Michael and Ji became the second set of NHS Heroes to tie the knot as part of the campaign, when they celebrated their nuptials in Apex Temple Court Hotel in London.
The pair, who met when they were training to be psychologists, worked tirelessly for the NHS during the pandemic and were one of five lucky couples chosen to win a luxury wedding at an Apex Hotel in the UK this year. The first NHS wedding was in June at Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh.
Michael and Ji have both worked for the NHS for more than 10 years, most recently in London, with Michael at St. Mary’s Hospital and Ji at Guy’s Hospital.
Michael had been planning to ‘pop the question’ since a trip to New York in January 2020, but the arrival of the pandemic at that time meant their focus shifted to caring for other people. The couple were delighted to find out that they had a baby on the way in late 2020, and Michael was finally able to propose when Ju began maternity leave.
“We were so thrilled to have been chosen as one of the winners by Apex Hotels,” said Michael. “Apex Temple Court Hotel is gorgeous, some of the bedrooms have balconies and there is a fantastic courtyard, which meant we could benefit from the beautiful summer weather in London.
“With so many disruptions to our plans it took much longer for us to even become engaged than intended and I‘m sure Ji was beginning to wonder if we would ever make it down the aisle! Thanks to Apex Hotels for putting everything in place that we could have asked for, we were able to enjoy looking forward to our special day – at the same time as getting to know our wonderful new member of the family, our baby boy Ezra, who arrived in August last year.”
Ji, who originally comes from South Korea, said: “Having our wedding in London meant that my family could come to be with us, and we could also celebrate with our colleagues who are working in the NHS in London. It made everything so special and wonderful for us. We will cherish the memories of our special day forever and we can’t thank Apex Hotels enough for choosing us and making this happen.”
We treated the happy couple to a three-course wedding breakfast, drinks package, evening buffet, flowers, room hire and upgraded wedding night accommodation.
We also enlisted the help of some of Apex Hotel’s trusted suppliers for extra wedding essentials. The Powderpuff Girls provided hair and make-up, Urban Flower Farmer took care of the gorgeous blooms, Lindsay Pemberton ensured there was a stunning cake for the occasion, Suited and Booted DJs kept the party going, and Jason Lloyd-Evans ensured the whole event was captured with beautiful photography.
This wedding was even more special for the team at Apex Temple Court Hotel because it was the first ever wedding to be held at the hotel and the first time a marquee had been used in the Courtyard. Arrival drinks were served in The Amicable Society of Lazy Ballerinas, the hotel’s gorgeous marble wine bar, which provided a very welcome cool space on a beautiful hot and sunny day.
We'd like to say a big thank you to our partners and suppliers for helping to make this dream wedding possible.
Congratulations to Michael and Ji – we wish you years of happiness and we hope to welcome you back to Apex many times throughout your marriage.