Natalie and Steve
12/08/2006
Riverside Hotel, Mildenhall
How and when did you meet?
Steve and I met on a blind date over five years ago. We went out for a meal and hit it off straight away. We starting seeing each other from then on.
How old are you both?
He’s 33 and I am 23.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
Steve proposed to me on our third anniversary. We went out for dinner and he was acting a bit odd. I thought maybe he was going to tell me something bad because he wouldn’t touch me or hold my hand! It turns out that my engagement ring was in his pocket and he didn’t want me to hold his hand and feel the box shape. We had our dinner and then went for drinks in the garden. He proposed there.
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Steve went to Amsterdam with six friends. I went to London with 18 girl friends. Both parties had a scream! Many laughs had by all.
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Steve didn’t really get too involved to start with other than agreeing on venues and budgets, etc. He got a lot more involved towards the end as he is very artistic and was making all the menu cards and favours, etc.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
I was always on the Confetti website. Steve used to laugh at me as I was always looking at other people’s photos to get ideas!
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I wore Maggie Sottero’s dress Martina. The dress was a strapless diamond white gown with glass crystals and a lace up back.
you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
I had my two best friends as bridesmaids. They wore lilac Dessy 60’s style summer dresses.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Steve’s best man was his best buddy, Dan. His ushers were two of his other friends, Mark and Darren. All three of them, plus both dads and the page boy, wore tail coats with ivory waistcoats and lilac cravats.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We had a civil ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
Riverside Hotel, Mildenhall.
Where did you hold your reception?
Riverside Hotel Mildenhall.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
The bridal party arrived in a stretch limo.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 79 guests to the day and another 80 odd in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Our theme was lilac and silver.
Did you give your guests favours?
The children had bubbles as favours. The gents had favour boxes with chocolates inside and the ladies had favour boxes with love heart sweets.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I had a large posy of lilac Eustomas and ivory roses. It was complimented by diamantes.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
We had a menu choice. The guests picked what they liked to eat. The food was impeccable!
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We had a three tiered cake. Fruit, vanilla sponge and chocolate. It was decorated with sugar craft flowers in the style of lilies. My friend Sharon made this for us.
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had musicians play through the service followed by a disco in the evening. Our friend Mark also played a song for us on acoustic guitar during the service and he was brilliant.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
Debenhams.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We spent our wedding night at the hotel. We then went to Mexico–Puerto Aventuras to be exact! It was very good. We booked through Thompsons.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
Seeing the look of Steve and all the guests as we walked down the aisle. The second best bit was the disco. Having a dance with everyone that is important to us.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Nope.
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
It really rained on my day which is something I had worried a little about beforehand, but I promise you it did not matter. Basically, don’t worry about things you can’t control like the weather. It really won’t matter.
