Amanda and Kristian met at the end of 2000.  Kristian had just started a new job and Amanda was a receptionist at the Travelodge where he was staying.  It was a couple of months before they went on their first date, which was a trip to the cinema, but they have been together ever since.

The Proposal

Amanda and Kristian got engaged in December 2009.  After asking Amanda’s father’s permission, Kristian went with Amanda’s daughter and bought an engagement ring.  On the 19th December Amanda noticed something new on the Christmas tree, and was told she could open it.  She instantly knew what was happening, even before Kristian got down on one knee and proposed.

“The first thing I said was ‘Yes! That means I get a new dress, shoes and bag!’”

Hen and Stag Parties

Kristian had a weekend in North Berwick with his friends, which involved paint balling, go-karting and of course far too much to drink. Although he came home a little bruised from the paint balls there were no other disasters!

Amanda had a night out with her friends in Essex. They went to see the Velma Celli Show in London and had a good old sing song around the piano afterwards. They were having so much fun that they had to run for the last train home and made it with only 2 minutes to spare.

The Outfits

Amanda’s wedding dress was made by Kristian's aunt. Although Amanda initially had no idea what she wanted, a few shopping trips later she found the dress for her but wanted it in silver. Kristian’s aunt then found the most beautiful silver fabric and made Amanda’s ‘dress of her dreams’.

Amanda’s two older bridesmaids wore bright orange bridesmaid dresses, and Amanda’s daughter wore bright pink.  The bridesmaid dresses were bought from Bellissima Weddings in Essex.

As Kristian is Scottish it had to be kilts for the men!  Kristian, the best man, dads and pageboy all wore Grey Spirit, two of the ushers wore Black Spirit with the other wearing his own tartan. The outfits came from Smiths of Greenock.

Flowers

Studio Flowers in Gourock provided the wedding flowers.  The table centrepieces were pink and orange gerbera, the buttonholes were calla lilies and the bouquets a mix of different orange and pink flowers.  Shona of Studio Flowers made up a bouquet for Amanda a few months before the wedding so she could see exactly what it would look like, and they tried a variety of different table centrepieces so Amanda could find the one that was just right.

The Ceremony and Reception

The ceremony and reception both took place at Moorpark House in Kilbirnie. Amanda and Kristian chose Moorpark House as it is such a beautiful building and the venue was exclusively theirs for the day.

The ceremony was held in the Marble Room and was attended by 80 guests. Kristian’s sister Colette read ‘The Art of Marriage’, which was so moving it made Amanda (and the registrar!) cry.

Barhookie Ceilidh Band provided the fantastic evening entertainment which kept everyone up on the dance floor.

The Cake

The wedding cake was amazing and was kindly donated by Amanda and Kristian's good friends from Occasions Cake Studio in Blackshots, Essex. The cake was 5 tiers consisting of a fruit cake, Madeira cake, lemon cake, carrot cake and chocolate cake. It really was alternate white and silver tiers, decorated with a few pink and orange flowers.

The Photographer

The wedding photographer was Marc from One Big Picture.  Marc put Amanda and Kristian at ease straight away, and after they had a pre-wedding shoot they just knew he would be perfect. Amanda particularly liked the way Marc didn’t intrude on the day, got many relaxed pictures of the guests, and took some great pictures of the wedding details that will help them remember so much of their day.

Wedding Details

Amanda loved the combination of burnt orange and pink together so these colours were used throughout the wedding.

Instead of asking for wedding gifts, Amanda and Kristian set up a ‘Give in Celebration’ page for Cancer Research and asked their guests to donate money. Cancer Research is a charity that is close to their hearts, as Amanda’s mum was battling cancer for the 2nd time in 2 years.  The place cards and table names were printed with the Cancer Research ribbon, and instead of favours, Amanda and Kristian made a donation on behalf of their guests and each lady received a Cancer Research pin badge. They managed to raise £2577, which Kristian’s employer doubled, and they received gift aid of £632.  In total they raised a fantastic £5786 for Cancer Research UK.

(To find out more about Give in Celebration visit http://giveincelebration.cancerresearchuk.org/)

The Honeymoon

Amanda and Kristian spent a few days in the Highlands of Scotland straight after the wedding, staying at the Macdonald Forest Hills Resort and the Isle of Glencoe Hotel. It was lovely and relaxing, and they had no phone signal so no-one could disturb them!

Memories

“My Mum being well enough to be there and seeing her enjoy the day was wonderful. Everything was just perfect and so many things bring back great memories. I think for both of us, we had a lovely moment in the evening when Kristian and I stood back in a corner for 5 minutes and watched everyone having such a great time and we had some time to take it all in together.”

The Wedding Community

“I found The Wedding Community website really helpful. I used the guest list, table planner, to-do list and budget planner the most. It really helped, and being online it didn't matter if I was organising in Essex or Scotland, I could jump on to any computer at any time and use the tools to help me plan.”

Tips and Ideas

“Plan, plan, plan! With everything planned and organised early on, it makes the run up to the wedding so much more relaxed and less stressful.”

Bride’s Top Tips

“Get everything booked, organised and prepared as quickly as you can. Use The Wedding Community to help you prepare, and use wedding suppliers recommended to you by friends and family.”

Groom’s Top Tip

“Prepare properly for your speech. Don't think you can wing it on the day, even if you do public speaking every day.”

Best Buy

“The pin badges as favours to raise money for Cancer Research.”

Bride’s Beauty Tips

“Drink lots of water and don't change your facial routine in the run up to your wedding.”

To view more fantastic pictures from this wedding take a look at The Real Wedding of Amanda and Kristian 23/04/2011 post on The Wedding Community Blog.

Photography: One Big Picture

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