They've been engaged for a year and a half – but the big day has come around fast. Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan are set to marry in the next few days, in what will be one of the most hotly anticipated celebrity weddings of the year.
With their nuptials rapidly approaching, HELLO! Online has laid bare everything you need to know about Mark and Michelle's wedding...
© Photo: Getty ImagesMichelle and Mark became engaged in September 2013
The venue:
Some had speculated that Mark, 28, and Michelle, 27, would marry overseas. After all, the lovebirds got engaged in Dubai, the exotic destination where they first set eyes on each other back in 2012, and where they also rang in 2015.
Instead Michelle decided to celebrate her hen party in the sunny city, and took her 29 "hens" to the exact same spot where Mark proposed on the beach at sunset.
"We loved the idea of getting married abroad but for both of us it wouldn't have felt right," the actress has previously told HELLO! magazine. "That's not like a real wedding in a church in the way our mums and dads got married and we want our family to be there."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe couple have been together since December 2012
Shortly after the proposal in 2013, Mark and Michelle started scouting for wedding venues and ended up going back to the first one they visited. "We looked at castles, grand country houses, amazing hotels, we looked up north and down south," said the bride-to-be. But they returned to the place they first fell in love with.
"We knew this was the one," said Mark. "It fitted with what we wanted."
"It is beautiful and very historic but when family and friends are there we know it will feel like our place," said Michelle. "As we drove away we were both going, 'Oh I love it, love it.'"
The bridal party and guests:
Mark and Michelle will have 200 guests in attendance, including some of their close celebrity friends. Among them will be Mark's former TOWIE co-star James Argent, who the groom calls "a great guy", and Michelle's former co-star Brooke Vincent, who is still a regular on Coronation Street.
As for her bridal party, the Stockport-born beauty will have seven bridesmaids – Mark's sisters Jessica and Natalya, Michelle's stepsister Nichola, her three cousins Gemma, Katy and Lauren, and her childhood best friend Becky Hatch, who will play the role of maid of honour.
© Photo: HELLO!The former Coronation Street star celebrated her hen party in Dubai
"Becky's great at organising things," said the future bride. "That's why her nickname is Monica – after Courteney Cox's character in Friends."
Mark's brother Josh, who organised the groom's high-spirited stag do in Las Vegas, will be his best man. "We are both close to our families and friends and it was important that they share the day with us," said Mark.
The wedding dress:
With style credentials like Michelle, fashion watchers are dying to know what the bride-to-be will be wearing. The Lipsy model has partly designed her own gown, after looking at other wedding dresses.
"I couldn't find the one that I really liked, so instead I took inspiration from various aspects of dresses I loved and it's been made for me," said Michelle, before adding that she was particularly drawn to Amal Clooney's lace Oscar de la Renta gown. "She looked amazing," added Michelle. "That was the one that stood out for me."
The bride had her mum Jackie Thornton come to her wedding dress fittings, as well as the food tastings and visits to the venue. "I value her opinion," said Michelle. "She won't just say she likes something if it doesn't suit me. I want her to look at me on the day and be proud of me."
The actress, who has had her final hair and make-up trials, is more than happy with the end result. "It's all coming together," she said. "The dress is looking amazing. When I first got engaged, I started looking at pictures and taking photos of what I loved. Now I have a dress that is everything I wanted it to be."
The reception:
Mark, who waltzed and sambaed his way to the final of last series' Strictly Come Dancing, played a part in choosing the music for the reception and the groom may even have a go at DJing.
© Photo: BBCMark took part in Strictly Come Dancing last year
"I'll get behind the decks," said Mark, who partied with global star Calvin Harris during his stag do in Las Vegas, where the DJ was performing. "I love DJing so why not do it at my own wedding?"
As for the first dance, the couple chose their song months ago but have never danced to it. "To practise it would spoil it," explained Michelle.
Her fiancé admitted that despite his success on the BBC1 dance show, he still has some fears about their first steps on the dancefloor.
"I was always scared of doing it," said Mark. "But people are now thinking, 'Oh he's going to be well good.' I'm only any good if someone tells me where to step and to what beat. Everyone has high expectations now."
He explained why he didn't want to have a routine. "It shouldn't be a show dance," said Mark. "I don't even want to think about it, I want the music to come on and it just be me and Michelle."
"Yes, that will be our moment together when it is just Mark and me to our song, as the day is so full on," said Michelle.
The wedding invitations:
The couple and the bride's mum Jackie all worked together to send out the wedding invitations months before the big day. "It took four hours to write them out so we had a bit of a conveyor belt going on with me, Mark and my mum and she sat there for hours doing it with us. She's been great," said Michelle.
As for the vows, the couple will not be writing their own but will be exchanging traditional ones.
The wedding diet:
Following his stag do in Las Vegas, Mark, a self-confessed perfectionist, has been on a strict detox and his fiancée Michelle has joined him. The couple are often pictured heading out to the gym and have stepped up their fitness regime in the weeks leading up to their big day.
"I'm going to the gym and doing cardio up to the wedding – running and swimming – and sit in the sauna and steam; do a big detox," said Mark.
The radio presenter shed almost two stone from his time on Strictly Come Dancing, and has managed to keep the weight off, while building up his muscle which is what he really wanted.
Michelle, like many brides-to-be, has also dropped a couple of pounds. "But not on purpose," she said. "Just because I've been so busy."
It sounds like the big day can't come soon enough for the sweethearts. "I can't wait to turn round to Michelle the day after our wedding and say, 'Wow, you are my wife,'" said Mark. "'We're married.'"
