Gemma and Shane’s Real Life Wedding

How and when did you meet?
Gemma managed a beauty salon in 2003 which Shane lived above and always walked past the front window, occasionally looking in & waving. One day Shane came down in shorts & t shirt & complained his shower had broken & a colleague said ‘Gemma said you can use hers.’ Gemma went out in town that weekend with her girlfriends and he was at the bar. He offered to buy her a drink, and the rest, as they say, is history.

How old are you both?
25 & errr 28

Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
In Central Park, New York City, December 2005. He even got down on one knee in the snow – we spent the afternoon drinking free champagne on Staten Island with very welcoming locals & the evening in Planet Hollywood & Times Square

Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Shane went to a rave (!) at a club in Portsmouth with his cousin & brother & best man and danced their socks off. Gemma had two! One in Gosport and one in Southampton just the usual drunken night out!

How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Hmmm. He showed up!

Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes! A LOT! I’m an avid member of the forum and to be honest couldn’t have done it without my girls on here! Its fun to help others out too as you’re all in the same boat!

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
Its a gorgeous white Trudy Lee, it’s covered in embroidery and sparkles!

Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
His brother Harry was the best man , it was going to be his cousin Jon, but he passed away the year before.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Civil.

Where did you hold your ceremony?
In Portsmouth Registry with the most beautiful staircase.

Where did you hold your reception?
Trades club, Gosport

Did you have any special wedding transport?
A white stretch limo with bright pink ribbon!

How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
About 20 to the day & 80ish for the evening

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

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
pink balloons, tablecloths & glitter

Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
pink tea roses just a small bunch which i added my own diamantes to, from Florescoflowers

What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
My mother in law did the catering and if i can be totally honest i only got to even see the buffet table when we cut the cake & I didn’t get a chance to see what was there, or even have a bite, I was too busy dancing & saying hi to everyone!

What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
A simple 3 tier stacked cake with glitter in the icing and pink ribbon round the layers and a clay "us" on top, made my character creations.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
Just a DJ for reception.

Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We asked for cash to spend on our new house and for honeymoon and ended up with £2.5k!

Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
The Old Lodge, Alverstoke in the beautiful bridal suite with a veranda for the first night, then got a last minute deal with first choice at a gorgeous 4* hotel in Costa Dorada, Spain, for a week.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?
My husband whispering in my ear when I got to the altar "you look beautiful" it’s given me goosebumps writing it!

Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Nope! oh only when my hairdresser messed up my hair and I had to find a new hairdresser the week before!

Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Nothing! Everything went exactly as planned, apart from mum not bringing bubbles to be blown at us instead of confetti. But that is a minor detail, I was a bit mad but soon got over it just don’t sweat the small stuff. I promise it really doesn’t matter just relax & have a good time!!