Golden Touch

Journalist and author Hermione Eyre, 30, and policy advisor Alex Burghart, 33, married at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London.

Hermione says:"The venue was the star of the show. I chose it because it means a lot to us - my father trained as a naval officer in Greenwich before the Second World War. We had a civil ceremony, with wonderful performances from three friends who are singers, and readings including The Trees by Philip Larkin and Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. 

"I found my wedding dress in my mother's attic. It is vintage Bellville Sassoon and fitted perfectly. I loved it, though finding cream accessories to match did prove rather tricky. 

The bridesmaids chose their own dresses. They worked together to ensure the colours matched - mainly by using photo messaging.

We added our own flowers. Alex and I went to New Covent Garden Flower Market at 6am the day before the wedding and bought pots of lily of the valley and daffodils for each table. Friends were able to take them home and replant them. 

Chocolate ships were wheeled out afer dinner. It's a Greenwich tradition, they''re edible galleons filled with chocolate truffles, and fire sparklers out of tiny cannons.  

My advice to brides? We tried very hard to say hello to all of our guests, but weren't able to. To succeed, you need to move around and greet everyone -rather than stop for longer conversations with just a few people."