Claire and Chris
12/08/2006 – Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Stalybridge, Cheshire.
La Pergola Hotel, Saddleworth.
How and when did you meet?
Had each known each other’s families for a long time but officialy met on the electrical aisle at B&Q in 2002.
How old are you both?
25 and 26.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
At a hotel on his birthday.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
My hen party was organised by my cousin. A group of us went for a meal, a few drinks and into a nightclub. Chris went for a meal and a few pints for his stag do.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He sorted the cars, helped with the music and generally nodded along in all the right places.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes! I loved Confetti in the run up. I got lots of ideas off other brides-to-be.
Do you have a confetti web page?
No.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I ordered favour boxes over the Internet which were great!
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
My dress was by Angel Brides and was very plain. I also has a cathedral length veil with diamantes scattered over it, which added a little drama.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had two bridesmaids. My cousin Caroline and my best friend Rebecca. They wore gold dresses which I had made for them. This was a bit hectic as Rebecca lives in Russia and didn’t fly home until 3 days before the wedding!
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Chris had his dad as his best man and had his younger brother and two friends as ushers. They all had matching suits and waistcoats but Chris and his dad had gold ties and the ushers and my dad had pink ties.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a religious ceremony in the church that both families attend.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Stalybridge, Cheshire.
Where did you hold your reception?
La Pergola Hotel, Saddleworth.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
We hired two brand new Mercedes cars and a people carrier. The cars were Chris’ favourite part of the day!!
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had about 80 guests officially invited to the church and meal, although the church probably had more like 120 people in it. For the evening there was a about 130 people.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
We went for a cream, gold and pink theme. The gold came in as it was the only colour that suited both bridesmaids.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
All of the table linen was cream, with gold heart confetti scattered on it. Cream favour boxes tied with pink ribbon and pink flowers in the centre of each table.
Did you give your guests favours?
We had a disaster with the favours. We were having Hershey’s Kisses but when we tasted them before making up the favours the chocolate was off. So we very quickly had to buy chocolate mints to put in them. The guests enjoyed them though. However I’d forgotten to put the top tables favour in so we had ours the next day.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
All of our flowers were done by Chris’ aunt, who is a florist. I loved by bouquet, which was made up a calla lilies and cream and miniture pink roses. The bridesmaids’ flowers were pink and cream roses and the men all had calla lilies with a miniture pink rose push inside. All the flowers had diamante pins in them which looked great when the sun hit them.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The venue was great with the menu and let us pick and choose a bit according to some of the guests. We had leek and potato soups, roast beef and all the trimmings and finished with brandy snap baskets and strawberrys.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
My aunty made our wedding cake, as she’s a cake maker. It was four tiers – three fruit and one sponge.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We just had a disco in the evening.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We made our gift list up as there were too many different shops that we wanted things from.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at the hotel where we’d had the reception. Our honeymoon was in Rhodes and was very relaxing and hot!
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Chris crying as I came down the aisle and getting my veil stuck in a grid!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Not really.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Have the reception videoed. We only had the wedding recorded but I really wish I’d had the reception done as well. Big advice – enjoy it as it goes too fast!
