Melissa and Martin’s Real Life Wedding
Melissa and Martin
21/08/2005 – Courtstairs Country Club, Pegwell Kent
How and when did you meet?
We originally met around four years ago, when Martin joined the local football team I support; we began seeing each other in 2003.
How old are you both?
I am 26 Martin is 24.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Martin proposed to me after only 5 months. We were in my kitchen, when he suddenly dropped to one knee, taking me completely by surprise.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
Martin went paint-balling and for a meal with his friends before going out for drinks. The weekend after, I went out with my friend (dressed in sashes and a lovely veil with horns) to various bars before heading to a club.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
Martin helped make all the main decisions – he even picked the venue, he also made the invitations, orders of service and seating plan.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I stored all my suppliers, guest list and dress ideas on my confetti pages and spent a lot of time on the message boards early on in my planning.
Do you have a confetti web page?
Yes, I do.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I bought my balloons, table decorations and favour boxes from the confetti store.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
My dress was bought from a local bridal store in Ramsgate. It is by Mori Lee, and is an ivory dress, with a straight-cut design, a trained- back and a ruched, boned bodice, hemmed with beading.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had five bridesmaids: my two daughters, Chloe (7) and Morgan (3), my sister, Jade (14), friend Cheryl, who was my Chief bridesmaid and her 4 year old daughter, Sophie. The older bridesmaids wore plum, strapless ruched-front dresses and the little ones wore lilac bead-fronted dresses.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Martin’s best friend, Kye, was his best man (and did a fantastic job.) We didn’t have any ushers but my brother helped with the order of service and button holes.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We decided on a civil ceremony, as neither of us is religious.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
The service was held in a gazebo in the grounds of Courtstairs Country Club, in Pegwell Kent.
Where did you hold your reception?
The reception was also held at Courtstairs.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Our colour theme was cream, lilac and purple.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had cream, lilac and purple balloons, lilac table confetti and lilac and purple fabric draped throughout the venue.
Did you give your guests favours?
The men were given chocolate bars with a tuxedo design wrapper, the ladies, lilac butterfly boxes containing a scented candle, mini love hearts and a chocolate, while the children were given a Disney box, containing Smarties and a goody bag with crayons, a note pad and bubbles.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I did the bouquets myself, the bridesmaids’ were made up of cream roses and lilac and purple tulips, mine was the same with the addition of purple lilies too.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
Courtstairs did all the catering for the sit-down meal. We had a choice of crown-cut gala melon with blueberries or egg mayonnaise salad for starters, beef (with Yorkshire pudding), pork (with apple sauce), lamb (with mint sauce), turkey (with cranberry sauce) and nut roast (lime and mango sauce.) All were served with roast potatoes, minted new potatoes, cauliflower mornay, glazed baton carrots, honey roast parsnips, braised leeks with bacon and minted garden peas for the main course. For dessert, there was a choice of tropical fruit salad, meringue Vacherie with seasonal fruits and Chantilly cream, profiteroles with chocolate sauce and fruits of the forest cheesecake. We also had a children’s menu for the under 7s. The evening reception included pate on Melba toast, caviar, mini cheesecakes and chocolate éclairs.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
We bought 3 cakes from Marks and Spencer: two all butter sponge and one chocolate, which I decorated myself, with lilac hearts and sugar flowers.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had karaoke and a disco during the evening reception, which went down really well – Chloe even did a turn on the mike!
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We decided not to have a gift list, as we have only recently moved into a new house so we told people that vouchers would be greatly appreciated, if they wanted to get us anything.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at home and, as we couldn’t leave the kids with anyone, we took a family holiday to Somerset and Legoland instead of a honeymoon.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
My most memorable moment was the welcoming ceremony we held after the service to welcome Chloe, Morgan and Ryan into the Jenkin family. It was a surprise and the guests didn’t know a thing until the registrar announced it.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
I found out I was pregnant after we booked the wedding and discovered the baby was due 4 months before the wedding, so I had a bit of trouble finding a dress, as my bump made it hard to see what suited me. I also had trouble finding a hairdresser, as the wedding was on a Sunday. Thankfully a friend’s sister stepped in and did my hair and my bridesmaids’.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Although we had a friend video the service, I would have hired a professional to do a proper video. My advice to other brides is to relax in the run up to the big day and don’t let the little things stress you out because on the day nothing will matter, as you will be far too happy to care.