9 minute read
OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER
County Wedding Magazines’ senior editor Melissa Cullen shares her wedding planning journey
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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...
We chose a rustic property that looked gorgeous all year round. Our wedding coordinator, Eloise, took care of all the details and made sure everything ran seamlessly. We arranged a last minute meeting with her to run through the plan for the day, which we found was a great help and meant we knew 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! Flowers can transform any venue into a beautiful space, so choosing the perfect florist was really important 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 left 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 to take home the next day. We gave our friends and family some of the centrepieces as gifts, which they loved, and it meant we didn’t have to take them all home with us - win, win!
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.
As some of you may remember, make-up is not my forte, and I’m embarrassed to tell you that I can’t tell the difference between highlighter, foundation and concealer! I booked a trial with my hair and make-up artist a few weeks before the wedding. If you’re worried about how you’ll look on the day or want to try different styles, I would definitely recommend doing this. I’m so glad I did, and it meant that I felt relaxed knowing that my suppliers had everything under control on the day. One thing that we learnt after the wedding is that everyone loves cake! We purchased 50 cake boxes as we’ve both been to weddings where it gets left at the end of the night, so we thought that would be more than enough. However, those 50 went within an hour, and we had guests asking for additional pieces, so I would definitely provide more boxes than you need.
Surround yourself with people that you trust and love. My bridesmaids were amazing in the run-up to the wedding and on the day itself. They spoiled me with two hen dos, which were fabulous, a wedding-themed advent calendar full of fun and thoughtful gifts and endless support and love throughout the planning process. Trust me when I say that you will feel calmer on the wedding morning if you’re surrounded by your best friends. They made sure I looked and felt perfect, and I don’t think I could have done it without them. Dave and I knew we wanted a band for our evening reception that would get everyone up and dancing. We booked an amazing trio who learnt our first dance song and incorporated some of our favourite tunes into their set list. We were a bit worried that people would get bored or restless throughout the day, but all of our guests were quite content chatting during the drinks reception, and I’m quite glad we kept things scaled back as it allowed us to catch up with friends and family who we hadn’t seen in a long time due to the pandemic.
Our ceremony was performed by a registrar, who we didn’t meet until the morning of the wedding. Originally, this made me feel anxious but the whole process went smoothly, and the ladies conducting our service were calming and reassuring. We incorporated promises to each other in our vows that we felt represented us as a couple. For those of you about to tie the knot, try and forget about all of the small things, as there’s nothing more special than looking into your partner’s eyes and telling them how much you love them in front of your loved ones. Talk to your friends and family and see if they’d like to have an active role in your day. Our mums were really pleased that we asked them to be our witnesses, and it was a lovely way of including them in the ceremony. My beloved bridesmaid, Kelly, also sang a song accompanied by Dave on the guitar during the wedding breakfast. It was really touching and one of my favourite moments from the day. 97
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