Jude and Dave’s Real Life Wedding

confetti – Jude and Dave’s real life wedding

Jude and Dave

17/09/2005 – Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, Co. Durham

 

How and when did you meet?

We met originally in 1995, whilst both in the army but didn’t get together until 2002 when we were posted to Catterick.

How old are you both?

We are both 33.

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

We had come back from a tour of duty in Iraq and went on holiday to Mauritius. I was coming out of the bathroom in our hotel room when I found Dave on one knee, with a ring in his hand.Of all the romantic places he could of done this in Mauritius he chose this time and place. I accepted straightaway though.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

Dave didn’t really want a stag night and I just had a meal out with the girls and then went on to a few pubs.

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

To be honest, he didn’t do much of the planning as I knew exactly what I wanted. He did go to Greenwoods and organise his and the best man’s suits though.

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

I got ideas on different table lay outs and it helped decide what sort of theme to use.

Do you have a confetti web page?

No.

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

We did visit the Confetti shop in Leeds and also bought numerous items online.

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.

My outfit was a Venus dress in Champagne; it had a beaded bodice and full-length, skirt with beads on the side panels and a long train with buttons down the back. I also wore a bolero jacket, which was made in the same material, by Poppy Bridal, where I bought the dress.My shoes were made by Carvela and were in gold.

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

I decided not to have bridesmaids in the end but I did have Harvey, my page boy, who wore a black tail coat, along with striped trousers and a gold waistcoat to match the groom and best man.

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

Dave had his best friend Lee, who lives in Australia, as best man and he wore a matching outfit.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

Civil ceremony.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, Co. Durham.

Where did you hold your reception?

Hardwick Hall.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

Our friend. Tony. who has a Jaguar xj sport. provided our car and chauffeuring services.

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

We had 42 guests and then another 12 for the evening.

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

We went for a red colour scheme and tried to make it quite simple.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

We had bowls of floating candles on the tables with red rose petals in and around the bowls and we had red hearts on the place cards and favour boxes.

Did you give your guests favours?

The adults received favour boxes filled with chocolate hearts and the children had bags of sweets.

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

My flowers were a posy of approx 20 red grand prix roses with diamante and red pins, hand-tied with a gold ribbon.The table decorations were kept simple: they were bowls with floating candles, scattered with real rose petals. It was simple but effective.The florist was Flowers by Nattress.

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

We started with vegetable soup, followed by breast of Cumbrian turkey, with seasonal vegetables, followed by Brandy snap basket filled with fresh fruit and coffee and mints. The venue did the catering and was excellent.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

The wedding cake was a 3-tier fruit cake, in ivory icing and hearts. Dave’s mum, Dorothy, kindly made the cake, which was decorated in fresh roses.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had the resident DJ who played some excellent ’80s music along with music to get everyone up and dancing in the evening.

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

We decided not to have a gift list and asked for vouchers.

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

Our first night was spent at Hardwick Hall, although it’s all a bit of a blur, then we went off on our honeymoon the next day and spent it in Hong Kong and Borneo.The honeymoon was booked through Thomas Cook.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

The most memorable moment was seeing Dave at the bottom of the aisle and watching his face when he turned round to look at me.

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

Not really.

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

I wouldn’t go on your honeymoon the day after the wedding as we were really shattered and failed to sleep on the plane so spent a day in a complete daze. Apart from that I wouldn’t do anything differently.