Lioness Chloe Kelly Married In Shimmering Galia Lahav, Watched By Her England Teammates

Straight away, she knew she wanted to get married quite soon, with no tournament on the horizon this summer. They found the venue, Merrydale Manor, just after the New Year, and despite it being the first place they’d seen, they knew within 10 minutes that it was the one for them. Chloe took on the role of wedding planner with enthusiasm, knowing that she liked to be in control. The only slight stumbling block? Her propensity to change her mind – which happened when it came to finding her dress.

The first gown she thought she loved, she realised she didn’t like anymore when she came back to try it on a second time. Then, the alternative look she’d ordered in to the store was perfect, but it wasn’t her wedding dress (this became the evening look). Finally, she tried on one other gown, chosen by the shop assistant for her, which – Goldilocks-like – was somewhere between the two previous looks. “My mum, Jane, just started crying, my sister Paris was beaming, and I remember saying, ‘I just want to FaceTime Scott and show him!’ But I knew that was one thing I couldn’t do.” She teamed the dress with a matching veil also by Galia Lahav and wore Jimmy Choo heels – settling on the highest pair she could get away with without being taller than Scott on the day. Her jewellery was from Bucherer Fine Jewellery, a brand she wears regularly for events.

As Chloe doesn’t wear a lot of make-up day to day, she tasked her make-up artist, Selina, with creating a natural look, including lash extensions. Her hairdresser, Michael, gave her a few different options, and after settling on one style with her hair up, she changed her mind and decided to wear it down instead. “I’m lucky we did the wedding so quickly, otherwise I’d just keep changing my mind about things,” she laughs.

Being the youngest of seven, family is unsurprisingly important to Chloe, with everyone doing their bit to help on the day. While her triplet brothers – Ryan, Jamie and Martin – were three of Scott’s groomsmen, her only sister, Paris, was maid of honour. “Having her by my side throughout the whole process was amazing,” shares Chloe. One of her nieces walked down the aisle with her sister, and her brother Jack attended a week after the birth of his child. “It was so important for us to have both our families be part of our day.” This of course, included Chloe’s “babies”, her dogs, Otis and Rolo, who were dressed in little tuxedos for the occasion.

The night before her wedding, Chloe was up every few hours, riddled with nerves. “I’d never been nervous like that,” she says. “I don’t really get nervous for games, we train to prepare for those moments, it’s just natural, whereas the wedding day is just something I haven’t done before! I actually felt sick.” Seeing her bridesmaids crying when she went down the stairs set her off, as did her dad telling her she looked beautiful.

After the ceremony, guests gathered at the reception, where the drinks were flowing as a band played. There was also an ice cream cart (this was July, after all) with the flavours chosen by the bride and groom as well as the maid of honour and the best man. “Some of the children did have to get changed after that,” Chloe jokes. After a roast chicken dinner and a trio of desserts (“We couldn’t settle on just one!”) the couple cut the cake by Natalie Ann, which was four-tiers of Victoria sponge, red velvet, carrot cake and lemon and raspberry sponge. “We didn’t actually know how to cut the cake,” she says, laughing. “I remember asking the toastmaster, Stefan, which one do I cut?”

The DJ booth, designed by USR, had a logo designed by Chloe’s sister-in-law, with the couple’s initials and the date on, and there was a 360 camera next to the dance floor. The first dance was to “Never Change” by Picture This, and after a slightly wooden practice dance in the kitchen (“Scott went grey,” Chloe laughs), the newlyweds were surprisingly good on the day itself. As DJ Tony Perry segued into “Never Too Much”, the other guests joined them on the dance floor, as did saxophonist, Adam Holloway.

A disaster with a glass of red wine threatened to ruin the evening, but Chloe was surprisingly chill about it all. “It didn’t ruin the day,” says Chloe. “I wasn’t bothered at all!” The party finished at 2am, followed by a kitchen disco back at the house that lasted until 4.30am.

“Looking back on it, it was a proud moment for us both that we did it all ourselves,” she says. “I joked to the registrar I’m glad I’m never doing it again though, it was so nerve-wracking before the ceremony!”