Samantha and Alan Real Cresta Court Hotel, Altrincham Wedding Story
When was your wedding?
5/12/09
How and when did you meet?
12 years ago in a pub in the village I used to live in.
How old are you both?
I am 37 Alan is 48.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
After a close friend’s funeral when we had examined where our lives were and what we wanted for the future.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Alan went to Torremolinos for the weekend and I went to Pontins in Camber Sands and also had a private cocktail party and fancy meal.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He didn’t!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Confetti helped with table planning, buying accessories and keeping me on track with all the etiquette of a wedding.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I bought lots such as table plans and place cards plus other accessories.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
My dress was an Alfred Angelo dress style 1516 and it had splashes of cobalt blue.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
My 3 bridesmaids wore Alfred Angelo too in Cobalt blue and I had my closest and longest standing friends.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
We had no ushers and the best man was Alan’s best friend who came over from New York. He wore navy blue Prince Edward jackets and striped trousers with royal blue ruches.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Civil.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Cresta Court Hotel, Altrincham Cheshire.
Where did you hold your reception?
Same place.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 85 to the daytime and 120 to the evening do.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
The theme was shades of blue.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
All tables were named accordingly such as sapphire, cobalt, midnight, azure, ocean, royal, electric and indigo.
Did you give your guests favours?
We gave 2010 diaries that had been personalised with our names and wedding date.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
The flowers were simple white roses for me with blue ribbon entwined. The bridesmaids had long stem roses wound with blue ribbon. I had heart shaped candles from Ikea as table centres and they were £1.99 each and very effective. My florist was Verdure florist in Salford.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The venue handled the catering and we had fruit platter with ginger sauce, turkey dinner, apple pie and custard. In the evening we had bacon baguettes and chips and this was fab!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
One of my bridesmaids made my cake and a close friend decorated it.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
John Lewis.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We didn’t have a honeymoon and our first night was spent at the hotel
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
The whole day.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Make sure you make time for you on the day even if it is only 5 mins. You need it.