Pedro and I met in Barcelona - he is Chilean and I am German - but somehow we both agreed that Cambridge was the perfect place for us to get married. I had studied for my Masters degree at King's College there and Pedro also knows it very well. Also it was a place most of our guests and family (which is super international!) could make it to!

On a miraculously sunny although windy September morning, all thirty guests made their way to Castle Hill where the ceremony was held in the Registrar's Office. Anne was escorted by brother Frank, father Michael and his wife Margrit in a specially decorated car - so specially decorated that Frank, the chauffer, nearly didn't make it out of the parking lot (which was locked) and to the ceremony on time! Although the registrar had a hard time with Pedro's full name (in fact, Pedro did too!), she conducted the ceremony beautifully and it was very dignified. There were smiles all around, and also a few tears were shed. The rings, hand-crafted in white gold by Pedro's goldsmith sister Anastasia Mamlai, fit beautifully! Alex read the Elizabethan poem "Love's Tranquillity" by Sir Philip Sidney.

We signed the register to music of Mozart's "Magic Flute", and then led the guests onto Castle Hill into the bright sunlight, while receiving congratulations and hugging friends we hadn't seen in months! We spent the rest of the morning drinking Freixenet on the hill, feeling blissfully happy and content and surrounded by family and friends.

A leisurely stroll down the hill took us to Galleria, a little restaurant on the riverbank where we enjoyed our food - lamb for the meat-eaters, wild mushroom risotto for the veggies - and good Spanish red wine. After the cake was cut - quite a feat in itself as it consisted of various layers of fudge-filled chocolate brownie mix (a King's College student favourite) - we enjoyed tea and coffee on the balconies overlooking the River Cam. With speeches from Michael, Mario and, of course, best man Alex (as well as other friends), time went by incredibly fast and before we knew it was time to leave. We did get a good look at all those amazing presents though.

A day in Cambridge is of course only complete with a punting tour along The Banks... Five punting experts - Cat, George, Alex, John-Joe and Stephan - took the rest of us on a hugely romantic trip all the way up to King's College, past Trinity and St. John's and below the Bridge of Sighs.

After a few hours of well-deserved rest we met again at the King's College Vac Bar to party the night away. The wedding fairies had decorated the place beautifully. In fact the room was unrecognisable to former King's students! John-Joe presented us with a wickedly strong Caipiroshka (Caipirinha but with Vodka!) and Jonathan and Alex deejayed and got everyone dancing.

Anne's mother Karin got carried away with the white balloons but later led a very successful Polonaise resulting in only a few twisted arms and legs! The married couple retired to their quarters at Cinderella-time - midnight - and left everyone else to party on. Actually, we didn't retire right away but sat on the stone bridge crossing the river, stargazing and enjoying this magical night. What a day - full of happiness, love and laughter. Of course it was impossible to sleep... OH HAPPY DAY.

Do Differently: Nothing - it was all perfect. We didn't regret our decision to have a civil wedding instead of a religious ceremony at King's College Chapel (which is gorgeous but simply too grand for us - our ceremony was informal and very intimate). Just remember to slow down and relax before the big day and appreciate everything around you on the wedding day. Enjoy every moment because time flies! A good team of helpers is really important too. And don't forget that the most important thing is not the food/reception/decoration but sharing a wonderful celebration (the rest is just marginal!!). We felt a small wedding (30 people) was perfect as we got to talk to each of the guests for a few minutes, which was really important.