Is there anything you wish you’d known before planning your wedding day?

You can’t plan for a global pandemic, which was the biggest spanner in the works! But the general piece of advice I’ve been telling friends since is: to remember it’s your day. Everyone around you will have an opinion, and by all means take those opinions on board – but, in the end, make sure it’s the day you and your partner want.

From a logistical point of view, the most stressful part for me was finding and booking my hair and makeup – and I would have never guessed it would’ve been before I got married. So, if I were to do it all again, I’d definitely be on that earlier.

Also, I had it in my head that I wanted to do lots of DIY, but when I came down to it, I just didn’t have time. So, getting our beautiful florist to also stage and decorate our tables and arrange our décor was a lifesaver. I’d recommend finding one or two things you really want to have your hand in – mine were our table signs and chart, and our resin coaster favours – and let the professionals do the rest.

From an on-the-day point of view, make sure you spend time with your partner! Me and Johnathan managed to sneak off a few times and just watch our wedding from afar and those are the moments we remember.

What was your favourite memory of the day?

When I look back on the day, it was a whirlwind of sun and happy people! My wedding was two days after Freedom Day, when lockdown restrictions were lifted, and we had many hiccups along the way. We had people not able to come and we had multiple different plans and scenarios; we also had people from every side telling us to postpone, but me and Jonathan were adamant we were getting married like we had planned, no matter what. People didn’t seem to understand that we would rather get married with just us and a few friends rather than postpone. But it wasn’t about the party, it was about us.

The most memorable part of the day was leaving the Priory after getting married –we were alone for the first time in what felt like ages and, as we walked out the door, Jonny tripped over my dress, which made for a funny photo! When we were outside, I could feel how shaky Jonny was and we both looked at each other without saying anything and we both were so happy. I could feel a sense of relief, relaxation and inner peace.

That was before the madness of the confetti line! After that, everything was just incredible. All our friends and family hadn’t been together in forever and everyone was so happy to be celebrating with us.

What’s one piece of advice you’d share with other North East brides?

Rethink your massive guestlist! Not just from a price point of view, either. We ended up paying for a lot more guests than those who could actually come because of Covid, but we ended up with around 55 guests and it still felt like a lot of people to talk to. But it was a manageable amount, too – we talked to everyone and spend a good amount of time with them all.

REBECCA AND JONATHAN’S SUPPLIERS:

Venue: Brinkburn Northumberland

Photographer: Rosie Davison

Dress: WED2Be

Hair & Makeup: Lisa Jones Hair & Makeup

Floristry: Lavenders Blue

Neon signage: Luminous Neon