIVE

The Bride Who Couldn’t Decide

CHAPTER SIX

The Game-Changer

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Family Rivalry

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Bumpy Road to the Altar

CHAPTER NINE

The Bride Without a Wedding

CHAPTER TEN

Me and My Big Mouth

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

COPYRIGHT

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Introduction

I have enjoyed working with the traveller community ever since they first started coming to me, 20 years ago, when I worked on a market stall in Liverpool. I’ve made some wonderful friends among them, and throughout my career, I’ve felt their support and warmth.

I’ve done proms, First Communions, engagement parties, all sorts … But of course the one area that has had the biggest impact – on both my business and my personal life – is the weddings. It’s through preparing for these big days with the girls that I’ve got to know both them and their way of life better than when I’m putting together any other type of creation. Because gypsy weddings are not like non-traveller weddings, from the intricate specifics of their customs and traditions to the unbelievable imagination and determination that they put into getting the wedding dresses and outfits that will bring their dreams to life. Each time I take an order for a new wedding, I am not just accepting a new piece of business: I am beginning a new journey.

But some of those journeys have been bumpy rides, to say the least! Along the way there have been tears, tantrums and tiaras. I’ve seen girls threaten to cut all their hair off if they don’t get their own way and I’ve had them pleading and begging with me to keep their darkest secrets. And I’ve seen families reach the brink of collapse through bitter feuding about the tiniest details and exchanged the level of kindness with them that I would normally reserve for my own family. Yet despite all the dramas and the heartache that I’ve seen along the way, there isn’t a single experience that I would take back; each and every wedding has been a mini saga of its own, and I’ve loved them all.

The stories included here are my Top Ten most memorable weddings. They’re not all about the dress, although there are dresses here that have changed the course of my career and my dressmaking business Nico, forever.

And they’re not just about the wedding day itself either; after all, for many of these brides, it’s the journey to the altar – and all of the negotiating and heartache that this can involve – that is the biggest part of the picture. But every single one of these ten weddings has been something really special to me. They’re a real window into the worlds of both Nico and all its chaotic splendour and the travelling community and its secretive ways. Whether you laugh, cry or simply enjoy the gorgeous dresses, I hope you get as much fun out of these ten most extraordinary gypsy weddings as I have.

To the happy couples!