Kathleen and Darren
22/04/2006 –
How and when did you meet?
We met at work 4 years ago. It was far from love at first sight, in fact Darren couldnt stand me but after my persistent chatting we finally became friends. Then after a while we fell in love and eventually started dating a year later.
How old are you both?
25
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Darren proposed on a Sunday morning at about 6 in the morning. Apparently he was supposed to wait until later in the day, but he hadn’t slept at all because he was so nervous and he couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. So he woke me up and blurted it out, we then spent the day shopping for a ring and once we got one he got down on one knee and proposed formally. It was a fun day and really sweet and romantic.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
He didn’t start getting interested in the wedding until about 3 months before the day, when he promptly decided to change his outfit, which ended up in me having to change the entire colour scheme of the wedding. But it all worked out and I forgave him because he looked so handsome.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used confetti for most of my ideas, the planning section was especially helpful, I used it to store all my guests details. I also got my decoration ideas and theme from the website.
Do you have a confetti web page?
No.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I bought a lot of my bits and pieces from confetti through mail order.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
I bought it from Grace and Lace… It was a Maggie Sottero Couture Dress and I also had a fur trimmed coat with a train custom made for the day. I wore a diamante snowflake tiara with a cathedral length single tier veil.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
My best friend was my maid of honor and wore a custom made light blue dress with a white feather trimmed bolero. I also had my cousin and niece as bridesmaids, they wore dresses matching the maid of honour but in a royal blue instead.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
The bestman was Darren’s father, they are very close, his tie matched the maid of honours dress. The groomsmen were my two brothers, they wore ties matching the bridesmaids. They all wore 3 piece black suits.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a religious ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Cadocs Church, Pontypool, South Wales.
Where did you hold your reception?
A little wooden chapel at the foot of the Tatra mountain range. Ina small village called Zakopane in Poland.We had the reception at a wooden lodge with amazing views of the mountain range.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
Horse and carriage in traditional dress
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
We only had 30 guests, nice and personal. As it was a destination wedding, everyone celebrated together for five days.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
The theme of the wedding was snowflakes and the colour scheme was blue, silver and white.
Did you give your guests favours?
We used candles with snowflake embossed on them, we also sprinkled the table with snowflake silver metallic confetti and tiny silver pinecones.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
We gave our guests glass snowflake ornaments in blue velvet pouches to tie in with the snowflake theme. We also gave them a traditional wood carving which was made by a local Polish highlander.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The bridesmaids had a single stemmed white rose and my bouquet was a small hand tied bouquet of white roses with blue incorporated into it.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
We had a traditional Polish meal, which consisted of a whole roasted piglet and loads of traditional dishes on the side, we washed this all down with traditional local Polish vodka from the self service bar.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a white cake decorated with real pinecones and a snowman groom and a snowman bride on the top.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
Debenhams
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We stayed in the village for a small honeymoon but are planning on going to the Maldives later this year for an official honeymoon.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Walking down the isle, it was almost impossible to stop myself from crying when I saw the tears in Darren’s eyes… and he looked so handsome.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
My father ended up in hospital the day before the wedding, which was scary especially because none of the doctors spoke English. But luckily it wasnt too serious and he was allowed out for a few hours on the wedding day to walk me up the isle.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I wouldnt do anything differently … it was a perfect day.
To other brides: Dont concentrate too much on pleasing other people on the day, thats what bridesmaids are for. Just concentrate on you and you groom…. afterall the day is about you two not everyone else. And at least a few times throughout the day grap your groom and step back to enjoy the moment because those are the only moments you will remember.