Fiona and Charles’ Real Life Wedding
When was your wedding?
05/05/2007
How and when did you meet?
We met at University of Reading. We had several mutual friends but didn’t get to know each other until the 4th year.
How old are you both?
23
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Charlie proposed on Valentine’s day 2006. We went out for a nice meal, came home to exchange cards and a gift each, as it was our tradition. After we both opened the gifts, he got another box out, this time a suspiciously small one. I thought he bought me the diamond earrings I’ve been hinting at, only to find a ring in the box! I was sat there speechless when he asked me if I would marry him. I was so taken by surprise, I first asked him to repeat the question, then had to think for couple of minutes before I could give the answer – I was that unprepared!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
I had a hen do with just couple of friend in London, where we went out to clubs in Islington. Charlie enjoyed the clay shooting and mud kart race in Bristol, then pub crawl in Cheltenham with the lads.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He helped me by keeping me calm and letting me take thing out on him when it got a bit much for me! He also helped me out with contacting suppliers.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used Confetti for some ideas and supplies. I used Confetti for creating my own invites and materials to create table and seating plan.
Do you have a confetti web page?
Yes, though I did not pass the details onto others to look at.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I bought card toppers online, and table plan materials from Birmingham store.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I wore my Kimono for the ceremony. My mother wore her own kimono for her wedding so I decided to follow and make it a tradition. My kimono was was inherited from my mother’s friend who does not have a daughter of her own to pass it on. I changed to a wedding dress before the evening reception started. It was antique gold a-line strapless dress by No Ordinary Bride. The two bold lines of embroidery down the front made it very unusual dress, which I loved.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had one bridesmaid. Millie is the daughter of family friend, and closest thing to a little sister. She is half Japanese and half Caucasian like me, so I liked the idea of having a mini-me!
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Charlie chose his oldest friend Mike for best man. Our venue was quite small and only 51 guests so we didn’t bother having official ushers, but Charlie’s younger brother Ralph helped out. They both wore suits of their choice, though I did limit the colours they can have for their tie.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Civil
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Hotel Le Spa, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Where did you hold your reception?
Hotel Le Spa, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We had Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III from Barrington Chauffeur Services in Gloucester
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had the same 51 guests for ceremony and for evening reception.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Ivory, gold with pink accent
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
I used 3 ivory church candles in different heights, and added a ribbon around each of them in either gold or pink to add bit of colour.
Did you give your guests favours?
We put different sweets in every boxes so guests could swap and share them.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
We had ivory and pale pink Akiko rose with some foliage and tiny white flowers. Florist was Bumblebeez in Cheltenham.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had hot buffet, as we wanted casual option. We had 2 meat dish and a vegetarian dish, with half dozen side dishes.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had Croquenbouche with praline favoured cream made by Frere Jacques patisserie in Cheltenham.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had DJ playing our favourite songs to dance to
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We put honeymoon as our gift list and asked guests to contribute towards it. List and holiday were both done by Holidaysplease.com
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We stayed at the venue on our first night. We went to Bangkok for 3 days, followed by 7 days in Phuket for our honeymoon, which was booked through Holidaysplease.com
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
During our vows, as the Registrar said the vows first before I had to repeat it, he said “And I Fiona take thee, Charles as my lawfully wedded wife. No! I mean Husband!” which sent all of us laughing. I struggled to stop giggling before I continued.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
I left a lot of tasks up to few days before the wedding, things like packing favour boxes and creating table and seating plans, which got me stressed. Also as in our district they do not allow you to book the wedding with registrar until it is exactly 365 days before, I was very nervous if I was able to book the registrar for the day and time I wanted.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I wish I lost more weight before the day, and had the dress altered to suit lower-heel shoes as I struggled in high heels. Also I would have chosen different honeymoon location if I knew how generous the guests were going to be.
