We used biodegradable cloth bags for our favours containing sunglasses, just married slices of rock candy, flower seeds to help the bees, a two-pence piece (as we love the penny arcade machines), and bubbles. Mark wore a blue tweed suit with a coral cravat to match the bridesmaids. The best man and usher wore different suits in grey and blue, and the former accessorised with a coral cravat. When I started walking down the aisle through the meadow, I felt so emotional. It was just like I’d imagined it. The sun was shining, our song was playing, Issy was in front of me starting to throw her petals and Lily was behind holding my train. The bridesmaids were dressed in coral gowns to suit each of their ages. Julia met Mark through work in 2018, while they were both retraining for different roles. Mark was a single parent whose two daughters lived with him full time, while Julia was living alone and looking for her Mr Right. “For me, when Mark was in the room, everything felt right with the world,” Julia says. “He was a little less romantic about it though, not realising how he felt until it was the last time we’d see each other and that awful feeling soon made him realise he had to say something to me.” Their first date was a family day out with Mark’s girls, and Julia says, “We all slotted together straight away, like a puzzle that was meant to be.” Mark proposed at Leybourne Lakes, much to Julia’s surprise. He asked her to take a photo of him together with the girls, so she walked away to get a good vantage point, and when she turned they’d all taken their jackets off to reveal t-shirts saying, “Will you marry me?” and “Will you marry my Daddy?” Julia remembers: “The girls were so excited!” The couple loved the idea of an outdoor wedding and originally looked up woodland wedding venues, before coming across Artists Beach House in Whitstable. They fell head over heels for it, and their recent move put it just 10 minutes away from their new home. Here, bride Julia shares her treasured memories of the big day and it’s preparations... I wore an Essense of Australia gown. I went shopping with the girls and we picked out 14 dresses for me to try on, but I chose this style because it was princessy and fitted in well with the beach location. Most of all, it was comfortable! 44
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