Claire and Gavin’s Real Wedding Story

 

Claire and Gavin

07/04/2007 – Napier University, Craighouse Campus, Edinburgh.

How and when did you meet?

January 2005 at a friend’s party.

How old are you both?

I’m 27 and Gavin is 28.

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

On a beach in Spain in September 2005. After asking my dad first.

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

My hen do was a spa day with my mum, sister, sister-in-law and best friend. Followed by a meal in Edinburgh with about 18 of us. Gavins stag do was near Perth. They went quad biking and white water rafting and to a club at night.

How did your groom help with the wedding planning?

He organinsed the men’s outfits. He organised the wedding dvd and choose music and made playlists on his ipod.

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

I used the forums. Following a recommendation on here we choose our videographer.

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

I bought table confetti from the Glasgow store

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it

My dress was overlayed with lace with small crystals so I sparkled. It was strapless but sat quite high. The skirt was quite full with a lovely train. I bought it from Butterflies in Edinburgh.

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

Two bridesmaids. My sister who wore a beautiful green/blue long quite fitted dress with a puddle train from Anne Priscilla in Glasgow. Our 11 year old neice had an ivory dress from Debenhams.

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

He picked two school friends for his best men. They wore their own kilts with the same jacket (John Brown – a suit style jacket) as Gavin. They had silver cravats and Gavin’s was ivory.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

A civil ceremony conducted by my colleague as I am an Assistant Registrar. The ceremony was written especially for us.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

Napier University, Craighouse Campus, Edinburgh.

Where did you hold your reception?

Napier University, Craighouse Campus, Edinburgh.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

No.

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

We had about 60 in the day and about another 15 at night.

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

Not really a theme but we had spring flowers and feather butterflies.

Did you give your guests favours?

We gave everyone an organza bag full of mini eggs as it was Easter weekend.

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

My bouquet was cream roses, with rosemary in it. The rosemary was for rememberance for my grandad. My bridesmaids had spring flowers which weren’t structured but looked like they’d just been picked out of the garden. The top table arrangement was lots of different spring flowers – again not too structured. The tables had paper white daffodils – very simple with a couple of butterflies in them. We also had ornamental lavender outside the entrance. We had a tall floral decoration in the alcove at the top of the stairs.

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

We had soup, followed by roast beef or chicken with haggis or leek flan. For dessert we had raspberry cream of the highlands. Our venue did our catering.

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

We had a two teir cake from Marks and Spencers decorated by Gavin’s gran.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a band at night who played a wide range of music and some Scottish dancing

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

People gave us money towards our honeymoon.

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

We stayed in a hotel in Edinburgh. Our honeymoon was in Sri Lanka booked through a company in Edinburgh who specialise in honeymoons.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

Walking in and seeing Gavin waiting for me – I hadn’t seen him in his whole outfit so it was a surprise.

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

No, everything went smoothly. Apart from us both being ill in the days leading up to the wedding.

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

No everything was perfect. My advice would be to remember what the day is about – the two of you getting married. The rest is a bonus, a big party. We kept things quite simple and personal and we were both very relaxed.