I married my husband at The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa, Bolton Abbey. My new married name is Savery, so we played on the 'sweet & savoury' theme. Our strap line was "Love is sweet (crossed out the word sweet and wrote our surname) Savery". Each table was named after an old fashioned boiled sweet, such as; kola cube, Yorkshire mixture and we had a bag for each guest with one of those sweets in as a favour.
I find most clothes fit me, which is why I'm such a shopaholic, but knew that I wanted an A-line dress and something really simple. I tried on so many dresses, and literally tried on every style you can think of. We visited six wedding dress boutiques and to say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. By the end of it all I was incredibly confused and extremely exhausted. To my horror I nearly ended up getting a dress that was so far removed from what I had ever imagined myself in. It was a fishtail dress that was heavily laced, sequined and strapless. Thankfully, I opted to take some time to think about it and when I got home I realised it wasn't the one for me at all.
The following weekend my mum and sister, who was my Maid of Honour, went to Hoops-a-Daisy in Wakefield as it was my sisters last wedding dress fitting (she was due to get married eight months before us). It was a sheer miracle that I noticed in the corner of the rail this dress which was everything I wanted and more. A backless wedding dress with a high neckline, a very simple A-line with a little bit of sparkle. Thankfully the shop assistant let me to try it on and although 3 sizes too big I immediately fell in love with it. This was my dress. I felt like a true bride. I ended up choosing the Ronald Joyce gown called Hyacinth (style number 69259). I went back with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law once I'd found the one. They all cried and couldn't believe how perfect it was.
If I was to give one piece of advice to brides, it would be to 100% make sure you're comfortable in your dress as you are hardly ever standing still. Ensure you can walk, dance and hug guests.
Our wedding day was the most perfect day, the sun was shining, and everyone was having an amazing time. All the guests commented on how beautiful my dress was and how they'd never seen one like it before, even people I've never met on social media have commented on photos of my dress and I'm so proud to call it mine.
Thank you, Ronald Joyce, for designing the dress that was beyond my wildest dreams!