Claire and Christopher Real St Edmunds Church in Waterloo Wedding

When was your wedding?

15.08.2009

How and when did you meet?

We met on a night out in town.

How old are you both?

My husbands 26, I’m 30.

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

My husband proposed on Christmas morning 2006, he gave me my presents all wrapped up & sat next to me when I opened them. I didn’t realise a box fell out of my ‘me to you’ bear, and there it was, my engagement ring! I was so overwhelmed i couldnt stop laughing. After saying yes to my perfect partner we had a magical christmas full of celebrations!

Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?

I had 2 hen parties: 1 for 6 friends in Magaluf (weekend of partying) & 1 for my family & friends who could not make the one abroad. We hired a limosine and a restaurant, it was the perfect party and get together. Both were fabulous times! Christopher went to Prague for the weekned with family & friends ( drinking weekend hehe), we highly enjoyed our hen & stag doo’s.

How did your groom help with the wedding planning?

Christopher was really good at planning our wedding, he booked the photographer & videographer, chose the flowergirl dresses and generally helped with everything. We shared all our planning so it wasn’t a big strain, we preferred to do things together.

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

We used Confetti alot, we made ourselfs a check list and ticked everything off as we bought it or booked it. This was a really good idea and Confetti helped us with lots of ideas too.

Do you have a confetti web page?

We do

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

We bought table decorations from the online store and a table planner. They arrived quickly, we were very pleased.

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it

I wore a white princess wedding dress with swarovski crystals on the bodice & skirt, bought from a bridal store called Corniche in Liverpool.

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

We had 4 bridesmaids & 3 flower girls.

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

Christopher chose his twin brother David as his best man, my brother Andrew as an usher and his friend Peter.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a Catholic church wedding.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

St Edmunds Church in Waterloo.

Where did you hold your reception?

Alicia Hotel, Sefton Park.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

We hired Barrington’s wedding cars and also booked a luxury coach.

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

We had 60 guests in the day time and an extra 70-80 evening guests.

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

Our theme was pink and white butterflies with pink organza.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

We hand tied butterflies on the candelabra and anywere we could hang them on. We also used organza pink bags with sugar almonds on the table.

Did you give your guests favours?

We gave them alcohol minatures and sugared almonds. The children had bubbles and a selection of sweets.

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

My flowers were pink roses with diamontes and glitter spray. My bridesmaids had hand tied roses with diamontes and the flowergirls had butterfly wands and a small bouquet with a pink rose in the centre.

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

Our hotel provided the food, we had a lot to choose from so thought we would go for something very simple. We decided on a typical chicken roast dinner. I thought it would be a average roast, but it was fabulous and very big.

What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?

We went for the cup cakes, there were  6 tiers of 102 cup cakes with sugar & cream on top, decorated with pink butterflies. It was made by David Cakes of Distinction and it was amazing and full of flavour.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

The hotel provided music throughout the day and a dj in the evening to entertain our guests.

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

We chose not to have a gift list.

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

We stayed at the Alicia hotel in the honeymoon suit, it was really nice.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

Marrying my lovely partner and watching our beautiful children and guests enjoy themselves. Our day was so special and we now have the beautiful memories which will last forever.

Did you experience any “nightmare” moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?

No! Thankfully not! Everything went exactly to plan.

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

We started planning our wedding 2 and a half years in advance so this way we had everything we wanted and had time to look around and choose. It was perfect as we had the right amount of time to save up too.