Leanne and Luke Real Wedding Story

When was your wedding?

3rd June 2006

How and when did you meet?

Luke and I met at his sister Jo’s wedding in July 2005. Jo and I had been friends for about 5 years and I had met nearly all of her family but not Luke, although I had heard lots about him. It was love at first sight and I knew that I had to make him mine. We went out for our first date on the 3rd August 2005, which his brother Terrill organised for us. On that first evening we just seemed to click and within 3 weeks we had moved in together. Neither of us having been interested in serious relationships before meeting eachother, everyone was really suprised and happy for us.

How old are you both?

I am 24 and Luke is 28

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

Luke proposed on Christmas day 2005 under the Christmas tree on our first Christmas together, in our first home.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?

Neither of us wanted the fuss of stag and hen dos, but my cousin heard about that and organised a suprise hen night with all of my close friends and family. We went for a meal and drinks in our local town……everyone was dressed as police women! It was also my mum’s 50th birthday on the same day so it was a double celebration.

How did your groom help with the wedding planning?

Luke chose the theme colour, baby blue which is the colour of the football team he supports. He also chose the venue and wrote his own vows. Other than that, although he liked to know what was going on, he was quite happy to let me get on with it!!! Every bride’s dream, I had what I wanted!!

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

I used confetti to plan every aspect of my wedding. When we got engaged, we found out that my family would be emigrating to Canada in September 2006. We therefore didnt have long to book and plan the wedding, as I wanted my mum and sister around to do the usual girly bits like choosing the dress. I looked up a whole host of suppliers, used ideas for themes and decor and bought most of the gifts and table decorations from confetti too. The most useful thing was the forums!! It was somewhere I could vent all of my frustrations, get ideas and discuss issues with real brides, people that were either going through the same anxieties and excitment as me, or had at some time in the past experienced the same.

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

I bought most things for my wedding from confetti. Mostly over the internet, but I did drag Luke up to the Confetti store in London just so I could see everything together! It was fantastic. I spent nearly two hours looking around, Luke said that it reassured him he was doing the right thing in letting me decide most things.

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it

I bought my dress from a local shop, near to where I live. It was an ivory, halterneck dress with a full skirt. The train was about three feet long and both the top, train and hem of the skirt were covered in delicate beading. It was so pretty. My dad came while I chose too, as he didnt want to be left out. It was his favourite and definately the right choice for my shape. When I put it on and my mum came over and put on a tiara and a veil, I honestly felt like every bride should. It took my breath away and I felt like a princess.

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

I had three bridesmaids. My little sister Phillippa, Luke’s neice Leanna and a close friend of mine, Rebekah, whom I worked with at the time. They all wore baby blue, floor length strapless dresses. The dresses had an ivory sash under the bust and ivory buttons running all of the way down the back of the dress. We also had Luke’s 2 nephews as our page boys, Freddie and Henry. Freddie was two at the time and looked so cute in his little suit.

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

Luke asked his brother Terrill to be his best man. My four brothers, James, Lawrence, Leslie and Tom were ushers. My youngest brother Tom is in the marines and wasn’t going to be able to make it. When I turned up on the day though, he had managed to get the leave as a suprise and I burst in to tears, having him there with everbody made my day.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a civil ceremony.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

We held it at a beautiful converted barn near to wear we lived. It is absolutely beautiful with stunning gardens surrounding it. Not only were there excellent photo opportunities, but we were able to hold both the ceremony and reception at the same place. This meant that people didn’t have to worry about transport and could relax once they arrived.

Where did you hold your reception?

Both the ceremony and the reception were held at the same place.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

I had a stretched limosine to take my mum, nan, cousin, three bridesmaid’s and me to the wedding.

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

We had 60 guests to the main day’s celebrations and then another 75 to the evening.

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

We used our colour as the theme and it ran throughout the day. As we held the wedding in such a beautiful venue, we didnt want to over do it with decoration. Thankfully we got some beautiful delicate and simple decorations from confetti.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

We had ivory table cloths with baby blue personalised napkins. We also had the frosted candle votives with tealights sat on mirrors on the tables. We used the personalised ribbon to decorate our favours and also had table confetti.

Did you give your guests favours?

Yes. We gave out miniature chocolate bars looped with personalised baby blue ribbon. On the ribbon I made some tags to double up as seating cards.

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

I used a local florist. She is a Japanese lady and makes the most exquisite and unusual flower arrangements. I had long ivory cala lilles with beargrass Intertwined. At the base of the bouquet were a cluster of ivory roses. In between the flowers were baby blue crystals that caught the light and made the whole thing sparkle. The bridesmaids each had a single ivory rose with the stem wrapped in baby blue and ivory ribbon. These were to match the button holes, which were a single ivory rose with beargrass. Luke had a single calalilly with beargrass.

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

We had an outside caterer. As it was in the middle of summer we wanted something light and refreshing. We had a variety of hot and cold starter, main and dessert dishes that the guests could choose from.

What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?

We had three square tiers that were sat on a corkscrew stand. They were iced white and had babyblue and ivory ribbon around the base and babyblue roses and lillies on the top. It was so beautiful and made by my nan. She has always made fantastic wedding cakes and it seemed silly to ask anybody else!

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a DJ in the evening. As we got married at 3.30 in the afternoon everything went smoothly and the only entertainment we had time for was something in the evening.

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

Instead of a gift list, we asked for holiday vouchers from a travel agent. We used these to pay for our amazing honeymoon.

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

We went to the Maldives for two unbelievable weeks. It was also really special as all of the guests contributed to it as our wedding present.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

When I walked down the aisle. I had told Luke that I hated big wedding dresses and lots of fuss. I had him convinced that I was having a modest knee length gown. When I turned up in a huge dress with all of the accessories his face was priceless. The first thing he said to me on our wedding day was "It’s all flouncy".

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

The photographer had an accident one week before the wedding and had to cancel. Consequently trying to get hold of one in the middle of the summer to work on a Saturday was a nightmare. Luckily, Luke’s cousin Adrian stepped in for us. The pictures he took are excellent, but the quality wasn’t the same as if a professional had taken them.

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

Hire a videographer. We didnt and luckily my best friend filmed the ceremony and speeches for us. I had this put on to DVD but I wish we had stretched that little bit further and paid for someone professional to capture the whole day and edit it properly for us. There were so many moments that photographs don’t quite capture and to be able to hear what was said as well as looking at still images would have been fantastic.