Melanie and Nick’s Real Life Wedding

 

Melanie and Nick

12/08/2005 – Pendley Manor, Tring

   

How and when did you meet?

We met just over 3 years ago, when Nick temporarily moved in with his sister, who also happens to be one of my best mates.

How old are you both?

I am 28 and Nick is 32.

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

On New Years Eve 2003, we were staying in together as we were hung-over from the night before and Nick had been at work all day. I had cooked him a pie and he asked me if I would promise to make him the pie for the rest of his life. I said yes I would, at which point he produced a sparkly ring for me.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

Yes, I was taken away with nine close girlfriends to a little cottage in Byfleet Hall, near Norwich. We had a weekend of lovely food, booze and a silly sports day. Nick had various drinking sessions with friends but no official stag night as such.

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

He planned an outline of the music that the DJ should play at our wedding and the disco did go down a real storm. Luckily for me, he also took control in the final couple of weeks, when I was getting to the point of being passed caring and becoming totally ‘weddinged out’ before the big day had even arrived!

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

I used the website to look at people’s pictures and the message board. I also used Confetti to get venue ideas in the initial stages.

Do you have a confetti web page?

No I didn’t.

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

I didn’t but was really tempted by a "Mrs. Noakes" bikini for a while!

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

I bought my dress at Birketex. It was a strapless, sleeveless dress with blue detail.

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

I had four adult bridesmaids, who wore blue two piece sleeveless and strapless outfits – they looked beautiful.

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

They wore morning suit, black jacket, grey pinstripe trousers, dark blue ties and light blue patterned waistcoats.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a civil ceremony.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

At Pendley Manor in Tring.

Where did you hold your reception?

At Pendley Manor in Tring.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

No special transport, although our rusty old Astra was covered in balloons and a ‘just married’ tag for our departure from the hotel the next day.

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

We invited about 200 and ended up with 180. Only a few people who couldn’t make the day only came for the evening.

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

Not really. We had candles and candelabras on the tables instead of flowers. Light blue and white where the main colours of the day.

Did you give your guests favours?

Yes, my mother arranged them as a surprise and I loved them They all had a key ring with some sort of love, friendship, family quote on the back of them.

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

I had a huge bouquet of cream roses and my bridesmaids had a smaller version with blue berries.

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

We had melon for a starter, followed by chicken in Parma ham and then praline cheese cake. Unfortunately I was so high on adrenalin I could barely eat mine.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

I had a traditional fruit cake from M&S. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who didn’t have their heart set on some particular type of cake. It was surprisingly delicious.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

Just the disco.

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

We had a gift list at John Lewis.

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

Our first night was at Pendley Manor hotel, which was lovely, and then two days later, we flew off to stay in the mountains of Corsica.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

The actual ceremony itself, we both loved it.

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

Not really, I think in hindsight things are never as bad as they seemed at the time, although, the flowers only turning up one minute before I was due to walk down the aisle bugged me a little.

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

Try not to get stressed in the run up to the wedding, really enjoy and savour the planning as much as you can, because you’ll be back from the honeymoon before you know it. I didn’t appreciate what a special time the run up to the wedding was until after the event.