A THURROCK woman is awaiting the verdict after reching the final of a national awards event celebrating the work of people involved in the weddings industry.

Karen Irving from Chafford Hundred is a celebrant and has been selected for the final stage of the eighth English Wedding Awards.

The awards aim to celebrate the elite wedding specialists and businesses that create magical moments that turn into lasting memories.

They recognise and reward those within the wedding industry that work towards making the big day as perfect as possible, including the caterers that provide delicious reception meals, decorators that take care of the wedding venues and add the glam in the room or florists that know how to make any wedding flourish.

Karen Irving, of Karen Irving Ceremonies, is one of the finalists in the Celebrant of the Year category.

Karen will find out if she will be crowned winner and take the trophy home at an elegant ceremony that will take place on Wednesday, 19 February at The Belfry in Birmingham.

She says: "I am beyond thrilled to be a finalist in these national awards.

Karen Irving at work!

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"My focus always has been and always will be to create a ceremony that totally reflects my couple and to ensure my service is always first class with my lovely couples front and centre.

"I cannot wait until 19 February to be in a room with like-minded finalists. In my eyes we are already all winners."

A spokesperson for the Awards said: "These awards are now recognised as the leading celebration for showcasing those that have demonstrated excellence in the wedding industry.

"We are delighted that over the last eight years we've been able to celebrate not only the finalists but how far the industry has came in the past decade.

"We congratulate all the finalists for their remarkable achievements."