Bride: The Wedding Show - My Wedding Tips!

Weddings - For some they can drum up magical memories of romantic gestures, the gathering of family and friends and probably one of the best days of your life. For others, they can bring back the intense stress, last minute deadlines and constant worry that you can feel leading up to your big day.

For those of you who don’t know; I’m married. I do mention my lovely and long suffering Instagram husband, Mus in some of my posts, but I’ve never really gone into much detail and since I got married nearly 7 years ago (I know, SO long) I’ve never really shared with you my wedding memories or even a picture from our special day, or more specifically, 3 days as it was traditional Turkish wedding which pretty much meant 3 times the stress!

So, when the lovely people at Bride got in touch to ask if I had any tips for #BeforeIDo I jumped at the chance to be able to share with you my memories of our special day, and how to get prepared, mentally and physically! 

I look back with fond memories from our wedding. For us, it was perfect, not in every way, but it was fundamentally a day shared by our closest family and friends where we declared our love for one another and celebrated together. I think a lot of couples can focus too much on perfection. I know I did. For us girls it can be a day we’ve dreamed of all of our lives; we’ve imagined the dress, the venue and probably every detail in between if you’re anything like me. My wedding was very different than I had imagined. 

We got married in Turkey on a beach with just 10 people. I moved over and we got engaged. Mus was due to go to the army for 18 months after finishing University, which every man has to do over there, its conscription. Whilst I was getting ready to move back to the UK, they changed the law, which meant you no longer had to serve in the army. We were literally so overjoyed and relieved, that we wanted to celebrate and get married that summer. Long story short, I planned a wedding on my own in a different country in 5 weeks. My best friends were away travelling, so we just had our parents and siblings at the ceremony and just very close friends at the reception, with the plan of having a big UK reception later on that year (that's still never happened!).

Luckily our friends and family supported our decision and my family were on the first flight over. In the end, I got married in a £40 Asos dress, and a £60 wedding dress that Mus helped me choose for the reception. The professional pictures were tacky and it was before Instagram, so no filters! I had roots and did my own make up, but, we had a meal on the roof over looking the sea, mamma mia style and I honestly wouldn’t change one thing. No traditions, no bridesmaids, Christmas trees on our cake (don’t ask, it’s still a mystery) and nothing like I had imagined, but it was perfect.

The biggest and most valuable tip that I can give brides to be, is to enjoy. Enjoy the planning, enjoy the family get togethers and most of all enjoy the fact you are marrying the love of your life. I think so many couples get caught up in wedding fever, that they forget the reason they are getting married in the first place; love. Yes it may sound corny, but appreciate that you’ve been lucky enough to find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Through sickness and in health, good times and bad, your partner will be there. Easier said than done, when you can’t find the right cake maker, the invitations are misspelled or your dream venue isn’t available - but trust me, it will all come together and you will have the best day.

On a more practical note, I wish I had been told several things. 1) This is YOUR day - You and your partner are celebrating YOUR love together. Families aren’t perfect, but they will be happy if you’re happy. You cannot please everyone. Whether this is the seating plan or who is invited to the evening reception, stay true to yourself! 

2) Have back up plans - It’s very easy to have the perfect picture in your head, but real life is never that simple. Have a plan B or even C for everything. Don’t go over the top with organisation, just have a few choices for cakes, venues, invites. It’s about you two, no one will care about the details, when they see how happy you both are. 

3) Go to a wedding show - I missed out on wedding shows as it was such last minute, but I wish I had been able to go to get ideas. The internet is a wonderful place, but there is nothing like being there and being able to ask specialists in person for advice, prices and even a bit of bargain hunting! 

Luckily for you guys, Bride: The Wedding show is happening at Tatton Park in Cheshire on the 4th and 5th of February - perfect for anyone planning a wedding! Tickets are £10 each and I would have jumped at the chance of going and the location is so so beautiful, one of my favourite places in Cheshire. Take a note book, take pictures and start planning your perfect day!

For more details, visit www.theweddingshow.co.uk/tatton