Wedding Report!!!! with pics...

My god, what an eventful buildup. Where's the rest of it?! ?

If you've made it this far, I'll keep going with my report...

Monday 30th Nov:

Get checked out by my local GP who (hah!) tells me to take it easy this week, do nothing stressful and put some weight back on. I filled him in on my forthcoming weekend plans, he sucked in his breath shook my hand and said "well, good luck."

Tues 1st Dec:

I impress myself by walking to St Nicholas markets to pick up the last few crafty things I need to make before the wedding. Picked up the wedding post box to make, some material for making my seating plan, things like that. Finish off the bridesmaid gifts. Received a good luck card from my friend.

Weds 2nd Dec:

Had quite a relaxing morning at the hairdressers. My stylist is recently engaged and we chatted incessantly about my plans and thinking of ideas for hers. We discussed budgets and I realised that my £8,000 budget was quite small but that I had made it stretch really well. Very pleased with my hair I rush over to the bridal shop. Pick up my dress, surely it wasn't this heavy when i tried it on. Got into the car, start reversing and b****y NCP car park with its small spaces, I scratch the corner of my car. Never done that before and quite annoyed about it. Deep breath then off I go to pick up my present for my H2B from the photographer. The boudoir album looks fantastic and I'm really excited, can't wait to see his face when he opens it. Sneak home to hide all my stuff from him.

Thurs 3rd Dec:

4am. Like every day this week H2B has been far far too excited to sleep and wakes me up to tell me so. at 6am we give up, get up and begin to pack for the trip to my parents. Get ready in record time and I display my expert car packing skills honed through my university years. by 8am we're off! When we get to my parents, we find only my dad washed and dressed. My sister got there the day before with her partner and between them, her and mum sunk a lot of wine the previous night. After a quick catch up, the coffee pot is started and I take over the kitchen table which now becomes the favour/table plan making factory. H2B shows willing and helps me make the boxes, but is rather more interested when the chocolate comes out and when i needed to use the staplegun on the table plan. Sister skulks off shopping to avoid the madness. Dad tries to dictate to me how much wine to take to the venue, despite the fact that H2B and I have this all planned and decided with the venue already. Deep breath at the interference, one of many that day and on we go. Try to avoid awkward questions over dinner about why I really really don't want a drink with my dinner (can't face it after the bug)

Fri 4th Dec:

Tomorrow's my wedding day, yaay!

Mum has shot off to the venue, Bindon House in Wellington early in the morning. She's doing all my flowers (and she did brilliantly) and has gone to make a start on the arrangements for the mantlepieces. H2B and I arrive after lunch. It is now that I finally become very excited, bouncing through the venue. They pretty much let us take over the place that weekend, tubs of flowers were everywhere and the place looked great. They let me set up the dining room the night before, so I get to work tucking my ivy leaf place settings into napkins tied with rafia and arranging menus and favour boxes. H2B has to go check in to his hotel and leaves me there, we arrange to meet up at a local pub for dinner. More of my family starts arriving and everyone is getting into the spirit. Mum starts a sweat shop going helping to put together the hurricane vase arrangements for the dinner table. We arrive at the local pub at 8pm. No sign of H2B so we get a drink and wait. H2B and his family turn up 45 minutes late. My mum keeps mentioning to me the bad manners of this lateness and how hungry everyone is, I ignore her and go off to speak to his family. We leave the pub at 10pm for an early night, but when I get back to the venue, which I'm staying at the night as well, I find my family in the bar having more drinks. I decide to join them and don't get quite as early a night as I wanted.

Ooh I'm enjoying this - reiterate what your stylist says - impressive to get everything done for £8k!

Sat 5th Dec, 7am:

YAAAAAAY! Official excitement steps up a level. I'm awake and I want to get this party started. Considering it was the night before my wedding, I slept pretty well. Probably because I still wasn't one hundred percent from being ill, but I didn't realise this until another week later.

Staying in bed I decide to write a letter to my H2B. I'd intended to get him a wedding day card, but what with being ill and having to alter my plans a bit, a letter would have to do. I wrote some heart-felt words with the deliberate intention of trying to get him to cry before the wedding (there was a private bet between us on who would cry first) and stuff the letter into his suit bag which I was looking after at the venue. I later got one of the staff to put the bag in his parents room where he was going to get changed.

After getting washed and dressed I sauntered down to breakfast at 9am. Only no-one was there. Feeling hungry I decided that they probably wouldn't be long and I would sit and eat anyway. I ate a huge breakfast during the whole time of which, no one came downstairs. Slightly disappointed but actually relishing a bit of peace and quiet after Friday I sat drinking coffee on a sofa and smelling all the fresh flowers filling the downstairs rooms. I went back up to my room and started putting polish on my nails. Mum knocked on my door and asked if I was coming to breakfast, i go back down and have another cup of coffee while they all eat. Feeling calm and in control.

After breakfast mum cracks on with my bouquet which I stand there holding so that she can get the angles right. I have also assumed a dictatorship role, directing people to put things here there and everywhere. The venue is a mass of activity, so some of my family decide to go off and look around next door's christmas tree farm. The hairdresser arrives early and very pregnant bless her, so I show her to one of the reception rooms for a cup of tea. After which I excitedly show her around the venue as I'm by now very pleased with what has been achieved. However, this is cut short as I come face to face with my soon to be MIL. She's come to put the wedding cake together and happily announces that oh yes, H2b is just behind her. Quick as lightening, my bridesmaid Mel, who had arrived a little earlier and was also by now fully in the spirit of things rushes off and bossily pushes my six foot four fiancee out the door before we see each other. I leg it upstair to my room, quite put out that he arrived so early as this meant I was now trapped in my room and potentially missing out on a lot of fun. But its now 11am and with the wedding at 3:30pm its time for the beautification spell to spun.

I know you're eager for photos, so I'll sneak one in now, the rest of them I'll post at the end of the report...

LOVE the dress!

Sat 11amish (I've stopped looking at the time by this point)

Kate my hairdresser, my two BMs and I are now in the bridal suite getting ready for the ceremony. I want to go last so that I look fresh, so she makes a start on my mum's cousin, doing her hair. the room is turned into some kind of beauty parlour as people traipse in and out to have their hair done. My MIL is next and she and I chat for a while and then my mum comes in to have her hair done. She gives us a box of chocolates and some champagne, which we took a rather surprisingly long time to get around to opening. In between all this Kate keeps going into the bathroom as she is 8 months pregnant with all that entails. We decide that Kate is the keeper of the bathroom and we all give her first choice before using it ourselves. I've got swing music playing from my MP3 player, in particular one of my favourite songs, 'You've got me'. We're all in great spirits and the chatter is lively and nothing to do with the wedding unless we hear odd snatches, such as when the musicians started setting up and some music difted up to our room.

My BM Mel goes next, she has her hair done and Kate also offers to do her foundation for her. She looks great, really pretty. But now that Mel is done it means it's my turn. I didn't have a clue about the time and thought that we must have hours to go, and yet I don't think that was the case. Mel and my sister disappeared to put their dresses on, leaving me alone with Kate. Kate set about doing my hair first and then my makeup. If any of you are wondering about getting someone in to do it, I can't recommend it enough. My hair looked wonderful and my make up was never so good as that day. I couldn't have done it as well as her, and Kate was great at keeping me calm and reassuring me when a few nerves kicked in. My BMs came back looking resplendent in their red dresses and the champagne was opened. Kate was still doing my make up. She finished and we said our goodbyes as she left. She had barely gone when the registrar came knocking on the door. OMG it was 10 past 3 already!!!! where had the last 3 hours gone?

The registrars asked me a few questions, reassured me that H2B was feeling a little nervous but okay and said see you soon and were gone. My mum popped her head round the door looking good too and said good luck before disappearing off downstairs. I am now a little panicked as I realise that time is running short. the BMs get a quick flash of my boobs and blue knickers as they help me into my dress. At this point the swearing begins as they are both trying to do up the hooks with long nails, I tell them to be thankful it wasn't a ribbon tied corset. My sis runs off to fetch my dad and is gone a long time. I later found out they were crying outside my bedroom door getting over emotional. We quickly down the champagne get my jewellery on shake out our legs and leave the room. We're now standing at the top of the gallery, hidden from all the guests downstairs, but I can lean over and see a sneak peak. The photographer ben is there in front of me, smiling broadly and snapping away. The awesomeness of the situation overtakes me and I burst out laughing, which I'm later told did rather break the solemnity of what was going on downstairs as my laughter floated down the hall. I ask for a tissue as I panick that I might start crying and realise I have no where to keep it, so I stuff it down my top! Suddenly, I can hear my friends Martin and Anna start to play Hallelujah on the violin and guitar and I know its time to walk, my legs turn to jelly and I can't quite believe it's really here and happening now!

Oooooh come on.... type faster!! I'm loving this ?

We begin to walk down the stairs, Dad and I in front with my BMs behind. We try to walk really slow, which is good because Dad has COPD and can't walk fast anywhere. He was only able to walk me at all because of an operation he had in February last year removing part of his lungs. We get halfway down the stairs and I feel like my legs could give way. I whisper to dad to stop for a minute, I can hear his breathing is bad and I need to compose myself before we round the corner and come back into view of the guests. I saw my H2B standing there looking very sophisticated in his suit and wearing his granfather's silk scarf. We carry on and yes, make it to the bottom of the stairs. I go to stand next to H2B and take him by surprise reaching for a quick kiss and to tell him I love him. I feel that everyone must see me shaking but I don't think they did. Then the ceremony began, it was short but lovely. His sister did a reading in welsh which got faster and faster as she got nervous, then my sister read a poem and I could see she wanted to cry. We said our vows, but H2B had to get them to repeat his each time as he was so emotional that he kept forgetting what they said. By the end of the ceremony, even the registrar who must do hundreds of weddings a month was getting emotional. It was done. We are now husband and wife and the old excitement had replaced the nerves for both of us. We felt back in control, back together and enjoying every minute. We did the obligatory signing of the register to the PM love them from love actually, played by a harpist and walked out the ceremony to the them tune from Pride and Prejudice (1990s BBC version). We walked straight into the Bonaparte room and collected our glasses of Cricova, congratulated ourselves on a beautiful ceremony and then began all the kissing and greeting of guests.

I barely noticed our photographer all day. He was excellent. We asked for only a couple of formal photos of the two of us, but mostly for lots of relaxed shots that captured the atmosphere of the day. Looking back at the photos listening to the swing soundtrack they are great. It was unfortunately raining as it had been for the last 6 weeks, but undeterred, Ben dragged us and the BMs outside with lovely white umbrellas which took some lovely pictures. After that it was a whirr of meeting and greeting and catching up with people I hadn't seen in ages. we had a five minute rule, that meant every 5 minutes, OH would seek me out for a kiss and hello, this worked really well. Before we knew it t was time for dinner. Everyone was seated and we grabbed a quiet two minutes in one of the sitting rooms to tell each other how much we were in love and take it all in. We were announced into the dining room which surprised me and the whole effect with everyone sitting there was great, I was so shocked at the MIL cake which was brilliant. At this point I thought the photographer was gone, but the photos show that he stayed just a bit longer.

We ate the starter and then Dad gave his speech which was of course lovely. Then onto the main serving which was quite deliciously cooked guinea fowl. After this the two best men (his brothers) did their speech together which included envelopes full of factoids about OH. But the special touches didn't end there...

Out starts coming the dessert, a lovely mango version of creme brulee with pecan ice cream. By this point, OH and I are whispering together constantly as the bit we had almost forgotten but long agonised over was about to happen. We noted the extra waiters arriving, one of whom seemed to be directing the venues staff around a bit serving the puddings. A cousin said to his dinner partner, oh, a shift change. NO!

Suddenly a microphone flicks up into a waiters hand and tah dah! they burst into a cabaret show. It was so much fun, caught everyone off guard and finished the meal perfectly setting everyone up for a party after dinner. Watching one of the female waiters sing Big Spender with pink feather boa to our two fathers was classic and by the end we were all up on our feet with me leading a congo around the downstairs. Everyone loved them and had no idea, people are still talking about it now!

when they left everyone excitedly went back into the reception rooms and kept drinking, the jukebox we'd hired was turned up and people began to fight to put up their song choces. For us, the jukebox worked perfectly. Neither us, our friends or family are in to modern pop music particulary, so we were able to choose lots of great party songs from all ages and to suit the mood. Admittedly it was mostly the men who croweded round it, but it meant everyone's favourite songs were played. Only one guest got hideously drunk despite the free wine, but she was a good drunk and danced with everyone. I spent most the evening dancing to that jukebox. At about 10ish a cheesboard buffet was brought out and was well received, I enjoyed mine with a glass of port. The bride and groom were the last to bed some time after 1am.

It was the best day of our lives, we talk about it every day and wouldn't have changed a thing. All our guests have said it was the best wedding they've ever been to.

The next day, Sunday my parents held an open house with sparkling drink and a buffet. We invited extended family, friends we hadn't invited to the wedding, friends of our parents to this and it kept the party spirit going one more day (although we were exhausted by the end of the weekend). On the Monday we happily packed the car up and set off for Cornwall for two weeks to enjoy an eco-bricq fire, pub dinners and the sea. We did it all our way, not without being challenged, but it all worked. The small touches were great and appreciated.

Now you deserve the photos...

http://www.bensimmondsphotography.co.uk/wynne

N & P:

Ben Simmonds, Photographer, based in Wellington, Somerset. Has done the whole thing for £476 and was very professional.

Kate Wile, http://katewildemakeupandbeauty.com/ who travelled from Bristol to do my lovely hair and makeup

Bindon Country House, all the staff were friendly and melted into the background on the big day. We really took over that place.

AliBali who did my bracelet twice! as rotten royal mail lost/stole the first one

and the two mums who did a fabulous job with the flowers and cakes!

Gorgeous gorgeous grogeous, awwwr big congratulations.

Love the cake and your dress is so beautiful x

It sounds absolutely lovely. Amazed you got it done for that little money. Made me quite emotional reading it all.

Love it

Fantastic report, the pictures are amazing, glad you were feeling better for the actual day!

Thank you for sharing

That was a fab report!!!!

Pictures look amazing - loved the cake!!

Thanks! Best day of my life

Wow, that was such an interesting read. You and your dress are gorgeous and the bit about the registrars getting emotional was lovely. I'm getting married on December 11th this year and I think I'm going to poach if you don't mind! Your cake was brilliant. Did you go for an overall vintage theme? It looks like that from the pictures, very elegant. Did you buy the hurricane lamps or rent them? I'm looking for something similar myself.

Yes it was a vintage theme, just kind of evolved into that. The best thing to do is just pick up little things as you go along. The hurricane lamps came as the vase, candle and sand from Asda, £4 a set. We then just added some ivy (free), a little sparkly bead string (look in your local florist) and silk orchids. I gave away all the lamps as presents. I've still got about 6 sets of the heart shaped salt and pepper pots. Lots of our things were just home-made, trimmings from haberdashery's and department stores for example add a great finishing touch. Thanks for the compliments!

All looked amazing, especially you.

So glad you were better by the day x

Wow that definately beat my 3-parter, what a wonderful read! off to look at your piccies x

You STUNNER, what a great dress and figure! Jealous!

Also love your wedding & engagement ring. Looks like you had a fantastic time, and I may steal your blackboard idea!

Lovely report - sounds like an amazing day! xx

Thanks ladies! First and only time in my life that I felt I looked beautiful. Thats the power of love!

A lovely wedding report, you look stunning. The dress is so elegant & beautiful. Congratulations to you both x

Great report, sounds like you had a fab day!! ?

I love your idea re jukbox and I've just told my groom-to-be about it and he thinks its a brilliant idea - esp as we are in a small venue with max45 guests to evening.

Hope you don't mind if we steal it :-)

Be my guests! Like you, we only had 30 guests as we wanted a small wedding and our budget got cut. I don't think that a jukebox would have worked with a much bigger group, probably 50 max. It was great, no one else was in control of our day and all our favourite songs were on. It was definitely a boy's toy though!