Jennifer and Greg
11/08/2006
St Mary’s Church in Bowdon
Arley Hall and Gardens in Northwich 
How and when did you meet?
We met through work. I was the client and Greg was the manager looking after our event!
How old are you both?
I was 28 and Greg was 35.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Greg proposed when we were on holiday in Spain. We were on the beach at midnight with a bottle of bubbly. I wasn’t expecting it and had to ask him to repeat himself! I admit I did cry but the best bit was that immediately after I had accepted, a firework display started from the hotel on the beach! Greg hadn’t organised it (although he pretends he did) – it was fate!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Greg went camping and canoeing with all his mates! A drunken mess! Mine was slightly more stylish….. I had a wonderful cruise on Lake Windermere with plenty of champers, a pub crawl, a meal and then the nightclub and great time at the fun fair! Even my mum joined in! My hens dressed as devils in black and red and I was made to wear white with angel wings! Wonder who stood out!
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Ermmm…he decided to stay out of it. Safe for both of us!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes – I spent nearly all my time on the website! Browsing for dresses/shopping for accessories. I love the invitations section – print your own – what a great idea! I even emailed the groom’s role to Greg!
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 the t-shirt with “Mrs. Wilson” on it! Went down a storm – Greg loved it and even made me wear it to the airport!
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I didn’t buy one! I was lucky enough to have a very good friend of mine make it for me. It was beautiful (don’t we all say that!) It was a halter neck fishtail! Cream crepe material which was heavy enough to skim over any bumps which flared out at the bottom into a wonderful train.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had two – my sister Philippa who is 27 and my niece Harper who is 4! Both looked stunning! Pip wore a pink two piece – laced bodice and skirt in dusky pink and cream and Harper wore a cream dress from Littlewoods!
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Rob P. was best man. Greg had three other ushers – all wore morning dress without the hats (Greg didn’t want to lose them!)
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Religious ceremony – our vicar, Keith Hine, was amazing! Put everyone at ease with wonderful light-hearted jokes (all appropriate). We married in Cheshire where I come from but as we live in the Lakes we had to visit church monthly for six months before the wedding!
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Mary’s Church in Bowdon.
Where did you hold your reception?
Arley Hall and Gardens in Northwich – fantastic!
Did you have any special wedding transport?
My godfather very kindly lent me his cars! He has two beautiful classic Bentleys!
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
100 for the day and 130 for the evening!
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
It was all in pinks, creams and a gorgeous green! I wanted to link everything so used a dusky pink – it started with a ribbon on the invites and went all the way through to the cake! I wanted an elegant classical look! Our flowers were extremely different!
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
Yes – the pink ribbon theme went from the invites to Order of Service through to the place settings/table plan and cake!
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes – we donated £150.00 to Breast Cancer by purchasing their pink pins! Great idea – a little keepsake for guests but also we were safe in knowledge that we got more for our money by giving to a charity!
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I used a friend of my mum, Kate Isherwood. My bouquet was a wire and twig bound together with silver and cream thread with orchids pinned in different positions. Difficult to describe but looked spectacular. My sister had a similar one but hers was green with calla lilies. Orchids then became a small theme on the wedding cake and Greg’s buttonhole.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
Only one caterer is allowed at Arley – the food was wonderful and we had a lovely time at the tasting. We had fillet of beef with mash potato – the veg dish was disappointing but we were late sitting down so that didn’t help. We had a trio of puddings for dessert! Wow!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
A friend of my mother-in-law made the cake. There are far too many cakes to choose from now and I found myself getting too confused. So all I did was decide to have a three tiered round cake with orchids and pink ribbon – I left the rest to the cake maker! The result was amazing and also a nice surprise!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a wonderful jazz band for the evening! They play anything from jazz to pop! So there was something for everyone. However, Greg surprised us all – he got up to sing three songs with his guitar! One which he had written for me!
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
John Lewis – so helpful/organised – would happily recommend them anytime!
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
First night was in the same hotel with all our family and friends – we didn’t want the party to finish so ended up in the bar! Well, Greg did – I crashed out at 12.30!! Honeymoon was the day after. We went to Greece – laid back, sun, and no expectations!
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Too many. First, seeing myself in dress with makeup, etc in the mirror for the first time.I think I was stunned at how great I looked. When I got to the church, the vicar surprised me with a choir! Also seeing all my friends’ faces when walking up the aisle – what a great experience! But the ceremony was the most wonderful experience ever – everyone is there for you!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
It actually brought my mum and I closer! We worked really well together. There were a few stressful moments – mainly trying to ask Greg’s opinion when he wasn’t bothered. My itinerary for the day has gone down in history – I’m an organiser by trade so couldn’t let the side down!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Nothing I would do differently. I would like to say one thing… by the time my day arrived I was fed up with everyone telling me to take each moment as it comes and enjoy every second because the day goes so fast! It’s only a day so it’s bound to go fast – but I stressed about that. Don’t – enjoy yourself. It’s just wonderful. I was also concerned about anti climax… times sorts that one out!
