Sarah and Jason
12/08/2006 –
How and when did you meet?
Jason and I met at work – we are the original office romance!
How old are you both?
We are both 34.
Where, when and how did he (or you!) propose?
It was Christmas Eve, 2003. We were at my parents’ house, everyone else had gone to bed and Jason and I were having a late night pre-Christmas drink. He presented me with a daisy cluster diamond engagement ring and went down on one knee. Very romantic and very special and I said “Yes” without hesitation!
Did you have hen and stag celebrations? If so, what did you do?
Jase had a wild night out with the lads from work (yes, we still work together and I’m the only female in the company!) the night before his suit fitting… bad idea. He was rather hung-over the following day and we feared he might not make the suit fitting at all! He also took all his mates for a lads weekend in Spain. I went to the pub with our mums, and my three bridesmaids. Not what you call a really kickin’ night out but very memorable and highly enjoyable!
How did your groom help with the wedding planning?
Jase handled all the communication with the vicar, and was heavily involved with planning the wedding breakfast. He came to all the meetings with the venue and he even came to a wedding exhibition with me to help find some suppliers.
Did you use confetti to plan your wedding? If so, how did the website help you?
We didn’t really use confetti to plan our wedding, we developed our own database to exactly meet our requirements. Other than that, I still “think” better on paper!
Do you have a confetti web page?
We didn’t have a confetti web page – I’m still a bit web-page phobic!
Did you buy any confetti products for your wedding? If so, did you visit a store, buy online or by mail order?
We bought loads of stuff from confetti, all on-line. It was so easy and quick and all the orders were delivered to me at work – ideal!
Tell us about your outfit, and where you bought it
I was extremely lucky – one of Jason’s family members is a dressmaker. I showed her a picture in a magazine of The Dress and said “Can you make something like this?” We had a trip to London to buy the fabric and a series of fittings. I opted for ivory rather than white, as I’m very pale skinned and didn’t want to look even more pasty than usual! What really attracted me to the dress was the stunning burgundy trim round the top and bottom. The dressmaker hand stitched all the beads on the dress.
Did you have bridesmaids? If so, who did you choose and what did they wear?
My bridesmaids were my daughter, Siani, my friend, Debbie, and her small daughter, Ilana. Again, I’d seen pictures in magazines for Debbie and Siani, and Joan made them. Siani’s dress was tailored to include the gorgeous burgundy. Ilana’s dress was bought from Debenhams. She also wore a pair of glittery wings from FairyLove.com, and instead of a posy she carried a wand decorated with ribbons and orchids. She looked so sweet!
Who did your groom choose for his best man and ushers, and what did they wear?
Jason chose his best mate, Dan, as best man, and his ushers were close friends Mark, Dave and Gary. They hired suits but Joan came up trumps again with colour coordinated handkerchiefs and cravats.
Did you have a civil or religious ceremony?
We decided on a religious ceremony because we wanted something spiritual and special.
Where did you hold your ceremony?
The ceremony took place at St Mary’s Church, Rushden, Northamptonshire.
Where did you hold your reception?
The venue we chose for our reception was Kimbolton Castle, Kimbolton, Cambs.
Did you have any special wedding transport?
I’d always wanted to arrive in a horse drawn carriage, but our venue was too far away. So we compromised. We had a horse drawn carriage to go to the church from my parents’ house, and back again, and then another of Jason’s relatives drove us to Kimbolton in his vintage Bentley. I felt like royalty as we drove around the town in the carriage, sipping champagne, and we certainly arrived at the venue in style in the Bentley.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding, and did you have a separate evening guest list?
We had 68 guests at the wedding breakfast with another 20 joining us in the evening.
Did your reception have a particular theme in terms of colour or style?
The style of our wedding was “Traditional with a contemporary twist,” and the colours we chose were ivory, gold and burgundy.
How did you incorporate this in to your table settings?
The venue was able to supply ivory and burgundy table linen, and our floral table centres were also colour coordinated. The place cards and table names were all done as part of a package by our stationery designer, and again she incorporated our colours into her designs.
Did you give your guests favours?
We gave our guests personalised boxes containing seeds for a plant called Clarkia Pulchella – Confetti. Neither the church nor the venue allowed confetti throwing, so we thought if the guests can’t throw confetti at us, we’ll throw it at them instead!
Describe your flowers (bouquets and table decorations). Who was your florist?
How lucky can a girl be? Not only does my husband’s family yield a dressmaker and a vintage Bentley, my new mother-in-law is a retired florist – who came out of retirement especially for our wedding! My bouquet was calla lilies, very simple but stunning. Two of my bridesmaids carried posies of gold roses. The table centres were done in glass candle holders to give them some height as the ceilings in the venue are ridiculously high. The flowers all fit into the ivory and burgundy theme, and the central decoration on the top table included gold as well to make it different.
What did you choose to have on your menu? Did you have an outside caterer or did your venue handle the catering?
Our wedding breakfast was prawn cocktail, roast turkey breast with roast potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets and vegetables, followed by chocolate roulade. Both my father and I have Coeliac Disease, and so the venue’s in house catering team made the whole menu, including the evening buffet gluten-free.
What did you choose for your wedding cake, and who made it?
We decided to go for individually iced cakes, decorated with icing sugar flowers – roses and lilies, with a top tier decorated with an icing sugar bouquet. Each cake was trimmed with burgundy ribbon, and the whole thing was gluten-free. It looked amazing and tasted fab!
Did you have any entertainment during the day or evening?
We had a pianist playing during the meal which was very decadent and soothing! We danced the night away to the Johnny Harris Dance band. We also held a dove release and fireworks display.
Did you have a gift list? If so, who did you have your list with?
We ended up with three different gift lists! For me this was the most difficult aspect of the wedding, but eventually we set up a list with a local department store, Argos and Oxfam Unwrapped. It worked brilliantly – we’ve had lots of wonderful gifts for our home, and sent three calves, two goats, a cow and stacks of equipment to some of the poorest communities in the third world. We reckon that’s a result!
Where did you spend your first night and honeymoon? Who did you book your honeymoon with?
We chose to spend our first night at home. We didn’t take a honeymoon as we couldn’t really afford it and we’re very busy at work. We’re hoping to move house this year too so it’s all very hectic. We plan to take our honeymoon next year, maybe as part of our first anniversary celebrations!
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
I don’t have a single memorable moment. The whole day was magical. The moment I entered the church and saw Jason waiting for me and smiling at me was very special. Then there was the carriage ride, the doves, the fireworks…
Did you experience any ‘nightmare’ moments in the run up to your wedding or on the day?
The nightmare moment happened on the morning of the wedding! My dad was buttoning up the back of my dress, got caught on something and there was a cascade of beads falling off the back! I was so calm on the morning I just kept saying “Don’t worry about it! There’s nothing we can do about it, it doesn’t matter!”
Is there anything you would do differently, or any advice you would give to other brides?
My advice to other brides is don’t allow yourself to be bullied into anything you don’t want, do give yourself loads of time to get ready, and most importantly – enjoy the day!
