Liz and Martin’s Real Life Wedding
Liz and Martin
06/05/2006 – St Edwards Church, Corfe Castle, Dorset
How and when did you meet?
We are both keen sailors and met on board the Tall Ship Price William in Gunwharf Quay, Portsmouth.
How old are you both?
Martin is 42 and I am 26.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
On Christmas Day. He gave me A box with another box inside. Inside was a beautiful platinum diamond solitaire ring! Martin got on one knee and popped the question.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
We hadn’t planned to have hen and stag nights, but my friends organised a surprise hen night. It was a great night although I was on call all weekend and had the worst hangover of my life!
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
Martin stayed away from the girly stuff but as the day drew closer, he became more involved. He organised the booze and the music.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I loved the confetti ‘cafe’ page and browsed through the site for ideas and prices.
Do you have a confetti web page?
Yes.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Our wedding was on a fairly tight budget so we passed on a lot of the frilly extras.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
My dress was Allegra by Stephanie Allin and I found it in the sale in The Bridal House in Wimborne, Dorset. It Thai silk, elegant and was gorgeous.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
My original bridesmaid became pregnant and couldn’t fly over for the wedding. So in the end Martins two grown up daughters became joint attendants. They wore dresses from Monsoon, one in pink and one in green. They had bouquets of white roses and freesias.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Martin’s daughters Tabby and Hannah did all the jobs with some help from my brother Richard.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a religious ceremony
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Edwards Church, Corfe Castle Dorset
Where did you hold your reception?
Kingstone Country Courtyard, Dorset
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We arranged for the local minibus to take us and guests to the venue. However, my mum surprised us with a old Routemaster red bus which was brilliant!
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had around 90 guests in total.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Our reception was held in an old converted barn. The colour scheme was pink and green.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
My Gran did the table centers which were assorted greenery from the garden and pink and purple flowers with purple butterflies. We put up lots of fairy lights around the walls and had a washing line with big pictures of Martin and I as kids hung up with pegs.
Did you give your guests favours?
No. We though favours were expensive and pointless and our guests all seemed to agree.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet was pink peonies, pink roses, purple veronicas and rosemary. The girls had similar smaller bouquets with cream roses and freesias with rosemary. The boys had cream roses with a sprig of rosemary and the ladies had cream freesia corsages. They were all done by Bouquet Florist of Wareham and looked fabulous. The church flowers and table centers we did ourselves with a lot of help from local ladies, My Mum and my Gran.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had a buffet of roast beef, Yorkshire puds, seafood kebabs, game stew and Dorset apple cake. Everything was sourced locally and there was something for everyone
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
A friend of My Mum volunteered to make the three tier fruit cake decorated with flowers to match the bouquet.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
A close friend played the piano and organ in the church, doing a selection of pieces including two tunes from Buffy the Musical! We left to Bess You Is My Woman Now from Porgy and Bess. We compiled two playlists ourselves on our computer for the evening, an easy listening and dance. We ran the computer through the venues sound system and it worked really well.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
John Lewis. Boring but reliable.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spend our first night in The Granary, a big suite above the venue barn. We flew out to South Africa two days later. The honeymoon was a present from my Godmother as it included a week at their exclusive timeshare in the Kruger National Park.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
The whole ceremony was magical. Walking into the church with my Dad, seeing everyone looking at me and my brother giving me a wink before we walked up the aisle was amazing. Arriving next to Martin and seeing his face was wonderful.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
There was a moment during the evening where one of the guests drank too much wine and was quite ill and the venue owner threatened to call off the wedding. Fortunately the manager who looked after us well throughout the evening, calmed it all down and I only heard about it later.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Nothing at all. We had the wedding we wanted, informal and fun. My advice would be to know clearly what you (not anyone else!) wants and be consistent. Little things will probably go wrong but just keep the bigger picture in mind.
