Carol and Tony’s Real Life Wedding

Carol and Tony

12/02/2005 – Polhawn Fort, Cornwall

photos by South West Wedding Photography

How and when did you meet?

We met on 7 January 2000 at Eros nightclub in Enfield!

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

He proposed on 20th October at home after I harassed him all day wanting to know why he’d been in Holborn!

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

My hen night included 12 family and friends. We started at the Abbey Taverna for some Greek entertainment and food, then a jeep limo picked us up to take us to Carwash nightclub – it was a fantastic night with much laughter and lots of drinking! I had a list of tasks to complete, including leaving the club with knickers on my head and being carried by a bloke in the club.

The stag night started in Chinatown for dinner and went on to Metropolis in Bethnal Green – a strip club I believe! Our limo driver was not impressed to hear the stags were home before the hens. Victory to the hens for a better night!

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

He turned up on time and dressed correctly. What more can a girl ask for?!

Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?

I used Confetti every day. The girls in the ‘For Her’ forum were so wonderful with advice in abundance and laughs to cheer us up when the going got tough! I also used Confetti to source some items I needed.

Do you have a confetti web page?

Yes, though I don’t/didn’t use it much. I was too busy chatting in the forum!

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

I spent small fortunes with confetti. I ordered all my stationery and then went to the store a couple of times for things like rose petals, albums, gifts etc.

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

My dress was a D’Zage design in ivory with burgundy embroidery to match my colour scheme. It was the first dress I tried on, but not the last. It just happened to be the one that made me feel special. And it did its job on the day.

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

I had my best friend as chief bridesmaid and my sister-in-law and two cousins as bridesmaids. They all wore a two piece corset and skirt in a lovely deep red. They also wore matching necklaces and bracelets they were given on the morning as gifts.

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

Tony chose his best friend as best man and had another friend along with my two brothers as ushers. One of my brothers also gave me away. They all wore Moss Bros morning suits in black, with Tony wearing an ivory waistcoat and burgundy cravat, and the others a burgundy waistcoat and ivory cravat. They all looked so handsome I cried!

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a civil ceremony – it was lovely.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

It was held at Polhawn Fort in Cornwall. Set on a cliffside with stunning sea views, the fort itself feels magical inside. It was all lit up with fairy lights, drapes and lots of candles.

Where did you hold your reception?

The reception and ceremony were both at Polhawn Fort – the venue is hired out in full for the entire weekend (Friday to Monday). It’s excellent because it sleeps 20 people.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

No, we stayed at the fort before and after wedding so there was no need for a wedding car. That’s why I had a jeep limo for the hen night!

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

There were about 60 guests – we didn’t have a separate list for the evening as everyone had to travel from London, Essex or Suffolk to get to the venue!

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

My theme was burgundy and ivory.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

We had burgundy and cream rose petals scattered over the top table and also in the glass vases that held the church candles so the petals surrounded the candles. The tables also had candelabras decorated with various red flowers.

Did you give your guests favours?

Guests were given burgundy favour bags (from Confetti) with ‘Love Heart’ sweets inside.

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

My bouquet was a hand tied posy of ‘Black Baccara’ roses with little clear sparkles in the middle of some roses. The bridesmaids carried smaller ivory versions without the sparkles. The tables were decorated with candelabras and bowls with floating candles. Flowers ranged from those in the bouquets to lilies and gerberas. Our florist was a friend called Lisa – she’s only 21 and so talented. She did everything almost single-handedly the night before – she’s amazing!

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

We used a caterer recommended by the venue – and they were fantastic. We started with leek and potato soup topped with crispy smoked bacon (no bacon for the vegetarian option). The main course was leg of lamb with an apricot, garlic and rosemary stuffing with a red wine jus, or filo baskets filled with a wild and field mushroom fricassee. Pudding was a lemon cheesecake with strawberry coulis. Later in the evening, after some drinking and dancing, traditional home made pasties were served – and they went very quickly.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

We had a three tier chocolate cake made by the groom’s mum. The bottom tier was dark chocolate, the middle tier was white chocolate and the top tier was white chocolate. It was delicious and decorated with fresh flowers.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a DJ in the evening and he was fantastic too. There was a great selection of music.

Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?

No, we have lived together for five years already and have as much as we can fit into the one bedroom flat we live in! We wrote a poem requesting money instead as we’d like to start a family soon and so need a bigger house!

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

We spent our first night at the fort. We went to a local hotel the next morning for breakfast (the vast majority of family guests were staying there) and it was lovely to see everyone the next morning. I wore a t-shirt with ‘Mrs Donno’ on the front and ‘Just Married’ on the bag – it was a great surprise for everyone!
For our honeymoon, we spent two weeks at Coco Palm Resort in the Maldives. It was incredible

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

The whole day was memorable. The tear-jerk moment was when I saw my brother who was giving me away – he looked so handsome in his suit I immediately started bawling and had to turn away from him. Our first and last dances were very memorable. It feels so odd to dance with 60 people staring and snapping cameras at you. We danced our first dance to Lionel Richie’s ‘Stuck On You’ and the last dance of the night was ours too, with Doris Days’ ‘Dream A Little Dream’. It was so lovely!

The funniest memory is of everyone trying to Irish dance! The DJ played a couple of Irish songs as my family are all from Dublin originally, so everyone was in a big circle clapping and trying to jig. It was hilarious!

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

There’s nothing at all that I’d do differently. The day was magical from start to finish. Everyone had the time of their lives, and even the caterer told us they’d never seen such a fantastic atmosphere at a wedding before – nor had they seen so much alcohol consumed before!