Christine’s Story

The Proposal

The proposal was unexpected, on New Year’s Eve 2006 – under the fireworks of the midnight celebrations.

The Outfits

The Bride – Maggie Sottero – Tabrette Lynnette in vienna cream one-piece, strapless, fitted A-line corset back gown. The bodice decoration is lace motifs accented with a French taffeta empire band and ribbon. The French taffeta creates this rich gown and chapel length train. The dress was so flattering for my figure, it just won me over.

The Bridesmaids – We had one Maid of Honour and she wore a Moss Green Dessy design dress. Her shoes were the same as the Bride’s except dyed Moss Green by Rainbow to match the dress. We had three flower girls, they wore Venus Little Maidens dresses in Romantica Cream.

The Groom and Groomsmen – We found the perfect suit at Jazz in Redditch, a fawn colour suit with a fine cream pin stripe. Shoes and shirt were also bought there. The waistcoat was from The Cravat Company who have an excellent swatch service. The tie was from The Tie Box who specially sourced all the men’s ties (including the pageboy’s) from Italy – we matched the same green as the Maid of Honour’s dress. We had one pageboy, our Nephew and he wore a simple black suit with green tie as mentioned above.

The Ceremony and Reception Venue

We found The Curradine Barns on the internet through Country House Wedding Venues. It simply had a good feel about it – we just knew it was right. It was also a benefit having the whole day in one place and having the venue all to ourselves. The owners and caterers were very welcoming and accommodated all of our requests.

The catering package was great – and on the day the caterers The Galloping Gourmet were superb! Some guests said that it was the best wedding food they had ever tasted.

The Decorative Touches

Room decorations – We kept it simple. The Curradine Barns does not need that much decoration and serves as a perfect backdrop for any wedding. We had simple Organza sashes on the back of some chairs and just let the floristry do the work. There really was no need to go over the top.

Table centrepieces – We had a vase of flowers in the centre, frosted glass votives & tealights surrounding. The head table also had two candelabras and organza bows on the chairs – just to make it stand out. Each table was named after a leading actor, the head table being Pacino.

Favours – We made our own favours keeping with the colour scheme, the ladies received a Wedding Day Scented Yankee Candle gift boxed with nametag, the men received Lilac Island Punch Jelly Belly Jelly Beans in a tin labeled with nametag and the children received Just Jelly Cat keyrings or small toys which fitted perfectly into favour boxes.

The Cake

Waitrose – Sugar Petals Ivory Rich Fruit Cake (three tier) I would highly recommend keeping the cake simple – the cake we chose was great on price, looked superb and was delicious, we saved about £200 by doing this. I even had some left over for Christmas!

The Transport

We did not need transport with this venue which helped with costs and the bride got ready at the venue.

Advice to other couples

We did not have a budget so to speak, it was important to us to have the right venue to start with, one that we would be completely comfortable with. Even though the venue we chose was the more costly out of those viewed, we knew we would not be disappointed. We saved money in other areas to compensate and it was well worth it. I just don’t think we went over the top with purchases. Things like having plain silk Bridal shoes for example – who is really going to see them? I used the Internet vigorously and would highly recommend it to get the best prices.

Before the speeches we organized a drawing competition for the children, they had to draw the bride and groom on their wedding day. It was a total success, we pinned the drawings to a pinboard and they became a focal point for the rest of the day. It kept the children happy!

The Suppliers

Wedding Reception Venue – The Curradine Barns

Venue found through Country House Wedding Venues

Bride’s dress – Stella Liliana in Studley Warwickshire

Bride’s accessories – Crystabelle Jewellery

Groom’s suit – Jazz in Redditch

Bridesmaid’s dresses – Dessy

Wedding Cake – Waitrose

Wedding Disco – Midland Audio