Caroline and Chad
16/09/2006 – Hellidon Lakes Golf and Country Club, Nr Daventry, Northants
How and when did you meet?
Chad and I met in Wolverhampton on a very drunk night out back in May 2004.
How old are you both?
I am 27 and Chad is 26.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Chad proposed to me via text message from his mate’s stag do in Amsterdam! Must have got him in the mood for marriage!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
I had three hen nights! One in Birmingham with a meal and dancing, a weekend in Spain with my sister-in-law, and a virgin vie party at my house to incorporate the mums! Chad and five of his mates went to Berlin for the weekend.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
We shared the entire decision making and all the planning. He was very helpful.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I used the forums a lot to get ideas/tips/advice from other confetti girls.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
My dress was ‘Kirsty’ by Romantica of Devon. I bought it from a shop in Welwyn Garden City. I had a full length satin edged veil and a pearl and crystal tiara. My shoes were Anouska by Rainbow.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had my best friend from university and my sister-in-law as bridesmaids. They wore ‘cloud’ colour Davinci dresses purchased from Netbride.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Chad has his brother as best man and four ushers. They all wore suits hired from Moss Bros. with a silver waist coat and blue cravat
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a civil ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Hellidon Lakes Golf and Country Club, Nr Daventry, Northants.
Where did you hold your reception?
As above.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
No, I stayed at the venue the night before.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had about 80 guests to the day and around another additional 20 in the evening (mostly work colleagues).
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Our theme was blue and silver.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We named our tables after characters from The Muppets, and had Muppet soft toys on the tables. In the centre of each table we placed a silver lantern with a tea light (from Ikea). This was surrounded by a circle of blue glass pebbles and silver and blue sprinkles. The place names were in blue and silver.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes. We wrapped a small selection of sweets and chocolates in a blue and silver layered tissue paper parcel and tied it with curled blue and silver ribbon.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
We used Baskets and Bunches in Daventry. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of gypsifilia and steel grass with silver angel hair and my bouquet was blue agapanthus, gypsifilia and steel grass with silver angel hair. Our flower girl carried a wand covered in gypsifilia.
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 soup, followed by pan-fried chicken breast, followed by duo of chocolate mousse.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We bought our cake layers from M&S, tiered them ourselves and decorated the base of each layer with blue and silver ribbon and made a topper of a spray of blue crystals.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a band play for one hour and then a disco.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We used wrapit.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
Ha ha….our first night was spent in a horrible 2 star hotel near Heathrow airport as our flight was delayed by 23 1/2 hours! We went to Komandoo in the Maldives and booked with Hayes and Jarvis.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Definitely walking down the aisle and seeing my husband’s face!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
The hotel ‘lost’ some of our families’ room bookings, and on the day my tiara dug into my head so much I had a lump on either side of my head for the whole honeymoon.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Don’t get stressed out during the planning. It’s all worth it in the end. Don’t worry about all the small details, as long as you and your husband are there – that’s what really matters. Try to get around and talk to everyone, you don’t want to think afterwards, I wish I had spoken to them! Lastly – enjoy, it will be the best day of your life.
