Nadia and Matthew met 11 years ago at JD Sports, Trafford Centre, where they both worked. Nadia oversaw the junior department, and Matthew supervised the changing rooms (conveniently for this love story, the changing rooms were located next to the junior section). Work chat turned to flirty banter, and it wasn't long before the couple were enthralled by one another. Matthew recalls, “we both played hard to get and to this day still argue over who made the first move; although, it was Nadia that slid into my DMs first wanting to 'swap a shift', which was code for do you want to go on a date”. Matthew knew pretty quickly that Nadia would be a keeper, so he asked her to be his girlfriend on New Year's Day 2014 and 10 years later the happy couple would be getting married!
When it came to proposals, Matthew had a couple of planning hiccups to navigate. After just two years of dating Matthew wanted to put a ring on Nadia's finger, and luckily, her friend Becky worked in jewellery! Equipped with an expert friend and his mother, Matthew could begin the hunt. In 2019 he found the perfect ring and was now ready to pop the question, but what location would be the one? Matthew details, “I decided to book us a holiday to Cape Verde for May 2020 and had booked us a private meal on the beach whilst we were there, and that was to be my nerve-wracking moment to pop the question to Nadia... then COVID struck... the holiday was cancelled, and my plans were in tatters”. Suddenly we were all locked in our homes, and for Matthew he had a ring burning a hole in his pocket. Matthew adds, “from our bedroom window you can see Rivington Pike, and I thought that would be nice, we can see the place I proposed every morning when we wake up. So, that's where I popped the question, not quite Cape Verde but still very special nonetheless”.
Dive into the details of their wedding day at: Your North West Wedding - Issue 92 June/July 2025