Sarah and Rob’s Real Life Wedding
Sarah and Rob
01 /04/2006 – St Francis Church, Valley Park, Southampton.
How and when did you meet?
We met at a night club in Bournemouth on a Saturday night in April 2003.
How old are you both?
I am 25 and Rob is 30.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
He proposed at our house on Christmas Eve of 2004; he presented me with a box and asked me to marry him.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
I went away to Cardiff for the weekend for my hen night with 7 of my close friends. The highlight was that they hired me a fire engine for us to be driven around in before going out into Cardiff town dressed up in army gear for the night – it was great! Rob had his stag do in Southampton.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
He just said yes at the right times and attended the relevant meetings with people, the rest he left down to me.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used the Café’s ‘For Her’ message board for advice from other brides-to-be, which really helped me and I bought some things from the online shop.
Do you have a confetti web page?
No.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I bought table number holders, place cards, feathers, favour tins and ribbon online.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
I wore a diamond white dress by Trudy Lee which was strapless with sparkly details to the fitted bodice and then the skirt part was made up of layers of Tulle with sparkly detail all over it. I wore a long veil with beads on and got it all from Brides of Southampton.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had 3 adult bridesmaids wearing blue, they were my sister as chief bridesmaid, my friend and my cousin. I also had two little flower girls, our nieces, who wore blue and white dresses, a little bridesmaid all in white as she is Rob’s daughter and a page boy, my nephew who wore a matching suit to the men and a matching waistcoat to the bridesmaids.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
His best man was Phil his friend from school and our ushers were Paul, his good friend and Dave his brother-in-law. The men wore navy blue suits, white waistcoat and matching cravat to the bridesmaids.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Religious ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
At St Francis Church, Valley Park, near Southampton.
Where did you hold your reception?
We had 108 people to the day and about 150 to the evening celebrations.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
50 to our day do and another 40 to the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
We kind of themed it around Easter as it was that time of the year, so we had Easter eggs as favours, spring flowers and a blue theme running through the day; there was also a lot of sparkle.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
The tables had tall vases of pussywillow and blue decorations; the ribbon was blue and the place cards were blue.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, we gave the adults mini eggs in a tin and the children had chocolate bunnies
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet had white roses with diamantes in the middle with pussywillow and greenery, the adult bridesmaids were the same but with more blue in theirs. The children had baskets full of the same flowers with blue silk flowers added. On the end of each pew in the church was blue netting hanging from a small selection of blue and white flowers and then three pedestals of the same flowers with hydrangea heads added.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had chicken and mango salad, then steak with mushroom sauce and brandy snaps with strawberries for dessert.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
We had a three-tier square cake with fruit, chocolate and sponge. It was white icing with sparkly icing sprayed on around the edges. Each tier had an arrangement of sugar flowers sprayed with sparkly icing again. It was gorgeous; a place called Celebrations made it.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a disco in the evening.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
Yes, we had our gift list with John Lewis.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent the first night at the hotel and then went to Fuerteventura on our honeymoon.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
I have to say it was when we were saying our vows to each other as it was so lovely to hear Rob say those things to me, it made me smile! Also walking in to the church and seeing all those faces of the people that are there just for me and Rob!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
No, I was really lucky, I was almost let down by the dress maker of the bridesmaid dresses but did get them all in time – just!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I wouldn’t do anything differently! It was perfect, every single minute of it. The sun shone, everyone was there, it all ran smoothly and I felt like a true princess. The only advice I give, just like everyone else says is enjoy the planning and the whole day, take in every minute because it literally flies by in a shot!