Emma and Colin’s Real Life St Philips Church, Stubbins Wedding
When was your wedding?
4th August 2007
How and when did you meet?
Met in February 1998 through a mutual friend, Catherine, who was a witness to our wedding.
How old are you both?
25.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
He proposed at home just us. Exactly how I wanted it to be.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Yes I had two, first in Tiger Tiger in Leeds and second in Chiquitos in Bury. He went to local pub.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He helped with all decisions, invite making, bridesmaid dress choosing, and suit choosing.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes, the forums and the invite making.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Yes we visited the Leeds store and bought things for the invites.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I had a Sincerity dress (3112) in light gold. It was a heavily beaded bodice with an organza lace up back, full skirt and long train, with same embroidery round the bottom of the dress and up the train. I bought it from local boutique, Love & Cherish in Greenmount.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had one adult bridesmaid. We have known each other since primary school. She wore a chocolate brown dress for the same shop as mine, with embroidery on the bodice with a sweetheart neckline. I also had my two nieces and Colin’s niece. They wore ivory dresses from Debenhams with details around the neck and waist.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
His best man was his brother, the ushers were my brother, step dad and two nephews. They wore chocolate brown suits from Pronuptia.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Religious.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Philips Church, Stubbins.
Where did you hold your reception?
Higher Trapp Country House Hotel, Simonstone.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We had an open top Beauford Tourer that took me, mum and dad to church and then an Austin Healey Princess for the bridesmaids.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 91 to the afternoon reception and then an extra 50 in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Chocolate and Champagne theme throughout with orange flowers.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had chocolate favours with guest names on that we used for place names, we had ivory tablecloths and brown napkins, we sprinkled brown and ivory rose petals on the tables along with gold hearts on the table mirrors, we had two orange gerberas in tall vases. We also had champagne glass bubbles and ivory table cameras.
Did you give your guests favours?
Chocolate hearts with the guest names on from Slatterys in Whitefield, they were fantastic and everyone commented on them, and very good value for money.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I had a bouquet of chocolate roses, mango calla lilies and orange gerberas, with diamonds in the rose heads. My bridesmaid had calla lilies. Colin had a calla lily button hole and the other men had organge roses. Flowers were from Highfields of Ramsbottom. Highly recommended.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had mozzarella cheese wrapped in proscuito ham, followed by vegetable soup, for the main we had chicken breast with a sausage and wild rice forcemeat with potatoes and vegetables followed by strawberry meringue and coffee. Catering was provided by venue and was delicious.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had two. An uniced fruit cake made by my dad, decorated with flowers and cherries and a cake of cheeses decorated with fruit and a topper of us in our wedding outfits. The cheese we got from our local butcher.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a DJ in the evening and a chocolate fountain that went down really well.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We had a gift list with Next but mainly received money and vouchers.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent the first night at the hotel, we went to Tarporley for two nights the following week and we are going to New Zealand and Australia in January 2008 for seven weeks.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Colin looking back at me and saying our vows in front of all our family and friends.
Did you experience any “nightmare” moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
The hairdresser was 25 minutes late and therefore put everything back so the morning of the wedding was really rushed and I ended up being 35 minutes late.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I was really worried it would rain on the wedding day and it did, it didn’t spoil it one bit, it eased off by the time we got out of church so we could have pictures and confetti throwing, the only thing I would do differently is spend more time with husband on the day, but that is a lot easier said than done!
