The real reason Phil Spencer missed Kirstie Allsopp's wedding
Congratulations are in order as Kirstie Allsopp has married her long-term partner, Ben Andersen. Spotted at Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair, the bride and groom – who have been together for 21 years – said 'I do' in an intimate ceremony held on Thursday. But, after photos from their big day surfaced, fans were left with one burning question: where was Phil Spencer?
A namesake duo, Kirstie and Phil have spent almost 25 years co-hosting Location, Location, Location for Channel 4, so his absence came as something of a surprise. According to Kirstie, however, her dear friend was unable to make it due to the last-minute and top-secret nature of her wedding.
In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, the newlywed explained: "On Thursday, Ben and I were married at The Grosvenor Chapel, where my parents and grandparents were married, and where we celebrated my father's life in June.
"We had with us a small group of close friends and family who only heard about the wedding on Monday," she continued.
"The flowers, the catering, the order of service and the lighting were all done by people I have worked with over the years who kept it all secret and put together an amazing event at very short notice, though because of that short notice some beloved friends and family couldn't be there, including Phil."
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While her beloved friend and colleague was unable to attend, Kirstie was joined by her sisters, Sofie Fletcher and Natasha Morley, her cousin, Jamie Allsopp and designer India Hicks.
A family affair, Kirstie and Ben's sons, Bay and Oscar, served as ushers alongside Hal and Orion – Ben's older sons from a previous relationship.
Revealing several details from her nuptials, superfan Kirstie revealed that she was inspired by Richard Curtis's classic movie, Love Actually.
Not only was the service held in the same chapel which was used for Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor's on-screen wedding but several of the songs used in the film – including The Beatles' 'All You Need Is Love' – were played during the ceremony.
Straying from tradition, Kirstie walked down the aisle in a gold Oscar de la Renta dress which she purchased "in the sales" and had customised with long sleeves.
Sharing photos from their wedding on Instagram, Kirstie reflected on her magical day. "I share a great deal on here and so appreciate all the kind & interesting comments, but I felt our wedding should be private, and luckily on the day it was. Unfortunately, it turned out that there was an unseen pap, so I have released a couple of our own pictures," she noted.
"The upside is that at least I get a chance to thank publicly some of the lovely people who worked so hard, at such short notice, to make our wedding pretty special."
After tagging the many people and businesses who helped the couple with their big day, Kirstie concluded: "To marry in the same church that my parents and grandparents married was always my hope and luckily I already know that we did live happily ever after."
At the request of Kirstie and Ben, HELLO! has donated to the Grosvenor The Grosvenor Chapel to share these photographs captured by Catherine Bradley Photography.
