Sandra and Paul’s Real Life Wedding
Sandra and Paul
08/04/2006 – Waltham Abbey Church, Essex.
How and when did you meet?
We met in November 2000 at the Eros night club in Enfield.
How old are you both?
Paul is 40 and I am 39.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
– We were in Corfu in 2004 when he chose a ring for me and said it was about time we got hitched. I agreed but suggested waiting for five years or so. We finally set the date for two years as Paul wanted to marry by the age of 40!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
Fourteen of us girlies went to Butlins at Bognor Regis on 3rd March 2006 for an ‘80s weekend. It was a brilliant weekend and I can’t remember too much about it, although my daughter took some video evidence. Paul went to Blackpool with eight other pals. They all got extremely drunk but they were very good to him and brought him back in one piece.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
Everything we organised was a joint decision apart from my dress and it was lovely that he showed so much interest as many men just leave it up to the Mrs.!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Confetti was brilliant. I used the planner to organise things – the table planner was excellent. I used the Cafe to talk to other brides-to-be, to get advice and help when things got a bit too much for me.
Do you have a confetti web page?
I did have but was not sure how to use it.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
My dress came from Hong Kong and Paul’s mum did a few alterations for me. My head dress came from the USA and my shoes came from Bulgaria, a very international mix.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had four bridesmaids and their dresses came from the USA. My chief bridesmaid was Paul’s sister Michelle, her two girls Zara and Amber were bridesmaids and my matron of honour was my very good friend Angie. The two older bridesmaids wore pale blue and the younger ones wore ivory.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Paul’s best man was his brother in law Dave. The two ushers were my son Shane and Paul’s cousin Niall; they wore navy tail suits and the best man wore a navy Prince Edward jacket.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Religious ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
It was in St. Bartholomew’s Church in Streatham Vale.
Where did you hold your reception?
Waltham Abbey Church, Essex.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
Halsey Masonic Hall in Cheshunt.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
The bridesmaids went in a cream Bentley while I went with my mum and step dad in a cream Beauford.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
We had 99 guests to the wedding and then a further 60 guests in the evening.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We decorated the tables in the same blue and ivory that matched our wedding colours. Paul’s mum made all the table decorations while Paul and I made the place card holders and name settings and other friends helped with the favour bags for the ladies.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, these were made by a very good friend, Carol.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet was a teardrop of ivory roses and greenery with blue muslin amongst the flowers. The older bridesmaids had a smaller round of ivory roses and the younger bridesmaids had ivory satin baskets with blue flowers and beads hanging from them and silk rose petals inside the baskets.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The venue did our catering and the guests had a choice of:
prawn cocktail or melon, sirloin of beef or chicken with white wine sauce with potatoes and vegetables. strawberry gateaux or sherry trifle with coffee and mints to follow.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
A work colleague made our cake. We had three tiers in ivory with blue roses; the cake was a hexagonal shaped fruit cake with an awful lot of drink in it.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a toastmaster for the meal, then we had a DJ in the evening who kept people on the dance floor all night – both were brilliant.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We didn’t have a gift list as such, most guests kindly gave us money or gift vouchers.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We stayed at the Marriot Hotel in Cheshunt on the night of the wedding. We then went to Dubai on the following Wednesday for our honeymoon, which we booked through Virgin Atlantic. There were a few hiccups with our hotel etc. but the honeymoon was wonderful.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Meeting my groom at the altar and seeing how nervous he was.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
A week before the wedding I heard that the DJ and toastmaster hadn’t booked us in their diaries. We assumed they had been booked for months and fortunately they could still do it. Then receiving an email from the holiday company a day before the wedding saying that they had bumped us into another hotel, so we had to rearrange all our transfers etc. The vicar had forgotten to start the hymn so nobody was singing. When we arrived at the Marriot on the night of the wedding they hadn’t given us the honeymoon suite.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Nothing at all, it was a lovely day, all the guests were happy and went with the flow