Hello, my name is Jess. My husband, Matt, and I married at Grand Villa Argentina in Dubrovnik in July 2018. I am a cabin manager for an Airline and my husband works in banking. We live in a small town in Surrey, UK. We got engaged in November 2016. My husband proposed in Fort Myers, Florida at sunset after 8 years of love. It came to me by complete surprise as we had been in a relationship for so long a proposal just wasn’t on my radar.
How two of you meet each other? What is your engagement story?
Matt and I met at work in a bank in the UK. We had some friends in common and started socialising outside of the office, our relationship blossomed very organically with little no pressure for a long term relationship. Before we knew it we had fallen in love.
How you decided to have a wedding in Dubrovnik? How your friends and family reacted when they heard about your wedding location?
We love to travel and were lucky enough to be able to go on 2-3 overseas trips a year. We visited Dubrovnik for a weekend early on in our relationship and were captured by its beauty, climate and fabulous hospitality. Once engaged , we explored a few different options for a destination wedding but Dubrovnik had already won our hearts.
What was the most stressful thing about your wedding planning?
I truly cannot think of anything that caused either of us any stress. Ines and Matea covered EVERYTHING. I loved taking a back seat with regards to logistics, we just had the joy of choosing the creative elements. For example the flowers, I provided some photos and inspiration and on the day they blew me away. They were a hundred times better than I could ever have imagined. I did not have to worry about any coordination on the day, Matea ensured that everything went to plan and made sure our day was absolutely perfect.
What was your ‘must have’ for the wedding?
For us, it was intimacy. We both were adamant we didn’t want a huge wedding as we are both quite introverted. We had approximately 45 close friends and family who we are so blessed to have in our lives.
How did you feel just before you walked down the aisle?
I forgot how to walk in a straight line, there was so much concentration required. Matea gave me so much practical and emotional support and it’s these kinds of details and kindness that brides will never forget.
What worried you the most night before the wedding?
I was anxious with excitement rather than worry. I had a lovely pamper evening with my cousin who was my bridesmaid and just indulged in pure relaxation. Looking back, is there anything you would change? Retrospectively, we both wish that we chose to have a videographer. The day just goes do quickly, I would love to be able to watch it all on replay over and over again
What was the funniest thing that happened on the day?
We loved the speeches, one of our dear friends wrote the funniest speeches including all of the embarrassing, cringe worthy yet hilarious stories from over the years. The kind you never wish your family to ever learn.
What 3 advices would you give to other brides planning their wedding?
- If you are on a budget prioritise what is most important to you to make sure you include all of your favourite things
- Factor in some time after your ceremony for you and your husband or wife to take it all in, have some water and top up your lipstick as when you return to your guests time will fly as you are having such a great time.
- Don’t be afraid to let go of control of the planning/logistics. Ines and Matea are fantastic at what they do and will bring your vision to life.
Photo by: Veronica Arevalo (Svadbas Photography)