Alison and Gareth
09/09/2006
St. Mary’s Church, Rolleston‐on‐Dove, Nr Burton‐on‐Trent
Mickleover Court Hotel,Derby
How and when did you meet?
We met on the Internet in February 2004. We eventually met up in March and hit it off straight away.
How old are you both?
I’m 28 and Gareth is 27.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
We already knew we would get engaged and had already chosen my ring. Gareth was picking the ring up, but I had no clue he was proposing the same day. I thought we were going to wait. I was actually getting dinner ready when he came in and just asked me.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Yes, Gareth went with six mates to Birmingham. I had a drunken night out in my hometown, then a girly afternoon at my mum’s the next day.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He had input like with the food, music, photographer, etc. The rest was down to me and a bit of help from my mum. I like to organise things so I was in my element.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes, asking other brides-to-be questions and opinions or just using them as a sounding board when things weren’t going quite right.
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 bought some things in the Birmingham store.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
It was a two piece a-line gown by Veromia in Champagne satin. It had detailing around the bodice and hem of the skirt and along the train. I had 50 buttons added to the train to make it a bit more special and unique to me.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes, I had three adult bridesmaids-my sister and two best friends. Plus two flower girls, my niece, and my friend’s daughter, who I always promised would be my bridesmaid. The adults wore calf length chocolate brown dresses. They were a real find in Marks and Spencer Per Una range last Christmas. The flower girls had ivory dresses from Debenhams.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Gareth had one of his friends as best man. The ushers were another of his friends, then my brother-in-law and my cousin.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Religious.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
A St. Mary’s Church, Rolleston-on-Dove, Nr Burton-on-Trent. The vicar there is super and he really puts you at ease.
Where did you hold your reception?
At Mickleover Court Hotel,Derby.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
Yes, we had two Classic white Daimlers.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
There were 70 in the day, and then we invited an extra 80 at night. Altogether on the day, we had about 135 people there.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
I didn’t have a theme. My colours where creams and ivory, chocolate brown and lime green. The lime green was suggested by my church florist. A lot of people use orange or pinks with chocolate brown, but the lime had a real impact.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
The table flowers were goldfish bowls filled with limes cut in half with ivory roses wedged in between them. The place cards alternated between ivory and chocolate brown. We had ivory heart balloons to finish the tables off.
Did you give your guests favours?
The ladies’ favours were chocolate brown boxes with ivory chocolate dragees and the men’s were shot glasses filled with mints wrapped in lime green tissue paper with brown ribbon.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet was ivory roses, with pearl details wrapped in blue eucalyptus and the bridesmaids had a smaller version of mine, without the pearls but brown feathers instead. The tables had ivory roses. There were also two large vases either side of the top table filled with limes and ivory and green flowers. Our florist was The Cottage Garden, Willington, Nr Derby.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The venue handled the catering. We had cream of vegetable soup, mango sorbet, chicken in a herb and mustard grain sauce with vegetables followed by pecan and chocolate tart with vanilla custard.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had a four tiered cake (fruit,sponge,chocolate,fruit). She used a design we liked that we had seen in a cake magazine. It was done by an old friend of the family.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a jazz trio play during the drinks reception and a disco at night.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
Yes, we had it with Debenhams.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
Out first night was at the venue. We went to Fuerteventura and stayed at the Atlantis Palace hotel. Booked with Airtours.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle as husband and wife and seeing all our friends and family in church.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Not really. Everything seemed to come together really well.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I don’t think so. If I could, maybe I would have changed the time of arriving at the venue because the photos didn’t take as long as we thought. My advice would be to, on the day, take everything in, and watch what’s going on around you. Spend time with your husband on your own, we had to wait in a separate room as people went in for the meal and it was lovely just to have those 5-10 minutes alone together, just to go over bits of the day. It goes by so quickly. Oh, and stay in your dress as long as possible. I was really sad to take mine off. I felt like a princess in it.
