Sarah Jane and Mike met in 2004 in Cardiff when Mike came down to stay with one of his friends, who happened to be one of Sarah Jane's best friends. There was an instant attraction and as they say the rest is history.

The Proposal

Mike took Sarah Jane to Paris on a surprise trip. He had told her they were going to London so she had a panic when she realised she hadn't packed her passport - luckily Mike had remembered everything. He proposed at the top of the Eiffel Tower in December 2008.

Hen & Stag Parties

Mike went to Cardiff for the weekend for his stag do. He was dressed up in a wedding dress, which once on, was told that it was his mothers. Needless to say, it didn't fit that well. Sarah Jane didn't have an official hen do due to bereavement but all her friends ensured she was made to know she was special before the wedding by organising a surprise lunch.

Wedding Theme

There was no real wedding theme, but with Mike being Scottish they chose to have thistles, and as Sarah Jane’s maiden name is Rose a lot of roses were incorporated too. Sarah Jane’s favourite colour is purple so the bridesmaids wore dark purple, and purple was brought out in the flowers too.

The Bridal Party

The Bridesmaids wore purple dresses purchased from Debenhams, which had a group of four small roses to the side of the waist. They were ankle length and were finished off with a bolero jacket and purple beaded wedding jewellery that was handmade for the occasion. The best man wore a Kilt hired from McCalls of Elgin - again with all the trimmings. The ushers wore plain black suits that were bought from Suits You. They were just as cheap as hiring, and the ushers were able to keep them after the wedding. Sarah Jane and Mike chose not to have children at the wedding so they did not have a page boy or flower girl.

Transport

As their ceremony was in St Leonard's Church, Stanton Fitzwarren, 100 yards from Stanton House Hotel, all the guests walked from the church to the reception. Sarah Jane and Mike then walked along the long gravel drive whilst a relative played the bag pipes. It was very personal and all the guests were there to greet them.

The Ceremony & Reception

Sarah Jane and Mike had a traditional church wedding at St Leonards Church, Stanton Fitzwarren. Sarah Jane entered to The Bridal March and traditional wedding vows were taken. They had a personal reading, a poem written by a mutual friend and also 1 Corinthians 1:1 - 13. There were 100 guests at the wedding breakfast, but a few extra were squeezed into the church.

The reception was held at Stanton House Hotel. The grounds and setting were beautiful, with a lake and fields that were perfect for pictures outside. The Hotel provided a wedding planner to help with the organisation of the day and also provided a disco in the package for the evening, where an extra 50 guests attended.

The Photographer

Sarah Jane and Mike chose Lis McDermott as their wedding photographer. She was the first photographer they saw at a wedding fair, and then every other photographer they saw they compared their work to hers. They found her very friendly, professional and she managed to perfectly capture the whole day in their album.

Sarah Jane and Mike loved the fact that Lis took lots of natural photos and also some funny posed photos which captured their true spirit.

The Flowers

The flowers were ordered through Nicole Gamlin of The Floral Studio, Purton. The bouquets consisted of aqua and white Roses, thistles and lysanthias. The men wore thistles for their buttonholes. Aqua roses and thistles were also used for the wedding cake and the centrepieces for the tables.

The Rings

The rings were bought from Beaverbrooks in Swindon. Sarah Jane had a platinum ring to go with her engagement ring and Mike had a palladium ring. Both the bands were plain but were engraved inside with a personal note for the bride and groom.

The Cake

The wedding cake was a three tier cake that was made as a gift from their Aunt and Uncle. It was a fruit cake with white icing, and it had roses and thistles on the top. It also had ribbon wrapped around it that matched the tartan of the kilt.

Details

For favours they bought Help for Heroes key rings for the men, and donated the same amount to Cancer Research UK for the ladies, which came with lapels and a donation card.

The Honeymoon

They started their honeymoon in Cape Town, South Africa and had 5 days there before going up to the Winelands for 3 days. The following week was spent on Safari in the Kruger National Park before they flew to Mauritius for the final week.

They walked up Table Mountain, saw whales in Hermanus and skydived in Mauritius, so there was a good mixture of fun activities as well as lots of time to relax and enjoy the sun.

Memories

Mike's best memory is seeing Sarah Jane walking down the aisle. “She looked amazing."

Sarah Jane says the whole day was brilliant and it made her realise how lucky she was to have such wonderful family and friends.

Tips and Ideas

“Make it personal. Don't stress about the little things, the most important thing is the getting married, then enjoying the rest of the day.”

Bride’s Top Tip

“Make a list of all the important photos that you want taken on the day. Personalise your garter – it’s so much fun seeing the groom's face when it’s personal!”

Groom’s Top Tip

“Start preparing the speech early - before you know it the wedding day is here and all you have is your thank yous listed!”

Best Buy

“The Kilt and suits. They will be used again and again.”

Bride’s Beauty Tips

“Keep it natural so that you look like the person your husband proposed to.”

Photography: Lis McDermott Photography

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