Despite an early night, and just one glass of wine with friends, dropping copious amounts of relaxing lavender oil onto my pillow and ear plugs firmly pushed in …I still didn't sleep a wink. For months I had been fretting about not being able to sleep the night before my big day and now my fears were becoming reality. At around 5.30am I gave up all breathing exercises to try and trick my conscious into a slumber and surrendered to a sleepless night, but something weird was happening. I didn't feel tired at all, in fact I felt fine, well apart from all the nerves…. What if I stuttered my vows? Or tripped while walking down the aisle? Although I had spent an entire year on 'Planet wedding'…buying every wedding magazine and devouring their contents…I still didn't have the answers. All I could do now was go with the flow and enjoy myself, content in the knowledge that today I was going to be marrying the man I love. I'd already practised my signature and couldn't wait till someone called me 'Mrs Scott' and I didn't care how old it would make me feel. I could also say 'This is my husband…'. How exciting!

A year ago my boyfriend David proposed to me. It was completely out of the blue, as we ate outdoors at London's Oxo Tower, overlooking St Paul's cathedral and the Thames. It was a glorious sunny evening and I remember crying silent tears.

We stayed at the Park Lane Hilton and celebrated in Windows, a bar at the top of the hotel with a panoramic view over London. I think I waited at least 12 hours before I bought my first wedding magazine and from that moment, I began to plan every minute detail of the perfect wedding which leads me to today. Saturday October 4th 2003.

I got out of bed, went downstairs, expecting to feel somewhat different, but I didn't. I was still me. I couldn't believe it, our wedding day was here and I was thinking; 'I'm not ready for it yet, another month please?!' In a few hours I'm going to be the centre of attention, and the thought of that makes me feel quite shy. I don't usually crave attention but I suppose I should on my wedding day. On the other hand I know David will be lapping it up. He's not really what you'd call a shrinking violet but, wait a minute, my fiancé? I do hope he is going to be at the church? My worst nightmare is the thought of a bride turning up at a church to find that the groom has had a severe case of cold feet!

I went downstairs to greet my Mom, Dad and sister (chief bridesmaid) the other two being David's younger sisters. My Dad made me a full English breakfast, of which I tried to eat as much as I could because the last thing I wanted to do was feel faint in church. Then it was time to start getting ready. I went into action using the wealth of ludicrously extortionate items I had purchased over the past year. I had wedding soap, wedding razor, wedding shower gel, wedding deodorant, wedding make-up, wedding touch éclat, wedding everything! All new and unopened! I had originally debated the whole 'shall I shave or wax?' 'grow own nails or use acrylic?' and although I had initially ambitiously opted for the waxing and growing routine I soon swapped to 'shave and fake' when I realised I didn't have the patience to grow either long nails or leg hair!.

Then Dave's sisters turned up, all excited about being bridesmaid for the day, and shortly after that my hairdresser came to transform my unmanageable ultra-thick hair into a beautiful loose curls piled high, set off with small white buds. This took a mere three hours to achieve because of my hair's stubbornness, though my hairdresser simultaneously managed to style my bridesmaids' hair into chignons with pink roses at the back.

My ever-suffering bridesmaids helped me to glue-on my nails (!) thankfully they didn't look fake but unfortunately they rendered me almost helpless to do anything else. Everything seemed to be calm and low-tempo, and then all chaos descended as someone noticed that we'd all better start to get make-up and dresses on as the cars would be arriving in an hour. I remember thinking 'Oh my god, where did the time go?' My makeup took ages….apparently it takes a light reflecting foundation, blusher, colour rub, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, eye lash curlers and a few individual false eyelashes to achieve the 'natural' look …thankfully it did.

My bridesmaids put on their baby pink dresses which looked stunning, and Mom put on her lovely pastel green mother of the bride outfit and hat, then it was time for me to put on my dress, oh, the times I have dreamed about wearing my wedding dress! I had chosen a full-skirted princess style dress with strapless bodice and sweetheart neckline. It was perfect. I put on the underskirt that consisted of many layers of toille and two hoops to give it a classic ball gown shape. The dress was lifted over my head and it was gorgeous and I'd never felt so girly in all my life. I had my Something old; my Nan's wedding ring, Something new: my dress, Something Borrowed; Swarovski crystal earrings from my sister, Something blue: my Mom sewed on two tiny blue silk ribbons to my underskirt and I had tiny blue butterflies as decorations on my shoes.

Soon someone noticed that the wedding cars had pulled up outside the house and my heart began to beat faster. The bridesmaids and my Mom got in one car and I watched them out of the window as they departed and our neighbours waved to them.

Suddenly it was just my Dad and I in the house and everything was quiet and I could see the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit just waiting there to whisk my Dad and I to the church. I had wanted to turn up to the church fashionably late but now I was so excited that I just couldn't wait to get into the car. We didn't wait too long after the first car had gone until we walked over to the car, and neighbours shouted over 'You look beautiful' I picked my dress up off the floor and squeezed myself into the back seat without getting my dress dirty. The driver drove really slowly but when we got to the church we were early so the driver had to go off again.

When we finally pulled up I wound my window down and asked my sister "Is he here?" and she said "Yes, of course he is!" I got out and it was time for the photographers and Mr video to pounce. The weather was mixed, a little sunny, a little rain but with a distinct autumnal chill in the air. Then it was time for the bridal party to line up ready for the walk down the aisle to 'Trumpet Voluntary'. On the arm of my father, I walked down to the alter where my man; tall, dark and handsome in his powder blue suit, pink tie and white shoes was waiting together with his traditional 'Two best men' - one in naval officer uniform plus sword!

When I got to the top of the aisle I looked at my Fiancé and smiled, and he said; 'You look beautiful'. The Service was just right; not too long, and not too short. We had a reading of 'Love is' and a lovely mixed adult choir sang 'Jerusalem' and David recognised a few singers as his old school teachers. A beautiful moment was when the Soloist sang 'Ave Maria'.

The vows went fine apart from when I said 'For butter or for worse'! Then we exchanged our plain gold rings engraved with: 'Happily ever after' When we returned to walk down the aisle to the bridal march, an almighty cheer went up, and as we came out of the church it was time for photographs again which we had in the gardens of the Friary, which has wonderful Tudor red brick architecture. The majority of the photos were taken under a huge oak tree whose leaves were just starting to turn wonderful autumn shades.

Then we got into the car to the reception and the chauffer passed us a box labelled 'To drink on the way…' from my sister. Inside were two shot glasses, a lemon, salt and miniature tequila…Ariba!!

As we arrived at the hotel we were given some bucks-fizz and entered the door to the sound of a string quartet. 'My Husband and I' circulated the room talking to as many people as possible, there were many faces I hadn't met before and I'm sure I didn't get round to introducing myself to everyone. Dave and I were taken into the dining room full of decorated tables with a church candle as the centrepiece and ivory favour bags adorned with a butterfly containing pink sugar almonds and matches
inscribed with 'Dave and Julie: The perfect Match!!' We had photos taken in here with the bridal party and lots and lots of bubbles from a bubble machine.

Next it was time for the small receiving line and everyone found their seats whilst the toastmaster announced "Ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for the bride and groom". We walked over hand in hand to the top table where waiting staff served us to a lovely meal of Greek salad, Turkey Roulade, and Brandy snaps with strawberries and fresh cream, all washed down with red and white wine. The string quartet played a selection of classics and popular swing numbers throughout the meal and we had hired a magician to keep the tables entertained. Then it was time for the champagne toast and speeches, which went down really well, and we all had a laugh.

After dinner it was time to cut the cake; a square three-tiered fruitcake decorated with a frill and delicate pink sugar roses to match the bridesmaids dresses. On the top were small fresh pink roses and the second tier had a tiny decorative piece of two gold rings intertwined with a small white dove sitting in the centre of them, it had been passed down to me from my mom who had had it on her wedding cake from my Nan who'd had it on hers.

Later the DJ announced the first dance; Carly Simon's 'Nobody does it better' encouraged by my sister and friend on the dance floor blowing bubbles at us that we had left as favours on the table along with 'Just married' love hearts.

After the first dance it was more dancing and I enjoyed swinging my skirt around. At twelve o'clock it was time to go to our honeymoon suite in another hotel leaving our guests to savour the late night bar and buffet. We left under an archway formed by friends and families arms. We drove in a blue Bentley and travelled off into the night for a long Jacuzzi and champagne.