Apart from one rainy Saturday afternoon back in January when I dragged my poor unsuspecting friend Aine along for a spot of bridesmaid dress shopping on the hell that is Oxford Street at sales time (what was I thinking? Had I lost my mind?), and a trip to Selfridges with my mum and sisters in search of a hat that befits the mother of the bride (success this time, celebrated by cocktails at Claridge's), the road to wedding-planning nirvana has been a remarkably ungirlie one. Mostly it's just been me, the internet and some frantic smash-and-grab raids before work and during my lunchbreak. I value my friends too much to put them through the trials of shopping for wedding guff.

That was until yesterday. Yesterday it was girliness a-go-go in the shape of my hair and make-up trial. Having abandoned my original - and, on reflection, budget-breaking - plan to lure a London make-up artist down to Dorset, a bit of internet research threw up a far better option: an agency called face makeup which has hair and make-up artists dotted across the country, many of whom work in film and TV and are free between jobs to work their magic on the humble bride. Rather than risk ending up with a local make-up girl who is stuck in some Eighties maquillage time warp and isn't happy unless she's transforming brides into Danny La Rue lookalikes, you get someone who's fully experienced and knows her Laura Mercier from her Shu Uemeura.

And so it was that Charlotte, our girl from Exeter - and a dab hand at special effects and a penchant for blood and gore when she isn't doing tasteful bridal looks and updos - turned up on my parents' doorstep, staggering under the weight of boxes of MAC foundation, Benefit blushes, make-up brushes and Carmen rollers. Charlotte is great - calm, professional, lovely to have around and what's more she "gets" the look I'm after. I know that come the Big Day she won't playing fast and loose with any dodgy orange foundation or waving a terrfiying blue mascara in my direction. And you can't put a price on peace of mind like that.

www.facemakeup.co.uk