Pictures: DAVID RUDDLE PHOTOGRAPHY

A bit about us: Lee joined the army about three years ago and he is now a Lance Corporal in the Royal Engineers. I am a dance teacher and have been teaching for about three and a half years mainly in London – I have been dancing since I was 2.

How we met: We met at school about 13 years ago and we didn’t really know each other until High School when we became friends. We didn’t start seeing each other until year 13.

The ceremony: The ceremony was set in Halesworth at St Mary’s Church in the centre of the town. We had a choir and bells and the church was packed with all our friends and family. Also, outside was half of Halesworth waiting to catch a glimpse of everything. We didn’t have traditional music playing as I entered instead we had Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. We sung Jerusalem and Amazing Grace, and had Rhapsody in Blue playing as we signed the register, as we left the church we had Swing Low Sweet Chariot playing.

The venue: We had the reception at Holton Village Hall but when we got there it did not look anything like the village hall. My mum had decorated it and it was just amazing.  We had a marquis outside where the guests could congregate. The cake and wedding book and photos of us growing up where there as well as a few chairs so people could sit away from the music if they wanted to

The dress: I brought the dress 5 years ago in a sale.  I saw it and fell in love with it so I bought it. It was an amazing dress with detail on front and back in lilac embroidery and crystals. It was customized by Remnants (Halesworth) with lace down both sides to match the lace on the four adult bridesmaids dresses that Remnants made along with the three dresses worn by the four year old twin flower girls and the four year old ring barer, who was accompanied by her older brother. The best man and ushers plus my father and Lee’s father all had waistcoats that matched the bridesmaid dresses and were embroidered with the wedding date and their names.

The groom’s outfit: Lee wore his ceremonial uniform which made it that much more special.

The rings: We brought my ring to match my one of a kind engagement ring. It is a white gold band with a diamond in it and is a slight V shape to hold my engagement ring. Lee’s ring is white gold as well and it has lines of indentation going through it.

The photography: Was done by David Ruddle Photography ( www.drphotography.biz) and it was amazing.  The photographer enjoyed the day so much that he stayed past what we had paid him for and even had dessert with us. The photos are amazing and very natural -  he has captured the very essence of the day.

The entertainment: We had an Abba Tribute band for an hour which led into a disco but the band was phenomenal. Everyone that was at the reception was up and dancing and singing along – they all thoroughly enjoyed it.

The flowers: The flowers were done by a very close family friend who did an amazing job with all of them. My bouquet consisted of white roses, carnations sprayed lilac, baby’s breath, feathers and crystals – it was shaped as a teardrop. The bridesmaids were similar but didn’t have as many crystals and feathers. The flower girls had lovely headdresses, and we had two pedestals of flowers in the church.

The cake: The cake was three tiers in a spiral. The top tier was a fruit cake, the middle tier was a Victoria sponge and the bottom tier was a chocolate sponge.  It was decorated in plain white icing with our names and the date on, but by mum made ribbon in the right colours of Lee’s corps and wrapped it round the three tiers. On top was a toy soldier and a ballerina.

The catering: This was also done by a family friend. We had the choice of chicken princess, beef wellington or Mediterranean tart for our main and the choice of lemon meringue pie or cheesecake and cheese and biscuits for dessert, followed by coffee. We also had a cheese table and buffet later on in the evening. We got loads of compliments on the food.

Most memorable moment: The most memorable moment was walking down the aisle to the 1812 and getting to Lee.

The honeymoon: We haven’t had one yet as Lee had to go back to work.

Plans for the future: I am now pregnant so I’m thinking children.