REAL WEDDING Modern Love 10707 views

Lynette & Patrick
7 June 2008

They Met It was in March 1997 at a local nightspot when Lynette mistook Patrick for someone else! It was only when they met for the second time that Lynette realised her mistake. But that didn’t stop them getting together...Patrick proposed when buying a ring. Lynette was completely taken by surprise as she thought it was for her birthday.

Wedding Venue The couple had a civil ceremony and reception at the Mecure St Pauls Hotel and Spa in Sheffield City Centre. They chose the venue for its gorgeous setting with the Winter Gardens at the back and the peace gardens and fountains at the front.

The Theme Lynette choose an all white and diamond theme with just a touch of blue. She made all the table stationery and favours herself. Each table was named after a precious stone and each guest had a photo of themselves when they were younger marking their place name.

What They Wore Lynette wore a pure white Maggie Sottero gown with a sweetheart neckline from Tickled Pink in Doncaster. "I said I would never go for it, but it was the last dress I tried on after about 15 shops and over 75 dresses. My 7 year-old niece pulled it out. It had just come into the shop and the assistant said she'd not seen anyone in it yet. So I gave it a try and I loved it ! The best part was my budget was £2000 and the dress was only £650!" Lynette's two adult bridemaids (hers and Patrick's sisters) wore fabulous willow blue dresses by Dessy. "Because my theme was white and diamonds, I wanted to add a touch of colour. Patrick's football club, Sheffield Wednesday, is blue and white. At first I thought blue was too dull but then I saw these fabulous dresses in a shop called Christine Wales in Kiveton. Sheffield. They were £200 each but the colour was gorgeous and the fabric had a shimmery sheen so fitted in with my sparkly theme." The two flower girls (Lynette's nieces aged 7 and 19 months) wore white organza dresses made to fit by designer Daniella Lara in Sheffield and little blue handheld basket of flowers to match the adult bridesmaids.

Patrick and the groomsmen, including his best friend Simon who was the best man, hired dark navy suits from Greenwoods Mens Hire in Barnsley with white shirts, pale silver waistcoats and slate grey shimmer cravats.

The Cake
"We chose House of Cakes to make our dream wedding cake. We also had a taste session which I highly recommend." Each of the three layers was a different flavour, including Madeira, lemon and the top tier as traditional fruit. Iced in white with little hearts, silver ribbon and diamante trim, glass vases with tealights separated each layer. And as the finishing touch, a Swaworksi crystal cake topper was made in their initials with a heart.

The Flowers
Lynette had wanted tropical blooms to tie in with the Winter Gardens at the venue, but in the end settled for a bouquet of white orchids with monstera leaves and china grass, dotted with diamante sprigs and two Swarovski crystal initials attached to the stems bound with blue fabric to match the bridesmaids's dresses. Similar flowers were chosen for the tables along with candelabra. "As a special thanks to all my friends I had six wrist corsages in the theme flowers on a silver wristband. They were all given out before the ceremony to mark my friends who I would have had as bridesmaids if budget had allowed."

First Dance
The newlyweds started by dancing to Amazed by Duncan James before breaking into a surprise six-piece choreographed dance. Click the YouTube link to see the real thing.

A Moment to Remember
"I'll never forget my sister in law and friend singing and seeing everyones faces. Looking at all our guests' faces throughout the day as they unravelled little personalised gifts and surprises for them was amazing. The day is about making the atmosphere right for everyone and I think we did that in everyway possible. I have never had so many thank you cards and i thought it was supposed to be us that send them - ha ha !!"

Honeymoon
As the couple placed their gift list with buy-our-honeymoon.com, it was a five-star honeymoon with all the stops pulled out. They booked a sovereign 5 star holiday with private transfers to Paphos in Cyprus at the Elysium Hotel. And then enjoyed a list of items guests had given such as a Champagne breakfast, dinner on the harbour, car hire and a trip to the Akamas.

Any Advice?
"Try and spend a little time, especially at the evening reception, going round and introducing friends or family that don’t know each other. I don’t like to see friends who don’t know anyone left on their own so this is really important."

Lynette & Patrick's Contact Book
Venue: Mercure St Pauls Hotel & Spa 01142 782000 mercure-uk.com
Photographer: The Picture Box 01709 570700 pictureboxstudio.co.uk
Cake:House of Cakes 01709 530809 thehouseofcakes.webeden.co.uk
Florist: Flower Corner 01226 779090
Dress: Tickled Pink 01302 842234 tickledpinkbridal.co.uk
Groomswear: Greenwoods Menswear 01274 659650 1860.com
Transport: Cupid Carriage 01709 550295 cupidcarriages.co.uk

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