Welcome back. Ready for the next installment of thank yous? I do hope so! So today we’re going to move on to all the friends and family that we couldn’t have done this without…

My mum and dad – There’s almost too much to mention and there’s most definitely not enough superlatives to convey my real thanks for everything they did. From the hundreds of metres of bunting they cut out and stitched together, the making of the church pew decorations and garden posts, to helping me pick my dress (mummy!), writing a fantastic speech (daddy!) and printing all the signage used throughout the venue (inc tables names). Oh it goes on! They also paid for the accommodation at Aynhoe Park and have set up a very generous house fund for Rob and I. My mum had fun thrashing it out with Nicky, the Aynhoe Park point of contact, the morning of the wedding as they started going back on things previously agreed – doing a great job of keeping it away from me! Whilst this was going on my dad went off to collect the button holes and my bouquet (which were down to my mum) before returning to put together the outside furniture. My mum also gave herself more to do by making her outfit from scratch! Madness but it paid off – I thought it looked amazing and the colour couldn’t have been more perfect. I know there’s a million other things they did… but they did SO much it’s hard to remember them all. Except walking me down the aisle, I should probably mention that! It meant the world to me to have my parents by my side on my Wedding Day and walking down the aisle with my dad is one of my lasting memories from the day; I’m so proud to be their daughter.

Lydia – My sister is without doubt going to be a performer ‘when she grows up’ but that didn’t make the prospect of singing a solo during our wedding ceremony any easier for her! Lydz was integral to our version of “Amazing Grace” as she kicked the whole thing off with a solo first verse. She was out of this world! I had managed to remain fairly composed throughout the entire service but as soon as she started singing, I started balling it… as did my mum… and my brother… and half the congregation! It wasn’t just the solo Lydia took in her stride, she was a massive help in the run up, helping keep me calm & as one of my Bridesmaids she was fantastic on the day – I can’t wait to return the favour (in another 15 years!)

Kit – My brother was one of Rob’s Ushers so not only did he the normal ‘duties’ to perform on the day but as he was a chef in a previous life we roped him into assisting Dave with the evening buffet. There was something quite strange about seeing my little brother in his chef whites the morning of the wedding, but it was kinda cool and made me feel proud. I was so grateful he got stuck in – even with a broken hand (don’t ask!) Kit also helped out with a few bits in the run up to the big day; namely sorting out a lot of the printing including all the service sheets – only to have to drive back and re-do them all at 9pm the night before they had to be ready after a typo was found. Oops, sorry mate! He was fantastic on the day too – I had a lot of comments, at the time and after the event, about how good he was and how great he looked. He really was a star and I couldn’t ask for a better bro.

Rob’s Parents – Lynda and John helped ease the pressure of the build up by very generously offering to pay for our honeymoon… Something that as you know we had left a bit too late to organise. With the prospect of 10 days in Aruba (and 2 days in Amsterdam on the way home) the stress and strains of the wedding certainly seemed more bearable. As well as their generous gift they both assisted in other ways. Lynda makes the most amazing cakes and we were delighted she agreed to make our wedding cake – all four tiers! I’m sure she was really grateful for the extra challenge of my request for a hexagonal shape. The cakes were then passed to Joe for decoration and the final result was brilliant… each tier was a different flavour and they all tasted delicious! John’s DIY skills were put to the test as he built the dolls house (wishing well) to collect our cards. It was fab! And the benefit of having a little niece means it will go to a good home. John also did a reading at the church service and Lynda, along with my mum, was one of our witnesses. The morning after we were also showered with ‘Just Married’ gifts including mugs, pen & pad (which i’m using right now), car magnets and a fetching T-shirt for Rob which I’m trying to persuade him to wear!

Vicky and Julia – Rob’s sisters also played their parts in our Big Day. Julia lives in New York but it was important to me that everyone in the immediate family was involved in the Wedding Ceremony so, like John, Julia very kindly agreed to do a reading for us;  a beautiful poem called ‘On Your Wedding Day’.  It was beautifully delivered and meant a lot to us both that she did it. Vicky was Rob’s Best Woman, along with Dave as Best Man. She was a great support to Rob on the day and I know how much it meant to Rob to have her by his side. The idea of public speaking isn’t something that many people relish – especially Vicky; so although the prospect of her speech was no doubt terrifying the end result was absolutely lovely. No-one would have spotted any nerves, instead she looked like a happy and proud big sis!

Amy – My Maid of Honour and rock throughout this whole process. Amy got married almost a year to the day before us so I leant on her a lot with regards to planning and prepping – we both love a good list! I talked through everything with her… far more frequently than anyone should have to endure I admit! With the help of Sophie she also arranged the most perfect hen do; guns and alcohol – I was in heaven! The night before the wedding the gifts kept coming and Amy presented me with a book she made with all the pictures from the hen do with funny, thoughtful and moving messages from everyone who came. It’s awesome, I love it! On the morning of the Big Day Amy kept me calm by plying me with vodka (& rightly so). Anything I needed magically appeared out of one of her bags – she had thought of everything. Throughout the Wedding Day itself Amy helped sort out a number of issues that arose (issues I wasn’t even aware of until after the event) as well as seemingly being right there if I needed her – I still don’t know how she was everywhere at once! There were so many other little details that were so typically Amy and incredibly sweet, like even though it was a short trip from the B&B to Aynhoe Park to get ready she thought to put ribbon on the car, in our wedding colours, and when we eventually got to bed in the early hours there was a cheeky bottle of fizz waiting for us in our room. I couldn’t have asked for a better Maid of Honour, or friend, and really can’t thank her enough for everything she did.

Sophie – Sophs and I have been friends for over 20 years and I couldn’t have imagined getting married without her with me; I was therefore delighted she agreed to be Bridesmaid. Sophie helped Amy with the hen do and was always at the end of the phone if I needed her. The day before the Wedding Day itself involved doing some filming for Sky. Sophie wasn’t immediately up for it but as soon as she met the crew she got stuck in and was with me for all the pre-wedding interviews, even doing one of her own. For me, the excitement and nerves surrounding the impending Big Day far out-weighed any apprehension about being filmed, but looking back Sophie didn’t have that so I’m extremely grateful to her for doing it with me, and for me. Getting ready with the girls ‘the morning of’ was brilliant fun and the memories of that will stay with me forever. It meant a lot to have them all there and I was so pleased to share my special day with my longest friend.

Davey-boy – Dave was Rob’s best man and a total star! As a talented head chef we had asked Dave if he would be happy to do our evening buffet. Not only did that involve dragging him to shops and suppliers (as well as him utilising his own contacts) but it took up a lot of his free time. It also meant he had a lot of work to do the day before the wedding and on the day itself! Along with Kit, donned in their whites they buckled down all morning before returning to the kitchen in the evening to finish off and dish up the buffet goodies. At 23:30 when most people were too far gone to know what day it was Dave was back in the kitchen (and his whites) frying up the bacon for the bacon rolls. Awesome. On top of all that he had the traditional Best Man duties including planning Rob’s ideal stag do (minus the mankini!) and the delivery of a fantastic speech on the day. Dave wasn’t just Rob’s best man as he was a massive support to me too and so many aspects of the day wouldn’t have gone to plan without him.

Traynor – As a long term friend we really wanted Mike (Traynor) to have a role at the wedding that was a support and help to us both, so we were over the moon he accepted our request to be Master of Ceremonies. With just a few guidance notes and rough timings for the day he made sure guests were in the right place at the right time; from leaving the ceremony itself and getting guests to the reception venue, announcing the Wedding Breakfast and speeches to making people aware of the first dance, evening buffet and fireworks. Due to the amount of time we all spend together he naturally had to endure constant wedding chatter in the run up but he took it in his stride and was a great sound-board for any ideas we had. He spent the night before the wedding with Rob at our house and was with him the morning of the Big Day. As well as making sure Rob actually turned up he also had the tasks of collecting the rest of the flowers from a local florist and getting them to the venue. With our wedding video being from Shoot It Yourself Traynor was not only Master of Ceremonies but also Video Director and I think we may have uncovered a hidden talent! He managed one of the two cameras all day (and the next morning) and we can’t wait to see the final result!!

Joe – My dear friend and the other side of the wedding cake team! I had a very clear idea of what I wanted for the cake and yet Joe somehow managed to surpass all my expectations and the end result was beyond perfect. I dug out some old photos of Rob and I and had them printed on edible icing which Joe placed on alternative layers round each side of the hexagon. She then managed to copy the exact design from our wedding invites, colours and pattern, to decorate the other tiers. It was perfect. Sky TV were there with us when we picked it up and were justifiably impressed. Joe does not make or decorate cakes for a living (although she clearly should) so I know how worried she was about it beforehand. But as ever, she should have more faith in herself coz as with all her cakes, mine was fabulous! As a very close friend Joe has lived this whole journey with us, with almost daily updates and conversations. My constant bombardment of wedding talk would have been enough for anyone but not Joe! She has been incredibly patient with me (and my moods) and a great friend throughout this whole process.

There are so many more people that had a part to play in our amazing day; Tekhe Dan who travelled from Cornwall to do mine and my Bridesmaids makeup; Charlotte Hanson for designing all the printwork including invitations, table plan, menu’s and service sheets; Andrea for stepping in last minute and coming from Basingstoke to take care of the Bridal Party’s hair; Sumaya for putting up with me over the last 18 months, our hobbycraft trips and craftime! Gareth for taking some amazing photos on the day that I will cherish forever and Raymond, the butler at Aynhoe Park, who took care of us from the moment we arrived ‘til the moment we left. Lastly but by no means least I’d like to thank every single one of our guests for taking time out to join us in celebrating our Special Day. It meant the world to us to have everyone there and we thank you for coming.

So to every single person (or company) who was involved in this entire process and to those who were there on the day: THANK YOU! We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did and we couldn’t have done it without you xx