Our happily ever after County Wedding Magazines’ senior editor Melissa Cullen shares her wedding planning journey Images courtesy of www.chrisblackledgephotography.co.uk My husband (it still feels weird saying that) and I were engaged for 18 months before we finally tied the knot. Planning our wedding during a global pandemic wasn’t something I ever imagined happening, but thankfully, despite the ups and downs, we managed to have our special day. I know it’s cliché to say, but we really did have the perfect day, and we wouldn’t have changed a thing. Now that I’m finally Mrs Cullen, I thought I’d take the time to share with you some tips that I learnt from planning our big day... Dave and I met our photographer while he was working at a friend’s wedding. He has an amazing style that we both loved, and we found him really easy to be around. One of the best things we did in the run-up to the wedding was book a prewedding shoot. We were both quite nervous in front of the camera, and this put us at ease and meant that when we got to the big day, we both felt relaxed having our picture taken. Flowers can transform any venue into a bea utiful space, so choosing the perfect florist was really impo rtant to us. If like me, you’re awful with flower names, I’d suggest going for a ready-made package. I told our florist what I liked and l eft the rest to her - a decision that saved me hours of stress! One thing I didn’t consider was just how many flowers we would need t o take home the next day. We gave our friends and family some o f the centrepieces as gifts, which they loved, and it meant we did n’t have to take them all home with us - win, win! We chose a rustic property that looked gor geous all year round. Our wedding coordinator, Eloise, took care of all the details and made sure everything ran seamlessly. We a rranged a last minute meeting with her to run through the plan f or the day, which we found was a great help and meant we kn ew exactly what to expect. I recommend booking a venue with a dedicated wedding coordinator or hiring an external company , so that you can relax and enjoy yourself without having to worry . I didn’t anticipate how I would feel after purchasing my dress. I felt so much pressure to have this overcome-with-emotion moment when wearing it, that I started to question if I’d made the right decision. My poor bridesmaids had to deal with so many meltdowns about it, but now that the day has been and gone, I can say that the dress was perfect for me. If you start to panic that you’ve made the wrong choice, think about how you felt when you first tried it on and cling to that feeling. I had several photos of myself in the dress that I would obsess over and criticise, and if I could go back in time, I would delete those photos so I wouldn’t waste time worrying. On the day, with your hair and make-up done, you’ll feel amazing, and all those doubts will drift away. Go with your gut, don’t panic about how you should be feeling or what you should be wearing, and do what makes you happy! 62
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