Laura and Graham’s Real Life Wedding

Laura and Graham

13/10/2005 – The Mount Pleasant Hotel, Doncaster

 

How and when did you meet?

We met in a car accident in 2001 (neither of us were at fault – thankfully), became friends on a train commute afterwards and then I asked him out about 8 months later. The rest is history!

How old are you both?

I am 26, Graham is 29.

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

Graham proposed to me in Scotland on Independence Day. We were right up on the Northern Tip and there were no other people for miles around – so romantic. I was sat on the ground watching a colony of nesting birds and made a comment about how perfect it was. Graham agreed, and then asked me to marry him. I was in complete shock; I certainly hadn’t been expecting it.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

I went to Harrogate, to the Turkish baths, followed by a visit to Betty’s tearooms for lunch (have always wanted to go there) and a trip to the greyhounds for a meal and some betting fun in the evening.Graham went to the races in York, followed by a tour of the pubs in Wakefield.

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

He was very involved and had many ideas himself.

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

I used the message boards a lot and also the Venue Search.

Do you have a confetti web page?

Yes, but I later gave up on it and had another one – I found the layout too inflexible.

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

I purchased a couple of the guide books on the website and visited the Leeds store on a couple of occasions for ideas.

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

My mum made my dress. We bought the material and pattern from an Asian store in Bradford. It’s pure silk and beautiful. Full credit to my mum for turning it into the dress!

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

I had one bridesmaid; her dress was made by her mum. The material was from the same place as my material. I wanted her to wear silver and had no luck finding the right colour in the ready made dresses anywhere.

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

Graham’s brother was his best man and my brother was the only usher. We weren’t going to have an usher but Pronuptia had a ‘groom goes free’ offer on if we had five suits so we figured we may as well!

They had the ‘Exeter’ suit with silver waistcoats. Graham had a dark red tie and handkerchief to complement my dress, the other men had silver.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

Civil ceremony; it was never an option to have a religious one.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

It was The Mount Pleasant Hotel, in Doncaster.

Where did you hold your reception?

Also at The Mount Pleasant Hotel in Doncaster. The whole day was perfect and the hotel staff were magnificent.

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

We had 30 guests for the ceremony and meal and a further 8 for the evening.

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

The colours were dark red, sapphire blue and silver.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

We had balloon topiary trees in the centres of the three colours and silver miniature hearts scattered about.

Did you give your guests favours?

Yes, they each got a CD of our favourite music and an ice cube place name (made of plastic but convincing.)

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

My bouquet was a teardrop shape. It was mainly dark red carnations and gerberas with ivory lisyanthimums and silver twigs.

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

The venue handled the catering; we had soup, followed by mango sorbet, then chicken wrapped in bacon with garlic potatoes and seasonal vegetables, followed by apple torte and cream, then wedding cake coffee and mints.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

We had a hexagonal cake of two-tiers: one sponge and one fruit with white icing. The cake topper was a cartoon wedding couple of me and Graham in our footy teams’ colours.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a jukebox and casino tables in the evening, which were both a hit with the guests.

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

We didn’t have a gift list as we have been living together for some time, instead we asked for vouchers and listed a number of stores.

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

The first night was spent at the hotel.Our honeymoon was booked through Cottages4you.co.uk and we went to a cottage on a tiny island off Kintyre in Scotland. There were only 4 other people, some sheep, some goats and some birds on the island!

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

Waiting to leave the ceremony, we had to gesture to the hotel to move the music on so we were stood at the front for a few moments. When the music started the guests all cheered and we walked out.

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

No, it all ran smoothly and was great!

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

I would be tempted to have a professional photographer as we decided not to and in most of the photos the skirt on my dress is not right – it is gathered or tucked under. A professional would have spotted this. As for advice, enjoy the day and don’t get hung up on the details! I was on too much of a high to worry about little things.