This afternoon we have a stunning welsh wedding at the beautiful Peterstone Court. Full of smiles, big balloons, ferns and mountainous views...

Anna and Mike live in Australia but decided to tie the not in Wales and we are all the richer in the eye candy department because of this decision, so mahoosive thanks go to Ann and Mike you've brightened up our afternoon with this little Welsh wonder.

Anna The Bride: I think you could call me the last minute, indecisive bride and Mike a horizontal groom. We're from Cardiff Wales and currently live in Fremantle Western Australia so planned our wedding from the other side of the world with an 8 hour time difference. In reality we threw it all together in the two weeks leading up to the wedding. This meant that some bits I'd pinterested to death (menu cards) didn't get done, there were a lot of last minute challenges such as the chairs being cancelled days before the wedding, which all led up to the most incredible day of our lives.

I think our wedding led on from our engagement, Mike had the most incredible ring designed and hid is under the floorboards in our house. After all that effort he decided to propose on a whim whilst we were chilling in our PJ's and my nails were chipped. Our wedding was just like this example of unplanned perfection.

The Venue

The church was walking distance from the venue. It was amazing walking back to the venue with all of our friends and family and really gave us some time to soak it in, one of my favourite pictures is me hugging my bridesmaid on the walk. As the venue is quite far from where most of our guests live we put on a bus to shuttle people back and forth. This worked out really well and meant everybody could let their hair down.

The Dress

What can I say about the dress?! A nightmare that turned into a dream... Perhaps because we were planning the wedding from so far away, my dress felt like the one thing I could control. I bought the first dress I tried on, after trying on about four dresses on our holiday back to Wales I decided it was too hard to buy a dress in wales and have fittings from Australia so in a stress I went back to the only shop I'd visited here and bought the first dress I'd tried on. I would never have thought I would want something puffy but for me (a person who would rather be overdressed) after trying on a puffy ball gown every other dress I tried on I just felt like I was in a maxi dress. In the end it was go big or go home. The top was originally completely encrusted in bling, something that was hilarious after a champagne lunch but tear inducing when reality hit and I picked the dress up 8 weeks before the wedding. It was awful having a dress that didn't feel like me (not a bling person), people choose dresses for all sort of reasons but ultimately you are the person who has to wear it so it should reflect your everyday taste. I managed to find a designer who was willing to help me rework the design. We removed the bling and added the lace - this simple alteration calmed the overall look down and created my perfect dress. If you can't afford couture I found reworking an existing design was a cost effective alternative and in the end I wouldn't have changed a thing about my dress. The dress ended up being a reflection of my everyday style, it felt like me and I was so happy to wear it.

Accessories

To finish off the look I decided to hire two sashes just two days before the wedding I visited To Have and to hire in Cardiff and found the matches from their amazing collection. One for the day and one for the evening. When it came to hair accessories I ended up with the more is more approach! A few days before the wedding I decided I wanted a veil. I was really lucky when I visited a bridal shop who offered to sell me one there and then as they normally take months to order. My plan was to take it off as soon as the ceremony was done but I figured you only get to rock a veil once so it stayed!

I had bought quite a few pieces but on the day I decided that all I wanted to wear was a bracelet given to me by my late father on my 18th birthday. It felt so nice to have him with me and I would highly recommend wearing something that means something to you. It ended up being my something blue and old.

Shoes

I'd toyed with the idea of going all out designer but then decided if I was buying a pair of jimmy choos I wanted something I would wear time and time again so I thought I would save money and found a pair of fabulous topshop shoes online. When I arrived home I tried them on and they were really squeaky so I did a last minute dash to Dune and bought the most comfortable shoes ever. They had a hint of old school glamour/ballroom and I didn't cry when I scuffed them on the dance floor.

Hair & Makeup

I have to mention my hairdresser and makeup artist. Both of whom were wonderful. Trying to find people from the other side of the world was tough going and in the end both came on personal recommendations. I absolutely loved getting ready with my girls and mum and the atmosphere getting ready was sublimely chilled - a morning I will remember forever. Both of these girls contributed to this really chilled out vibe and wowed at all the right moments. Just gorgeous.

Having never had a hair trial my hairdresser Joanne Lebeau was incredible, she managed to understand exactly what I wanted and got it right first go. She came as a recommendation and I have to say was amazing on the day. Obviously used to doing weddings she didn't judge when we watched Father of the Bride on repeat, played us a wedding playlist, knew how to work the hair flowers, veil and even expertly helped me in to my dress.

I knew I didn't want to look like a drag queen but I also didn't want to look like I'd rolled out of bed. Jemma did a lovely job, when I looked in the mirror I still looked like me but a bit more glamourous. I felt done up (which I asked for) but not cakey.

The Groom

Mike's an electrician so it's not often he gets to wear a suit. He didn't want to wear traditional tails but wanted to wear a three piece. He opted for a Reiss slim fit suit (Barber) which was also worn by his brother (best man). Mike wore a Rado watch which was purchased for the day. By the time we came to buy the Ushers suits the Reiss suits had sold out but we found a close match from Next. The ties were from Reiss (bargain sale ties) and Mikes mum made the pocket squares to match.

The Venue

As we live so far away from our friends and family we wanted a venue that would allow us to have a few days away with them. We also needed a venue that would take care of the catering and the essential things that would just be too hard to organise from abroad. Peterstone Court is absolutely beautiful, set in the Brecon Beacons the Georgian charm suited the glamour puss in me. The views were spectacular and it was awesome hanging out on the terrace overlooking Penyfan. With a small church just walking distance away the venue was a natural choice for us.

The Décor

We didn't really have a theme or colour scheme it was more just things we liked. It was all quite natural with colours coming from the greenery and seasonal flowers. The girls wore white and the guys ties were a sort of off cream with a grey/silver stripe. I had seen the giant balloons and had really wanted them to line the entrance drive, nothing says party like a balloon! they were forgotten about until the morning of the wedding when somebody from the venue managed to drive into Brecon to get them blown up. They ended up being a big feature in the wedding we used them as props in our photos and later in the evening they were taken inside to hover about the dance floor - unplanned magic.

The Flowers

My mum was originally a botanist so I've grown up being dragged around gardens and staring at wild flowers. This has resulted in a love of all things floral so I knew flowers would be a big part of my day. Emma understood the brief from the get go and I have to say she took my vision and made it a reality. I'm way to messy to have something really structured but I still wanted the flowers to have a sense of glamour. What she achieved with her team was amazing from the bouquet to the fireplaces it was incredible. I was adamant I wanted ferns as my centerpieces as I love the colonial feel that ferns have. They are glamorous yet subtle. But really they just remind me of my family home. Honestly one of my favourite things on the day.

The Wedding Party

Before my hens, my bridesmaids had never been in the same country, let alone room together so finding a dress was a challenge. I had a budget of around £200 per bridesmaid but was restricted to looking online. I was quite laid back about what the girls wanted to wear but I knew I wanted full length. I found that the girls really wanted to be led by me so in the end I just had to make a decision for them. I walked in to zara and spotted a long white dresses with delicate beading (£40) and thought that white suits everyone. In the end there was red wine spilt down my sisters before she even made her speech and she still looked amazing. They were my little angels in the lead up and on the day so I'm pleased they were dressed accordingly.

The Ceremony

When I lost my dad at 21 I was terrified that there would be a gaping hole in my wedding day. As the day drew closer I realised that not one person could fill that hole so it was best not to try. I decided the best way was to split the role up. My uncle walked me down the aisle, when the reverend asked who was giving me away my mum said I do and my sister delivered the father of the bride speech. On the walk from the venue to the church my uncle (who walked me down the aisle) told me that he had been so nervous on his wedding day he didn't remember any of it. As we were about to walk in he squeezed my hand and told me to calm down and remember it. From that moment it was like all the nervous energy disappeared and the importance of the day - promising to share my life with the person I love - was all that mattered. I walked in to what I had imagined to be a scary situation and saw a room filled with the people we love and the man I love waiting to marry me and I remember it clearly.

Entertainment

We hired a band for the evening. We did our first dance relatively early and then it was like everybody just filtered outside for a few hours. I was having a great time but did feel like we should be dancing, we needn't have worried around 9.30 everybody decided it was time for a dance and the party went off. I would say don't worry if people aren't dancing straight away, the fun will take care of itself, you can't force it. Amazing moment: On a whim a guest who plays the piano decided that once the band was finished he would start a sing-along and we all stood around the piano singing everything from oasis to queen until the early hours. These were the moments that no matter how much we'd planned we could never have scripted and it highlighted it was the people we love who really made our wedding special.

The Food

I Can't remember what the canapés were but my Mum organised them and I think they were well needed as it's a long day and people really needed to eat especially those who have travelled. We spent our money on the best wine we could afford, we knew the food would be good as it is seasonal and comes from the venues farm so the wine was a worthwhile investment for us.

The Photographers

What can I say about our wonderful photographers - how can you thank the people who produce an image you will feel happy to look at for the next 50 years? We'd never met Owen and Charis before the big day and due to time differences had struggled to find a time to Skype. We'd been pretty naughty and not gotten back to them with a shot list etc. so I am sure we were every photographer's nightmare but we really weren't sure what we were looking for. All we knew was how little we see our loved ones and that we didn't want the day to be a photo shoot. Charis was great when I was getting ready; she guided the shots but wasn't invasive and didn't interrupt what was naturally happening. Owen had the same approach and they interacted really well with the wedding party. Really well, so people chilled out and didn't even notice they were having their pictures taken.

We spend most of our lives laughing and our wedding day was no different. Not only did they capture our laughter and love for each other, but they captured the love we share with our friends and family. Forever grateful.

A Word Of Advice

Only piece of advice I can give is spend your money on the bits that matter to you, for us flowers, photography and wine. Scrimp on the things you don't notice at other people's weddings because you won't notice them at your own.