If you’ve been reading my “The Story Of Us” series then you’d know the husband and I met at Caer Rhun Hall whilst studying for our accountancy qualification. What I may not have mentioned is that the hall is also a wedding venue. So where better for us to get married than at the very place we met.
On the big day my friend (and bridesmaid*) and I travelled from my house to Caer Rhun where we started getting ready. The photographer arrived and took photos of the dresses and of us getting ready and that sort of stuff.
* I was supposed to have two bridesmaids but one of them was pregnant and due that week. In fact she had the baby on the Monday before the wedding and still came to our wedding! Having had a baby myself I now know how incredible it was that she made it! Baby came to the wedding as well by the way!
The hairdresser came to do our hair and helped to get me into the dress – it was one of those threaded corset type ones which required pulling tight! So between my friend and her they managed to get me in it!
Now the most important thing about thedress – it was a Maggie Sottero “Coco” dress. It was bought from Wedding Belles in LlainfairPG. The bridesmaid dress was from the Ebony Rose collection (I forget which one exactly) also bought from Wedding Belles.
(Photos of me and Taid – wasn’t he looking handsome?!)
We were getting married at 12pm and the Registrar was meeting us at the bottom of the stairs at 12pm. When I walked downstairs he said that we were waiting on some missing guests. Now I’m not a patient person at the best of times and my wedding day was no exception – I just wanted to get it done! As it turned out, two of hubby’s friends had decided to take their dog for a walk 10mins before the ceremony and the best man had ran off to find them. If the best man had been around then we could have carried on but unfortunately he had the rings!!
Anyway we got going at 12.10pm and the ceremony went smoothly! My Dad walked me down the aisle to Cannon in D. We had decided to do the vows in English rather than Welsh because a) we had a lot of non Welsh speaking guests (pretty much all of hubby’s friends) and b) the formal Welsh used in the vows would’ve tripped hubby up and we opted to make it as easy as possible for everyone! The introductions and welcomes were all in Welsh though. After the vows were done we both felt so much more relaxed and we did a high five!
After signing the registry etc we then walked back up the aisle as a married couple. We had decided that our song of choice was the theme tune to Red Dwarf but to make it classy we had the harpist play it on her harp. It was AMAZING! Hence the proper cheesy grins on our faces! A lot of our guests got the reference but some didn’t they just thought it was a nice tune! Haha!
Drinks were served outside in the beautiful sunshine. We had photos taken with guests and then whilst we had our photos taken around the grounds the guests went off to do whatever it is they did!
(A photo of us where we first met – the carpark behind the classrooms! / A classier photo of us with the Hall in the background)
I don’t remember exactly but I think we all sat down for the meal at 2pm. The meal consisted of a choice of (everyone had to pre-book food):
Starter: cream of watercress soup / prawn cocktail / chicken pate
Main: turkey dinner with all the trimmings / salmon option with veg
Pudding: vanilla cheesecake served with raspberries in a butterscotch next / icecream / cheese platter
(The cake and setting)
Before the meal was served we got the speeches out of the way. Well we didn’t want those with a speech to be worrying whilst eating and not enjoying the food. Hubby, my Dad, hubby’s Dad, and the Best Man all had a speech. Dad couldn’t manage to read his so his wife did. But he did mention some stories about me as a child for example the time we went camping on top of a mountain and I took a Pot Noodle with me! At which point he gave me a tower of Pot Noodles!
(I’m not crying – I’m laughing too much!)
Everyone seemed to enjoy food and afterwards everyone went off their separate ways for a while. I know my Mam popped home to let our dogs out.
We had an evening do as well – also at Caer Rhun Hall. We had booked a hog roast and hubby’s mother did a fab spread of food such as cakes, sausage rolls etc.
We had a fabulous photographer – Martin Vaughan – who stayed longer than expected because hubby’s friends doing cheesy dancing were fantastic to take photos of. I would share but I’d have to ask their permission first. We also snuck into our old classroom and had some photos of us taken there. And luckily someone had left some accountancy books in there so we had this fab shot…. sad as it may seem, this is one of my fave shots of the day!
I had booked a DJ to do a disco – a friend from work actually. Our first dance was to Boyzone’s Everyday I Love You and it was the most excruciating thing in my life. I don’t dance EVER but had to on this occasion. After the first dance was done the DJ put on Red Dwarf theme for us again! He knows me well! 😉
Hubby and his friends loved the disco and danced the night away. I stayed in the other room with family but also where I could catch people going out for air. I didn’t venture into the disco area because everyone wanted me to dance which like I say I DO NOT DO!
(I love this photo so much!)
I think everyone enjoyed themselves and we sure did! There are a couple of things I’d change if I were to do it over but on the whole, it was a fantastic day! And we had the best weather! Especially when thinking that the following day it was really pissing it down. Honestly, it was all flooded the following day so we were so lucky!
(Some evening photos – the obligatory arse grab photo!)
Well I hope you enjoyed our wedding day story! And I’m sorry to overload you with photos – this is nothing! I have over 600 photos in total!
What an absolutely beautiful wedding day!!Love the pic of your hubby singing just sums up what a great day he was having xx #picnmix
Not too long of a post at all!! The photos are amazing – esp that one of the two of you where the camera flash is on in the background. If my best man had gone just before my wedding I would have been impatient too!! Great dress as well xx
What a lovely blog you have! I love the colour scheme. You look so stunning in all these photos and I really love the sparkles in your bouquet! Looks like an amazing day 🙂 x
What a lovely day! How special to have such wonderful memories and fantastic photos to share with everyone. #picnmix
Oh wow lovely you had the most gorgeous wedding and I love that you got married where you first met!! Beautiful pictures and even better that your wedding was so personalised – the red dwarf theme made me chuckle 😉
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix I love this post!
Stevie x
Thank you! It was a pretty perfect day! We had thought about getting married elsewhere but you know we just couldn’t! It felt like we belonged at Caer Rhun! Oh the Red Dwarf theme was one of the best moments! 🙂 I just wish we had recorded it! x
I think the photographer was one of the most expensive things but it was so worth it!!
Thank you!! The sparkles in the bouquet was actually my necklace which the photographer threw in there for effect! It was such an amazing day!
That photo is amazing! Well we couldn’t carry on without the best man really!! I really liked the dress – it covered all the bumps! x
Thank you -It was a pretty perfect day! I love that photo as well – he looks so happy!! x
Gorgeous! Love the smaller, individual cake idea 🙂
Beautiful photos! Such a shame that your venue is closing down 🙁 Such a special place for you both.
Wow that cake! You look gorgeous and what stunning photographs. Looks like such a magical and wonderful day 🙂 Jess xx http://www.mummyofboygirltwins.com
Wow, this looks like an amazing wedding! Even if I ever do get married, I can’t imagine pulling off something like this! And the venue looks stunning as well – even the car park is kind of pretty with all the trees.
Getting married in the same place where you’ve met is so sweet. Lovely story.
Thanks! We had an individual cake for each of our guests which was to be served with tea/coffee after the meal but that never happened. Not entirely sure what happened to the cake!
Thanks – I am so glad we paid for the photographer! Well worth the money. And yes such a shame – although it’s now gone on the market for £1.4m!
Everyone seems to love the cake! It was very nice I must admit. It was truly a perfect day! So lucky with the weather and everything! x
It was pretty perfect I must admit! 🙂 But once we decided on the venue everything else just fell into place. Yeah the carpark is nice – except when it rains because it turns into mush!
There was no competition on the venue really! It was perfect for us! 🙂
Oh how absolutely lovely! I love the colors and styles you selected:) And to get married in the beautiful place you met, that’s just extra special 🙂
Thank you – purple is my favourite colour so it was a must! That’s the only thing hubby didn’t have a choice on! I love the fact we married at the place we met – such a shame it’s closing though!
Pingback: Media Monday – Red Dwarf | Becster.com
I said it before and I say it again ^^ This is pure beauty, Becster! Just looking at the first picture with the building was like “this is amazing!” The dress is wonderful! The pictures are wonderful! And the cake – oh my god, the cake. I’d love a piece of that. 🙂
I think it’s so lovely that you took the place where you met and that you took pictures that relate to that day that had such a big impact in both your lives. It’s so playful and looks fantastic. And you really were so lucky with the weather, that’s great!
I can understand that this must have been of the most amazing days in your life! 🙂
I’m so sorry I never replied to this comment! Thanks so much! The place is amazing but sadly it’s closed now. It was such a great day! x
Beautiful! I love going back and looking at my wedding pictures:) It was an awesome day <3 The back of you dress is gorgeous and I love the ethereal quality to everything! Congratulations:)
Pingback: Becster.com - The Valentine's Tag - Planner Girls Collective - Becster.com
Pingback: Becster.com - WIN with Swizzels #LovelyMoments - Becster.com
Pingback: Becster.com - All About Me - Becster.com
WOW! What a story and what a day!
I really wish you were my BFF back then so we could have come to your wedding LOL! The photo’s are incredible 🙂
It was an incredible day! So lucky with the weather as well.. you should’ve seen the rain the following day. It was torrential.
We should’ve met years ago!