Maria and Lee
02/07/2005 – Wakefield Town Hall, West Yorkshire
How and when did you meet?
We are actually distant relatives through marriage (not blood!) We saw each other all the time when we were young kids and then we didn’t see each other for about ten years, whilst growing up. We met again on a night out 5 years ago and the rest is history..!
How old are you both?
We are both 25.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
It was 6 months after we had started going out; he had just moved in and he bought me a gorgeous engagement ring for my birthday at Christmas. We both discussed it and decided to get engaged!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
My husband had a local night out with all the lads, wearing a t-shirt with a big picture of himself on the front posing with his muscles – very funny! I had a fancy dress hen weekend in Newcastle with a group of friends and family about 2 months before the wedding; I was dressed as a fairy, wearing a bright white tutu and wings! Then, two weeks before, I had a local hen night out with the girls.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
Erm nope, I did it all myself. He literally just chose his suit and shoes!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used the Confetti website all through my planning, it was brilliant. The best things were the budget planner and table planner; I couldn’t have done it without Confetti and mustn’t forget all the help and advice I got from the message boards. I used to be addicted to it and it helped me loads!!
Do you have a confetti web page?
Yes.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I went into one of the stores to buy some love heart bubbles, and I also got gift ideas from the brochures.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
My dress was bought from Berketex Bride in Leeds. It was a princess style dress in diamond white with spaghetti straps with beads on them, a corset style top with a love heart style neckline. It was covered with tiny pearls, beads and diamantes. The bottom of the dress was a full tulle skirt with tiny pearls and diamantes all over. It cost £849 and is gorgeous!
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had 4 bridesmaids and 1 flower girl. My chief bridesmaid was my younger sister, Daisy; the other two eldest bridesmaids were my husband’s sisters. Then we had a young bridesmaid who is also my husband’s sister and the flower girl was my best friend’s 2-year old daughter. The youngest bridesmaid and flower girl had matching pink chiffon dresses and pink shoes. The 3 older bridesmaids had matching pink shimmer prom dresses with a pink satin ribbon around the waist and pink shoes.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
My husband and best men wore black-tie dinner suits with white shirts. He had two best men, his younger brother and his best friend.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a civil ceremony in Wakefield Town Hall.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
The ceremony took place in the old court room of Wakefield Town Hall, West Yorkshire.
Where did you hold your reception?
The reception was in the Kingswood suite of the town hall.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
I arrived in a chauffer-driven Silver Shadow Rolls Royce!
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We invited 120 guests to the wedding and about 100 people came; we had a separate evening list of 30 people but around 10 came.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
The theme was love hearts and the colour scheme was pink, white and silver.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
I had white table cloths, silver plates and cutlery and all pink accessories with pink and white marshmallows in vases for the centre piece, a pink feather in the wine glass, pink favour bags, pink rose petals, pink napkins, pink and white name places. There were pink and white ribbons on the chairs and pink, white and silver balloons in the room. The favours were love heart sweets and they were also on the place settings; there were also love heart bubbles on the tables.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, love heart sweets in pink favour bags and candy jewellery for the kids.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I used a local florist and my bouquet was made of pink and white roses, with a hint of green around the edges. The bridesmaids had the same bouquet, but a smaller version. We had a massive pink and white flower decoration for the reception.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
My mum chose, bought and prepared all of the food herself. She made a cold banquet for 100 people and the food was gorgeous. It was set out like a buffet but it was more than your usual pineapple on a stick! She did a really good job and everyone commented on the volume and quality of the food all day.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
My nanna made my cake for me; it was just what I wanted – a pink love heart cake. It was made of 3 heart-shaped fruit cakes, stacked up, covered with marzipan and pink icing! The sides of the cakes had special white love heart sweets, which read, ‘Just married.’ On the top were two giant sized sweets, which read, ‘Marry me’ and ‘You bet’.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
During the reception, after the speeches, we used some DJ equipment, which I had hired and we just played CDs, which I had made myself, throughout the afternoon and for the rest of the night. I planned the timings for the whole day and made special CDs for each time of day, to play the songs I wanted. It all went perfectly and I’m so glad I decided to do that instead of having a DJ talking a load of rubbish all night!
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
I had a gift list with Argos and Debenhams.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at the St. Pierre Cedar Court Hotel in new Millerdam, in the bridal suite with a 4-poster bed. Our honeymoon was 2 days later in Tenerife for two weeks in a 4-star hotel. I booked it through first choice on the net.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
I remember the night time in more detail because the day just flew by and it was like a blur! I remember all of our first dance, which was lovely and it felt like it was just the two of us there alone!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Everything went perfectly, the only thing that went wrong was that one of my best friends fell out with me 5 weeks before the wedding. She was supposed to be my witness and her daughter, another flower girl. So luckily I have two best friends, and she really wanted to be my witness, so she did it and her daughter was the flower girl on her own… We have made up now though and she is gutted that she missed the wedding!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
The day flew by so quickly and I know that everyone tells you this but you don’t realise it is at the time. We were so tired by the time we got to the reception after the photos that we felt like going to sleep. We had no energy, couldn’t eat and couldn’t be bothered to walk around, so we decided to wait a bit. Then before we knew it, we had to move so they could arrange the night party. I felt guilty after, for not going and talking to people and wished we had now. I am also gutted that I missed out on the gorgeous food! I only had a mouthful, and by the time I was hungry at night, they had moved it to the kitchen so I couldn’t have any and I wasn’t about to go trawling through there with my dress on!
