Carly and Adam’s Real Life Wedding
Carly and Adam
01/05/2005 ‐ Waterton Park Hotel, Walton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
How and when did you meet?
We were introduced by our friends (his best friend Jon, and my friend, Kathryn, who were dating) in our local nightclub in October 1998. I was 18 and he was 17. All I remember thinking is, ‘My God, he’s tall!’ (Adam’s 6’2 and I’m only 5′!). I thought he seemed nice, but he hardly spoke to me, other than to ask where I lived, so I thought he wasn’t interested and went off with someone else! The next night, I went to a party at Kathryn’s house and Adam was there again, with a pot on his arm. It turned out he had been so angry that I’d gone off with someone else (who was one of his friends!), that he had hit a signpost on the way home in a fit of temper and had to be taken to the emergency room because he broke his hand! I was secretly pleased, because no-one had ever been so passionate about me before. It turned out he was just shy and frightened of being rejected. So, I decided to give him a chance! We went out the next night after that, and the next, and the next! Now over six years later here we are married!
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
On another drunken night out! I had been out with my best friend Gill, and he went out with his friends in a different town. Imagine my surprise, then, to come out of a nightclub at 2am to find Adam sitting waiting for us and chatting to the bouncers! I could tell he was a bit tipsy, to say the least, but thought it was sweet that he wanted to meet us. He said he didnÆt want us two girls getting a taxi late at night without him to protect us! When we got back to my parentsÆ house, Gill went up to bed, leaving Adam and me alone in the kitchen. He put his arms around me and said, æIÆve been thinking about what you said, and I think youÆre right. We should get engaged.Æ I had been wishing for a proposal for months, but this wasnÆt the romantic one I had imagined! However, I was pleased and couldnÆt stop a big grin creeping onto my face. But, just to be on the safe side, I told him to go home, sleep on it, and ask me again when he was sober! The next day, he assured me that he had meant it, and had come to meet me especially to ask me, but that it had been a snap decision while out with his mates. We agreed not to tell anyone for a while, and he promised that he would propose properly when he had a ring. A few weeks later, he came and picked me up and took me for a drive. We went over a little bridge in the countryside not far from where we live and he stopped the car and opened my door. I got out and we stood looking at the beautiful view below, while I tried not to notice that he was getting a ring box out of his pocket! He turned to me and said, æWill you marry me?Æ and held out the most beautiful yellow gold diamond solitaire ring I could have imagined. Of course, I said yes, and started crying while he slipped it on my finger. Then we rushed home to tell our families! He even asked my dadÆs permission, which was sweet, even though he had already asked me and I had to hold his hand while he did it! He said that made him more nervous than proposing!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
I had a hen night about a month before the wedding. There was 28 of us altogether û female members of my family, friends, and female members of AdamÆs family. We went to my favourite restaurant, Ming Cottage in Cleckheaton, then got a coach into Leeds where we ended up dancing the night away in Baja. Adam didnÆt want a stag do û he likes a bit of fun, but isnÆt really into that kind of thing. He said heÆd much rather go out with me! So while I had my hen night, he just went to his parentsÆ house and had a few beers with his dad and brothers. He celebrated with my dad and my sisterÆs boyfriend when we went to Dubai with my family in April û they all went and had fun in the Wild Wadi Water Park!
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
He was very involved in the major decisions like the venue and the music, but left most of it to me. He complained now and then that I wasnÆt involving him enough and was doing it all with my mum, but when I asked his opinions he usually didnÆt care and said, æItÆs up to youÆ! Typical bloke really!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes. I printed out the sections on speeches to give my dad, Adam and the best man some tips. I bought the little guide books as Christmas presents for all my family, and was absolutely hooked on the Confetti forum – I still am!
Do you have a confetti web page?
Yes, but I never really got round to setting it up properly.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Yes û as mentioned above, I used the little guide books, which I ordered online. I also ordered our guest book and pen online, and went to the Leeds store with my mum, where we bought our table confetti, the sweets for the favours and the place cards. I then went back with Adam the day before the wedding and bought lapel pins for the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
My dress was a Forever Yours gown in duchess satin with organza overlay. It a white, strapless one piece, the bodice and part of the skirt being covered in silver crystals and diamonte detail. It had a full skirt and long train, with the detailing continuing round the edge of the train. I wore a full length white veil with a scalloped edge, dotted with diamonte studs. The dress and veil came from The Bridal Rooms in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire. My shoes were white strappy stiletto sandals, with diamonte straps and buckles, from Schuh. I wore a diamonte choker from River Island, which Adam bought me two Christmases ago! My tiara was silver with lilac and purple jewels and flowers. I wore a white strapless Wonderbra, and knickers from Figleaves which said æThe MrsÆ across my bum! My earrings were white gold CZ, my æsomething borrowedÆ from my auntie. My æsomething oldÆ was my GrandadÆs signet ring (he died in October) which I fastened to my underskirt/hoop, my æsomething blueÆ was a blue garter and my æsomething newÆ was practically everything else I wore!
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes. My chief bridesmaid was my younger sister, Kirsty (20), who also did a reading at the ceremony. I also had my best friend, Gill (24), my cousin, Stephi (18), and AdamÆs cousin, Lauren, who is only 10. They also wore gowns by Forever Yours, from the same shop û in fuchsia with a silver diamonte bow at the waist, spaghetti straps and fuchsia sparkles on the bodice. The older bridesmaids had silver and fuchsia tiaras and Lauren had a little silver sparkly one.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Adam had two best men, as he didnÆt want to choose between his two younger brothers û Ben, 20, and Kieron, 17. Originally, Ben was going to take care of the rings and sign the register and Kieron was going to do the speech. However, they decided to share the ring duties and Kieron chickened out of doing the speech, passing it on to Richard, AdamÆs best friend and usher. The other usher was Clinton, KirstyÆs boyfriend. Best men, ushers, groom, father of the bride and father of the groom all wore a black suits from Youngs Hire with an Edward jacket. They had white wing collar shirts, lilac European ties and lilac hankies. The groom wore an ivory waistcoat with lilac swirls; the rest wore a silver waistcoat with lilac and purple flowers.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a civil ceremony. Our registrar was the nicest lady you could imagine, and made the ceremony so personal and intimate. It lasted half an hour, and we had two readings – one read by my sister, and one read by the registrar.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
At Waterton Park Hotel in Walton, Wakefield. It was an 11.30am ceremony.
Where did you hold your reception?
As above.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
No – I stayed in the hotel the night before the wedding, so just had to walk downstairs! Although, when my dad picked me up the night before, he had put ribbons on his Jaguar, which made it special.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
There were 88 guests during the day (ceremony and wedding breakfast), and an extra 20 at night.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Oh yes û everything was lilac, silver and fuchsia, including the flowers, balloons, napkins, favours, cake, place names, table confettiàmust I go on?! WeÆre big fans of things matching in my family!
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
See above!
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes û the ladies got either a lilac or pink candle in a votive decorated with silver sparkles. The men got a personalised shot glass with æCarly & Adam û 1 May 2005Æ etched on it, filled with lilac and pink sweets. The children had party bags.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet was a hand tied posy of pink ‘CÚzanne roses’, fuchsias and lilac and white freesias. The bridesmaids had hand tied posies of lilac and fuchsia freesias. The men had lilac ‘Coolwater’ roses as buttonholes, tied with fuchsia wire. The table decorations were small arrangements of pink and lilac carnations.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The venue handled the catering, and the food was beautiful. We had melon and raspberries, followed by cream of tomato soup, followed by chicken in white wine sauce, followed by a choice of profiteroles or apple pie. Then coffee and cake!
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
Our cake was a two-tier cake with hand made sugar craft flowers to match my bouquet. The cakes were fruit cake, iced in white with some detail in the icing. They were joined by a glass vase filled with sugar craft flowers û very modern. The cake was made by a very special, longstanding family friend, Janet Smith, who is like an auntie to me. She did a fantastic job û she is very talented. We looked through all her cake books one evening and chose this design û but the real thing looked much better than the one in the magazine!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
There was a DJ in the evening, but thatÆs all. Everybody managed to entertain themselves û so many people told us what a good time they had had, and how it was a fabulous day from start to finish.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We had two gift lists û one with Argos and one with Debenhams. Most people seemed to buy from the Debenhams list, because it was a bit more special, but we really needed a lot of the things on the Argos list! We were lucky though because we got a lot of Argos vouchers and money, which meant we could go and buy the things we needed.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
Our first night was spent in the bridal suite at the hotel where we held the wedding. It was lovely, with a four-poster bed and a massive shower and bath. Our honeymoon was supposed to be a surprise for me, but I guessed a few weeks before when we went for the yellow fever vaccination û we went to Kenya. It was fantastic û we stayed at a hotel on the Mombassa coast for two weeks, but did a three-day safari to the Maasai Mara, which was the most exciting thing IÆve ever done.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Probably seeing the look on AdamÆs face as I walked down the aisle towards him with my dad. Also, nothing can beat the feeling when they say æI now pronounce you husband and wife!Æ. I also loved the speeches – my dadÆs was so lovely and heartfelt, and AdamÆs made me cry too!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
It was the most perfect day ever, so there is very little I would change about it. However, if pressed, I would say to make sure that you definitely give the photographer a list of photos you would like and make sure he sticks to it. We have not got a photo of the groom with his parents, a photo of me and my sister (CBM) or one of my sister, my parents and me. Also, make sure you savour every moment of the day, because it really is over so quickly. You canÆt believe that all that planning went into just one day! I also agree with the other brides on here who have said that you need to make sure you have a quiet moment to yourselves. It sounds silly, because the day really is all about you two, but you get so involved talking to your guests you can forget to spend time with each other. We had a few moments on our own with a drink before the meal and speeches, and then after the meal and before the night do, we retired to the bridal suite for some quality alone time (wink, wink, nudge, nudge!)
