Three little WEDDING CRASHERS

Emma Harvard and her husband had the perfect plan, or so they thought

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Think of those very rare, very special moments, when life seems like everything is falling into place. When you look ahead at the coming years, and all the dreams you had hoped for might just go to plan. Everyone's story will be different, but in my case, I'd met the man I envisaged a future with, we got engaged and then, life threw us a curveball that turned out to be wonderfully chaotic.

Craig, then 29, and I met during the lockdown years, matching on dating app Bumble in January 2021 and meeting for a dog walk, with my chow chow, Bear, for our first date in March. Our relationship progressed quickly and, by August, Craig was living with me. We'd discussed all the important topics like marriage and kids, and since both of us are only children, I definitely wanted more than one.

It was on holiday in Thailand in November 2023 when Craig got down on one knee as we shared a picnic on a secluded island near Krabi. It was perfect and later on the trip, we decided we'd return to Thailand for our wedding. Neither of us wanted a big do and we weren't in a rush, plus setting the date for 2026 would give family and friends time to plan, and us time to start a family. We spoke about having our very own flower girl or pageboy, toddling down the aisle with us and joining us on a Thai honeymoon.

Back at home, we started trying for a baby almost straight away. Meanwhile, life was busy as we put down a deposit for our dream wedding at a gorgeous five-star hotel in Krabi, and sent invitations to our 30 guests for the big day in March 2026. I put together gift boxes, including personalised pyjamas, for four friends, asking them to be my bridesmaids.