AFTER more than 10 years of planning people’s special days, a Tyne Valley wedding planner will tie the knot herself this week.

Sales and revenue manager Victoria Paterson will marry greenkeeper Callum Patton on November 1 at Matfen Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa, where the couple both work.

The pair met three years ago through the dating app Tinder, where they quickly realised that they had a mutual connection through Victoria’s childhood best friend being married to Callum’s brother.

“We later found out that they had wanted to set us up for years,” Victoria said.

Callum popped the question on the couple’s second anniversary on Newcastle’s Millennium Bridge, after a romantic evening stroll.

“It took us around a month to decide to get married at Matfen and was a major decision,” said Victoria. “We really wanted to explore what other venues could offer and the big factor was whether or not Matfen would feel like work to us, but nowhere else compared.

"It felt much more like home than work and we feel very lucky to be getting married in such a beautiful venue. Plus the other pro is that we know the venue inside out, and the staff too, who are all amazing at their jobs, so we have full confidence in them.

“One of the cons in choosing Matfen though is that I see so many unique weddings every week, and so it has been so hard to kerb the spending, because I always want something new.”

If there’s one thing that Victoria has taken away from the hundreds of weddings she’s helped to plan at Matfen, it’s that a wedding day should be representative of the couple alone. "I’m always telling couples that it is their wedding and no-one else’s. Therefore, this is one thing which I really wanted, and have followed my own advice on,” she said.

“We’re just looking forward to spending the day with our favourite people, and looking around the room, knowing that they are all there to support us. I can’t think of a nicer feeling than that.”