The moment Stuart Broad proposed to Mollie King on New Year's Day 2021, she was ready to start planning her wedding.
But over two years later, the pair have still not released any solid plans. Why, you may ask? Like many couples, The Saturdays singer and the cricket star were initially held up by the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, but it's not the only obstacle in their way.
BBC Radio 1 star Mollie – who recently took part in a Comic Relief cycling challenge – opened up about Stuart's post-proposal "dash", her thoughts on a destination wedding and her desire to have a "chilled" celebration with her daughter.
"We got engaged basically a year ago and it’s been one of those things where, I want to just get planning this right here, right now. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was like six years old. But Stuart had to leave straight away the next day after he popped the question," Mollie told JSHealth Vitamins Founder Jessica Sepel on Instagram live in February 2022.
"I’m planning for it already, he’s asked the question and he’s dashed!" she laughed.
Stuart had been focusing on his successful cricket career before announcing his retirement after the Ashes Test in 2023. Following his retirement, he said on Good Morning Britain: "I’ve got a bit more time on my hands to get married now."
In the immediate aftermath of their engagement, Mollie said she was put off by the idea of having to resort to a plan B on her big day thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions. "The minute I started looking into venues and stuff, everybody straight away was saying at the moment we have to have Plan A and Plan B.
"Because at that time last year, it was very much at the stage where the couples can have their first dance but most of your wedding guests need to be sat down at tables, not being able to kind of get up and mingle with each other. So thinking about that we thought, let’s just pause this for a second," she said.
When asked whether she'd jet abroad for a destination wedding, she replied: "I don’t know whether to go quite small and have family and literally just my bridesmaids or do I just go for it and go, 'Right Mol, just get on with it and go big?'"
She initially joked in 2021 that she wanted a really big wedding, sharing a funny meme of a bride cutting a huge wedding cake alongside the message: "Husband to be: 'Please keep the wedding low key'. Me: 'Sure hun.'"
Since then, the couple seem to have settled on the idea of a "chilled" wedding, telling Tatler: "We want it to be relaxed and chilled, and a really fun party."
Mollie and Stuart had been dating for three years before he popped the question on 1 January 2021, presenting his bride-to-be with a gorgeous oval diamond engagement ring that she showed off in a sweet kissing photo.
"I still can’t believe it, the most magical start to the new year! I can’t wait to spend all my years with you @stuartbroad," she said at the time, before reflecting at the end of the year: "It was the best surprise and one of the happiest days of my life. I can’t wait to continue wedding planning up until the big day!"
The couple welcomed daughter Anabella in November 2022 – which likely delayed their wedding – and Mollie has suggested she would want her little girl involved in the celebrations. She told Arcadia Magazine: "The wedding is definitely something that we're planning on doing as soon as we can and I just love that she will be involved in it."
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