She spotted her Mr Right

MOST brides are nervous in the lead-up to a wedding.

But Ballina's Tarnika Martin (now Hayes) had more reason than most - she was diagnosed with chickenpox a few days before her wedding to Michael Hayes.

"On Sunday I finished my last shift at work before the wedding," she said.

"I wasn't feeling great. I was hot and cold; I had chills, body aches and a fever.

"The next day I couldn't even get out of bed because I was feeling so sick.

"On the Tuesday I started getting this rash on my stomach.

"On Wednesday morning when Michael got home from the gym, he looked at me and I could just tell by the look on his face that something was seriously wrong. I had all these red spots all over me."

A doctor quickly diagnosed chickenpox and ordered her to stay in bed.

But the bride-to-be had plenty to do with just three days until her wedding.

So she enlisted Michael

"Once Michael realised that I was actually sick and not just nervous about the wedding, he did everything he could," Tarnika said.

"He finished organising everything and looked after our two-year-old daughter, Aryanna."

Tarnika's bad luck didn't end with the chickenpox.

Her car broke down and the make-up artist booked for herself and her bridesmaids cancelled three days before the wedding.

"After frantically ringing around we got Bronzed and Beautiful - they squeezed us in, which was so nice."

Tarnika and Michael married at Boulder Beach at Skennars Head on a beautiful, sunny day in front of 90 family members and friends. The reception was held at the Ballina RSL.

"It was perfect in the end," Tarnika said.

"The lead-up to the wedding wasn't ideal, but on Saturday I just felt so calm.

"Everyone was surprised that I was so relaxed, even though I had chickenpox.

"But it didn't matter to me what I looked like.

"I was so happy because I was marrying the man of my dreams and I couldn't be happier."