Michelle and Jon’s Real Life Wedding

 

Michelle and Jon

17/09/2005 – Holy Trinity Church, Leaton, Shrewsbury
The Radbrook Hall Hotel

           

How and when did you meet?

At university, we were both doing our nurse’s training.

How old are you both?

23.

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

In Germany just before Christmas in 2003. We had gone away to the Christmas markets on the final night of our stay, he had the band play ‘She’s the One,’ by Robbie Williams (it’s ‘our song.’) He asked me to dance, then got down on one knee in front of everyone; the hotel gave us a free bottle of Champagne to celebrate!

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

Yes, we both had 2: the first was a joint hen party with one of my friends from work – 20 of us went to Blackpool for a night. Jon had one in Plymouth and we also had a joint hen and stag Hawaiian-themed night a few weeks before the wedding at our house, organised by my mum and sisters.

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

By agreeing with everything I wanted. He was very helpful and it took a lot of the stresses out of planning the day. Jon wanted to be involved with everything so it was really a joint effort.

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

Yes, it was brilliant.

Do you have a confetti web page?

I did.

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

Yes, lots: I bought the table decorations online but would have loved to have visited the shop.

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

I found my outfit before we had even booked the ceremony. It was in the window of a bridal shop in Telford called Dreams and Dresses. It was the first dress I tried on but I knew immediately that it was ‘the one.’ It was an ivory A-line dress with beading on the straps and a small amount on the front in a v, it had a semi-cathedral train with crystals and beading. I felt like a princess in my waist-length crystal and pearl drop veil and crystal tiara. The dress was a gift from my grandma.

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

Yes, I had four: my three sisters, Nicola ,Hayley and Lindsay and Louise my husband’s cousin. They all wore lilac bodices and skirts from Monsoon.

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

Jon had his brother Lee as best man, Andrew, his cousin, as an usher and Rich my sister’s boyfriend as the other usher. They all wore black Prince Edward frock coats with silver waistcoats and lilac cravats; they had grey top hats all hired from Burtons.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We got married in church.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

Holy Trinity Church, Leaton, outside Shrewsbury.

Where did you hold your reception?

The Radbrook Hall Hotel.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

I arrived in a 1930s Walmlesy and the bridemaids arrived in a ‘60s Mercedes. Jon arrived in an ambulance fast response vehicle as he is a an ambulance technician.

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

We had 70 guests to the wedding breakfast and 100 in total to the evening buffet.

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

Lilac, pink and ivory were the key colours.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

Lilac place cards and lilac and ivory napkins; the favour boxes were handmade, some were pink and some were lilac.

Did you give your guests favours?

Yes, handmade boxes with pink heart sweets.

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

The flowers were beautiful; I had a hand-tied bouquet of pink and ivory roses, lily of the valley, orchid freesias and bear grass with lilac beads. The bridesmaids each had a wrist corsage with an orchid and the men had ivory buttonholes. Jon, the best man and my dad all had a different shade of pink. We used Park Flowers and they did a wonderful job. Jon’s aunty and my grandma’s niece did the church flowers with some help from my sisters and me and my mum it was a real family effort the result was stunning.

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 three course meal that the hotel provided.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

Our wedding cake was made by another of Jon’s aunties. The cake consisted of three tiers – two fruit and a sponge layer. It was ivory, plainly iced with pink sugar flowers around the base, and had fresh flowers to decorate the rest of the cake.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

A disco in the evening.

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

Yes, with Next and Argos.

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

Our first night was spent in the bridal suite at the hotel. On the monday following the wedding, we flew out to the Maldives for two weeks.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

There were so many. Jon crying as he said his vows, the speeches and, when all the guests had gone, sitting in the bar with the family dancing to the music with no shoes on.

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

Many. Two bridesmaids became pregnant – one bridesmaid was unable to be at the wedding as she went two weeks overdue – and I became auntie when my nieces were born three months early. Fortunately, on the day everything ran smoothly!

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

No. Enjoy every moment of the day, stop to take things in every so often. You’ll notice how happy people are and how wonderful everything you planned for so long looks. Enjoy the day as much as you can. Relax, you will have deserved it, and smile. Don’t avoid doing things because you’re worried about messing up your dress, you only get to wear it once. Don’t have any regrets, I don’t. Hug people in the receiving line, it might be your only chance! It was the best day of my life but went far too fast!