WEDDINGS Fairy-tale wedding for childhood sweethearts

The couple: Melissa Grimes, 28, a full-time mum, and Mark Bailey, 29, an electrician. The couple live together in Rumney, Cardiff, with their sons Joseph and Charlie. The venue: The couple tied the knot at the New House Country Hotel, Cardiff, on April 12. Melissa said the staff went “above and beyond” to make their day truly special. How they met: The couple met at school when they were 15 and 16, which means they have been together for 13 years.

Melissa said the wedding took place on the anniversary of the date they met back in 2005.

She described them as being “true childhood sweethearts”.

The proposal: Melissa said: “Mark proposed on my 20th birthday.

“He got an engagement ring charm for my bracelet and let me choose my own ring, which I love.” The wedding: “Our wedding was a fairy tale 13 years in the making,” Melissa said.

“Our parents went above and beyond to make our day special and helped towards getting everything I have always dreamed off.”

The happy bride said 50 of the couple’s close family and friends attended the ceremony and the day was very special.

From the bridal party’s make-up, to the flowers, Melissa said everything was “out of this world”. She added: “Our cake was stunning. “It was delicious, and was made by The Cakery, in Cardiff.

“Our stunning make-up was done by Kathryn Kift and my hair by Charmaine Gorwill. It was gorgeous.

“We had the most stunning flowers by Jan Lima, which were out of this world.

“Our entertainment in the evening, by A&J entertainments, was a dream and we also had a party fun casino hire which went down very well.”

Melissa also praised the work of RAM photography, which captured their special day.

She said the pictures of the wedding were “truly stunning” and she couldn’t thank the photographers enough for capturing so many precious moments. The honeymoon: The couple decided they didn’t want to go on honeymoon, saying they instead put most of their money towards making the wedding extra special.