Diane and Phil’s Real Life Wedding

 

Diane and Phil

21/04/2007 – Lingdale United Reformed Church
Fox and Hounds Hotel in Slapewath North Yorkshire

How and when did you meet?

Valentine’s day 2003. It was a Friday night and we were both out with friends in our local town Guisborough in Cleveland.

How old are you both?

I’m 25 and Phil is 29.

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

Phil proposed to me on my 23rd birthday. We had just moved into our first home together and we had both taken the day off work. He had a huge bunch of flowers delivered and got down on one knee in our kitchen as I walked in with the flowers.

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

We had our hen and stag parties on the 14th April. Phil went to Scarborough for the night and came home with fluorescent pink hair! I went for a meal with family and friends, then into York in the limo that my sister had ordered for me as a surprise.

How did your groom help with the wedding planning?

When I said that I needed help with things, he got involved, I think that I scared him being such a control freak! He initiated arranging the wedding car, suits and church.

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

I used Confetti a lot towards the end of the planning stage and really wished I’d used it more from the start.

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

We made a special trip to the Leeds Confetti store.

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it

My dress was by Bonny Bridal, a lace up bodice, strapless mock, two piece dress with a banded edge split back semi-cathedral train made from royal satin and organza in antique platinum, a champagne colour, with diamante and pearl beading to the bust, front of the skirt and the train. It was purchased from Principia in Middlesbrough.

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

I had 7 bridesmaids. My 2 adult bridesmaids were my sister Fiona and best friend Michelle who also wore a mock two piece dress with a lace up beaded bodice in bright red. Phil’s two eldest nieces wore are red and cream forever yours dress and phil’s three youngest nieces wore cream calf length dresses that were decorated with diamante and red roses.

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

Phil’s best man was Paul Cook his best friend and his ushers were my sister Fiona’s partner Gavin and his brother chris, with his nephew being pageboy. They all wore frock coat suits with cream waistcoats, Phil wore a cream cravat and handkerchief and the others wore red.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a religious ceremony in the church next door to where his mum and dad live and where he was brought up as a child. We now live opposite.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

Lingdale United Reformed Church.

Where did you hold your reception?

Fox and Hounds Hotel in Slapewath North Yorkshire.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

A close friend of ours used his silver Jaguar X type decorated with ribbons and a bottle of champagne for the ride from the church to the reception.

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

We had 50 guests to the wedding with an extra 100 to the evening.

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

Ivory and red was the colour theme of the day with hearts and roses forming part of the theme.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

With goldfish bowl centrepieces containing iridescent heart confetti and red rose heads, metallic red confetti scattered on the tables and cream favour boxes decorated with red roses. The napkins and place names were in cream

Did you give your guests favours?

Hexagon cream favour boxes decorated with red roses containing sugared almonds and red chocolate hearts.

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

Janice from Clover was our brilliant florist. We had beargrass table centrepieces with floating red rose heads – a simple but stunning effect. My shower bouquet was a made from cream and red roses, exotic lilies and orchids with beargrass and other greenery. My adult bridesmaids’ handheld bouquets were made from the same flowers with red beads looped through the bear grass

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

The venue dealt with the catering and we had a carvery to cater for everybody’s tastes with wedding cake served as dessert.

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

My mum’s friend made the cake for us. It was a three layer heart shaped cake decorated with tiny red hearts and sugar cascading ivory and roses.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a bouncy castle to keep the children (and adults) entertained all day with a disco on the evening.

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

We asked for Argos vouchers.

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

We spent our first night at the wedding venue. We went on honeymoon to the Dominican Republic booked through Thomsons.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

Where do I start, my cat Leo deciding he wanted to lay on my train as I was having photos taken at home, seeing my H2B’s face as I got to the altar, attempting to put his wedding ring on the wrong finger, aaargh! My sister’s partner reading a poem that had been especially written for us by my mum’s best friend, going on the bouncy castle with one of my best girlfriends, the list goes on and on.

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

Not being able to find any dresses to fit Phil’s eldest two nieces had started to become a problem. Letting myself get wound up about the smallest details was a big mistake as I ended up sobbing uncontrollably 6 days before the wedding in a car park after having Sunday dinner with my mum.

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

Looking back the only thing that I would have done differently is the hen and stag parties. Because we had them on the same night I couldn’t relax for worrying about Phil and the relief I felt once I got home to him was unbelievable!