Audrey and Terry’s Real Life Wedding

Audrey and Terry

01/07/2005 – Park Lodge Hotel, Stirling, Scotland

 

How and when did you meet?

When I was 16 I worked in a bar in Stirling cleaning glasses on a Friday night (for a little extra cash). Terry was an 18 year old lager lout (only joking)… handsome and funny young chap who happened to catch my eye. After plucking up the courage to ask him out – after 10 years, we finally got it together in 1999 and have not looked back since!

Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?

It was all very unexpected at a time when we were moving back to Stirling after spending three years away from home working in Aberdeen and Milton Keynes. It was coming up to my 30th birthday and we were packing up our house for the move back to Scotland. Terry asked me if I wanted an early birthday present, as’it was only a CD and you may as well have it now!!’. I agreed and to my surprise delight was presented with a heart shaped silver box, containing – yes, you guessed – the most beautiful ring ever! We were engaged!!!

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

Terry had a weekend break away to Dublin with four friends. It was supposed to be for golf, but turned into a pub crawl! He managed to make his way home though and thoroughly enjoyed himself. I invited 20 close friends and family to join me for a cabaret evening at a local restaurant. We enjoyed a beautiful meal and then went onto a night of 80’s music which was enjoyed by all.

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

I was quite organised with everything, but anytime Terry wanted to help out he was more that welcome. Terry arranged the cars, decided on the first dance music and picked the suits for himself and the bestman for the wedding.

Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?

Yes, I bought quite a few products from confetti – pink disposable cameras, irridescent confetti, bubbles, butterflies… much more too. I bought all my purchases online and was delighted with the service.

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.

My dress was purchased at Berkertex Bride. The dress was ‘Maria’ by Nicollete Rosselini. It was very elegant and I just loved wearing it. It was a strapless dress with tiny clear and pink beads on the bodice. The skirt of the dress was very floaty and gathered on the hip. Really flattering.

Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?

We had three flowergirls – my beautiful nieces. I kept an open mind when looking for dresses and was really pleased when we found beautiful pink dresses in Laura Ashley. They had beautiful tulle fabric on the skirt of the dress and the girls loved them.

Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?

Terry asked his best friend Colin to be his best man. Both Terry and Colin wore black suits with long length jackets with white waistcoat, shirt and cravat. Both wore pink roses and looked very handsome.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a civil ceremony which was just perfect.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

We held the ceremony and reception in the same venue which was the Park Lodge Hotel in Stirling. It was a beautiful setting and they were fantastic hosts.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

We had a Bently Turbo convertible wedding car to take me and the flower girls to the hotel. It was really beautiful and we were very pleased with it.

How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?

We had 56 guests during the day and a further 30 who came along to the evening reception.

Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?

Our colour scheme was pink and white. Pink is one of my favourite colours and it also went well with the colours already in the room.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

I carried the pink theme throughout my wedding and this included vases with pink and white roses, pink cameras, irridesicent confetti, white bubbles, place cards with pink roses attached, with table cards and pink writing. All the menus, camera cards etc were done in the same pink and white theme as my invites. I made all the favour boxes myself, which were white and trimmed with pink ribbon and roses.

Did you give your guests favours?

Yes, my day guests had favours at their seats. Ladies received a box with either miniature perfume, nail varnish, lip gloss, key-rings, photo-frames or bath bombs. Gents received miniature alcohol which were either Whiskey, Glava or Jack Daniels – they went down really well. Each was wrapped in irridescent foil.

Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?

My bouquet was beautiful pink roses with some green leaves – it was stunning. The flower girls had smaller versions with some white roses included. The table flowers were vases with pink and white roses.

What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?

The Park Lodge Hotel provided all the catering. The food was absolutely delicious and all the guests commented on it. We started with melon and summer fruits with sorbet. The main course was chicken supreme with fine champagne sauce with homemade chocolate gateau to finish.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

We chose a 3 three-tier wedding cake which was very simple but beautiful. We decided not to go with the traditional fruit cake filling, and had two tiers of carrot cake and one of chocolate.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We decided that a disco would be the best option for the evening due to the space available. This went down well with all the guests, particularly the kids.

Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?

We spent our first night at the Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld. It was very beautiful and we had a lovely relaxing morning before heading for breakfast. For our honeymoon we went to Rome for five days. It was lovely, but was quite sore on the feet walking around everywhere.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

My most memorable moment was reaching Terry at the top of the aisle. I wasn’t that nervous and when I got to him he was so nervous and had sweaty palms and he was really flushed. I just wanted to give him a big hug. We managed to get through the vows though and it was such a wonderful feeling when we were pronounced “man and wife”

Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?

Everything went just fine, there was a small hiccup with my dress which meant I only picked it up two days before the wedding, but other than that everything was really very smooth.