When was your wedding?
31 July 2009
How and when did you meet?
We met through some mutual friends and on our first date went to a casino… it was my brother’s idea in case we ran out of things to say or I got shy!
How old are you both?
I’m 29 and my husband is 36
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
He proposed at my parent’s house on Christmas day after dinner, in front of all of my family! He stood up at the end of dinner and said that he wanted to say 3 things… the first was thank you for a lovely day, the second was him asking my parents’ permission to marry me, and the third was JOANNA WILL YOU MARRY ME!!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
I went to a big country cottage in Tewkesbury with 18 girls, we had loads of girly fun on a bouncy castle, playing rounders, beauty treatments and lots of drinking and eating! I also had a family hen do with my family, my new family and my bridesmaids – we went for afternoon tea at a posh local country hotel, it was delicious and there was a wedding going on there that day so we sat outside while I dreamt of my wedding day! My husband went to Magaluf for his stag do and all of the boys dressed up head to toe in Burberry one night.. he also went to the dogs for a 2nd local stag do for those who couldn’t make the first one..
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Wayne organised the suits, the rings, the band and the transport…. I focused on the girly bits!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
The wedding planning tool was really helpful… I also used the online shop for favours, gifts and ideas. The wedding forums were also really good to get other people’s ideas and help on specific problems in the run up to the day.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I used the online shop
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I wore my sister’s dress, it was so gorgeous I just had to wear it… She bought it from Ellis Bridals
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes, 4 – my 2 best friends Emma and Loz, my sister Laura and my now sister in law Anna. They wore gorgeous ivory dresses from Dessy. We also had 3 flower girls who wore ivory dresses to match the bridesmaids from Debenhams
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Wayne chose one of his best mates, Lance, to be his best man. His ushers were John Burgess (one of his oldest friends), his brother Dean, and my brother Paul. They all wore dark grey suits with ivory waistcoats, ties and handkerchiefs
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Religious
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St Giles Church Horsted Keynes, where my parents live
Where did you hold your reception?
Buxted Park Hotel
Did you have any special wedding transport?
1930s Beauford, it was gorgeous
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
100 to the day, another 100 in the evening
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Ivory – simple, classic and traditional
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had ivory chocolate hearts in ivory bags, with sparklers for favours. The centre pieces were ivory calla lilies with greenery. We also had table names and place names in ivory card with gold writing
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes, ivory chocolate hearts and sparklers. The children also got gift packs depending on their age and sex
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I had a trailing waterfall shaped bouquet with ivory calla lilies and roses. My bridesmaids had ivory rose bouquets. Our florist was a family friend, Karen Reid
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We chose mozzarella and tomato salad followed by chicken wrapped in parma ham with dauphinoise potatoes. We had our amazing wedding cake for dessert – it would have been a shame if it hadn’t been eaten, it was divine!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
2 of our very close friends made our wedding cake.. it was chocolate through and through covered in white chocolate icing and garnished with fruit and greenery – it looked and tasted sensational.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a cocktail pianist in the day when we were having drinks and canapes. We also had an 8 piece band in the evening.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We had our gift list with Trailfinders – it was amazing as it meant we could really treat ourselves on our honeymoon as our guests contributed towards it.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at Buxted Park Hotel. Then we went to Las Vegas, Hawaii and San Fran for our honeymoon, all booked through Trailfinders.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Our first dance…
Did you experience any “nightmare” moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Not really, I’ve been planning my wedding day since I was a little girl so it was all ready to go in my head – I just needed to find the right guy!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I would advise other brides to try not to plan too many extra bits on the day… we didn’t realise how quickly time would fly by so tried to cram in quite a few things in the afternoon which all got a bit rushed!
