Luci and Adrian
How did you meet?
Adrian lived around the corner from me and we’ve known each other for years. We got together one night when I was 17 and I was on the night bus home from the pictures with my mates. He walked me home, and we shared a kiss! We’ve now been together for ten years!
Describe the marriage proposal.
Adrian proposed to me on Christmas Day 2001, leaning over the arm of the sofa! We had spoken about it previously, but done nothing about it. Adrian asked my Dad as well.
How long did you spend preparing for the day and how was it?
We got married on 9th August 2003, so spent just over a year and a half preparing for the day. Although enjoyable, it was frustrating and sometimes a little stressful – it’s all the little things you have to organize, the big stuff’s easy! We talked about arrangements together, and made sure it was what we both wanted.
What type of wedding ceremony did you have and where?
We had a traditional white wedding in our local church. It was a very hot day, 33 degrees. We had five bridesmaids – my three best friends and two of Adrian’s nieces, both aged five. The older ones wore lilac, and the little ones wore ivory. My brother and Adrian’s brother were ushers, and Adrian’s best mate was his best man. I was over half an hour late because my car broke down – and the service nearly got cancelled! My dad was calming me down by giving me Bacardi and Coke to drink while we waited. I was upset, and could have cried, but when I got to the church I was so happy to get there that I smiled and laughed through the service. As soon as I saw Adrian all my nerves disappeared and I gave him a kiss (which you’re not supposed to do)!
Adrian’s sister gave a reading and cried, and lots of my friends and family were in tears – although it was a happy day it was tinged with sadness as my mum passed away three years ago, so emotions were high. Due to my lateness the vicar missed verses out of hymns, and cut out the sermon altogether! When the vicar announced us husband and wife I was grinning from ear to ear and everyone clapped. When we left the church lots of people were outside waiting – it felt great.
Where did you hold the reception and what was it like?
Our reception was held at the National Motorcycle Museum. It was brilliant fun. We both wanted it to be relaxed, so we had a hot buffet instead of a sit down meal. This was a very successful move, and the food was fab. People were going up for seconds. We decorated the tables with balloons, confetti and lots of lilac and white tea lights, and cameras. It looked beautiful. Our cake was on a table surrounded by table confetti, and our bouquets ended up on the table too. The wedding breakfast was attended by immediate family and close friends.
The speeches were great, and then we partied the night away! We had a disco, and everyone danced, sang and laughed. Our first dance was Shania Twain’s ‘You’re Still The One’, and our best man broke the chandelier by setting off a confetti bomb over us. He’s threatening to send it to ‘You’ve Been Framed’! We had an evening buffet, which went down a treat. We fed 170 people, and there was something for everyone.
Our wedding cake was a three tier, stacked cake with our initials on. We cut the cake quite late as we wanted everyone to see it. When the night ended I couldn’t believe it as it had gone so fast. It truly was the happiest and best day of my life.
Is there anything you’d like to change, with hindsight?
Not a thing. The things that went wrong were part and parcel of the day, although it didn’t feel like that at the time! I want to do it all over again, and think a law should be introduced that weddings should last two days at least!
What advice would you give to couples currently planning their wedding?
Talk about everything. It can get a bit tedious, and sometimes you do get sick of talking about your wedding, but it’s the only way to get the day you both want. Think about having young children at the reception. We had to as Adrian has lots of young nieces and nephews, but they talked all the way through the speeches and were quite noisy! Compromise as well – then enjoy it.
Is there any other detail that you would like to share?
Keep every single piece of paper, receipts etc until after the wedding. Triple check arrangements, and take out wedding insurance. We didn’t need to use ours, but friends of ours did due to unforeseen circumstances.
The best piece of advice came from one of my bridesmaids who got married in June. She told us to stand together and look around the room and see how people are enjoying your day. Capture that moment and you’ll remember it forever – trust us!