Susan and Robert
16/04/2005 – The Blackheath Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, London
Haberdashers Askes Hatcham College London
How and when did you meet?
We met in November 2002 at a mutual friends engagment party. We liked each other straight away but it was down to my friends intervention (shouting: ‘aren’t you going to take her number?’) that we saw each other after that night.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Rob proposed at my parents house (where I was living) on 21 June 2004. He plotted with my mum and my little sister to get to there before I got home from work. He decorated the stairs leading to my room with red ribbon and red rose petals and left love notes along the bannister. There was one final note on my desk saying ‘will you marry me?’ with the ring next to it. He came out from behind, while I was laughing hysterically, took the ring and asked me.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
He went out for quiet drinks (so he says!) with a few friends in central London. Me and about ten of my girlfriends went to a friends place for dinner. I was then made to get dressed up like Mrs Incredible (gloves and eye mask included) and went to a pub.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
He helped LOADS! He arranged to see venues and went to vet venues to save me wasting time with unsuitable ones. He helped me with table decorations, went on numerous shopping trips for favours, bridesmaid outfits and the like, picked up the wedding cakes, organised the music. The list was endless. He was fab!!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
A little. I got lots of tips from the girls on the forum – thanks girls! We also used the budget planner at the beginning.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
We bought cameras, favour bags and bubbles from the store on Tottenham Court Road.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
It was a silk ivory strapless dress, with embroidery and beading on the neckline, down the sides and on the train. I loved it and didn’t want to take it off! I got it from a local bridal shop in South East London. They were so helpful. It was the first shop I went to and I found the dress straight away. I had an ivory organza wrap, deep red suede shoes and a red feather clip in my hair.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Two – my sister and a friend. They wore deep red/plum taffeta strapless dresses which another friend made. She also made them matching chiffon and velvet shawls.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
The best man was a friend of Rob’s who he’s known for ages and we had two ushers – a couple of Rob’s other friends. Rob wore a light/mid brown suit, white shirt and striped pink and red tie with brown shoes. He chose it himself – I was impressed!
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a religious ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
The Blackheath Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in south-east London.
Where did you hold your reception?
Haberdashers Askes Hatcham College in south-east London.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
A silver Mercedes.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 180 guests in the end. We didn’t have a separate evening list, we just wanted everyone to be a part of the whole day. We still could fit everyone in though!
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Just simplicity really. We wanted the tables to be as uncluttered as possible. I guess the accent colour was deep red.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
Each table had a small clear square vase with four red roses in it. The roses were tightly bound with green ribbon.
Did you give your guests favours?
Just the children! They had bubbles, sweets and pens in burgundy favour bags.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
Myself and a few friends were the florists! I had a bouquet of tightly packed deep red roses. I think there were about 16 stems. The bridesmaids had tightly packed off-white roses. The heads on the white ones were larger than the red ones, so they had about six stems in their bouquets. We had three large arrangements at the ceremony – two with red roses and one with white.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
My friends and I did the catering. It was a buffet with a real variety of hot and cold food. We had chicken and lamb, rice and pasta, salads etc. Everyone was pretty happy with the food. For pudding there was the wedding cakes (chocolate sponge), strawberries and cream, and individual lemon cheesecakes.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
We had two chocolate cakes, and also a large fruit cake for all those crazy people who don’t like chocolate!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a complialtion of mine and Rob’s favourite tunes which we played throughout the reception.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We had a gift list with John Lewis which I would recommend.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent the first night at our new flat. It was my first night staying there at all. We went to Malaysia for our honeymoon and spent three nights in Kuala Lumpur and ten days in Langkawi.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Dancing with my grandmother for ‘Follow da leader’. Everyone cleared the dancefloor for us. She hadn’t seen me since I was three and she flew over especially to be there.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I’d do it all the same! Relax and enjoy the day. It all works out on the day and the miniscule things you could spend hours worrying over don’t really matter anyway. Chill out and enjoy!