NMJ Lovers | Cassie & Alexei
Thirteen years after igniting their love story, Cassie and Alexei tied the knot earlier this year at the iconic Royal Botanical Kew Gardens in England. Their wedding day was nothing short of perfect, and despite the rain, their spirits remained unshaken as they celebrated their love surrounded by their nearest and dearest.
We caught up with Cassie and Alexei to delve into the intricacies of their special day and the next exciting new chapter as newlyweds.
Let's go back to the beginning, how did you meet?
We met 13 years ago in our last year of university. We were 20 and 21 years young and would bump into each other on nights out and house parties. I always said to my friends that I wanted Alexei to be my boyfriend one day...and look at us now. Manifestation at it's finest!
Cassie, how did Alexei propose to you? What do you remember most about this special moment?
On Christmas morning, with our 3 month old daughter in his arms. He had told me that he had one more present for me and had hidden the ring box within our Christmas tree branches. I cried...a lot. I was speechless for a good few minutes. A mixture of postnatal hormones and pure joy!
Cassie, what was your reaction when you saw your engagement ring for the first time?
I recognised the ring box and the logo from being a fan of NMJ for many years - so this got me very excited! And when we opened the box I was so beyond happy to wear this forever. I've always wanted an alternative to diamond and the pink morganite with rose gold band was such a good choice.
What does marriage mean to you both?
A lifetime commitment to each other and our happy little family.
Alexei, we’d love to know why you chose NMJ to help create the perfect engagement ring for Cassie.
We lived in Australia for 3 years and I knew that Cassie loved NMJ and would have always wanted a ring from Natalie. I knew that she loved pink morganites and thought she would love a fine rose gold ring as it matches her existing jewellery collection. The strange thing is, my twin brother ordered his girlfriend an engagement ring from NMJ at the same time as I did and neither of us knew that the other had done it, until he proposed a couple of weeks before I did!
Let's go back to the beginning, how did you meet?
We met 13 years ago in our last year of university. We were 20 and 21 years young and would bump into each other on nights out and house parties. I always said to my friends that I wanted Alexei to be my boyfriend one day...and look at us now. Manifestation at it's finest!
Cassie, how did Alexei propose to you? What do you remember most about this special moment?
On Christmas morning, with our 3 month old daughter in his arms. He had told me that he had one more present for me and had hidden the ring box within our Christmas tree branches. I cried...a lot. I was speechless for a good few minutes. A mixture of postnatal hormones and pure joy!
Cassie, what was your reaction when you saw your engagement ring for the first time?
I recognised the ring box and the logo from being a fan of NMJ for many years - so this got me very excited! And when we opened the box I was so beyond happy to wear this forever. I've always wanted an alternative to diamond and the pink morganite with rose gold band was such a good choice.
What does marriage mean to you both?
A lifetime commitment to each other and our happy little family.
Alexei, we’d love to know why you chose NMJ to help create the perfect engagement ring for Cassie.
We lived in Australia for 3 years and I knew that Cassie loved NMJ and would have always wanted a ring from Natalie. I knew that she loved pink morganites and thought she would love a fine rose gold ring as it matches her existing jewellery collection. The strange thing is, my twin brother ordered his girlfriend an engagement ring from NMJ at the same time as I did and neither of us knew that the other had done it, until he proposed a couple of weeks before I did!
Your wedding was truly spectacular, from vibrant florals to the light filled ceremony. Where and when did you get married - tell us a little about your day?
We chose to get married at The Royal Botanical Kew Gardens, in late March 2023. It's super local to where we live and a place that we often visit together and have for many years. The dream was to one day get married here. The ceremony was in the Nash Conservatory in the gardens, a 19th century glasshouse which was originally built in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, then moved brick-by-brick to Kew in 1836.
It rained and it poured on our wedding day! But it was perfect in every way, it was especially impactful being in the glasshouse during the rain.
A best friend of ours led the ceremony, so it was super personal and she wore a handmade floral crown from our amazing florist. Our florist did such an incredible job, using romantic pink roses and vibrant red roses for a pop of colour, as well as lilac phalaenopsis orchids and statement anthuriums.
My dress was from Shona Joy and I was so happy with what I picked out - it was a very last minute decision. I actually bought it 2 weeks before the big day! Our bridesmaids were in lilac and our little daughter, aged 1.5 at the time, was our flower girl with two of her besties. The boys and Alexei all looked dapper in their cream and muted tones.
I was actually nine weeks pregnant with our second child at the time of the wedding, so that was our special little secret for our big day!
We had a pop up gin bar from local distillery Sipsmith Gin and then everyone went on to the local Kew Gardens hotel for dinner and dancing!
We decided to both choose our ceremonial rings from NMJ, I opted for the Madelyn Diamond Crown (similar to our Reina Crown Ring) in Rose Gold to match my engagement ring and Alexei chose the Heavy Naum Stacking Ring in Yellow Gold. Our baby nephew was our ring bearer and hand delivered them all the way from Australia on the big day!
Your wedding was truly spectacular, from vibrant florals to the light filled ceremony. Where and when did you get married - tell us a little about your day?
We chose to get married at The Royal Botanical Kew Gardens, in late March 2023. It's super local to where we live and a place that we often visit together and have for many years. The dream was to one day get married here. The ceremony was in the Nash Conservatory in the gardens, a 19th century glasshouse which was originally built in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, then moved brick-by-brick to Kew in 1836.
It rained and it poured on our wedding day! But it was perfect in every way, it was especially impactful being in the glasshouse during the rain.
A best friend of ours led the ceremony, so it was super personal and she wore a handmade floral crown from our amazing florist. Our florist did such an incredible job, using romantic pink roses and vibrant red roses for a pop of colour, as well as lilac phalaenopsis orchids and statement anthuriums.
My dress was from Shona Joy and I was so happy with what I picked out - it was a very last minute decision. I actually bought it 2 weeks before the big day! Our bridesmaids were in lilac and our little daughter, aged 1.5 at the time, was our flower girl with two of her besties. The boys and Alexei all looked dapper in their cream and muted tones.
I was actually nine weeks pregnant with our second child at the time of the wedding, so that was our special little secret for our big day!
We had a pop up gin bar from local distillery Sipsmith Gin and then everyone went on to the local Kew Gardens hotel for dinner and dancing!
We decided to both choose our ceremonial rings from NMJ, I opted for the Madelyn Diamond Crown (similar to our Reina Crown Ring) in Rose Gold to match my engagement ring and Alexei chose the Heavy Naum Stacking Ring in Yellow Gold. Our baby nephew was our ring bearer and hand delivered them all the way from Australia on the big day!
"The dream was to one day get married here. The ceremony was in the Nash Conservatory in the gardens, a 19th century glasshouse which was originally built in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, then moved brick-by-brick to Kew in 1836."
"The dream was to one day get married here. The ceremony was in the Nash Conservatory in the gardens, a 19th century glasshouse which was originally built in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, then moved brick-by-brick to Kew in 1836."
We feel so honoured to have played a small role on your special day, what was a highlight?
One of the highlights was the chance to have a photo shoot within the Palm House amongst all the tropical plants!
At NMJ, at the heart of everything we do is love. Tough question, but tell us, what do you know about love?
Since the birth of our daughter we experienced a new depth of love, a love that continues to grow and strengthen as she has gone from infant to toddler over the past 2 years. It surprised me that these feelings of love can even exist and how they expand daily. I'm sure that with the birth of our baby boy this year we'll experience a new layer of love within our family.
We feel so honoured to have played a small role on your special day, what was a highlight?
One of the highlights was the chance to have a photo shoot within the Palm House amongst all the tropical plants!
At NMJ, at the heart of everything we do is love. Tough question, but tell us, what do you know about love?
Since the birth of our daughter we experienced a new depth of love, a love that continues to grow and strengthen as she has gone from infant to toddler over the past 2 years. It surprised me that these feelings of love can even exist and how they expand daily. I'm sure that with the birth of our baby boy this year we'll experience a new layer of love within our family.
