Most brides wouldn’t dive headfirst into murky waters, with God knows what lurking below, the month before their wedding, but that’s exactly what double world champion long-distance swimmer Keri-anne Payne plans to do when her event hits the London games this summer. (In September, she’ll tie the knot with fiancé and fellow swimmer David Carry in his hometown of Aberdeen.) We caught up with Keri-anne at a café overlooking The Serpentine – where she’ll compete during the games – to learn her secrets of body and bridal bliss. And while she’s keeping mum on the dress, she opened up about her colour scheme (blue), dress code (kilts for the groom and ushers) and entertainment (bring on the ceilidh!) – plus her tricks for staying motivated and avoiding pre-wedding stress …
 
Q: You’ve been stung by sea-life, kicked in the face by other swimmers and finished races with a bloody nose in the past. Are you worried about any pre-wedding injuries?
 A: Oh no. I mean, I’d be seriously unhappy if I had, like, a black eye, but I’ll have a month between, and there’s always makeup. Although, for swimming events we get transfers to stick our numbers onto our arms and backs, like a kid's temporary tattoo, so my biggest worry is that I could potentially have a number three or something sun-burned onto me. After the Worlds last year, I spent my whole holiday in Ibiza trying to get rid of the 26 I had on my back!
 
Q: How are you dealing with the pressure of planning a wedding and going for gold at the same time?
 A: Everyone is like, Oh my God, you must be really stressed with the wedding and the Olympics, but I don’t feel that now. So I’m kinda thinking I need to be more stressed, but I’ve not got there yet! I’m the kind of person who needs to be busy, and before a major competition especially, I need a project. So it was a natural fit that we decided to get married right after the Olympics, so I can do things like table names and other wedding tasks before and during the games. I don’t have to climb mountains to get what I need, just a trip to Hobbycraft. I’m a much better person when I have something to do!
 
Q: Was it tough to choose a wedding date with so much else going on?
 A: We were so excited about getting engaged, but it wasn’t an option to have the wedding before the Olympics. A lot of our friends are swimmers and they’d have had to cut time out of their programme to come to the wedding and we were like, ‘No, we’re not doing that’. By September, everyone will be finished and everyone will have had a break after the games, so the wedding will be the perfect time to get together. It’s going to be really good, I’m really excited.
 
Q: What’s your training schedule like at the moment?
 A: I do 10 sessions in the pool a week – roughly 2.5 hours each session. So it’s pretty full on. And we’ll do gym on top of that, anywhere from a half an hour to an hour. And then, we have Wednesday afternoons off and Saturday afternoons off and the whole of Sunday. That’s when I get to wear my engagement ring, too – Wednesdays and weekends. When swimmers talk about makeup or getting dressed up or anything like that, we’re like, ‘Yeah, Wednesdays and weekends!’
 
Q: How did David do on the proposal?
 A: He did a brilliant, brilliant job. It was at home, the day he returned from a trip to Scotland, and it was a total surprise. I’d been in the door not even five minutes, and if I’d been in the house any longer I would’ve realised something was up because he’s rubbish at secrets! I would’ve been happy with any ring, and I’d have just been like, ‘Oh, I’ll have the smallest one,’ but I absolutely love what he picked – it’s the perfect ring.
 
Q: With such busy schedules, do the two of you see much of each other?
 A: The facilities at the British Gas ITC in Stockport are just absolutely amazing, which means we can both train there even though we do very different events – I do open water swimming and David does 200 and 400 metre freestyle. Sometimes we don’t see each other apart from the car journey to and from the pool, but we usually go together every morning which is nice.
 
Q: Any tips for regular brides who are trying to shape up for their big day?
 A: Obviously people want to get in shape for their wedding day, and I totally get that, but don’t wake up every morning thinking, ‘I have to get in shape, I have to get in shape, I have to get in shape’. Just do what you can do and maintain that, even if it’s one day a week at the gym. And if you can squeeze another day in then do it, but don’t think, ‘I have to go to the gym three times a week, and if I don’t I’m going to be fat on my wedding day’. It’s not like that at all.
 
Q: Staying motivated can also be a challenge. What works for you?
 I’m not saying it’s easy, because it isn’t, but I don’t do what I do every day to get up one morning and say, ‘No, I’m not going to be bothered.’ It’s a lot easier if you’re doing it with a friend – that makes such a difference. And even doing stuff at home is great. My sister-in-law got married recently and she used the Wii Fit. People think you don't lose weight, but she really toned up from doing 30 minutes a day before work.
 
Q: What music are you really loving for workouts at the moment?
 A: This is going to sound a little out there, but I love a trance group called Above & Beyond. We put that on in the gym, and when it’s really loud it’s amazing. Their album Group Therapy just gets you totally in the mood for working out. Because it’s not too crazy, it’s good uplifting music as well so you want to keep going and get on with it.
 
Q: Do you think it’s important to spoil yourself after a really good workout or competition?
 A: I do. If you hit a goal or do something you didn’t think you could, it’s always really good to give yourself a bit of a treat so you want to do it again – whether it’s a handbag (which is true in my case!) or a chocolate bar or a glass of wine with your friends. You don’t want to treat yourself after every workout, but it’s good to have training targets in mind. Though I don’t know how many more Mulberry handbags I can convince myself to buy without feeling guilty. I’m such a Mulberry girl!
 
 
Keri-anne Payne is an ambassador for British Gas, which is supporting initiatives to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy swimming as part of its partnership with the sport at all levels. Visit britishgas.co.uk/swimming. And find more fabulous big-day shape-up ideas in the March/April 2012 issue of You & Your Wedding!
 
Words by Julia Scirrotto