Where you first meet

We have been together since 25.04.2007, 12 years and 4 months! We met at school (Freman College, Buntingford) and have been together ever since!

Who asked who and how

It was my birthday (June 2017) and we had said about going away but hadn’t arranged anything. The day before my birthday I was told to pack a bag and get my passport. I didn’t know where we were going until we arrived at the gate and the board said ROME! We spent the Saturday sightseeing and when we returned to the hotel, all I wanted to do was have a shower and get into bed but George kept calling me back in the room and I kept saying ‘I just want to have a shower!’. Eventually, I sat on the bed and he proposed! We continued sightseeing on Sunday and then flew back that night, ready for work the next morning (1-night whistle-stop tour of Rome as being a teacher means I can’t take time off of work!).

Wedding planning, good, bad and fabulous

We made every decision together, apart from the evening DJ/Singer who I saw at a wedding fair with my mum and knew we had to book him (luckily everybody loved him!). We spent many weekends and evenings, hours on end carefully looking at different suppliers and making our decisions. We thoroughly enjoyed our menu tasting and wish we could do that again. So much amazing food to try and we managed to eat it all! We made it personal to us and tried hard to keep the costs down and to make/buy what we could ourselves (building a house as well means we need to save every penny we can!). I can’t think of any bad points, although George would say that he went to too many wedding fairs and he only went to 2!

How was day through your eyes?

The day was everything we wanted it to be. You have a picture of how you would like everything in your head and it was just as we had imagined (thanks to all of our amazing suppliers). The weather was good to us! A little drizzle of rain but that didn’t stop us from having our photos taken. George had banned me from texting him on the day. It was strange not talking to him/getting ready with him when we had planned everything together. Myself, my mum and bridesmaid got ready at the venue. We were all very relaxed when having our hair and make-up done. Due to our thorough planning, we had nothing to worry about. Our suppliers were superb and we had complete trust in them to make everything perfect for us. George arrived to get ready at the venue just before midday and I may have peeked out the window to see him! The ceremony went very quickly and was difficult to take in, seeing everybody and walking (running!) down the aisle went very quickly. We enjoyed having our photos taken and spending time greeting and talking to family and friends. Before we knew it, it was time for our wedding breakfast which we thoroughly enjoyed. The food was great and the speeches went well. It then came to the evening during which we cut our cake and had our first dance. Nobody knew the song but it was personal to us. It was from a musical we saw when we went to New York called Finding Neverland. Everybody loved the singer/DJ (luckily for me) and it was good to see everybody dancing and enjoying themselves (especially George’s friends who kept the party going!). Before the wedding, I was told that George and I could barely see each other throughout the day but I didn’t want that to happen so I made sure I sent most of my time with him, after all, it was OUR wedding day! The whole day went so quickly and we wish we could enjoy it all over again. There isn’t one thing that we would change.

What was your favourite part of the day

Spending time with each other, as well as family and friends. Seeing everything we had so carefully planned over the past 2 years come to life. Beginning the next chapter of our lives together.

Any tips you learnt along the way which may be useful for other brides

There is no need to spend lots of money and provide lots of decoration. Find an amazing venue and it will speak for itself! Find amazing suppliers and they will make the wedding planning process a breeze and you can fully relax and enjoy the big day.

Who were your suppliers?

Flowers: Clare Jones Floral Design. Dress designer: Stella York. Dress Shop: Oliver’s Bridal and Formal Wear (Hoddesdon). Hair and Make-Up: Sarah Henning. Groom Suit: Ted Baker from Moss Bros. Groomsmen Suits: Next. Main wedding cake made by the bride’s mum (Carole Smith) and cupcakes made by a work colleague of the bride (Julie Lovell). DJ/Singer: Lee Vann. Caterer/Stylist: Hall & Co Event Design. Venue: The Granary Estates. Stationery: All designed by the bride.

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