Stephanie and Simon’s Real Life Wedding

Stephanie and Simon

30/07/2004 – New Place, Shirrell Heath, Hampshire

How and when did you meet?

We met three years ago through his sister who I worked with.

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

Simon proposed after three weeks in the pub after we had been out all day on my leaving do. It was brilliant, all my friends were there and my mum was even there so he asked her first.

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

I had a drunken weekend in my home town. It started with a Friday night in the pub. On Saturday we shopped in the morning, had an Ann Summers party in the afternoon and then we went out in the evening.

Simon went to Blackpool and had a brilliant time. We both found it quite strange being the centre of attention though. It’s very different to being the noisy one on a night out!

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

Simon was a very calming influence and he pretty much let me get on with it. I had very set ideas. My mum was fantastic as well. I organised most of it and handed the lot over to my mum in the last couple of months for her to deal with – bless her!

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

The website was great to get advice from other brides.

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

I think I bought everything there whether I needed it or not!

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

My dress was beautiful. It was ivory and strapless with a really long train. It has some embroidery on it but was really quite understated. I felt like a princess when I put it on.

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

I had my two oldest and best friends as bridesmaids. They wore lilac dresses which complemented the flowers and my dress.

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

Simon had his best friend as best man and one of his friends and one of mine as ushers. They all wore lovely suits.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

A civil ceremony.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

New Place, Shirrell Heath, Hampshire. It’s an old mansion house, so it was perfect to hold the whole day there.

Where did you hold your reception?

As above.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

I had a horse and carriage and my mum and two bridesmaids had a classic car.

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

We had 60 guests in the daytime and around 150 in the evening.

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

The colours for the day were ivory and lilac.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

We had ivory and purple flowers on the tables and purple petals strewn around. It was absolutely beautiful.

Did you give your guests favours?

No, I couldn’t decide in the end!

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

My flowers were ivory roses with other lilac flowers. I had a tight bouquet and my bridesmaids had smaller ones. The table decorations were the same colour and were just stunning. My father’s partner arranged the flowers and they really made the room.

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 which took away a lot of stress from us. We had melon and parma ham for starter followed by chicken breast wrapped in bacon or salmon served with vegetables. We had our wedding cake for pudding.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

We had a four tier white cake with purple piping and flowers to match the colour scheme. The filling was madeira cake and chocolate.

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a fantastic string quartet in the daytime and a disco in the evening.

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

I had my gift list with Allders.

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

We spent our first night in New Place and then we went on honeymoon to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Dubai.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

All of it was magical, but I think it would have to be the look on Simon’s face when he first saw me. It was just lovely.

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

I wouldn’t change anything. But my advice would be not to worry too much or get too wound up over little things. Delegate to other people because everyone wants to help and it takes the stress off you. Enjoy it – on the day nothing matters except you two!