Jeanette and Kevan
28/01/2006 –
How and when did you meet?
We met on a girl’s night out – I’d just split from my ex-hubby and wasn’t looking for a new romance. We met in the Chicago Rock Cafe Bar in Bolton, were both tipsy and I just remember him stopping me and kissing me! The flirt!
How old are you both?
I am 40 and he is 43.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
He proposed in his local pub (a dive actually), after (another) tipsy night out – we’d just sung a Karaoke duet and he got down on one knee in front of the whole pub. This was about 3 months after we met in July 2003.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Kev didn’t – he stayed at home and babysat whilst I went out with 5 mates for a Chinese banquet and had an absolute ball!
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He let me organise most things, but got involved with the registrar, photographer, flowers and choosing the rings and vows. He was very supportive.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I got lots of ideas from the website and used the countdown calendar a lot.
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?
We bought personalised wine glasses and tankards and a CD on-line.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I wore an elegant ivory satin dress quite plain but with shimmery beads and diamante on the boned bodice and front panel of the skirt, it also had a detachable halter-neck strap. I loved it because it was beautiful and was a bargain – I bought it in the first shop I went to when I was just window-shopping with my mum, ‘Because I Love You’ in Farnworth, Bolton. I tried it on and mum cried so that was that. I didn’t know about the bargain price until I’d decided to buy it. I also got my crystal tiara from the same shop and I wore an ivory faux fur bolero from the Dorothy Perkins website and my real treat were my silk shoes with diamante from Faith – stunning but so high!
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had two bridesmaids and a flower-girl. My bridesmaids were my daughter, Jemma and Kev’s youngest daughter Kathleen (Kat). They wore strapless scarlet satin dresses and ivory faux-fur short coats and diamante tiaras with silver mules. My flower-girl was Kev’s 3 year old granddaughter who wore an ivory dress, with faux-fur cape and a red rosebud hand band.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Kev chose his best mate Alan and his son Christopher as joint best men. They all (plus the two dads) wore dark lounge suits, white shirts with scarlet satin ties and pocket handkerchiefs to match the bridesmaids.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
A civil ceremony as we’d both been married before!
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Whitehall Hotel, Darwen – perfect for both! I would recommend it to anyone living close enough.
Where did you hold your reception?
Whitehall Hotel, Darwen. Everybody there couldn’t do enough for us – it made a wonderful day perfect!
Did you have any special wedding transport?
No, I stayed in the hotel the night before so didn’t need anything. The night before was a blast too!
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 60 people for the main event and another 50 at night. It was wonderful seeing so many people together who’d made an effort to share our day with us!
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
My husband is a MASSIVE Glasgow Rangers FC fan so I chose red, white, blue and silver for the colour-scheme.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
I managed to get hold of a load of Rangers dress tartan material and ribbon so I used the material as runners down the centre of the tables which all had white cloths on. The room itself already had a blue theme so it went perfectly together. I also used silver material leaves and favours to lift the whole thing.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, little silver bags with silver chocolates in them – quite cute really!
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I had a hand-tied bouquet of red roses, blue thistles, cream and red berries tied with the tartan ribbon. The bridesmaids had smaller versions of mine. Chloe held a basket with the same flowers and berries in it. The top table decoration was a long flat display incorporating the same (this was used on the ceremony table first). The other table flowers were a long single red rose thistle and berry arrangement in tall thin vases with the ribbon tied around the vases. It was very simple and unusual but very beautiful! All the buttonholes incorporated the same rose and thistle scheme. I was so impressed with ALL the flowers. My florist was Hodkinsons of Darwen.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We used the ‘award winning chef’ at the venue for the wonderfully delicious food. They served canapés with the mulled wine reception, then for the wedding breakfast we had duck and pepper terrine with plum sauce, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings, followed by sticky toffee pudding with scented brandy cream. We had a choice of wine with each course, a choice of liqueurs with the coffee and petit fours and Champagne with the cake and speeches!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
I chose a 3-tiered fruit cake – heart-shaped in ivory icing with red, white and blue flowers on each tier, with a silver “E” shaped stand. It was made by Celebration Cakes by Bill Fleck of Darwen. It was stunning!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We burned a CD of our favourite love songs which was played along with the Confetti CD during the day and had the resident DJ at night. The music for both was complemented by everyone!
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
No we had lived together for 2 and a half years and had most things so asked people for ‘Bank of England Vouchers!’
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
In the bridal suite of the Whitehall hotel – it had a four-poster bed and jacuzzi – very swish! We went to Secrets Excellents resort in Dominican Republic for our honeymoon – went with Thomsons A La Carte and had a magical 2 weeks!
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
It was all so magical and wonderful – but I think the bit that sticks in my mind is I remember thinking ‘YES!’ when the registrar pronounced us husband and wife. I cried with happiness a lot too!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
My dad forgetting to bring the bridesmaid’s handbags and stoles on the day. There were loads of stresses days beforehand especially in the last couple of weeks with people dropping out for no good reason and transport nightmares because all Kevs’ family and most of his friends had to travel up from Watford!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I wouldn’t change a thing except for reminding my parents about the things they forgot the day before. My advice would be that something will not go as you planned and just to shrug it off and deal with it – its no use stressing about things you cannot change!
