Lynn and Andy’s Real Life Wedding

Lynn and Andy

09/09/2005 – Goosnargh Village Hall

   

How and when did you meet?

We met in January 2004 in hospital! He was in a car accident in Oct 2003 when he broke his back – he is now paralysed and in a wheelchair, but is definitely by no means disabled! I was doing my final training as an Occupational Therapist and was working with him, helping him learn his wheelchair skills etc.

How old are you both?

We are both 25.

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

He proposed in Feb 2005 on the Isle of Man (where he’s from) on the front looking out at the sea, under the moonlight. We were listening to the radio and he’d called the station to have it broadcasted. The presenter said they had a special question someone wanted to ask, "Lynn, will you marry Rob?" Then he pulled a ring out of his pocket and, after dropping it on the floor, proposed to me.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

We had them the week before the wedding. He went out bowling and then for a meal with his friends, who were all dressed up in full ‘70s gear and he had a ‘groom’ poster on the back of his wheelchair!

I also went out bowling (different night), then we went to a Chinese restaurant. The theme was pink so we all had to wear something pink. They put lots of pink make up on me and a sash and everything; it was great fun!

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

He helped a lot, helped to make decisions and to keep me sane through it all. He left the organising to me though because I’m a champion organiser!

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

Yes, the message boards helped, talking with other brides-to-be, I also used the guest list which was helpful.

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

I bought some confetti, table cameras, chocolates (yummy!) and Table Trivia online from Confetti.

Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.

I bought my outfit from the local bridal shop; it was by Amanda Wyatt in a style called Erin. On all the pictures and on the internet it shows it in gold, but mine was cream. It had a bodice at the top, (great for holding you in!) the skirt had two layers and the material was ‘paper taffeta,’ which made it really light and easy to wear.

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

I had my sister-in-law and my friend, who are 20 and 27. They wore beautiful purple dresses from Debut at Debenhams.

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

He has four brothers and he chose one for his best man and one other brother and a friend for his ushers. They all wore their own black suits, white shirts and a burgundy tie. Rob wore a gold waistcoat with diamonds and a flack of the burgundy, while the others wore Champagne coloured waistcoats -very snazzy!

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

Religious, my granddad is a pastor so he married us. My brother lead the music, our pastor spoke, and our friends have an African Gospel Choir who sang while we signed the register!

Where did you hold your ceremony?

It was at a local church, which was really beautiful.

Where did you hold your reception?

The reception was at Goosnargh Village Hall.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

We hired a BMW from the BMW showroom and my dad chauffeured! (It gave him something to do!)

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

We had about 100 people at the service, and they all stayed around for refreshments afterwards. Then we had about 80 for the reception and evening do plus another 15 more people came for the evening.

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

Our whole wedding was in the theme of purples and raspberries.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

My mum made raspberry coloured tablecloths and the centrepieces we made had silver, purple and raspberry coloured chocolates in them. We put up the same coloured balloons around the venue and a friend made some flower arrangements for the hall.

Did you give your guests favours?

No, but there were chocolates in the table centrepiece they could eat.

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

My bouquet had purple calla lilies, tied and held with one hand at the side. My bridesmaids had white calla lilies and roses with a few of the purple ones in to match mine. The guys had white roses, and Rob had a while calla lily.

Our florist was Wilkinson’s of Ribbleton, a local florist who was excellent and very cheap!

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

We employed a company called The Hot Pot Supper Company, strange caterers for a wedding I know, but they put on an excellent spread and we had a cold buffet. We then bought desserts from supermarkets, gateaux, flans etc. We asked two couples we know to organise the food and drinks for us and it went down really well.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

My grandma made the cake as a present – she used to be a confectioner. We had 3 tiers, in keeping with the colour scheme. For a cake topper we had one made to look like us, including Rob’s wheelchair!

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

In the evening, we had 2 bands. The first part of the evening was with Sandrigg, a barn dance band, then during the second half of the evening we had my granddad’s jazz band, the Jazz Aces.

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

We had our main gift list with Argos, but also had one at Debenhams.

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

Our first night we spent in our new house. We didn’t live together before we were married so it was really special for us.

For our honeymoon we went to the Dominican Republic and booked it with Thomas Cook.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

The whole day went so fast it feels like a moment all at once! I remember walking around the corner and seeing my husband waiting at the front of the church and him saying ‘Wow!’ to me! We also did a choreographed salsa dance as our first dance, which was fantastic, especially considering Rob is in a wheelchair – that touched a few people.

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

On our wedding day, our photographers ran off! They were meant to stay for 7 hours, but just after the service they left because they said we broke the terms and conditions – a reporter from the local paper came to take a few shots as they were writing up our story for the paper. They left without a word, they just disappeared!

Fortunately my brother and a friend of ours have very good cameras and even better eyes and saved the day. They took photos for the rest of the day and we still have a wonderful photo album thanks to them.

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

At the end of the day, it is the most magical, special day in your life. Don’t worry about anything because even if things do go wrong, like they did with us, it doesn’t matter because you’re marrying someone you love more than anything and are now starting the first day of the rest of your lives, the day is wonderful no matter what happens!