Celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke has married his partner of 14 years Kelly Simpkin in an intimate ceremony in London.
The hairdressing icon, 63, tied the knot with Kelly in a chic ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, and the special day celebrated both their nuptials and Kelly’s 40th birthday.
The couple, who share son Nico, four, and daughter CeCee, two, threw out wedding day traditions as they prepared to become man and wife, as Nicky did Kelly’s hair on the morning of their big day.
The 40-year-old, who met Nicky when she was a stylist in his salon, designed her own wedding dress, which was a 1970s-inspired ethereal gown, accessorised with green heels and a crown of eucalyptus leaves atop her blonde locks.
Nicky walked up the aisle with Nico and CeCee, while Kelly entered the historical wood-panelled room to Hall & Oates’ track Had I Known You Better Then, and was escorted by dad Malcolm.
The couple exchanged vows in front of 30 guests, including Nicky’s 98-year-old mother Rena and celebrity friends Anthea Turner, Caprice Bourret, and fellow hairdresser Lee Stafford.
Kelly told OK! magazine that they wanted to have a ‘real celebration’ for the wedding, which involved bucking tradition and not having any speeches.
“We’ve been together so long it was just about making that complete and to share it with the children. For us, we didn’t want the real textbook wedding, which can be quite stressful,” she explained.
They left the wedding venue to Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's iconic track Ain't No Mountain High Enough, and headed to party with their loved ones at the Crypt at St Etheldreda's, which also hosted Henry VIII’s wedding feast in 1531.
Nicky said the ‘traditional wedding’ didn’t suit them and their relationship, and they opted to make their wedding about family and friends, rather than being solely focused on tying the knot.
“There are people we haven’t seen for months due to the pandemic, and we wanted a big celebration,” he shared.
Nicky, who has two older children from a previous relationship, said he and Kelly would be enjoying a short honeymoon in Bath for a few days to have a ‘little break and a lie in’, then jetting off with the kids in the New Year.
