Don and Caroline’s Real Life Wedding

Don and Caroline

– August 1999

How did you meet?
At work and then got together at a colleague’s party.

Describe the marriage proposal.
In a jacuzzi, in a hotel… he went down on one knee and nearly drowned!

How long did you spend preparing for the day and how was it?
A year. But most of it was done by my (the bride’s) mother, queen of the photocopied lists!

What type of wedding ceremony did you have and where?
We had a Roman Catholic ceremony in my parents’ parish

Where did you hold your reception and what was it like?
We had drinks and canapés on the lawns of a lovely hotel in the Wye Valley, with a flute and harp playing; then a sit-down lunch with Wye Valley salmon; then an evening reception with a disco and hog roast. It was a boiling hot day, a beautiful location – and everyone loved it!

Thinking back to the ‘big day’ what things did you especially enjoy?
After the disco ended we all retired to the bar and had a sing-song, which was hilarious.

Is there anything you’d change, with hindsight?
I’d have worried less beforehand.

What advice would you give to couples currently planning their wedding?
Manage your photographer well – ours took ages and held everything up, as well as coaxing us into poses we didn’t really want. You just don’t feel you can assert yourself on the day – so agree what you want in detail beforehand and put it in writing. Take care with your hairdresser too. Mine was terrible! She double-booked the salon and even though I’d travelled home specifically to have two practices beforehand, she greeted me on the morning of my wedding with ‘Now what was I going to do again..?’ At the time, I felt like crying. Get your hairdresser to make notes. Better still, get her to come to your home.