Zoe and Jonathan
29/09/2006 – The Letchworth Hall Hotel
The Marston Suite, The Letchworth Hall Hotel
How and when did you meet?
We met at an evening out with work colleagues.
How old are you both?
27.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Jon proposed in September 2005 when we were on holiday in Mexico. I had been really ill suffering with toothache and out of the blue just near to our hotel, Jon proposed. He had even managed to smuggle the ring out without me seeing or knowing about it.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Yes, we both had two. We had nights out locally where we both live, then I had a girly weekend in Nottingham which was great and Jon went to Prague.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Yes, he was amazing from start to finish. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes, the cafe was useful to get tips from other brides/brides-to-be and I also bought quite a few items from the site as well
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Yes, buying online was very easy. We bought our disposable cameras and also some candles for our tables as well.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I LOVED IT ! My dress was ‘Taboo’ by Romantica of Devon. It was ivory in colour and I had a few little bits and pieces changed on it. I had pink beads sewed into the corset top and also had some of the flowers on the skirt moved so it looked more elegant.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes, I had two bridesmaids—my sister Michelle (who was a star), my friend Julie and we also had Jon’s niece Keren as a flower girl.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Jon couldn’t decide between two of his best friends so had both his friends, Paul and Andy. He also had two ushers, Bill and Leon.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a civil ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Our civil ceremony was held in ‘The Great Hall’ at The Letchworth Hall Hotel. This is the older part of the building and was just right for what we wanted.
Where did you hold your reception?
Our reception was also at The Letchworth Hall Hotel. We had our wedding breakfast and reception in The Marston Suite which was the newly refurbished part of the hotel and was perfect .
Did you have any special wedding transport?
Yes, myself, my brother (who gave me away ) and the bridesmaid traveled to the venue in a 1957 mk7 Jaguar. The car was white and decorated with pick ribbon.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 75 to the ceremony and wedding breakfast and a further 70 evening guests.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Yes, our theme was pink, ivory and silver and also everything was given a ‘sweet’ theme.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
Each table had a different name and was named after different penny sweets. We had flumps, alphabet letters, strawberry milkshakes, flying saucers and so on. Each table was also decorated with pink and ivory balloons with pink cameras and the top table was finished off with pink organza.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, each guest was given a lottery scratch card which went down well although there were no big winners unfortunately.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
The flowers were put together by Lunaria Florist. They were lovely. I had a large teardrop bouquet and my bridesmaids had smaller hand held versions. Jon had a co-coordinating buttonhole, the best men single roses and the ushers carnations.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The menu was put together by the hotel. We had melon to start, roast turkey and all the trimmings for main and Bailey’s cheesecake for dessert … YUM!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We bought a cake from Marks and Spencer’s and decorated it ourselves. We were really pleased with how it turned out and would definitely recommend this to other brides on a budget. We didn’t even get to taste any!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We didn’t get married until 3pm. We had a fantastic disco in the evening which went on until 1 am.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We hadn’t yet booked a honeymoon so if anyone wanted to get us a gift, we asked for Thomas cook vouchers.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We put our vouchers together with money we had saved and went on a Caribbean cruise weeks after the wedding. It was amazing, the best holiday ever and it was nice having a gap after the wedding for things to settle down before going away.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
The whole day in itself was just fantastic. It would be impossible to pick one thing. We both loved every minute.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Not really. It all seemed a bit too easy. The only thing that happened was a taxi drove into the wedding car whilst it was taking me and my brother to the hotel. There was only slight damage and luckily it was just down one side so we just made sure any photos were taken on the un-damaged side. It did not stress me out at all, luckily I had decided to leave a bit earlier so I wasn’t late either which was good, although everyone said if I hadn’t left earlier it might not have happened!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I would not change a thing. The only advice I would have is to just go with the flow of things on the day and try and enjoy it. It really is the best day of your life and a great day to share with all your friends and family.
