When and How did you first meet?

Bride’s View: Actually, we first met at school many years ago, although we didn’t ever get together. We met up again, some years later.

Groom’s View: I first laid eyes on her on the first day of high school when we were 11 years old. Throughout school I was attracted to her, but daren’t approach her to ask her out! After leaving school, I didn’t had any contact with Rachel until many years later when we met up for lunch. The rest, as they say, is history!

When in the relationship did he ‘pop the question?’ How did he propose?

Just over a year into the relationship, Mark had secretly planned a weekend away in the Lake District and was going to ask me then, but he said he couldn’t wait and asked me a few days before!

We were at home chatting. I was about to go upstairs but sat down to finish our conversation. Mark knelt down and said;

“I can’t wait any longer, this feels the right place to ask you, as this is where our life together is going to start.” He then popped the question. We went away to the Lake District as planned, however!

What were the things you decided upon first?

One of the first things we discussed was where to marry. We both agreed we wanted to make our vows in church. We also wanted to get married on the date upon which we met up again, which was the 6th August.

Unfortunately this fell on a Friday in the year we married, so we chose the day after; Saturday 7th August.

Any differing ideas about how your big day should be or things you both wanted to do differently?

I wanted to have lots of candles at the wedding venue, both inside and outdoors, to have a lovely soft light all the time. Mark wasn’t really too bothered and thought it was a bit fussy!

As we first met in the 1980s, I really wanted our wedding song to be True by Spandau Ballet; Mark wanted More Than a Woman by the Bee Gees… I wasn’t so sure! We opted for True in the end! Although I’d chosen this as a possible song quite early on in the planning stages, we left it until the last minute to tell the DJ as we couldn’t agree!

Was planning your big day enjoyable?

I think I enjoyed planning the wedding a little more than Mark, although we discussed every part of the wedding and shared our ideas. We really couldn’t understand why some people say it’s stressful; we didn’t think so at all!

Any pre-wedding nerves?

Bride’s View: I was so nervous the night before and during the morning whilst I was getting ready, nerves kept coming over me. I was most nervous about my vows in church and making sure I got them right. I also worried about whether people would hear me or not. During the ceremony, I think I shouted to overcompensate!

Groom’s View: I didn’t have any… none whatsoever… Until the speech moment arrived! I thought I’d be able to speak from the heart and off the cuff, but nerves got the better of me and I didn’t come across the way I needed it to sound.

How did it feel to walk down the aisle and take your vows?

I was really conscious of staying calm, not rushing up the aisle. When Mark turned round to look at me, he told me later that I looked completely relaxed and took it all in my stride. I felt very nervous but I did try to look at every aisle in the church and smiled at everyone I saw.

What made you choose your dress, and can you describe it?

I felt like I’d been everywhere to find a dress and I had tried on so many. I really wanted a dress with sleeves but just couldn’t find one. Just as I was about to leave yet another shop, my mum pulled another dress out from a rail. It was an oyster colour which, on the hanger, I wasn’t too sure about. I had nothing to lose, so I tried it on. I was a bit worried that the colour might not match anything else but I absolutely loved it.

Where was your reception held?

We hosted our reception at the Old Bishop’s Palace in Lincoln. It’s an absolutely beautiful place and is right on the doorstep of the Cathedral, with a garden to the rear which overlooks the city. The staff there are amazing; so friendly and helpful.

The food was excellent, too. We also had a toastmaster who was brilliant and really helped our day to run smoothly. It’s the perfect place to hold a wedding reception.

Did anything funny or particularly memorable happen, during the day?

It was lovely to end the evening outdoors. We lit Chinese lanterns and we watched them disappear across the city. It was an amazing way to end our special day!

Did you have a honeymoon? If so where, and most importantly, did you enjoy it?

Yes, although we had already booked it as a holiday the year before, without knowing that it would actually be our honeymoon. We turned this into our honeymoon.

We had a two week holiday, went to Singapore for three nights and spent the rest of the fortnight in Bali, Malaysia. Mark really enjoyed the elephant trekking and I loved seeing the dolphins swimming in their natural environment, early one morning. We both loved touring during the first week!

Any friends or family you'd like to thank?

We would like to thank both our families for being there for us throughout and helping us organise the day. Thanks to all our friends too. It was so gorgeous to have all our family and friends, together on one day.

Anyone you particularly want to recommend?

The staff at the Old Palace were fabulous; they were so attentive and really helped us to personalise our day. The venue is magical.

Our florist, RJ’s in Lincoln, were so experienced and we had so many photos of floral decorations they had designed. They also set up on the morning and produced our cake decorations too. The master of ceremony we chose, Richard Marriott, was absolutely brilliant and helped out a great deal. His advice on the day was priceless. Such a genuine, approachable, calm and friendly person too!

The ladies at Perfection Bridal in Lincoln were lovely. They were so helpful in deciding what would work with my dress and what wouldn’t. I really valued their opinion and the fact that they were used to dealing with brides.

Finally, Reg Moore, our photographer took some great shots which we’ll treasure always.