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Julie and Craig didn't let distance get in the way of romance even though, when they first met online, they were living a three-hour drive away from each other. He was based in London and she was in Nottingham and after getting to know each other over the phone they spent the next two years alternating between their homes every weekend before finally settling down together in Grantham.

“Craig has the most amazing blue eyes and he looked so kind and gentle in his profile picture,” reveals Julie. “Apparently he was attracted by my eyes too! We shared several messages but before we actually got to speak my mum had a heart attack, so everything went on hold for a while. When things settled down, I was relieved to find he was still interested.” After their first phone call they spoke every day for hours after work until finally meeting in person and embarking on their long-distance relationship.

Craig popped the question in September, 2017 while they were on holiday in New York. Julie had already pre-warned him, that if he ever did decide to propose, not to do it in public as she hated fuss. So true to her wishes, he got down on one knee in the hotel bedroom as she came out of the shower. “I had absolutely no idea what was going on, it was a complete surprise and I just stood there in shock,” recalls Julie. “Once I’d calmed down and said, ‘yes’ of course, all I could think about was calling my parents back home before they went to bed!” They tied the knot on 28th September, 2019, at All Saints Church in High Kelling, Norfolk followed by a reception at the nearby Pheasant Hotel. Read on for Julie’s account of their big day...

Group photo I couldn't get the idea of the church wedding I'd always wanted out of my head. We spend a lot of time with Craig's parents near Holt and there's a tiny little chapel across the road in the woods which we've always loved, so once we decided to get married there, everything else fell into place.

Walking into the church and seeing so many friends and family, including some that I hadn't seen for ages, was emotional.

I loved the dropped shoulders of my ivory lace Dracane dress by Pronovias.

Groomsmen Craig went to Richard James in Saville Row, London for his bespoke navy three-piece suit. I still tease him now that it cost more than my dress! Both dads, the groomsmen and ring bearer Mason all wore navy suits with blush pink ties while Craig's was ivory to stand out from the rest.

Flowergirl and page boy I added matching diamanté belts to the maid-of-honour and flowergirl's dresses.

Umbrella My amazing hairdresser Amie did the whole bridal party's hair including both mums. She was fantastic, helping to calm my nerves on the morning and making sure everyone looked fab!

Boat and VW Craig is a fan of fast cars but also loves vintage VWs, so we chose Daisy, a stunning vintage cream Beetle with a soft top for our wedding transport. Unfortunately, it rained on the day but that didn't stop us from having the roof down for a while, with umbrellas of course! It looked stunning at the church and later on the pebbly Weybourne beach!

I made little birdcage boxes filled with beautiful chocolates for our guests and the children had a gift to keep them amused during the meal.

We used a bookcase in the conservatory to display personal photos of our parents at their weddings along with candles and pictures of our two beloved cats.

Tableplan We're both sticklers for detail so we put a lot of thought into all the special touches.

Craig made the place names, table numbers and table plan.

The table centrepieces were large glass hurricane vases surrounded by floral rings to match the rest of the bridal flowers.

We held the reception in the hotel conservatory as it was the perfect size with plenty of light and a lovely garden.

Light up letters The food was incredible! Our guests enjoyed a three-course meal with three choices for each and then in the evening we had a huge cheese table with local specialities, bread, biscuits and accompaniments.

The cake looked stunning; three layers of delicious sponge in lemon, raspberry and elderflower flavours covered in buttercream and decorated with flowers to match our theme.

Singer and guitarist Steve Young played during the drinks reception and kept the dancefloor busy all evening with some of our favourite tunes and other hits for all ages.

Beach shot Our photographer Ben was so much fun and easy to be around, we clicked from the moment we first met him at a wedding show.