What is your first name?
Joanne
What is the name of your groom?
Alexander
When was your wedding?
3rd August 2007
How and when did you meet?
We met through friends almost 7 years ago.
How old are you both?
I’m 23 and he’s 26.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
On a romantic holiday in Mexico in January 2006.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
I went to Edinburgh with some friends for a weekend. Alex went to Nottingham with his friends.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He agreed with everything that I said and happily wrote out cheques!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used the forums for ideas from other brides-to-be.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I bought some confetti products from the sale board, which were great quality!
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I wore a white Romantica of Devon princess style gown with beaded bodice and full skirt. I bought it from a local bridal store.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had 5 bridesmaids. My chief bridesmaid was my sister Kate and the other four bridesmaids were my friends from university. They wore long harvest gold Alfred Angelo dresses and looked gorgeous.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Alex chose his brother as his best man. Ushers were his friend Andrew and my two brothers.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a religious ceremony at my parish.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Bede’s RC Church, Jarrow. (near Newcastle)
Where did you hold your reception?
Littlehaven Hotel, South Shields.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We had two Daimler cars which were gold and black.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had approximately 60 people for the daytime and 130 for the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
We went for gold and ivory and was a classic, elegant style.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had gold and ivory placecards, personalised napkins, favours, confetti etc.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, they were given a gold or white organza bag with a personalised chocolate and 5 chocolate hearts. They loved them. I also made my own thank you scrolls and the women got personalised bottles of wine.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
Our flowers were white roses. My bouquet was a large posy with gold loops in it and my bridesmaids had a smaller version of mine. Guests had rose buttonholes. Table decorations were square vases with glass beads and white roses. My florist was Eden in South Shields. They were fab!
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had vegetable soup, a roast turkey dinner and profiteroles with caramel sauce. This was provided by the venue and was gorgeous!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
My wedding cake was a white three tiered fruit cake and had white and gold sugarcraft flowers. It was made by a family friend.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a magician during the evening reception who was amazing!
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at the reception hotel and honeymooned in Kenya booked through Thomson.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle and seeing my husband smiling.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I would say to other brides, enjoy the day and try to take time to enjoy yourself too. All your hard work will pay off!
