Michelle and Steven
13/05/2006 – Hotel du Vin in Birmingham
How and when did you meet?
We met at school when we were 16 and 17, lost touch for a year and a half and then met up again a few days before Christmas while we were out with friends.
How old are you both?
25 and 26.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Yes. My husband went to Dublin for three nights with a group of friends. I stayed in Birmingham and had a traditional cheesy night out!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
Yes. To find suppliers and while we were looking for a venue. I also ordered loads of stuff from the shop.
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 online and from the store in Birmingham.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
Two piece in ivory by Amanda Wyatt. The top was strapless with beading and antique style lace overlay. The skirt was layers of chiffon fabric in an a-line shape with a very slight train. I had a different skirt made for the evening which was from the same fabric as the long one but shorter. It was sort of 50s style. It was just past the knee in length with layers of net underneath to make it stick out.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
Yes I had four bridesmaids. They are my cousins. They wore pale green satin strapless dresses by Venus Bridal. Bought from Posh Frocks in Birmingham.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
His best man was his brother. His ushers were his business partner, one of his cousins and a friend he has known since school. They all wore the same outfits as him from Pronuptia, but with different buttonholes.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
Civil ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Hotel du Vin in Birmingham.
Where did you hold your reception?
Hotel du Vin in Birmingham.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
No.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
Approximately 100 for the day. And another 40 in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
The colour used was green which was used for the bridesmaids’ dresses and all the invites and stationery. We also used a lot of butterflies.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
We used green ribbon and had butterflies on the centrepieces.
Did you give your guests favours?
Yes. Chocolate hearts with their name so they were used as place names too.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
My bouquet was a hand tied bouquet of Bianca roses, tied with ivory chiffon ribbon. It also had little sprigs of diamantes dotted about in it. The bridesmaids’ bouquets were copies of mine but smaller and without the diamantes. They also got smaller with the age of the bridesmaids. The centrepieces were square glass vases lined with leaves and filled with Bianca roses. We had little ivory butterflies all over the flowers as if they had just landed on them.
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. We had canapes during the drinks reception. For the wedding breakfast we had: Starter – Tomato and mozzarella salad, Main – Roast Lamb with char grilled Mediterranean vegetables and pesto dressing, Dessert – Vanilla panna cotta with berries and raspberry sauce. We had more substantial canapes for the evening-Chicken skewers, fruit kebabs with chocolate sauce, etc.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had a chocolate wedding cake by Lucky Sixpence in Nuneaton. It was chocolate sponge with kirsch with a chocolate and cherry filling. Then it had chocolate ganache all over it and covered in white chocolate curls. We had three tiers with ivory roses between each tier.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a string quartet for the ceremony and drinks reception. The hotel didn’t allow live music for the evening so we connected our Ipod up to the hotels surround sound system.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
Yes. We had a honeymoon gift list with travel counsellors.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our first night at Hotel du Vin. We went to the Seychelles and Dubai for our honeymoon. We stayed at the St Anne Resort & Spa in the Seychelles and One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai. We booked through Travel Counsellors who we had our gift list with.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
I wouldn’t stress too much about little details. On the day they didn’t matter and nobody notices anyway. I would also relax more… I was so nervous!
