Leigh and Ian’s Real Life Wedding
Leigh and Iain
How did you meet?
One Friday night in August 1999, I had arranged to go out with my sister and a few friends for a few drinks. My sister and I arrived first, and we were waiting for everyone else when this dishy looking guy came up and asked if he could borrow the extra seat. I said no, but after he looked at me with those gorgeous brown eyes, how could I resist? We started talking, and to my surprise, realized we had went to the same high school, though he was three years older than me. He took my phone number and promised to call. Needless to say, he didn’t. The following week, I went into town again and met him again. He claimed he washed my number off his hand before he had the chance to write it down. He put my number in his mobile this time, and yes, he did call. We have been inseparable ever since.
Describe the marriage proposal.
Every time Iain went out drinking, I would get a drunken phone call at silly hours in the morning asking me to marry him. Obviously, I never took him seriously. One night, he had been out drinking, and I got the same question. I just laughed it off and he said he would take me out to dinner the following night and propose.
I got a phone call at work the next day, to say he had booked a table at our favourite Indian restaurant for 7 that night. It was then I started to get quite nervous. We had a lovely meal that night, but he was acting strangely and seemed to be nervous about something. After we had finished, he took my hand from across the table and said that he loved me and always would, and would I marry him. Even though I had an inkling that’s what he was up to, I was still quite shocked. After keeping him waiting for a few minutes for his answer, I said yes. He had been out that day and bought a beautiful platinum solitaire ring. He had even managed to have it sized and had phoned my dad before we went out for permission. Who says romance is dead?
How long did you spend preparing for the day and how was it?
We got engaged in September 2000 and married in June 2002. Iain didn’t have much to do with the wedding – he just let me get on with it. He had his opinions on certain things, but left the rest to me and my mum. I couldn’t have managed it without her. The couple of months after we got engaged, we didn’t do much. Things started to get underway at the beginning of 2001 and . by June 2001, most things were booked, deposits had been given, and I had bought my dress. Everything seemed to fall into place, and by the time the wedding day arrived, it was perfect.
What type of wedding ceremony did you have and where?
We had a traditional church wedding. It was the church my mum and dad had been married in – Kingcase Parish Church in Prestwick, Scotland. It looks quite a wee church from outside, but it’s actually rather deceptive. It was lovely inside.
Where did you hold the reception and what was it like?
We had our reception in the Parkstone Hotel in Prestwick. After the church, we arrived at the hotel to have our photos taken. It was quite drizzly outside, so we had the majority of the pictures taken inside. That lasted around an hour and a half and we then sat down to a fantastic three course meal. At 7pm the guests started to arrive for the reception. It was great and I didn’t want it to end. Although, when 1am came, I was so tired and glad to get to bed. The whole day had been wonderful.
Is there anything you’d like to change, with hindsight?
I wouldn’t change a single thing about my wedding day. It was fantastic. I had everything I wanted. My family all around me, great friends, but most importantly, my new husband, who I love with all my heart. We’ve been married nearly a year now, and we are expecting our first baby next week.
What advice would you give to couples currently planning their wedding?
My advice to couples getting married is:
1) Remember, it’s your day, and what you say goes. Don’t let anyone put pressure on you.
2) If you can get access to a video camera, try and film your day. Believe me, the day goes by so quickly and it goes by in such a blur, that by the next day, you’ll be left thinking, where did the day go? We couldn’t afford to hire anyone to video it, so with all our wedding money, we bought our own camera, and my sister’s boyfriend filmed the day for us. It’s great and a year on, I still love to sit down and watch it and have a wee cry.
