Christine and Steve
22/09/2006 – Lumley Castle, County Durham
Newcastle United FC
How and when did you meet?
In May 2000, on a blind date.
How old are you both?
I am 25 and Steve is almost 28.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
When we were on holiday in Florida in October 2004. He got down on one knee in the hotel room with a ring I had fell in love with some months before.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Yes, I went to an Elizabethan Banquet at Lumley Castle (where we got married,) it was a fantastic night. Steve went Go-Karting during the day and then had a night out in Newcastle.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Hmmm…well he chose the suits and arranged the fittings for the groomsmen, and that’s about it! But I didn’t mind, I was happy to do it myself!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes, the forums and Real Life Weddings were a great help.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Yes, I bought bubbles for the tables online.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
It’s a Forever Yours dress bought from Serenity Bridal in Newcastle. It is ivory lace with a tulle bottom and is covered in beads. Itis slim fitting with a small fishtail.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes, I had one bridesmaid, Lindsay, and she wore a black bustle back dress gown from Debenhams.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Steve’s best man was his brother Paul. He didn’t have any ushers as it was a tiny wedding, but we hired suits for my two brothers too. They wore black morning suits from Slater Menswear in Newcastle. Steve had a lilac waistcoat and ruche, and the others had ivory.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Civil.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Lumley Castle, County Durham.
Where did you hold your reception?
We had a small wedding breakfast at Lumley, and a large evening reception at Newcastle United FC.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We hired a Silver Mercedes to take me to Lumley, then to take us both to NUFC and then back to Lumley in the evening as we had a room there.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
There were only 13 of us in total at the wedding but around 150 in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Colour scheme was black, lilac, ivory and silver.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
There was a large lilac floral table arrangement on our only table at the wedding breakfast. We had lilac and black balloons as a centrepiece on each table at the evening reception. Purple and silver confetti and lilac chocolate hearts scattered on each table.
Did you give your guests favours?
For the daytime, both mums and the bridesmaid were given pewter hearts in lilac organza bags. The others got lottery tickets in ivory envelopes. For the evening there were chocolate hearts and bubbles on each table.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My florist was Claire Young at Wedding Flowers for You based in East Heddon, Newcastle. My bouquet was a posy of Boeing (ivory) and Pacific Blue (lilac) roses tied with ivory ribbon. The bridesmaid bouquet was a posy of Pacific Blue roses tied with lilac ribbon. The button holes were lilac roses except for the groom’s which was ivory.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had the menu of the day which meant everyone could choose what they wanted. We had a buffet in the evening which was organised by the venue.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had a three tier round fruit cake for the evening and a heart shaped chocolate cake for the daytime. They were both made by Steve’s auntie and were a wedding gift so we were very lucky.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
There was a disco in the evening.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
No.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We booked our honeymoon ourselves over the Internet. We did a 2 week tour of the US. We went to New York, Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco then LA.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Tearing my dress on a door frame – but for all the wrong reasons! And my husband telling me how beautiful I looked when we sat down to sign the register…
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
I had a hiccup with my hair colour two days before the wedding. And obviously tearing my dress!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I wouldn’t have experimented with my hair colour so close to the wedding. You should definitely organise everything well in advance – I left it quite late (but then we did have less than a year to plan it) and I ended up a stressed out wreck the week of the wedding, but it all came together in the end!