Greg and I first met during my university placement year, when I was working for a company in Leamington Spa. Our boss said to Greg that he had recruited someone he would get on really well with, that someone was me! How right he was!

After graduating from Manchester Met University, I moved back down to Leamington Spa to be with Greg, but after a couple of years we decided to move back to Manchester to be nearer to our families.

After seven years together, and a year after buying our lovely first house, Greg proposed on a beach in Morfa Nefyn.  It is where my mum and aunts used to go on holiday when they were kids, so it was very special! Although we had been together a long time, it was a shock when Greg got down on one knee and popped the question.  I never ever thought he would ask! There was no doubt in my mind that the answer would be yes.  He is my best friend and my soul mate! On the night of our engagement, we were staying at my aunt and uncle’s cottage.  Instead of going out for a meal to celebrate, we cuddled up in front of the TV watching the Champions League, eating strawberries and drinking champagne! A perfect evening for us both!

Not long after getting engaged, we bookedChristChurchin Heald Green for a spring wedding in April 2010. There was no other choice but my local church, which was also where my mum and dad got married, and where my grandma used to go, making it extra special.  We then began searching for a venue.  We wanted our family and friends to enjoy the day as much as us, and it soon became clear that the family-owned, friendly Deanwater Hotel in Woodford was the place for us. The Balmoral Suite was perfect for our guests, and the grounds are fantastic too!

One of our many decisions was the choice of photographer, which fortunately was an easy choice.  After meeting Rick Dell at my cousin’s wedding, and witnessing how professional and friendly he was, and the quality of his work, we booked Rick without a second thought.

Viewing the Deanwater Hotel a few times allowed us to see the room decorated in different styles, which persuaded us to visit Karen at Dressed to Impress. Here, we saw a mock up of our tables, which helped us make up our minds. The Deanwater Hotel and Dressed to Impress both recommended a florist, which fitted perfectly as Karen worked closely with them so that the flowers and our colours were all co-ordinated, making it easy for us.

My mum and sister made the experience of choosing my wedding dress fantastic. After several weekends of trying on wedding dresses and not finding the right one, my mum thought it would be nice to have the dress made. My cousin-in-law recommended Karen at Natalie Ann Brides, in Huyton,Liverpoolto us. After going to see Karen a couple of times, I had a design for my dress!  We also had my sister’s bridesmaid dress, the two flower girls’ dresses and Greg’s cravat and handkerchief made by Karen. She did a fantastic job!

The choice of cake was our next thing to decide and my mum said she would like to make it. I was made up about it, because she doesn’t half make a good cake! We had two fruit layers and a chocolate layer made by Joanne Garton of Allsorts of Cakes in Formby. She did a beautiful job of icing the finished masterpiece.

Greg chose Moss Bros at the Trafford Centre as the place to select the men’s suits. They were really helpful as the men were able to collect their suits from their nearest location. This was a real benefit as the men are from Southport, Leamington Spa and Manchester.

With the church, cars, reception, outfits, photographer and flowers booked, we had to plan entertainment for the reception. On recommendation from the Deanwater Hotel, we contacted  Duane, our DJ for the evening was superb with just the right music selection to keep the dance floor full all night.

With the majority of things organised, we began to focus on planning our honeymoon.  It was so hard to decide where we would like to go because there are so many places we want to visit. Owing to the time of year we had chosen to get married, we felt we should look for the sunshine.  We eventually decided upon Vegas for some partying, followed by a drive across Arizona to Scottsdale near Phoenix to spend some time relaxing. 

Before we knew it, the day had arrived.  I woke up to the most glorious sunshine. I could not believe it! My bridesmaids and I all headed to out for our hair to be styled, make up and nails to be done. I really did enjoy the time when we were all together.  I remember getting many texts from family and friends wishing me good luck. It felt so surreal that I was going to be getting married in a few hours time. As I arrived back at the house, Rick had just arrived and began taking pictures straightaway.  It was lovely and relaxed and he kept the day running smoothly.  It was fantastic. 

It was so lovely to see everyone dressed up.  My bridesmaids in purple and lilac looked amazing, my mum in her mother of the bride outfit from Florentyna Dawn, Hazel Grove, looked beautiful and my dad didn’t scrub up too bad either!

Before I knew it, Dad and I left the house.  I had time to phone my grandma on the way to the church as she was unable to make the wedding, so it was really lovely to talk to her just before I left.  I had been relatively calm all morning, although a little tearful at times.  However, when I got to the church, I had to take quite a few deep breaths, but as soon as I saw Greg I couldn’t take my eyes off him!

The service by Father Paul was fantastic and made us both feel relaxed.  Greg’s sisters and my friend did readings, which made it special too. It was so lovely to see all our family and friends there for us.  It was so amazing and something we both will never forget.  We had pictures taken outside and then headed straight for the Deanwater Hotel.  Ourfriend drove us in his Audi A8 and it was brilliant, we were married!

After photographs in the beautiful grounds of the hotel, we had a traditional line up and had our wedding breakfast. All the speeches were fantastic, especially Colin’s, who was the best man. He had managed to get footage of Greg when he was young, dancing to New Kids on the Block.  Needless to say, it was hilarious!  Rick took pictures of the speeches and first dance.  I would really recommend it as it was so nice to see all our reactions!

The evening guests soon arrived and the party really got underway! It was so lovely to have everyone enjoying themselves, the dance floor was rarely empty.  We had such an amazing day and wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you so much to everyone for making our day perfect for us!

We met on the first day I arrived in England five years ago. We were introduced by one of my best friends, Xiufang Wang. I liked Mo’s sense of humour and we got on well, often talking about our lives and studies in Manchester. We developed a close friendship very quickly and I soon realised I had found my Mr Right!

Valentine’s Day this year coincided with Chinese New Year. It was the Year of the Tiger, which we celebrated with our family and friends. That day, during dinner Mo proposed to me on one knee with a beautiful bouquet of roses. I was completely taken by surprise and felt so happy I said yes immediately.

Our parents are very superstitious and informed us that the most auspicious day to get married was 21^st March this year. We only had three weeks to arrange our dream wedding with 110 guests!

We felt that choosing our wedding rings was the most important thing to organise first. After a lot of research we discovered the Cartier Trinity ring, which we had travel toLondonto get. We chose these rings because they symbolised friendship, love and forever.

Then to find my wedding dress! I wanted the traditional Chinese wedding kwa which was made of embroidered red silk. However, I found that due to the short time I had before the wedding, it was very difficult to find a suitable kwa in time. Things were also made trickier as I have a very small frame. I was facing the possibility of waiting up to 6 months for something custom made. I therefore decided to order my wedding kwa fromChinavia the internet. I was worried that I was not able to try it on before it was purchased, but luckily it fitted me perfectly. I had found my dream wedding dress!

For our reception, we booked a banquet atPearl Cityrestaurant inChinatowninManchester. They specialised in Chinese cuisine and were able to accommodate all our guests that day.

It was through County Bride magazine that we booked Rick Dell as our photographer, Rich Video as our videographer, Danielle Horan as my hairdresser and a wedding car from High Style Cars. Thanks to the information in the magazine, we found people whose work we liked and the team was put together very quickly.

It was fantastic to be able to have a traditional Chinese wedding inEngland. The colour red features heavily in a Chinese wedding as it is considered to be a lucky and joyful colour, therefore many of the wedding decorations as well as my kwa was red.

On the day of the wedding, Mo had to collect me from my parent’s house to go to his. Whilst at my parent’s house, I was accompanied by my closest friend who was there to mourn my departure from my family home. As part of the wedding ritual, when Mo arrived, he was greeted by my bridesmaids. They acted as if they were very reluctant for the wedding to proceed until Mo had to won them over by convincing them of his worthiness! This is a traditional wedding game often played in good humour as part of a Chinese wedding.

As part of the ceremony, Mo and I served tea to our parents and senior relatives as a mark of respect. Afterwards, we all went toPearl City, where firecrackers were set off outside, telling people that dinner was beginning. Our banquet included food symbolic to having a successful marriage, such as fish, pork and pigeon.

We enjoyed every moment celebrating our wedding with our family and friends. It was a traditional and romantic event which we will remember forever!

• Videography – Rich Video – www.richvideo.co.uk
• Photography – Rick Dell – www.rickdellphotography.co.uk

Iain and I first met in a wine bar in Macclesfield in 2006.  From the start, we realised that we shared the same sense of humour, which I believe helps a lot in any long term relationship.

I learnt very quickly that Iain loved his sports; he played rugby, supported Manchester United and enjoyed playing golf. I, on the other hand dislike watching any kind of sport, preferring to socialise with friends and family. They say that opposites attract and that definitely seems to be the case with us.

 In February 2009, Iain took me to Paris for the Valentine’s Day weekend. He said I deserved a treat after all the hard work I had put in opening a new beauty salon called Adored on Chestergate, Macclesfield with my partner Jenna. It was there under the Eiffel Tower that Iain asked me to marry him. After asking him to repeat the question, just to make sure I was hearing correctly I said yes.

We decided our wedding day would be Saturday 21^st May 2011. We then concentrated our efforts on finding our first home together. We spent a year renovating our lovely home and eventually moved in on 9^th February 2010. In the meantime, my sister, Christine, made our save the date cards. She had said that she would be delighted to make the wedding invitations, table menus and settings which was a great help.

We chose to get married at Adlington Hall because we felt it had a special atmosphere. The hall itself was breathtakingly beautiful both internally and externally. Straightaway, we fell in love with the manicured grounds, the maze and the stunning array of colourful flowers and plants. The wedding breakfast would take place in the Hunting Lodge next door, which was just as beautiful with its sweeping staircase and wooden beams.

I have always loved the purple colour on Cadbury’s chocolate bars, so it was easy for me to choose a colour theme for the wedding. The hard task was trying to find my dress and bridesmaids dresses in the Cadbury’s purple. I found my dream dress – a Maggie Sottero Dominque satin gown at The Confetti Box Bridal Centre in Eccles, Salford. They also had the exact purple colour I wanted for my three bridesmaids; my sister Christine, Iain’s sister Emma and my best friend Victoria. My mum even got her rather special outfit from their sister shop, Diva Couture. All the staff were really so friendly and helpful.

Iain and I chose our wedding rings from P.R. Jones Jewellers in Macclesfield, where Iain also bought my diamond solitaire engagement ring.

We next turned our attention to a photographer. As we are a quite laid back couple, we did not want all our photos to be formal, we wanted something to match our outgoing personalities. When we met Rick Dell, I knew we had found what we were looking for. He made us feel at ease and had us laughing all the time. Furthermore, his photographs were just great!

Every bride wants a fine day for her wedding and I was no exception. When I awoke to the sun streaming through the curtains on the morning of the wedding, I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. That was the way it stayed all day and night, so everybody tells me!

At 8.15am, my make-up artist, Gemma Hallowell, arrived to work her magic. At 11.00am, Clare from Chelsea Flowers, Wilmslow, arrived with the bouquets and button holes. They were a vision of white roses and outstanding vanda orchids – just perfect. By noon, when the beautiful Regent Tourer from Horgans Limousines arrived, I was so excited. I hoped that Iain would be pleased with the Charabanc Omnibus I had secretly ordered to take him, the best man and his four ushers to Adlington Hall. They had been told they were going by donkey and really didn’t know what to expect!

 As we arrived, our toastmaster, Brian Wroe, who we already knew from my sister’s wedding three years ago, greeted us and continued to give us great help and support throughout the day. When the doors opened inside the hall, Guy Porteus was playing our chosen piece of music, Pachelbel’s Canon. I saw Iain and his best man Daniel turn and smile as Dad and I entered. I thought about how smart they looked in their dark grey Prince Edward suits provided by Keith Patient at John Douglas Menswear, Chestergate, Macclesfield.

The part of the wedding that we were both nervous about was saying our vows, but Ann May, Deputy Superintendent Registrar, from Cheshire East Council made us feel comfortable and the ceremony was both relaxed and emotional, especially when our respected mothers gave readings without shedding too many tears between them. With the biggest smiles on our faces, we finally became husband and wife.

Given the great weather, after the ceremony our guests drank Pimm’s with lemonade and ate canapés in the grounds. They were entertained with music from Guy Porteus and Matthew Windsor, a close hand magician who made quite an impression with a range of tricks. He had made some guests’ watches disappear and then reappear inside a balloon animal he had made.

The Hunting Lodge was dressed beautifully with white chair covers and, purple sashes. The tables had crystals and small electric tea lights on them. In the evening, there was a colourful candy buffet provided by Holly Moore of Brides and Bows. Holly had been great in organising the room. She thought of many ideas like the purple uplighters which really enhanced the feel of the room. The menu of homemade country pâté, roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce followed by lemon soufflé served with fresh fruit and a shortbread wafer was delicious. We had chocolate lollies as our favours with our names and wedding date written on them, all tied up with a purple bow provided by Simon Dunn, a chocolatier from Wilmslow. It was then followed by three extremely humorous and emotional speeches.

As the evening guests arrived, we cut our fabulous three tier, fruit, chocolate and vanilla sponge wedding cake, which also had bride and groom character figures mounted on top which looked amazingly like us. Classic Celebration Cakes had certainly done us proud and the cake tasted delicious.

Our first dance was to “You are my Destiny” by Lionel Richie and then the song we really wanted, “Your sex is on Fire” by The Kings Of Leon which is our favourite song and one that got everybody into the party mood.  It was all over so quickly, but because of all the planning and hard work by myself and my parents, it was the most wonderful and magical day of our lives so far.

We spent our wedding night at The White House Manor Hotel in Prestbury near Macclesfield, before travelling to the bright lights of Dubai followed by the relaxing peace and tranquillity of Mauritius for our honeymoon.

• Bridesmaid dresses   Confetti Box – www.confettibox.com
• Cars Horgans Limousines - www.horganscars.co.uk
• Entertainment Guy Porteous - www.guyporteous.co.uk
• Hotel / Venue Adlington Hall / hunting lodge - www.adlingtonhall.com
• Mens Hire   John Douglas – www.johndouglasmenswear.co.uk
• Photography   Rick Dell -  www.rickdellphotography.co.uk
• Mother of the bride – Diva Couture – www.confettibox.com
• Wedding Dress Confetti Box - www.confettibox.com

Manchesterʼs answer to the Royal Wedding by The Confetti Box

Our story begins on 5th November 1999, the first time we met.  It was love at first sight, hook, line and sinker.  Years later, Michael decided to ask for my hand.  He asked my dad’s permission, my dad agreed.  Michael then started to plan a romantic trip toRome.  The weekend was just any other trip, or so I thought.  Michael had planned it all, the luxury hotel, the champagne and the romantic meal on Valentine’s Day.  At 11.59pm Michael got down on bended knee and proposed.  This was set to be our next chapter together.  

 As soon as we got back, we set the date – 30^th April 2011.  The venue was going to be Gorton Monastery because my sister had her wedding there; Michael and I thought it would be perfect for us too.  I have worked in my mum’s bridal shop, The Confetti Box Bridal Centre since I was old enough to walk. I have spent my life doing fashion shows and exhibitions.  Having been exposed to so many beautiful gowns all my life, imagine the pressure I was under to find my perfect gown!  I tried the whole shop on and then some, until eventually I found the one.  I fell in love with a Sottero and Midgley dress “Gracie”.  It was an A-line skirt made of bordeaux taffeta in white.  It was completely different and just perfect for me.  I had a long veil to compliment the look.  My bridesmaids wore silver wedding dresses by Maggie Sottero in slipper satin.  

With a mum who has been running her own bridal stores for 26 years, I had the best wedding planner in the world.  My mum, Maria, made everything so easy for Michael and I.  It truly was our dream wedding.  Michael and all his twelve ushers wore silk grey tails, provided by my dad, Stephen, who runs the men’s department at The Confetti Box. Both mums wore exquisite outfits from Diva Couture, our sister store for mothers of the bride and groom.  We used the best in the industry for the flowers, Matt and Jane at Red Floral Architecture, along with the  rest of their team they created the most fantastic displays of flowers and centrepieces.  I especially loved my ten-tier cake made by Jayne from All things sugared, with the most amazing fresh flowers all on one side.  The collaboration of Matt from Red and Jayne  from All Things Sugar was truly amazing.  

The ceremony started off beautifully with the string quartet playing Pachelbel   As we were signing the register, my mum had organised for the Manchester Sing Out Choir to perform as a surprise.  They were amazing, everybody was singing along to ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’.  Our drinks reception of canapés and Louis Roderer champagne was fantastic.  We had the amazing Cole Page, whose specialty is Rat Pack music for our entertainment.  He mingled with my guests and sang some great tunes; he even got some people up to sing with him, even my mum!  Cole played a huge part in our day as he was also the master of ceremonies.  I cannot thank him enough.  He was a true professional from the beginning of the day to the end of the night.  Throughout the day, Lesley and Shaun Meredith Photography took the most amazing pictures.  They were a superb team; to say they are simply the best is an understatement.  Their professionalism is second to none.  Michael and I were so glad to have booked them.  They are a great couple and work beautifully together.  We were then entertained by the Waiters Encore from London who are a professional singing trio, they mixed with our guests as the Maitre d’,  waitress and chef.  They did an act and then sang, surprising all our guests.  They too were amazing.  They did an array of different songs, one of which was ʻNessum Dormaʼ which brought tears to my eyes.

Our evening band was booked because of their reputation – Re-Take That.  They looked and sounded exactly like Take That.  My mum also booked Justin Orange (the twin brother of Jason Orange) to DJ.  Nobody left the dance floor all night, it was great.  We built a stage for our top table which doubled as the stage for the group.  Pete from Absolute Stage and Lighting was brilliant, he could not do enough for us.  He organised our staging, lighting the carpets and the LED bars.  A true professional, we would definitely recommend him very highly.  After our first dance and the cutting of the cake, I changed in to a 50s three quarter length style tulle gown with my Swarovski crystal peep-toe shoes.  There is nothing I would change, my day was perfect and I loved every minute.  So thank you to everyone who helped us with the run up and on our big day.  Michael and I could not have managed without my mum and dad.  I truly felt like a princess, everyone was calling our wedding, “Manchester’s Royal Wedding”.  It made me and Michael smile to think that everybody was comparing our wedding to the royal wedding.

Words by: Jade & Michael Cole

Photography by: Lesley Meredith Photography

Elsie and Marcus in Lytham at St Cuthberts followed by Lytham Hall

Ashton Photography Real life wedding: Photographs by Ashton Photography

Marcus and I met through mutual friend.  After both being in previous long term relationships, we seemed to be the last single ones amongst our friends. Everyone felt we would be perfect for each other, how right they were!

We were on holiday visiting my father’s family in Mauritius when on the last evening, Marcus booked a table at the luxurious One and Only Le St Geran Resort.  We had the most romantic and wonderful meal together – a perfect end to our family holiday.  Before returning to our hotel, we took a stroll along the beach.  To my delight, Marcus proposed there and then, under the stars on a stunning beach.  I was totally speechless and overjoyed!  After all the excitement and sharing our wonderful news with our family and friends, we got down to the wedding planning and organising.  It was all so much fun and we enjoyed working with all our amazing wedding suppliers.

We decided to allow ourselves a year to plan our special day.  We had a wide choice of countries in which to marry in.  My father is Mauritian and Marcus is from San Diego, California and of Spanish, French, Filipino and Panama decent.  However, we knew we wanted our wedding to be in Lytham St Anne’s, in Lancashire where we live.

We knew instantly we would be married at St Cuthbert’s Church in Lytham.  It is a very special place for both of us as my parents married there, I was christened there and our loved ones are laid to rest there.  For us, our wedding symbolises the circle of life continuing with a joyous occasion at a beautiful church that holds many memories for us both.  Being married in church was the most fantastic part of our day and meant everything to us.

Having such a diverse heritage, we knew our wedding would be a multi-cultural family affair.  Our marriage is about the joining of two families, not just two people.  Marcus and I have three children from previous relationships.  I have my wonderful son and Marcus has two adorable girls.  Our parents instantly got on straightaway.  We all became one big happy family.  In fact, Sue, my mum and Rose, Marcus’ mum, get on so well they went shopping for their wedding day outfits together.  They still meet all the time for coffee and to enjoy their grandchildren!

 Knowing the church had been booked for a June wedding was exciting, deciding on the venue was great fun too.  After looking around we decided upon the beautiful and very elegant Lytham Hall.  It is a focal point for anyone living in Lytham.  It has a fascinating history and makes for a wonderful setting for a marquee.  The old house has beautiful hand painted walls in lush greens and golds, a stunning staircase and is ideal for pre-wedding breakfast drinks should the weather be against us.

The next thing to decide was a theme – quite easy for us as we knew it needed to bring in our heritage and various cultures.  The ideal way to do this was through food, music and flowers.  Of course this all had to be captured by our photographers!

Paul Rowley, of Rowley’s Caterers and Event Management was wonderful.  He knew straightaway how to use our cultures together through our menu.  My dad is the most amazing cook, so Paul even took the time to visit my dad to cook the Mauritian food.  Our canapés looked colourful, very exotic and tasted divine.  Our main meal was lamb cooked in a Mauritian way; it was served with a selection of salads fused with saffron and coriander.

 We wanted our day to be photographed in a style that was unique to us, capturing the very essence of each moment.  All the little expressions and moments are so important.  We knew we wanted someone who could work unobtrusively and produce stunning, natural and stylish images.  We had heard so many great reports from other couples about Steve and Stephanie Ashton and knew they would be the perfect company to choose.  They have a wonderful style to their photographs and instantly made us feel at ease and relaxed.  We are delighted with our photographs and love them all!  Your photographs are after all your everlasting memories of your special day!

Our flowers looked stunning and set the scene as they were all chosen because they are all indigenous to our heritage of California and Mauritius.  Each female guest had a beautiful antique crystal vase as their wedding favour and in every vase was a single flower chosen just for them to suit their personality.  A unique touch that was much appreciated. I had so much fun looking for my wedding dress.  After trying on a number of styles I fell in love with the Pronovias range.  The style I chose was from the La Sposa range.  It had a timeless look and was made from beautiful lace which had a separate lace jacket, perfect for my church ceremony and this could then be removed for the wedding reception.  I have to say that I managed to sneak in another dress which was perfect for dancing the night away later on!  This was a Ronald Joyce in a grecian style.  I knew I needed something different as our wedding reception was going to involve lots of dancing!

My shoes hold a special story.  The ones I wanted had to come from America and my lovely mother-in-law arranged for them to be hand delivered by her sister on the day of the wedding with a special message enclosed saying, “You walked into my son’s life and you give him so much happiness, let these shoes be a gift from me to you to allow you to walk down the aisle to him.”  This brought a tear of joy to my eye!

Before we knew it, our big day had finally come around.  The sun was shining from the moment I woke up until sunset – it was perfect.  I spent the morning with my family and getting myself and the children ready.  Stephanie came to capture some getting ready shots and Steve met with Marcus and the groomsmen at church.

Following a meaningful and very emotional ceremony, we made our way outside the church to spend some time mingling with our guests before making our way to Lytham Hall.  The Mariachi Mexteca band was playing for our arrival.  They are so lively and fun!  Delicious canapés and drinks were served, amazing photographs taken and lots of fun was being had by everyone.  The day moved swiftly on and onto the wedding breakfast and party.  We danced the night away to great music from motown classics to RnB.  After a wonderful wedding, Marcus and I spent a romantic week on the Spanish coast in Nerja.

We had just six months in which to plan our wedding. Thankfully, we had some great help from family members, and the girls at Fairytale Brides.

It is said that a man will experience a few key moments in his life: 21st birthday, the birth of his first child and the turning of the millennium in the case of my generation.  I recently experienced one of these moments and can attest to it being one of the greatest and most memorable days of my life so far; this is the story of my wedding day.

Following a spontaneous, tearful proposal at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, my fiancée Jodie and I found ourselves swimming in endless possibilities with what our big day could entail.  We had just six months in which to plan our wedding.  Thankfully, we had some great help from family members, and the girls at Fairytale Brides.  Was it not for their knowledge and help, I doubt we would have found ourselves with enough time.

Time flew so fast.  Before I knew it, I found myself stood in a very handsome suit, at the top of a rose lined aisle in Manchester’s Hilton Hotel, with seventy five pairs of eyes staring at me with anticipation.  Conscious that we wanted to enjoy an intimate wedding, we had chosen to invite our only closest family members and friends.  Whilst this was not the easiest of decisions, it did afford us the ability to have a wedding which felt more personal.

Stood at the top of the aisle, nerves began to settle in.  I felt a rustling starting to stir, the room came alive with the sense that Jodie was just around the corner; a sixth sense from every guest that something great was about to happen.  The violins started, the rich sound filled the room with soul.  We had made a good decision by selecting “Bittersweet Symphony” as Jodie’s entrance song.  It instantly created a classical air to what was to be a very Mancunian wedding.

And then she appeared.  Stopping at the top of the aisle, our eyes met, smiling with emotional honesty – it is a look that I will never forget.  Jodie looked beautiful in her Ian Stuart dress.  With her arm linked with her dad’s, she started walking towards me as the drums rolled into powerful music.  Surrounded by tearful eyes, Jodie’s advance along the aisle passed quickly, our hands gripped tightly as we met.  Disregarding tradition, we kissed.  Gradually the room quietened, and we turned to our registrar.  We really were getting married now!

The remainder of the ceremony passed by in a blur,  I wish I could remember more of it.  What I do remember is the following: I did not faint, Jodie did not faint and we both proudly declared “I do”.  We shared tears at bridesmaid Rebecca’s reading, and took deep breaths as we exchanged our handwritten vows.  We fumbled rings onto each others shaking fingers as everybody else in the room ceased to exist.  We became husband and wife. Most of all, we smiled.

The ceremony seemed to fly by, before our feet had time to touch the floor, our photographers Lesley and Shaun Meredith (without whom the day would not have been half as co-ordinated) had skillfully taken all the shots they needed.  I found myself greeting guests to our wedding breakfast.

The planning Jodie had put into the decoration of the Merchant room at the Castlefield Rooms was incredible.  Much had been kept a secret from me until the day.  I was amazed upon seeing the attention to detail she and Matt, our floral architect, had taken.  Each table had been set with red and black linen, creating a sexy 1950s style, and was adorned with red rose arrangements.  Each table was named after one of the places we had visited whilst traveling.  In the centre of each table, proudly stood a copy of the travel diary I had kept whilst away.  The table plan was cleverly designed with the same theme into a suitcase.  Rose petals fell over the vicinity (We must have been responsible for the butchery of thousands of roses that day, but the room looked incredible, so they were sacrificed for a worthy cause).

The smell of the rich white chocolate cake and the sound of alternative acoustic guitar music filled the room, much to everybody’s satisfaction.  It spoke volumes of our personality.  In an attempt to avoid the wedding cliché of having a DJ, Jodie and I had instead opted to hire a comedian to entertain our guests.  Unfortunately, I was unable to announce the evening’s progression as my bride had unexpectedly gone AWOL.  For twenty minutes I searched the Castlefield Rooms, enquiring if our guests had any elaboration on her disappearance.  It was to everybody’s shock when my new wife finally made her re-entrance in a second wedding dress! It was identical to her previous one, but in a deep red colour; Jodie put me in awe.  I would later discover that it is tradition in China (the destination of our honeymoon) for a bride to have both a white and red wedding dress, making Jodie’s surprise exorbitantly apt.  Our comedian, Jamie Sutherland, was hilarious and did a much better job of giving the room a great time than any mere DJ could muster.

Conscious that we would need other ways to keep our guests entertained throughout the evening, Jodie and I conducted months of research into alternatives.  Casino tables, inflatable games, a murder mystery and star charts… all were vetoed in the name of sensibility.  We had just about given up, when we came across the idea of renting a photo booth at a wedding fayre.  What fun we had with it! The booth operators provided a box of novelty wigs and glasses to add diversity to our now drunken guests’ photos.  We requested that they leave a personal note with each one.  Much to my surprise, many of our guests opted for this as entertainment as well as the drink and dance floor combination.  At the end of our wedding night, Jodie and I were presented with a book containing copies of all the photos and messages our unsuspecting guests had committed to, leaving us with a fantastic keepsake and proof, should any be needed, that our friends are incredibly creative.

We planned to end our day with a relaxed, romantic feel by offering our guests the opportunity to release a Chinese lantern over the Mancunian landscape.  The time came to launch the candles as the sun set over the Manchester Locks.  We had thirty candles to launch in total and very minimal knowledge of how to get them airborne.  The intelligence of our happy guests overruled any anticipation we may have been feeling as twenty nine candles soared into the sky, creating a beautiful backdrop against the Hilton Hotel, where we had earlier wed.  One candle careered into a tree, where it briefly threatened to set Manchester alight before casually floating away.  The glow from the candlelight created a fantastic mood to the proceedings and some perfect photo opportunities.

Our initial fear of hosting a dull wedding was eclipsed in the light of everything else we had planned.  In fact, the evening went by so fast that we almost neglected to cut the cake.  We even managed to squeeze in a first dance.

Our evening concluded as we retired back to the Presidential Suite in the Hilton.  In the privacy of our own room, we relaxed until the early hours with music and the free drinks provided by the Hilton.  It was the perfect way to end the perfect day, relaxed in the company of our finest.

They say a man will experience a few key moments in his life; my wedding was certainly one of them.

When I met Danny seven years ago, I was afraid to tell him where I worked. The Confetti Box Bridal Centre in Eccles

When I met Danny seven years ago, I was afraid to tell him where I worked (I am one of the partners in my mum’s bridal business, The Confetti Box Bridal Centre in Eccles, Manchester). When I eventually told him, he was great about it, in fact we had a large bridal exhibition to do. I asked him if he fancied doing a bit of modelling for our men’s formalwear and he said yes straightaway. He later told me that he wanted to work along side me to see me in a wedding dress, as he had already made up his mind that I was the girl for him. So when Danny officially asked for my hand in marriage from my dad, and planned a trip to Venice to propose (in St Mark’s Square), I was completely over whelmed. With the thought and planning that he had done, I said yes straightaway.
As soon as we got back, we started to look for venues, as we had now named the date 27th June 2009. We did not want the usual hotel or stately home that does a couple of weddings on the same day. We wanted somewhere for our family and friends to celebrate and not get lost with other people celebrating another couple’s day (believe me, it does happen!).
I had read in the paper that The Monastery in Manchester now had a licence for marriages. We booked to have a viewing and were completely blown away with the entire place. The whole building had been restored and you can have your entire day there.
When booking The Monastery, we were told that we would be the first couple in twenty years to marry there. It was not only exciting for us to get married there, but also for the people who had worked so hard to bring this beautiful building back to it’s former glory. It was going to be a very special day.
When I told my mum where we were planning to have the wedding, she burst out crying and told us that she sang there as a young girl in the choir, which made it extra special all round. With my mum’s twenty five years experience in the bridal business, she was obviously the perfect choice for my very own personal wedding planner. She relished at the prospect of organising our wedding.
Every step was planned meticulously with our approval along the way.
One of the great luxuries I have as part of this beautiful bridal business is that I have all the top wedding dress designers to choose from for my dress. However, my mum started her bridal business twenty one years ago, and this August started designing ranges of her own. It was only right that she designed her daughter’s gown.

Dizzie Lizzie Couture made the gowns. Yes I did say gowns! I had chosen two identical dresses, one for the day, in ivory silk, and one for the night, in red silk. I also had four bridesmaids, who wore three quarter length wedding gowns in ivory to match my gown for the day, and not to clash with the red gown at night.
My cake was nine tiers, again, Mum’s design. She rightly pointed out that the venue is so huge, that a three tier cake would be lost. The girls from The Big Wedding Cake Company set about making an amazing cake. Some layers were chocolate, some were sponge and the top tier was made of fruit. Absolutely beautiful. We set it in between the huge pillars of The Monastery, and had it dramatically lit.

My mum had thought of everything for our wedding, from soloists on the altar and huge gospel choir that followed, to the string quartet. To the delight and massive surprise to our family and friends, the waiters who were serving them were actually classical singers called “The Three Waiters”. We hired them especially from London to entertain our guests. Everybody loved them, they had everybody out of their seats singing along.

Suppliers list for The Lady in Red & White

• Big Wedding Cake Company – 01942 719019
• Confetti Box – 0161 788 8210
• Gorton Monastry – 0161 223 3211
• Herve Photography – 0151 9321547
• Horgans Limousines – 0161 491 5087
• Red Floral Architecture – 01457 834696

“ With both of us having such busy work schedules, stress levels were definitely rising. That’s when we made one of our best decisions: to employ a professional to help. Andrea Swift of Fabulous Day was truly wonderful; she looked after all the tricky details before the day her legendary “to-do” lists were perfect, but what made her completely invaluable was the fact that she worked with us to deliver the day we wanted”.

Our story starts when we fell in love – literally, as we met when we fell off our respective horses on a hack. Two years later, on our anniversary, Tony proposed (on one knee of course) in the beautiful Dorothy Clive Gardens in Staffordshire where we had strolled on our first date. We decided to get married one year later – April 10^th was our target. A church wedding was always important to us and we wanted to get married at Christ Church, Little Drayton, Shropshire, near Fi’s childhood home where her father still lives and next door to her primary school. One slight complication was that the parish was having a new vicar so we could not confirm the date until September, but we pushed on with arrangements anyway. In the event, the new vicar, Father Hywell Snook, could not have been kinder. He helped us focus on what was really important, which was the vows we were making, and kept our feet on the ground over the months to come. He did not bat an eyelid at there being not one best man but two – and both female (Tony’s lovely daughters).

So with the church set, a venue for the reception was the next priority. We looked at Oakley Hall and immediately fell in love with it. For us it was a perfect location: a Queen Anne mansion set in stately parkland with an elegant main hall, and a light and airy ballroom. Unlike a hotel, you hire the Hall (it is actually a family home) and then are left to make the arrangements yourself.  For us this was also perfect as we had lots of ideas and it meant we were not restricted, although of course it does mean extra work. Keith from the Hall was very helpful and provided a list of possible caterers and other suppliers but we were actually free to use whoever we liked.  For us, music, food and wine were at the top of the list.  We decided that rather than a marquee, we would make full use of the magnificent main hall for dining but this meant limiting our numbers to around 100 adults.  A discussion with Graham Crawford of Crawford Marquees was very useful and Graham not only provided an awning outside as extra protection in the event of rain, but all the tables, chairs and dance floor.  He was also extremely helpful during set-up.  If larger numbers had been required, a marquee on the lawn would have been the perfect solution.

Having talked to various caterers, S and F Caterers stood out for us. Sally and Fiona were lovely people with a definite ‘can do’ attitude, and they came with excellent recommendations. The food was everything we had hoped for and more, with wonderful canapés, delicious wedding breakfast and a supper that ‘hit the spot’. The service was efficient, friendly and professional, and in fact everything about the catering was outstanding. We recommend them very highly – these ladies really know their business. A fantastic four tiered chocolate cake with chocolate ganache icing and a cascade of chocolate flowers from Amerton Cakes, along with a chocolate fountain in the evening (from Chocolate Joy) served to satisfy the cravings of even the most avid chocoholic.

Next stop was the liquid refreshments for the day.  We were recommended Old School Wines at Stone, an independent wine merchant. The owners, Andrew and Clare Wilson, really know their stuff and have a fantastic selection of wines. Andrew educated us in wines for large parties and gave us extensive “homework” to choose the best wine, a difficult task that we had to share with friends. A big advantage of purchasing wines from Andrew is he will then provide “proper” fine glasses as part of the service. He also put us in touch with the excellent Jonny Corn, a sommelier who ran the drinks service all day. Jonny was fantastic and he and his team ensured that all our guests were superbly looked after throughout the day.

Choosing a photographer you like and trust is really important as this is the person who will record your memories. Luckily for us, this was a “no-brainer”. We had seen Ian Olsson’s work previously and, for us, he is simply the best. Even though he lives in Surrey he was happy to travel to Shropshire and the results were all we had hoped for and more: beautiful memories captured by a truly inspired professional.

By now it was Christmas and we were beginning to realise just how complex organising the wedding was proving to be. With both of us having such busy work schedules, stress levels were definitely rising. That’s when we made one of our best decisions: to employ a professional to help. Andrea Swift of Fabulous Day was truly wonderful; she looked after all the tricky details before the day and her legendary “to-do” lists were perfect, but what made her completely invaluable was the fact that she worked with us to deliver the day we wanted. On the day itself Andrea was discrete and incredibly efficient. We were completely unaware of what was happening in the background: everything from ensuring the amazing confetti line was in place for us to ensuring the bands set up on schedule. Everything went exactly to plan and having Andrea there to orchestrate the whole thing meant that we could relax and enjoy the day. Particularly for busy working folk, we would strongly suggest a wedding organiser and we cannot recommend Andrea more highly.

The hunt for the dress started in earnest in January. A chance trip to Any Occasion in Tunbridge Wells with Fi’s future sister in law found Fi trying on a designer wedding dress by Linea Raffaelli (while Tony and his brother were in the pub of course!). It was a very unusual colour, a gorgeous dark red silk taffeta shot with blue, and very flattering to Fi’s pale complexion.  To complement it, Fi chose the dramatic contrast of an off-white bolero, with silk roses of the same fabric as the dress, and knew immediately that the outfit was ‘The One’.  How many brides can say they tried on only one wedding dress!

The ‘best men’, Tony’s daughters, looked stunning in bespoke dark grey long dresses with ivory boleros; our two younger bridesmaids wore simple ivory dresses from Monsoon and for our teenage bridesmaid, an on-trend short, ivory Yuki dress.

Sourcing the men’s clothing was just as easy; we went to J & J Designs in Newcastle under Lyme and found an outstandingly friendly, helpful and skilled service, willing to make adjustments at the very last minute!

Our next thoughts were flowers. Conceptually, we knew what we wanted but needed a good creative florist. This was not straightforward but when we met Alison O’Mara in Stone she immediately impressed us with her ideas (Alison also teaches floristry at her dedicated floristry school in Stone). On the day she decked the Hall with beautifully crafted floral garlands and arrangements that were very much admired. The buttonholes and the corsages for the ‘best men’ were superb, and the bridesmaids’ bouquets of dark red tulips and roses were stunning; they made a fabulous contrast with their ivory dresses whilst toning with the bride’s dark red dress. The bride’s bouquet of white and green parrot tulips, green hellebores, ivory and dark red roses, with a touch of blue eryngium to complement the blue tones in the dress, had the feel of a Dutch ‘old master’ still-life painting and looked perfect with the dark red of the wedding dress.

For Fi, hair and makeup were a priority by now. Fi’s hair was coloured and styled beautifully by Chris Andrew and his team at Dezign Room of Stone. There must be a very special mention for Fi’s make-up artist, the wonderful Elayne Moore. As a more mature bride, Fi felt she needed some make-up but didn’t want to look unnatural, and Elayne got the balance just right. She did a superb job on the ‘best men’, making them even more beautiful, and she also did an outstanding job on the pretty young bridesmaids, emphasising their fresh looks and at the same time making them feel very special. The girls’ make-up lasted all day with only a lipstick touch-up in the evening, and we were all delighted.  Elayne was so much more than just a make-up artist, however, calming all our nerves, dealing with mascara and eye make-up crises, and helping the bride get ready right up until she left.  Elayne Moore is truly wonderful and we highly recommend her.

As we had guests travelling long distances, we organised a block-booking at a local hotel and so transport was required. Routemaster Buses of Crewe provided classic buses to get our guests to the church and on to the reception, and the bright-red, double-decker, London bus started the day in style. For us, a Rolls, and a Daimler for the bridesmaids from Silverline Cars provided elegant, luxurious and comfortable transport.

Music is a very important factor for us. Right from the start we knew we wanted an operatic aria as we signed the register in church. We also needed some entertainment in the Ballroom for an hour in the evening whilst the main Hall was transformed from dining room to dance floor. A friend suggested Helen Blake as a soloist and what a find she was! Helen and her accompanists Andrew and John Burr added more than a touch of magic to the day. Her performance of “Oh mio babbino caro” and “Panis Angelicus” left not a dry eye in the church, whilst her evening recital of songs from the shows and jazz hits struck just the right chord. She left us and our guests with truly fantastic memories and her performances were real highlights of the day.

Lucy Cadman’s beautiful tenor saxophone set the perfect relaxed mood as our guests arrived at Oakley Hall in glorious warm spring sunshine for bubbles and canapés. After the wedding breakfast and Helen Blake’s recital, we moved back into the now transformed main Hall for an hour of ‘Strictly Ballroom’ under the musical direction of The Good Time Combo. The real highlight, however, was the dancing demonstration by Bryl Berry and his team of instructors Louise, Danni and Zoey from Shaftsbury Dance, which delivered a real “wow” factor to our guests. We were delighted that many of our guests took to the dance floor afterwards to have a go themselves. Bryl and his team had worked with us over a period of many weeks before the big day to choreograph not one but two “first dances”, which we managed to perform to generous applause!

And then to the main band – and what a band they were! We came across The Collection at a wedding fair at the NEC. They are fronted by Keavy Lynch, a former member of B*witched with several number-one hits to her credit. The band was truly professional and was happy to learn one of our favourite songs for the evening. We danced the night away to the fantastic music, with a disco provided by the band filling the last half hour. The dance floor was packed all night, right up until the last song, Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ …

So that was it – a truly fabulous day which has left us so many wonderful memories, all made possible by the fantastic team of people we had working with us!

Suppliers list for Fallen in Love

• Coordinator – Fabulous Day – 07985 829590
• Venue – Oakley Hall – 01630 653472

“We chose the stunning Samlesbury Hall near Preston.  The fact it was a Tudor-style building made it even more apt, as Graham’s surname is Tudor”.

My first glimpse of Graham was in 2005, at a production meeting in a tiny office in Covent Garden.  The cast of Jack and the Beanstalk had been invited to meet each other mid-October before the pantomime season began in November.  Graham launched into the room sporting a Mohican with a bright red stripe down the middle due to the show.  Although we exchanged pleasantries, I remember thinking that he looked like a bit of nutter.  According to Graham, he vaguely remembers meeting me at all!

Our initial impressions of each other soon changed.  Four weeks later, we arrived in Plymouth for the first day of rehearsals.  After being greeted by the Chuckle Brothers, I was then met by a relaxed and smiling Graham minus the red stripe and Mohican!  He was chatty and complimentary; it wasn’t long before I was smitten by his outrageous personality and charm.  Within a few days of rehearsals, my initial thoughts had changed to ‘wow, my mum would love this guy’!

It wasn’t long before Graham had taken me out for dinner several times.  We had already shared stage kisses, which helped calm our nerves for the ‘real’ first kiss.  It was obvious to the other cast members that Graham and I were besotted with each other.  My parents were curious to meet this Graham character, who I seemed to mention during every phone call to them.  The panto season was in full swing, Graham played Jack, and I played his princess.  Considering we got married twice a day for seven weeks, it was inevitable that our fairytale was only just beginning.

Twelve months on, we returned to Plymouth for our one year anniversary.  Plymouth may not strike people as the romantic capital of the world, but it certainly became ours as we visited all the places where we had first fallen in love.  Graham topped it off by proposing to me in a secluded beach cove on the Plymouth Hoe.  It was a freezing cold but bright and sunny day in November.  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect proposal.  After catching my breath, wiping away the tears and clarifying that he had asked my dad’s permission first, I finally said ‘yes’!

It wasn’t until June 2009 that we finally decided to plan our wedding.  It was the day I dreamt of since I was a little girl; I was determined to put my heart and soul into the planning of it.  My sister, Sarah, was a huge help and made us our beautiful wedding stationery.  She was on hand for advice throughout the decision making.  We considered marrying abroad, but deep down I knew I wanted a big white wedding.  After our fairytale beginning, we knew that we wanted a fairytale themed wedding, hence my nine bridesmaids and huge dress!  We wanted hints of our theatrical background and pantomime romance to play a role in our day, but at the same time, ensure it was classy and magical.

Graham and I felt it was important that we marry in a church as I’m from a Catholic family.  We chose to marry in the village of Upholland where I grew up, in the church next door to my old primary school.  We then chose a reception venue that was within easy reach.  We chose the stunning Samlesbury Hall near Preston.  The fact it was a Tudor-style building made it even more apt, as Graham’s surname is Tudor.  The Tudor Bridal Lodge at the end of the driveway was enough to draw me to tears.  Graham and I knew we had found our perfect venue.  Angela and Lindsay were absolutely amazing. From the moment we first met to the end of the wedding day, they helped to make everything stress-free.  They made us feel individual as opposed to just another bride and groom.  We sampled the restaurant’s food several times before the wedding and we could not fault it.  Everything was homemade using local produce.  It was important for us to get the food right, after all, my older brother is a chef. The food and overall service was outstanding.

The day came round so quickly.  We got married Friday 14^th May 2010.  It had been beautiful and sunny on the days before and after the day of the wedding, but we ended up with a lot of rain on the day.  However, it was amazing how it didn’t make any difference to our day and the photos prove this.  We had chosen John Burrows to do our wedding photography.  I knew John already when we worked together on ‘Hollyoaks’ from 2000-2005.  He was a camera operator at the time and he was always brilliant to work with on set, so I thought he would make Graham and I feel totally at ease on our special day.  We had a consultation with John and had expressed how we wanted our photos to tell the story of our day.  We wanted spontaneous photographs that picked out the special moments and reactions that you can easily miss or forget.  John did not disappoint and he was one of the highlights of our day.  All our guests raved about him as he stayed until nearly 11pm.  The photos themselves are like watching a documentary of our day!

Our fairytale theme made our guests giggle at times, which was exactly what we wanted.  We had named the top table ‘Happily Ever After’ and the rest of the tables as pantomime characters.  We dressed the tables with candelabras surrounded by pale pink and ivory roses, glazed with a glitter that gave a soft sparkle to the room.  The flowers were created by Kerry at Wild Flowers, whose artistic flair was outstanding.  She had even added the odd pink sugar mice to the tables too.  Our favours were made up of bags of magic beans for the men, and princess tiara tea lights for the ladies.  My favourite creation of all was our wedding cake.  My mum has always made the greatest Christmas cake, so much so that I had taken a sample with me to Plymouth when Graham and I first met.  Graham fell in love with it, so I had to ask my mum to make our three-tier fruit cake.  We had the cake decorated at Have your Cake and Eat it, Coppull.  Sarah took our idea from a photograph of us taken during our panto season, and created our perfect cake.  She made figures of a princess sat at the top, and Jack climbing a beanstalk that crawled up the tiers of the cake.  It was brilliant.  As we walked into the candlelit room at Samlesbury Hall, all our creations literally took our breath away.  Our perfect day was rounded off by, in our opinion, the best party band you could ask for.  The Funtime Frankies left our guests begging for more, they were simply excellent and catered for all musical tastes from Elvis to Lady GaGa!

Our lasting memory of the magical day was when Graham and I stood at the back of the room and witnessed our guests having a fantastic time.  Our families and friends had come together to share our fairytale.  All that was left for us to do was to live happily ever after!

Suppliers list for a Tudor Fairytale

Venue – Samlesbury Hall – 01254 812229

Photographer – John Burrows Photography - 07810 857981

Band – The Funtime Frankies – 01772 466486

“We wanted a photographer who could blend in with our guests and truly capture their enjoyment, as well as ours.  We found Lisa Aldersley”.

I had moved to Newcastle from Sheffield a few months before I met Martin.  He was visiting friends in Newcastle, and I was out with friends who were visiting me.  It was just before Christmas and we kept in touch over the festive period and met up again in the New Year.  We spent the next two years travelling up and down the A1 every weekend, before we made the decision that I would move back to Sheffield to set up home together.

Martin proposed whilst we were on a weekend break in the Lake District.  I had no idea he had it planned for that weekend.  I got a surprise when I opened the rucksack, and found a small box that was not meant for my eyes at that particular moment!  Martin’s plan to ask me at a beauty spot somewhere along our walk was shelved!  A quiet street in Ambleside had to do!  I was thrilled, and insisted on wearing the ring, despite it being far too big for me.

That Christmas, we sent our proposed guests save the date cards in Christmas crackers.  We wanted to get married the following year, at Christmas time because it is such a lovely time of year.  You don’t have to worry about bad weather as it is a given.  You just hope for a crisp cold day with snow on the hills (fortunately, what we were got!).  We gave our guests plenty of notice, and it seemed to fit in with the festive tone of our wedding.  It also marked the beginning of the next twelve months of planning!

We both had an idea of the type of venue we wanted.  We had looked at several, but there was only ever one contender – Hassop Hall.  When we went to look around, we instantly knew it was the one.  The grounds are stunning and the house oozed charm and beauty.  We particularly liked the two separate buildings we could use.  The ballroom was where the marriage ceremony takes place, and the main house was where the reception takes place.  It made a distinction between the two parts of the day.  It was our first choice, sealed with both our parents’ approval!  The year before our wedding, we went to visit Hassop Hall at Christmas time, which got me very excited.  It was so tastefully decorated and the open fires added to the atmosphere.  Later in the year, we visited again with our families to sample the food and wine.  It was from this visit that we picked our menu of poached salmon, citrus sorbet, roast Aylesbury duckling with bread and butter pudding to finish. It was faultless.

I was so excited when we got engaged; I spent hours looking at dresses on the internet, so I had an idea of the kind of dress I wanted.  However, I was surprised when I tried that style on that I didn’t get the wow factor!  From then on, I decided to try many different types of dresses, from big meringues to sleek fishtails.  I had visited a few shops; it was from a recommendation that I visited Emily’s in Sheffield.  She didn’t disappoint.  I went with my sister; we had fun trying every possible style.  Emily got involved and offered some great advice.  It sounds cliché but you know when you find your dress.  It was one of the most exciting feelings.  I knew it was definitely the one when I took my mum to see it.  Her face lit up in a way it hadn’t done with any other.

As favourite colour is blue, I thought that a midnight blue colour scheme would be perfect for a winter wedding at Christmas.  It was different from the traditional colours associated with that time of year.  I found Marie, a fabulous florist from Millie’s Floral Boutique.  She listened to what I wanted, and had some brilliant suggestions to enhance my ideas.  We talked about the flowers that would be in season, and how we could incorporate some of the traditional Christmas foliage.  She advised me to use steel berries, which were a midnight blue colour.  They looked fabulous with the white hyacinths in the bridesmaids’ bouquets, the centrepieces, and my bouquet of phalaenopsis orchids.  The bridesmaids’ dresses were midnight blue and the white hyacinths worked well with them.  They smelt fabulous!

Finding a photographer who would tell the story of our day was a challenge.  We both knew that we did not want to spend the majority of our day posing for photographs; we wanted a photographer who could blend in with our guests and truly capture their enjoyment, as well as ours.  We found Lisa Aldersley.  The information on her website ticked all the boxes.  Once we met her, we knew she would be the perfect photographer to capture the true essence of the day, without it being contrived.  Lisa gave us great advice without being intrusive.  We now have a photo album which truly tells the story of our day.

Abbie, from Butterflies and Angels, created a wonderful cake.  It was covered in white icing and tiny white flowers.  We could not decide on a flavour of sponge, so we opted for different flavoured tiers.  As it was so close to Christmas, I was unsure if we would find someone to make our cake.  It was not a problem for Abbie; she spent her Christmas baking and decorating our cake!  It had taken her hours to put on those little flowers!

I spent the night before the wedding with my two sisters, who were my bridesmaids.  Martin stayed at his parents’ house.  That night we watched girly films and drank bubbly.  It didn’t register that it was the night before one of the biggest days of my life until the dresses were delivered, and we took them out of the dress bags.  My sisters could not resist trying theirs on, but it didn’t seem right to put on my dress, so I resisted.  I thought differently the next day, when it became a family event to fasten me up!

My sisters and I got ready at Hassop Hall, as did my mum and dad.  Polly Jenson came to Hassop Hall to do our hair and make up (Dad excluded!).  It had been a busy morning.  It wasn’t until I sat down to have my make up done an hour before the ceremony, that the excitement I felt became mixed with nerves.  I remember a moment when Polly, Lisa and I were the only ones in the room and it was very quiet.  My dad was brilliant.  I was very glad he was there to calm my nerves, which disappeared once I walked down the aisle towards Martin.

The day went quickly without any hitches.  The string quartet was perfect; the children loved dancing to their Christmas repertoire.  The mulled wine kept the guests warm on a cold snowy day when they braved a group photograph outside!  We organised the speeches either side of the wedding breakfast, which worked well.  My dad took to the floor before dinner, which meant he could relax and enjoy his duckling.  Martin and his brother, who was the best man, had to wait a little longer.  The staff at Hassop Hall was very attentive during the dinner service, and were accommodating with the children and their meals.  We received many compliments with regards to the food and staff.  It was lovely to hear.

Before the wedding, I kept being told to enjoy the day, not to worry about a thing and that it all goes very fast.  I want to say a big thank you to everyone who played a part in the day.  We had a fabulous time and didn’t worry about a thing.  As for it going fast – it does!  That is why we are very glad we found Lisa.  She captured the day perfectly, and now, we can relive the memories and experience the little things we missed.

Suppliers list for Winter Wonderland

• Venue – Hassop Hall – 01629 640488
• Photographer – Lisa Aldersley – 01204 407149