Michelle and Chris
27/05/2006
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Fareham Hants
The Solent Hotel, Whiteley, Fareham 
How and when did you meet?
We met in a very cheesy night club in Southsea in May 2002.
How old are you both?
I’m 27 and Chris is 28.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
On Christmas morning 2004. I woke up and he had the ring ready and proposed in bed!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Yes, I went to Barcelona with some girlfriends for three nights. We stayed in a spa hotel and it was wonderful. I was also lucky enough to have another hen night in Southampton with friends and family. My friends had arranged this special fire engine to pick us up – it was fantastic. Chris went to Bratislava with 10 mates and was subjected to a different fancy dress costume every night! The photos are hilarious!
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Yes, although he wasn’t really interested in favours or colour schemes. He helped choose the photographer and cars and enjoyed the cake tasting!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes – I was (and still am!) addicted to the chat forums-getting useful hints and tips from other brides to be. I also used the fashion pages to get ideas for my wedding dress.
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
I ordered all our favours and chocolates from the shop and the wedding trivia games that we put on every table.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I love my dress! It’s from Berketex and its ivory duchess satin with an amazing build in corset which did the trick. I knew I wanted something lacey and sparkly and it was just perfect.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes – my best friends Laura and Jo were my bridesmaids and they wore beautiful dusky pink strapless dresses from Confetti and Lace, with lovely chiffon scarves from the bust flowing down to the ground. My niece was my flower girl and wore a very pretty white dress from Monsoon complete with fairy wings and wand!
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
His best men were Gary and Alex, his childhood friends. It was impossible to choose between them so he had both. He also chose four friends and my older brother to be ushers. They all wore traditional morning suits from Anthony’s in Billericay where Chris is from with ivory waist coats. They all looked very smart!
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We chose a religious ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Fareham Hants
Where did you hold your reception?
The Solent Hotel, Whiteley, Fareham.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
Yes – the cars were the main talking point of the day! It was always my dream to have a pink Cadillac wedding car which my mum helped find on the web! It was from a supplier in Bournemouth. We also had a convertible 1966 white Cadillac which I went to the church in.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 90 during the day and an extra 30 or so joined us in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Pink and ivory were the colours of the day.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We had amazing tall glass vases with pink stargazer lilies as centre pieces which stood on round mirrors with silver and pink pearl garlands circling the base of the vases. We also had pink tea lights.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes – the girls got pink chocolate love hearts in pretty pink handbag shaped boxes. The boys had ivory boxes with mini chocolate footballs in them. My dad made little labels for them all with a photo of me and Chris and a note to say thank you for joining us.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet was made of ivory and pink roses with a pearl in the centre of each bud. My bridesmaids had smaller versions of mine but without the pearls. The buttonholes were pink and ivory rosebuds.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
The hotel did the catering and it was superb – everyone commented on how good the food was and that was so important to us. We had oak smoked salmon and prawns, then a beautifully cooked fillet steak and then tiramisu which is Chris’s favourite dessert.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had a white chocolate creation made for us with three tiers decorated with pearls bursting out the top – the top one was lemon and white chocolate, the middle one was rich chocolate truffle and the bottom one was raspberry liqueur flavoured – wonderful!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a three piece band and a DJ.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
Yes, with John Lewis.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We stayed at the hotel in the honeymoon suite before having to get up at 6 am to leave for the airport! Chris booked the honeymoon as a surprise through Audley Travel.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
After the ceremony having our photos taken, we sat on the back of the white Cadillac and posed! Everyone was taking photos and we felt like real movie stars! Also the speeches as everyone said such lovely things!
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
We bought all the ushers a bottle of JD each as a thank you and the day before we were taking them to the hotel, Chris dropped them all, smashing all the bottles!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
Like everyone says, try to take it all in and enjoy every moment. I’d say splash out on photography and a video of the day as they are a wonderful way to look back at the day.
