Tamasine and Chris’ Real Life Wedding

confetti – Tamasine and Chris’ real life wedding

Tamasine and Chris

31/07/2004 – Croydon Parish Church, Surrey
Selsdon Park Hotel, Croydon, Surrey

How and when did you meet?

We’ve always known each other, but after a show that we were both involved in we got to know each other better!

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

On Valentine’s night, 2002, after a trip to the theatre!

Did you have hen and stag celebrations?

We both went out for meals with friends and family. Chris went bowling and to a Thai restaurant. I went to a little restaurant close to home and had a ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ theme…including a Tiffany cake!

Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?

Chris sorted out all the church music. We’re both musicians so it was very important to us…he had a lot to do! He also booked our jazz band for the evening party, as well as keeping me sane over two years of planning!

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

Yes, I was regularly on line checking out new ideas and getting inspired!

Do you have a confetti web page?

Yes! All our guest loved it!

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

We bought all our favours (silver degrees in blue organza bags), car ribbons, champagne bubbles for the tables (an idea picked up at a friend’s wedding) and table cameras (which were fantastic!). I’m lucky to live near London so was able to go to the London store.

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

I had the most beautiful wedding dress, I really felt like a princess. It was the fifth dress I tried on at the first shop, and I knew I had to have it! It had a cathedral length train, and I wore a tiara and full length veil. I bought it at Castigliano Collections in London.

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

I had two older bridesmaids (my two best friends) who wore pale blue evening dresses from Debenhams. I also had two flower girls – my little 2nd cousin who’s six and Chris’s three-year old niece. My sister made dresses for them – cream silk with sashes to match the older bridesmaids dresses.

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

Chris had his brother Nick as his best man, with two of my brothers and two close friends as ushers. My eldest brother gave me away in memory of my father who died last year. They all wore traditional morning dress.

Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?

We had a religious ceremony.

Where did you hold your ceremony?

Croydon Parish Church.

Where did you hold your reception?

Selsdon Park Hotel in Croydon.

Did you have any special wedding transport?

Yes, we had a Beauford open tourer and my mum and bridesmaids had a cream Daimler.

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

We had 100 guests to the wedding breakfast and then another 50 in the evening.

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

Blue, silver and cream were the colours and we named all the tables after our favourite composers.

How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?

All the favours were blue and silver and we also bought blue feathers! The table settings were all cream, as were all the flowers.

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

We were so lucky to have the sister of Chris’s sister-in-law to do our flowers (she is a top London florist). We had cream and white roses for me in a loose teardrop bouquet and cream and blue bouquets for the bridesmaids. They were absolutely stunning!

What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?

We had a salad of cured ham, marinated boccochini and sunblush tomato for a starter, guinea fowl for main course and a lemon tart for dessert. The venue did all our catering.

What did you choose for your wedding cake?

We had a very simple three-tiered cake (two fruitcake and one sponge) decorated with beautiful cream sugar roses. It was stunning – a friend of my grandma’s made it for us!

Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?

We had a harpist at the drinks reception and a dinner jazz band for the evening. We also did a number during evening with me on vocals, Chris on the drums and another friend on piano.

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

Yes, with John Lewis

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

We spent the night at the Selsdon Park (along with quite a few of our guests!) and then went to Paris three weeks later which was brilliant.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?

Walking down the aisle and seeing Chris at the end waiting for me. All the church service, especially the music, was so memorable.

Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?

The whole day was perfect. I don’t think there was anything we could have done better (except perhaps had the weather a couple of degrees cooler!). I was advised to take a few moments out of the day to just look around and soak up the atmosphere. I did this a few times during the day and it was well worth it…the day just flies by!