Nicola and Ellis’s Real Life Wedding

 

Nicola and Ellis

20 /05/2006 – Dereham, Norfolk

     
   

How and when did you meet?

We met at the end of January 2003 when I moved to the North East (from Norwich) with a friend. I joined a text dating organisation and met Neil.

How old are you both?

I’m 26 and Neil’s 32.

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

On Valentines Day 2003, just three weeks after we met! He went down on one knee on the bandstand in the park.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

I had a meal and went to a few bars with eight of my closest friends.

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

He helped make our invitations and some of the fiddly jobs that I didn’t have the patience for, including the table plan.

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

I visited the forum everyday, I found it addictive! Its’ full with so many useful tips and advice. I also bought some bits and pieces from the ‘for sale’ forum and the confetti shop.

Do you have a confetti web page?

No, I didn’t set one up.

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

I bought several products online as there isn’t a shop near me.

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

My dress was made by Alfred Angelo in Ivory with lots of crystal beading and embroidery that I bought over the internet along with my veil. tiara and jewellery. It had a semi  cathedral train which I absolutely loved! I bought my shoes from a local bridal shop.

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

I had four bridesmaids, two adult and two children. The adults wore a wine coloured
two-piece by Alfred Angelo and the children wore Ivory.

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

The groom, ushers, best man and two dad’s all hired morning suits. The groom had a wine coloured cravat whilst the others all had ivory.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a church ceremony.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

At our local church in Dereham Norfolk.

Where did you hold your reception?

At the Gibraltar Gardens, Norwich in a marquee.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

We were lucky that my uncle chauffeured us in his old jag. It looked lovely in the photo’s.

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

There were 60 guests to the church and an additional 20 who came to the evening.

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

We chose wine/pinks, ivory with touches of gold and butterflies also featured a lot.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

The women had butterfly shaped favours, the napkins, tables and name holders were all wine. The table confetti was a mix of gold and wine and items on the table had small touches like little butterfly detail too.

Did you give your guests favours?

Yes, women had butterfly shaped favour boxes (apart from the top table who had little horse and carriages) with 5 heart chocolates in them and a mini lipstick and the men also had the 5 heart chocolates along with a lottery scratch card. Unfortunately there were no big winners, with just a couple winning £1 and one striking lucky with £2!

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

My bouquet had three different shades of pink/wine roses along with some lily of the valley and foliage. The adult bridesmaids carried bags with ivory roses and the children has baskets which my Mum put together. For the table centers, we had a black candle holder with oasis pushed on top and then filled with flowers. Myself and my mum did the table decorations.

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

A friend of a friend made our wedding cake. It was a jam sponge, chocolate sponge and a fruit cake on a swan shaped stand.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

I made our three-tier wedding cake. I chose a flower/petal design and each tier was a different flavour – fruit, chocolate fudge and lemon curd. All the cakes were stacked on top of each other and covered in marzipan and ivory icing. This was then decorated with silver sugar balls and I hand-made a feather and crystal cake topper.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a disco

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

We had two gift lists. One with Debenhams and the other with Argos.

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

On the wedding night has a beautiful bridal suite, complete with four- poster bed. The next day we travelled to the Lake District and stayed at a fabulous hotel called The Derwentwaterl near Keswick. We booked our honeymoon direct with the hotel and they couldn’t have been nicer. They made sure that we had a wonderful and a memorable honeymoon. We’ll definitely be going back!

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

Walking down the aisle with everyone looking at me, my heart pounding and then seeing Neil watching me from afar.

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

Not really, everything went pretty smoothly apart from not being able to decide what to have for our wedding breakfast and having my dress fitting just the week before.

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

We wouldn’t have changed a thing about our wedding. I would offer this advice, get a videographer to film your big day, I’m so glad we did. We can look back on and things that would have been a distant memory if had not been captured, like speeches and the wedding service itself.