A DANCER has swapped cruise ships for confetti and started her own wedding planning business.

After a decade of dancing her way around the world, Debbie Harding decided it was time to "get back on dry land" and settle down.

The married mum-to-be - her first baby is due in February - decided the glitz and glamour of her life on the ocean would lend itself well to planning weddings.

She also picked up organisational and people skills in her role as cruise director in charge of entertainment on the ship, a role she progressed to after performing.

Called Feliz - which means happy and content in Spanish - the company will not only organise weddings, but also social and charity events.

"I know the wedding planning is going to take a while to take off," said Mrs Harding, who runs the business from her home, in Warndon Villages, Worcester.

"Most people have already booked their weddings for next year so it will really get going the following year. But already I've had quite a few people contact me.

"I've progressed from set-up to meeting people and making contacts, and other companies have contacted me with their products, such as wedding video and wedding favours."

The former Bishop Perowne High School pupil is teaching dance at schools around Worcester while she gets the business off the ground and her husband, Martyn - a professional singer who she met while working on the cruise ships - continues to perform all over the world, returning home after each gig.

Her strategy with the wedding planning business is to be flexible, aware that different people will require different levels of service.

"I'll do as much or as little as they want," said Mrs Harding, aged 31.

"Some people want to do it themselves but need some help getting started. But I can also do all of it, if they want."

At the moment she is operating as a "one-man-band".

"Maybe after the baby I may need extra help. But I don't want to take on lots of weddings - I'd prefer to do just a few so I can give it the personal touch."