I met Chris at work. We both work in theatre so met working on shows together.

He proposed on Christmas Day 2019, just the two of us, at home, with the ring inside a book that he’d cut out the pages of in the shape of a heart. It was very romantic and the best Christmas gift I have ever got.

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We didn’t have a theme in mind when planning the wedding. We just knew we wanted a big, fun wedding where we could celebrate with all our friends and family. Lucky that is exactly what we got

We absolutely loved planning our wedding. Chris has an events company (Undefined Group) which definitely helped make things a lot easier, and less expensive for us. Chris was determined that we would have a completely DIY wedding. Our beautiful venue, Hillington Mill, was a gorgeous house that was surrounded by beautiful land and forest.

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We organised everything else ourselves, from the marquee to the catering, toilets, décor, dance floor, lighting, everything! We also were lucky to find the most amazing suppliers who made everything so easy for us and a perfect venue.

I had no idea what I was looking for when picking a dress. All I knew is I wanted to try every style till I found my perfect one. I tried on 20 dresses before finding the one at Simple Wed Bridal in Monkseaton. It was love at first fitting when I put Wynell 18469 on.

I just knew as soon as I put it on that it was the one. I didn’t want to take it off and felt so comfortable and confident in it.

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It was a beautiful ivory, off the shoulder ball gown, which felt timeless and classic. It complimented my figure and made me feel like a real bride. The classic pleated on the bodice and beautiful bridal buttons cascading to the hem truly made the dress an elegant dream.

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The ladies at Simple Wed Bridal were amazing knew exactly what dresses would be right for me as soon as I walked in. They made me feel so comfortable and confident when trying on dresses but were also always honest with me about what would be best for me and the dress. They were so welcoming, kind, and helpful from my first visit until the day I picked up my dress and even beyond that! I’ve even got an appointment booked to go in and have a cup of tea with them to show them all the photos!

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The day went perfect from start to finish. My make-up, hairdresser and photographer made sure that the morning getting ready went as smoothly and relaxed as possible and the ceremony was perfect.

One of my favorite moments, was during the speeches, neither Chris or myself wanted to make a speech so we made a video of our little dog Minnie making a ‘speech’ and surprised all our guests with it and everyone absolutely loved it!

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The second one was our first dance, dancing with my new husband surrounded by all of the people we love was just so special and is a memory I will never forget.

My advice for future brides would have to be do exactly what you and your partner want to do and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Special thanks to our photographer Mark Dilbo