This bride’s stunning Viva Bride dress was the perfect choice for her romantic castle wedding day…

Jack and Shannon met on Tinder in 2017. “We decided to meet up and, from that day, he somehow moved into my house and never left!” says Shannon.

Jack proposed on 11th September 2018 while the couple were in Turkey. “It was actually a joke proposal (in which I proposed) but we ended up sticking with it, as my mother got a face on!” laughs Shannon. “Later that night, Jack brought a ring, took me back to our room overlooking the sea and proposed.”

Creating the perfect look

“The wed2b store in Derby was the first and only shop I went in,” says Shannon. “The staff were so lovely and they helped me turn the design I liked into my dream dress. I was self conscious that it had no sleeves, so we ended up getting some off-the-shoulder straps and a bolero to use, too. Later, I sadly had a miscarriage and needed a smaller size and the staff were so nice. They allowed me to change it, even though it was after the return/swap date. I couldn't recommend wed2b more than I already do!”

Shannon’s dream dress was Maddox, a beautiful floral A line by Viva Bride. “This dress made me feel like an absolute princess,” she says. “Especially the morning of the wedding, with my hair done, makeup done, accessories on. It was the perfect dress. I also bought the Monae veil, which I chose before I picked the dress. An absolute show stopper! My bolero was Pemberley and I added Lana straps.”

A romantic castle wedding venue

“We found our wedding venue while we were on a short break,” says Shannon. “It had an open day, so we popped in to have a look and oh my, we were blown away! We got married on 28th Feb.”

The big day

“I got ready with my mum, who was my maid of honour, and my bridesmaids, who are all family,” says Shannon. “They were definitely stressing as much as me! We get ready in the castle grounds. My dad walked me down the aisle to the song ‘Harry Potter VS Star Wars’!”

“After the ceremony, Jack and I had a quiet moment with cocktails and canapés then headed out for our photos," says Shannon. "Luckily, it was such a sunny day. For the wedding breakfast, we had a three-course meal and then fish and chips for our evening buffet. I had the father/daughter dance first, to the song 'I Loved Her First’ by Heartland, and then Jack and I danced to ‘Baby I’m Yours’ by the Artic Monkeys. It was magical.”

A DIY blue colour scheme

“We made most of the decorations ourselves, such as place names, favours, everything,” says Shannon. “It was so fun knowing that we did that. We also had a DJ and a photo booth, which everybody loved. Our cake was from Cake Box (the only cake I eat) and was absolutely lush.”

The best bits…

“My most memorable moment was getting to the bottom of the aisle and seeing Jack standing their looking nervous,” says Shannon. “Once I told him a joke he soon calmed down. Our sparklers were such a magical moment too, just to see everybody together and enjoying them.”

My top tips…

“DIY everything yourself,” says Shannon. “It saves so much money and it's great to know that you did this.”

Shannon and Jack’s Dream Team 

Photographer and videographer: JTR Photography

Wedding dresses Derby: wed2b

Venue: Clearwell Castle 

Florist: BMC Weston 

Hair & Makeup: The Beauty Spot South West 

Cake: CakeBox Gloucestershire

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