My dress was a princess style that I purchased in New Zealand. My youngest daughter chose the gown and initially I said no, but I kept going back to it. Sam carried it in his hand luggage to Venice, then Wales, then Paris and home again! I wore a rose gold diamond necklace that Sam had bought me for Christmas and he surprised me with the most exquisite diamond pearl drop earrings on the morning of the wedding. One of Sam’s best friends, Naomi, was my maid-of-honour. She was an absolute star and did so much since I was on the other side of the world. Even an impromptu speech when our best man, Liam, got nervous. Sam chose a charcoal suit with a burgundy tie. On the day, I felt calm and relaxed, which was surprising, as that’s not me normally. Sam was nervous enough for the both of us. My mum surprised everyone by standing up at the last minute to be our celebrant. A highlight for me was Sam surprising the girls with Clogau bracelets and asking them if they would accept him as their stepdad. There wasn’t a dry eye, including stoic Ava and little Amelia, who threw herself into my arms, crying right then in the middle of the ceremony! Finding dresses for the bridesmaids was stressful, with one bridesmaid in Wales and the other three ranging in age. We chose an empire line with a full skirt to suit all shapes and sizes. Joy Cornock played the harp during our ceremony, which lent a spiritual air to the venue, with many guests saying it made the ruins even more magical. She also sang to our guests as they arrived at Crug Glâs Country House. Later in the evening, Rikki’s Mobile Disco and Events took over, and the dancefloor was never empty. A highlight was one of Sam’s good friends attempting a back flip! REAL WEDDINGS 31
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