Lisa and Andy’s Real Life Wedding
Lisa and Andy
28/05/2005 – St Leonard’s Church, Bewdley, Worcestershire.
Grafton Manor, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
photos by Simon Bannister
How and when did you meet?
We met when we worked for the same company. I did an audit in his area and because he was a little “difficult”, I failed the audit. This meant we had to work together to make amendments, and he also made amends with me and asked me out on a date.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Andy proposed to me in Madrid, Spain. We had gone for the weekend courtesy of my company as they wanted to second me there for two years. We were in a gorgeous restaurant when he popped the question.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
I went for surf lessons in Newquay and to Rick Stein’s Bistro for a fabulous meal. We were too tired from our surf excursions to paint the town red after our meal! Andy went clay pigeon shooting and rage buggy driving followed by a night out in Birmingham.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
Andy helped throughout the planning process. He decided the colour scheme and we chose all the suppliers together. He was a dream husband to be!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used the message boards which proved invaluable and I highlighted the speech writing area to Andy.
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 bought our invitations from confetti. They were gorgeous and attracted many positive comments.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
I wore an ivory Pronovias dress, with a crystal covered veil. I wore my mum’s tiara, which was very emotional. The crowning glory were my gold Jimmy Choos – and they were worth every penny!
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had two bridesmaids – my sister and my best friend. They wore black fishtail Lazaro dresses and they looked extremely chic and classy.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Andy had his brother as best man and his younger brother and my sisters’s boyfriend as ushers. All the male bridal pary wore black Oswald Boateng suits. They wore Thomas Pink shirts and ties.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a beautiful religious ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Leonard’s church in Bewdley, Worcestershire.
Where did you hold your reception?
At Grafton Manor in Bromsgrove.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We hired two old Citroen Cars which were silver. As a surprise I arranged for Andy to travel in a brand new Range Rover.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 76 guest during the day, with an additional 20 in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Our general theme was chic informality. We used predominantly black, white and pink.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had white table linen and chair covers, with pink organza bows on the chairs. There were lottery favours in pink envelopes and the table decorations were pink peony and rose posies on a mirror plate surrounded by white tea lights.
Did you give your guests favours?
We had lottery tickets for the adults and personalised goody bags for the children.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
Our florist was Alison from Lili Floral Art. My bouguet was pink peonies and roses with bear grass and pearls. The bridesmaids had posies of ‘Dolce Vita’ roses. The table decorations were posies of peonies and pink roses.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had proscuito ham, mozarella and fresh figs to start, roast Worcestershire leg of lamb for main and chocolate and brandy roulade with strawberry sauce for dessert. The venue were responsible for the catering.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
I had a very plain ivory four tier cake with a fresh posy of flowers on the top. The cake was entirely carrot cake!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a cartoonist and a classical guitarist for the reception and wedding breakfast. In the evening we had a live band and a dj. The finale were fireworks which were a surprise for all the guests.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We held our gift list at John Lewis.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at Grafton. On the Sunday we travelled down to Gatwick where we stayed at Langshott Manor. The following day we jetted off to Palm Island in the Grenadines.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Our most memorable moments of the day were the service, the speeches and the overwhelming feeling of love and support from our guests.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Not really, all the suppliers we chose were magnificent and did their job perfectly.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I would not do anything differently – it was perfect.