What happened when one couple let complete strangers organise their wedding day?

Cara Day, 29, and David Giles, 32, tied the knot earlier this month
Couple have been together five years and have three daughters
They won £25,000 wedding in competition
But condition of prize was every aspect of wedding was decided by the public
Bride said letting strangers choose her wedding dress was nerve-wracking
But they were both delighted with how day turned out

Many women will plan their weddings years before they walk down the aisle with a clear idea of what dress they will wear and what venue they will celebrate in.

But when Cara Day, 29, tied the knot with David Giles, 32, earlier this month, she surrendered all control over her big day to people she had never met.

The couple from Dorset allowed strangers to choose every aspect of their nuptials from the bridal gown to the food served following a public vote on each topic.

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Happy couple: David and Cara on their wedding day in the outfits chosen for them by the public

Pretty choice: The pair from Dorset tied the knot at Larmer Tree Gardens in Salisbury, Wiltshire, following a public vote

As previously reported by MailOnline when the wedding dress was being decided, the parents sacrificed all decision-making after winning a competition run by Pearl Drops.

They had to share the run-up to their wedding on the brand’s social media channels and even had a ‘pearl drops smile’ hashtag promoting the company incorporated into their celebrations.

But in return for giving up their freedom of choice and some privacy, they had their £25,000 nuptials all paid for.

Despite having no say in how the day unfolded, newly-wed Cara said she was delighted with how it turned out.

Cara told MailOnline: ‘We were both slightly nervous about handing over control, more so me than David! But to be honest, I would’ve been happy marrying David in any setting – we truly wanted to get married so winning the competition was just a massive bonus to the process.

‘Luckily all the Pearl Drops fans have great taste so we were both so happy with everything that was voted for. It really was one of the happiest days of both of our lives. We wouldn’t have wanted anything different.’

The Pearl Drops White Wedding!

Perks of giving up control: The cake was also picked for them – but in return their £25,000 wedding was all paid for

Nerve-wracking: Cara was worried about strangers choosing her dress but David thought they made the right choice

Branded wedding: The couple had to share their big day on Pearl Drops social media pages so they even had their own hashtag

David added: ‘We actually found it quite an exciting idea, the only thing that was a bit nerve-wracking [for Cara] was the choosing of the dress. But as you can see from the pictures, she looked absolutely amazing, so, so beautiful, so the public made the right choice.

‘It was the perfect day, and we feel so lucky to have had such a great experience, we couldn’t have planned it better.’

Cara and David won the prize after entering Pearl Drops competition when it opened in May. They won the judges over with their 30 second video which showed them larking around and revealed how much their three children – Maya, aged nine, Giana, three, and Arabella, 17 months, wanted their parents to tie the knot. They held up signs stating they would love to be bridesmaids and share the same surname.

Now their dream has come true as their mother and father became Mr and Mrs at a ceremony in the grounds of the picturesque Larmer Tree Gardens in Salisbury, Wiltshire – the winning venue following the public vote.

Cara and David have been in a relationship for five years, although they have known each other since they were teenagers.

Cara explains: ‘We first dated when we were around 17 years old, but it only lasted a month or so and we went our separate ways and bizarrely never saw each other again, even though we have lived in a five mile radius of each other.

‘It wasn’t until eight years later, I had a random dream about David one night, which resulted in me thinking about him and wondering how he was and what he was up to. I ended up searching for him on Facebook.

Which dress will Cara Day walk up the aisle in? You decide…

‘I contacted him and found that he was severely ill in hospital and was in the process of being diagnosed with Crohns disease, the same thing I was diagnosed with shortly after we had split up when I was 18 years old.

‘I offered to come into hospital to see him and talk to him about my experience with having Crohns disease and maybe offer some advice. When we met again even though we hadn’t seen each other in years there was no awkwardness at all and we didn’t stop talking until I was kicked out at the end of visiting hours!’

She added: ‘When I left the hospital all I could think about was seeing him again and thankfully the feeling was mutual as we constantly talked for the next week until he was discharged.’

Their relationship went from strength to strength and David soon moved in with Cara and her daughter, Maya, from a previous relationship, who was four at the time.

However, plans for a big white wedding were far from their minds due to David’s ill-health. He had to return to hospital for an operation and the couple experienced some financial difficulties.

Cara said: ‘The start of our relationship wasn’t all “hearts and flowers” but we never seemed to struggle, we just got on with fixing all the things that went wrong and putting the pieces back together. One of the reasons I think we’re so strong as a couple is because we are constantly laughing together, until this day David is still the funniest person I have ever met!’

The couple then decided to try for a baby and Giana was born on 3rd May 2011. Cara then sadly had a miscarriage in 2012 but she was delighted when they then welcomed Arabella who was born on 10th May 2013.

David proposed on Christmas Day 2013 and it was thanks to winning the competition that they were able to have a big white wedding. And even though they didn’t organise it themselves, the happy couple agree they couldn’t have planned it better.

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