A surprise Christmas proposal saw a woman fulfil her fashionista fairytale dreams when she wore a Cinderalla-inspired dress on her wedding day. Anita Young is a 25-year-old Instagram content creator and online fitness coach who describes her wedding style as colourful and unique.
Anita took inspiration from a famous Disney movie, to make her vision come to life. Speaking to jewellers Austin & Blake, Anita said: “My inspiration was from the Cinderella movie that came out in 2015.
"The dress in the movie was blue, worn by Lily James who played Cinderella. I recreated it in white made from a glitter fabric with a similar neckline, made to look like I was walking in the clouds.
"My parents got my dress, my bridesmaid's dresses and my mum's outfits all bespoke made, designed by myself and brought to life by fashion designers Philip and Tony Armstrong. Philip who has made clothes for The Housewives of Cheshire and celebrities in that area, came down to dress me personally which made my day extra special."
Anita loves fashion and was keen to celebrate her love for gorgeous garments on her special day. She said: “Fashion is a huge part of my life and I made sure this part of my life was made apparent leading up to my wedding day.
"Even when we went to London for my hen do for three nights, I wore a different style custom dress each night, as I wanted each dress to be a statement!” The fashionista shared a heartwarming story of how her surprise Christmas proposal led to an unforgettable wedding ceremony six months later.
She said: “Richard proposed to me on December 21, 2020 in Edinburgh outside The Dome. He asked a man to take a photo of us.
"To my surprise he got down on one knee and proposed which was just so magical! We then went home and told our families we were getting married which was a very exciting time.”
Anita, who works alongside her husband in their own recycling business alongside creating lifestyle content on Instagram, reveals how she planned her dream wedding in just six months. The planning process of a wedding can be particularly difficult, especially during Covid restrictions.
However Anita was able to navigate the wedding industry efficiently and plan a spectacular day with her loved ones. She said: “The planning process wasn’t easy.
"We knew we wanted to get married that summer but were in the height of the pandemic with lots of rules and regulations. We had to downsize to only 60 people when we had already sent out invitations to 200 people, but we still managed to have the perfect day.
"I had plenty of practice planning weddings as my two sisters got married the year before within a couple of months of each other. So we had worked with lots of contacts before like the photographer, videographer and singer.”
“We ended up having our wedding in Harrogate. Mine and Richard's first dance was to the song At Last by Etta James, my dance with my dad was to Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses and we danced to We Are Family by Sister Sledge with my mum and my sisters.
“Richard who was under the weather and slightly nervous before the ceremony said that as soon as he saw me walking down the aisle, the poorliness left him completely which was a magical moment in itself. My heart was racing with emotions but I kept it together, whilst Richard was emotional saying our vows which was a very special and memorable moment for both of us.
Anita is keen to share wedding planning advice for newly engaged couples. She said organisation is key but to also "enjoy every moment of planning".
She added: "Also, don’t let it get the better of you. It is the best time of your life and it’s all for one day that is about you and your fiancé getting married and living the rest of your life together."
Anita and husband Richard are now expecting their first baby in March 2023. Sharing her joy about upcoming motherhood, Anita said: "Now I'm expecting a baby boy, which is so overwhelming for me as I am one of eight girls.
"This is the first grandchild in my family and the first boy, it is very exciting!”
