Chris and I have been for our first ever wedding meeting at Bickleigh Castle... finally!

We were, of course, not alone. My in-laws came along for the ride - well actually they provided it - and Alex and Sabrina met us there.

I had been so excited, and admittedly a little nervous, about the get-together. After waiting so long to visit, I had no idea at what stage planning-wise I should be at with nine months to go before the big day.

And so I did my usual trick of worrying about pretty much everything - unnecessarily as it turned out.

The million and one problems running through my mind as we pulled up in Tiverton soon dissipated thanks to my fantastic wedding co-ordinator.

Sharon really is one in a million. There is no way Chris and I could pull this wedding off without her and we both feel very lucky to have her on our team!

Aside from being super-organised - her checklist is the stuff people like me can only dream of - she put me immediately at ease. It really didn't feel like only the third time I had met her or owner Sarah, who had thoughtfully teamed up with Sharon to give me a belated birthday cake!

And as it turned out, Chris and I haven't been doing too badly! Focus points for us right now are the photographer and sorting out the reception music - all very do-able.

Everything else seems to come down to the six-week meeting, at which point I hope Chris will have a better idea of what type of cutlery he would like. Yes, this was a subject that was briefly broached but one look at the groom's face and Sharon wisely anticipated this might be a bit much for him at this point.

I could get really carried away with this blog there is so much to share. But in order to do it all justice I will save some for next time.

There is just one more wedding-related piece of news.

Thank you so much to lovely Sabs who has very kindly offered to help design our wedding invites and other stationary.

Her beautiful handmade birthday cards not only put me to shame but are more than enough to convince me she is the perfect lady for the job. Just another perk to becoming a Strong I guess!