Sally and Mark
20/10/2005 – Shandrani Hotel, Blue Bay, Mauritius
Bishops Frome Village Centre
How and when did you meet?
Although we had knew of each other for a number of years, we did not meet up properly until April 2002. It was a drunken Sunday afternoon in the pub and my friend gave him my telephone number. He called 2 days later!
How old are you both?
I’m 29 and he’s 31.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
We were on holiday in Egypt when he got down on one knee, looked up and giggled at me! He had already bought the ring (pink sapphire and diamond) and had been to see my parents!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations?
Mark went to Amsterdam with 5 friends for the weekend and I had a local hen night in Cheltenham with 20 friends and family members. We stayed over in Cheltenham and enjoyed the spa facilities at the hotel.
Did your groom help you with the wedding planning?
Well… he proposed, bought the ring and choose his suit! Although he didn’t do much of the planning, he was a godsend on the day of our wedding celebration party and took over all of the arrangements!
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
The cafe was so much fun! I spent hours chatting to other brides getting ideas and advice. I also used the countdown, wedding dress finder, and the things to do page.
Do you have a confetti web page?
No, I didn’t discover this until I had made one using anther site!
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
Spent many evenings looking through the catalogues for ideas! Visited the Birmingham store twice and bought balloons, favour tins and ribbons.
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it.
It was a chiffon strapless dress by Mori Lee. Originally I had wanted a pink dress, but couldn’t find anything quite like I had in mind. The dress I finally choose had pink crystal and beading, a front flounce and a puddle train. I choose pink sandals with sparkles to complete my outfit.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
As we chose to go abroad on our own, I did not have any bridesmaids.
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Again, as we travelled to Mauritius on our own, Mark did not have a best man or ushers. Mark wore a biscuit coloured linen suit from Jeff Banks and a white linen shirt from Next.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
It was a civil ceremony.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
The ceremony was held on the beach at the Shandrani Hotel, Blue Bay, Mauritius.
Where did you hold your reception?
We held an evening party for family and friends on our return at Bishops Frome Village Centre. It was such a good night and there was a separate room where we were able to show our DVD of the wedding.
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?
None to the wedding, but we invited 140 to the evening reception.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
Not really – pink is my favourite colour, so we had pink exotic flowers on the tables.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
Informal buffet, so no table settings.
Did you give your guests favours?
We took our parents, grandparents and siblings out for a meal on the lunchtime before the evening party where I gave favours. We had the round tins from Confetti, with personalised ribbon tied around them and a jewelled flower on top. Inside we put sweets which we bought (and were made) in Mauritius.
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
I had a crystal bouquet which I took with me to Mauritius. Our table decorations were from Marks and Spencer!
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 simple traditional evening buffet for our reception back home with a selection of gorgeous sweets. We enjoyed a romantic candlelit seafood dinner on the beach after our ceremony.
What did you choose for your wedding cake?
For our wedding in Mauritius we had a chocolate heart shaped cake and for our evening party we had a four-tier cake from Marks and Spencer. We decorated the cake with marzipan seashells and we had a personalised cake topper made by a very talented lady who I discovered on eBay!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a disco for our evening entertainment. He was excellent and the dance floor was full all night.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We had a small gift list with Next, but most people gave us vouchers for Comet (we would like a new dishwasher) or cash.
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We booked 9 nights in Mauritius at the Shandrani Hotel and got married on the 6th day. We then had a further 3 nights at the Sainte Anne Resort and Spa in the Seychelles. Both were Beachcomber resorts and we booked through Paramount Travel in Leeds.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
When Mark saw me for the first time in my wedding dress; it was such an emotional moment and one I will never forget.
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
Not really, on our cake in Mauritius, it had ‘Congratulations Michael and Claire’ on the decoration which had to be removed, but we thought that was rather funny!
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
There is nothing that I would have done differently. Advice to other brides – just enjoy it!
