Where did you tie the knot?

I married my husband Nigel at Abbey House Hotel. Our ceremony was in the Great Hall. We had wanted to have the ceremony at Furness Abbey ruins next door but we are glad we didn't take the risk because it rained!

How did you personalise your wedding day?

We tried to keep things simple, classic and elegant because we both like that kind of style. We chose a sage green and blush pink colour scheme because we felt that it matched the venue perfectly, and that the colours contrasted nicely. I also picked sage green dresses for my bridesmaids because it is quite a versatile colour and they all have very different complexions. I coupled these with pale pink roses and baby's breath. We then had a "naked cake" with pale pink roses to coordinate with the bridesmaids and decorated the tables with rose bushes to match. Choosing the music was difficult as we both like very different music, so for the ceremony we picked two songs each for the string quartet to play. We spent a few days hand making our invites _Nige did the cutting out and I did everything else!. I am from Zimbabwe and Nige is from Lancaster and we wanted to personalise the tables by naming them after a mixture of African and English lakes to tie both heritage in.

Describe your experience of choosing your dress.

Before going in, I knew I wanted something that was quite simple and not too detailed, but I was trying to keep an open mind about the fit because I didn't know what would suit me. I took my mum and my sister dress shopping. We went to three shops and I hadn't found anything until the third one. I had tried on a lot of "nice" dresses, but none that really felt like me. When I tried on my Ronald Joyce dress, I instantly felt comfortable in it and liked the way that I looked in it. I think everyone else noticed the same thing, as they said my body language changed as soon as I put it on. Having tried on a few, and worrying I wouldn't suit any dresses, I felt so relieved that a dress that I loved did actually exist! I ended up choosing Jodie, from Ronald Joyce’s Victoria Jane Collection which I found at The Dressing Room at Garstang.

Any tips for future brides?

Don't let anyone pressure you into having a wedding day designed to keep them happy and not you. Spend as much time with your husband as you can on the day, as it goes so quickly.

Take a look at our latest season’s collection from Victoria Jane.