Jennie and Jon
26/08/2006
Miskin Manor Country Hotel, South Wales
How and when did you meet?
Jennie and Jon both worked in Ibiza in the summer of 1999 and after one week of Jennie arriving, she spotted Jon who was working as a doorman in a bar. She instantly told her friend that ‘he was fit’ and then was determined to get him to notice her! Which he did!
How old are you both?
Jennie is 26 and Jon is 27.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
They were in Mumbles, Swansea for the August bank holiday weekend 2005. After a lot of persuasion, Jon managed to convince Jennie to go for a walk along the cliff tops by the beach. They found a bench to sit on looking over beautiful views and sat down chatting for a while. When Jennie said she was getting up to go back, Jon said no and made her sit back down, then proceeded to get down on one knee and proposed! Jennie was in complete shock and kept asking Jon questions rather then just saying yes to his proposal. Obviously she said yes and here they are today!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Jon went on a drunken stag weekend in Amsterdam, where he dressed up as a woman and sang lots of rugby songs!
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
He just listened to me when I needed him. A good sounding board. He also helped me choose the venue and his suit.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Confetti was a godsend for ideas. I don’t think I would have had as many if it wasn’t for the cafe boards! Everyone complimented me on the wedding and was asking where I got my ideas from and I told them the confetti forums!
Do you have a confetti web page?
Yes, but only used the budget planner.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Online we ordered the disposable cameras and the lottery favour holders.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
My outfit was bought from a shop in Bassingbourne called Karen Forte. I had a made to measure Romantica dress. It was gorgeous and complimented my figure. I also had a veil from the same place. My tiara came from Susan York Tiaras. Her tiaras have also been worn by celebrities and she customised my tiara in the way I asked. My shoes were Meadows and bought on the Internet for £50 cheaper than the bridal shop was selling them for!
you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had two bridesmaids. The adult wore a Jasmine pink dress from Weddings in Watford and my little bridesmaid wore a light and sugar pink dress from Avicia.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Jon chose a pin stripe ivory suit with a pink cravat and waistcoat and for the other men he had chocolate brown suits with the same cravat and waistcoat from Tux and Tails in St. Albans.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
A civil ceremony. We are not religious so this suited us well and we really personalised it which made it so emotional.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Jon said if we got married in Wales, I could organise everything else. He is obviously Welsh and I didn’t mind as long as I could find my perfect venue there and we did. Miskin Manor Country Hotel, South Wales.
Where did you hold your reception?
Also at the Miskin Manor Country Hotel.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
I stayed at the hotel the night before and so I didn’t have any. However Jon arrived in a two seater Mercedes.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
78 for the day and a further 50 to the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Yes, the theme was pink and ivory and hearts which I incorporated into the cake, invites, place settings, favours, etc.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had heart and pink ribbon place cards and white chocolates with pink hearts for the ladies. The table flowers were all pink.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, the ladies had the chocolates and the men had lottery tickets. These went down really well.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
Originally I was supposed to have pink orchids as my bouquet, but they couldn’t match the colour so I had a pink roses posy and the bridesmaids had pink and ivory. The table settings were stunning. They were tall vases with pink water and cellophane (to get a crushed ice look) with roses and orchids on top. My florist was Talbot Florists in Pontyclun
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The venue did our catering and we had: terrine of chicken, liver pate with a red onion marmalade, and a toasted brioche. Classic lemon sorbet. Roast sirloin of beef with a Yorkshire pudding and red wine gravy. White chocolate cheesecake with a milk and white chocolate ice cream and chocolate shavings. Finished by coffee and homemade petit fours.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
I found a picture on the Internet and took it to my cake maker at a wedding show at my venue. She agreed that she could make it. It was two tiers of chocolate cake and two tiers of sponge covered with white chocolate and chocolate hearts.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a DJ in the evening and a magician.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We requested that people give us Virgin holiday vouchers or money so that we could put it towards our honeymoon.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
Our first night was spent at the wedding venue in a four poster room. We then went to Barbados and stayed at Almond Beach Resort. We booked it through the Virgin Internet site. I can’t recommend Barbados highly enough. It was supposed to be the rainy season but we didn’t see any. It was fab!
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Definitely doing our vows. We had written our own and it was so emotional but so lovely. It meant so much.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Yes, obviously on the morning of the wedding, finding out the flowers were having to be changed and the little bridesmaid’s shoes didn’t fit so there was a frantic time ringing around to find a pair of shoes!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Our speeches went on for too long so I would advise the speakers a time limit and also if you can afford a band, get one. Our DJ wasn’t too good in getting the guests on the dance floor. Also definitely have a videographer. We did and it’s brilliant to have because you forget so much of your day as it goes so quick.
