Perrie Edwards experienced a rollercoaster of emotions just hours before her wedding to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as a precious diamond necklace went missing, only to be miraculously found by her hairstylist.
A Precious Gift
The Little Mix star, 32, tied the knot with the professional footballer, also 32, in a picturesque ceremony in Portugal on Saturday. The couple, who share son Axel, four, and daughter Alanis, six months, were surrounded by loved ones at a Catholic church in Estoi.
However, the joyous occasion was nearly overshadowed when Edwards realized her diamond necklace—a gift from Oxlade-Chamberlain after Axel's birth—had vanished. She had worn it daily and was devastated by its disappearance.
The Search
Speaking to Vogue, Edwards recalled: 'I cried all day, we looked everywhere – we even checked the hoover – but it was gone. I was convinced someone had stolen it.'
Hope seemed lost until the morning of the wedding, when hairstylist Aaron Carlo came to the rescue. 'He was sorting through my hair extensions, and he said: “Okay, Perrie: what I’m about to show you is your something old, your something new, your everything in one, and you’re going to cry.”'
Carlo had discovered the locket tangled in the hair extensions. 'Sure enough, upon seeing the precious locket he’d found caught up in the hair, the reaction was instant, and she was sobbing all over again, this time from happiness.'
A Perfect Day
'I was so happy and so relieved. It set the tone – I knew from that moment it was gonna be the best day ever,' she added.
The emotional moments continued at the altar. 'Alex isn’t a crier – he doesn’t get emotional that often. But when he turned around at the altar and saw me for the first time, we both just cried our eyes out. I thought: “I’ll never forget this moment right here. It was beautiful. I’ve never experienced a room so full of love.”'
Celebrations
Bandmates Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock attended the wedding. Thirlwall left early for the Primavera Sound festival, while Pinnock stayed to dance. Edwards joked: 'We were absolutely going off to En Vogue… we still remembered all of our harmonies and the choreography!'
The couple have been together since 2017 and got engaged in 2022. The wedding caps a milestone year for Edwards, who released her debut solo album in September and welcomed daughter Alanis in January.
'Yes! I have the birth of my album and the birth of my child coming, and I can’t believe it’s all fallen at the same time. It’s wild,' she said earlier this year. 'Obviously, it wasn’t planned, but I feel like it’s worked out to be good.'
