It was as easy as ABC when sales executive and resident My Special K blogger Emma met online traffic manager Dave on a night out at university back in 2005. “All of his friends were offering to buy me drinks,” recalls Emma. “He was quiet, interesting and by far the best looking! It really was love at first sight!”

Fast forward five and a half years to New Year’s Eve 2010 when Dave proposed, “he took me for a walk on the beach with my dog Holly and wrote ‘will you marry me?’ in the sand. He got down on one knee and presented me with his Grandma’s engagement ring; it was so romantic.”

Photographer: Veronica Arevalo (veronicaarevalo.com)

On 30 August 2011 the couple married in Dubrovnik, Croatia at the Sponza Palace. “My wedding planner, Kristina from doyouwed.me recommended it to me due to its seafront location. She showed me a few photos over email and I was instantly sold. Everywhere in Croatia is beautiful, so I really wasn’t worried,” said Emma.

Getting wed in a hot climate meant Emma wanted a light and easy-to-wear dress, “I ended up buying a simple dress by Jasmine from La Boutique in Beckenham (laboutiquebridal),” she told us. “It was perfect for the blazing Croatian sun! I made alterations to the dress, including changing it to a halter neck. I also added pearls and a bit of sparkle to the flowers under the bust.”

The bride accessorised her dress with a long veil and silk shrug by christinekendall.com as well as wearing gorgeous T-bar vintage-style shoes by Rachel Simpson (rachelsimpsonshoes.co.uk, bought at Elegant Steps), with simple white sandals decorated with pearls reserved for the evening.

“I also wore earrings and a bracelet from Yarwood White (yarwood-white.com). Both pieces were made with beautiful, fresh water pearls and rose quartz. A flower for my hair made by Rosie Willett to match the jewellery, made the whole look really unique. I also wore my Grandma’s engagement ring that she left me, which was nice, as I felt like she was with us this way.”

Emma wanted a selection of different flowers in pink and creams, “I didn’t want anything structured or formal, but a sea of different flowers scattered around, our wedding planner helped me choose roses and freesias for the bouquet which smelt divine.”

Dave wore a grey suit from Ted Baker (tedbaker.com) and a light blue tie from Peckham Rye (peckhamrye.com) on Carnaby Street. Emma bought her maids’ dresses as gifts, “Dave’s little sister wore a light blue dress from Coast (coast-stores.com), while our flower girls wore light pink dresses from Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com).

Keen to bring their love of family and music together during the ceremony – 53 close family and friends travelled to Dubrovnik to join them – the couple walked down the aisle to Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desire which Emma’s parents played at their wedding. There was an even closer family connection though, “David’s mum is a vicar and so she led the service, while his sister led the prayers which made it very personal.”

Making the most of their seaside location (Dubrovnik is on the Adriatic coast), the couple brought beachy elements into their day. “The cake had marzipan seashells on it and my mum painted real seashells with guest names as place settings – she had collected the shells from the beach Dave had asked me to marry on!”

After the ceremony, the couple treated guests to a boat ride to Kolocep Island (an hour from Dubrovnik)...

...followed by a laidback four-course reception feast at Villa Ruza – a beautiful outdoor restaurant on the seafront. “We had acoustic guitarists playing (during the meal) and later we danced to our favourite songs from our iPod,” Emma told us. “People got up between courses, swapped chairs, took photos. It was very relaxed and informal with guests lounging around on big white sofa beds, sipping cocktails, taking in the dreamy views and dancing to our favourite club music until one o’clock in the morning.”

“We were desperate to share our love of travelling with our friends and family and wanted to introduce everyone to the beauty of Dubrovnik,” said Emma. “Decide what is most important to you and spend the money on that. Unless your budget is limitless, you can’t have the perfect everything. Personal touches, like making your own order of services, or making table decorations save money and they are so much nicer than buying generic ones. My friends and family really enjoyed helping too.”

It’s also important not to compromise on what’s important to you Emma imparted, “Dave chose Sade’s By your side for our first dance and wouldn’t consider anything else!”

Photographer: Veronica Arevalo (veronicaarevalo.com)

Read Emma's last blog post here before signing up to your own free My Special K Plan to win £500 towards your bridesmaids' dresses!

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