On returning to The Sefton Hotel we had Kia Royals waiting, along with a pot of tea for M.I.L and soft drinks for the children. Jim Wilson had kindly set up his keyboard and was playing ambient music whilst our guests were slowly defrosted and returned to a normal colour.
Our drinks reception was held in the beautiful Atrium Water Garden with curtains to the Garden Room, where the wedding breakfast was to be held, firmly shut to ensure guests couldn’t see the room before the big reveal. However, not one to be patient, I did have a sneaky look and was not disappointed.
At 3.45pm Our Master of Ceremonies, Mr Paul Forrest, announced that dinner was to be served and our guests made their way into the Garden Room, taking time to view the table plan and find their allocated seats.
Completing the table plan for the wedding was exhausting. Knowing that friends and family all have preferences as to where they sit and who they sit with, as well as a caterer's requirements for table sizes, can lead to no end of stress. Mr.Q and I knew that table planning for the wedding was going to cause issues so one evening two weeks before the wedding we sat down with all guest names written out on little bits of paper, and a larger piece of paper to signify the room, and slowly but surely began moving the names around until the jigsaw fit. It took patience and a good two and a half bottles of wine but we did it and we got there and you will too.
While everyone was finding their seats Mr.Q and I took some time to ourselves and had another glass of champagne before Mr. Forrest asked our guests to be upstanding and announced our arrival in the room. This was met with applause from friends and family. It is a lovely feeling to be officially welcomed as 'Mr and Mrs'. Once we made our way to our seats the F.O.B said grace and the meal began.
Choosing the correct menu for your guests
Certain that today of all days would be one that we would be waited on, we steered completely clear of a carvery. Many brides find this to be a simple way of ensuring everyone is fed well. However, I wanted everyone to be waited on with a menu we had chosen especially with our guests in mind. Our wedding breakfast menu was designed by the talented Head Chef at the time, Mr Christopher Swinden.
Tip. No.9 Certain that today of all days would be one that we would be waited on, we steered completely clear of a carvery. Many brides find this to be a simple way of ensuring everyone is fed well. However, I wanted everyone to be waited on with a menu we had chosen especially with our guests in mind. Our wedding breakfast menu was designed by the talented Head Chef at the time, Mr Christopher Swinden.
Deciding when to do the speeches should depend on how nervous those giving speeches will be. In our case we also had to think about the service of food. For the wow factor we wanted when the room was revealed, we needed the colourful and beautifully-presented starters to be on the table when everyone sat down, so this affected when speeches would take place.
We planned to have a break after the main course and let the speeches take place. Speeches were made by F.O.B, then Mr.Q and finally the best man. After the speeches had taken place, we cut the cake and then, with everyone comfortable and some food digested, dessert was served! There was much joy in the room as the guests realised to their delight that no choice needed to be made, each person was getting all three desserts! Yum!
After dinner was finished we had time to relax and talk to our day guests before our evening guests began to arrive.
Tip no 11: Ensuring your evening guests feel welcome
It’s often the case that your evening guests can feel less important than the day guests at a wedding. Be sure to take the time to welcome them and ensure everyone has a drink. We had wine and beer available for evening guests for the early part of the evening.
Tip No 12: First dances can be embarrasing, leave the performance to the professionals
Our first dance was performed in the Atrium Water Garden. I say performed; MrQ and I really did just sway. It was Father of the Bride and his friend, Peter Hughes, who performed. Peter on the guitar and F.O.B singing Paul Weller's 'You Do Something to Me', followed by two other songs (which I now cannot remember).This could have been a cringeworthy moment; with my family living across, no one from the Isle of Man had ever heard my father sing, they just had my awful singing tones to go by and many of the guests were thinking the worst. Fortunately, Dad has been performing with bands since his twemties and is well-versed in acoustic performances. It was a truly magical moment to be able to dance our first dance to his performance and truly felt like his blessing.
Performances over, evening guests in place and the party was ready to go. We had a band playing for a few hours, followed by a fork buffet and then a DJ until the early hours.
The party itself goes into a blur; MrQ and I didn’t really see each other for the rest of the evening. I happily planted myself on the dance floor and didn’t really leave it. I did look round at one point whilst dancing to the Macarena to see 50+ female family and friends dancing to the same dance, while during Madness the ushers, groom and various male members took over the dance floor as only they know how.
At the end of the night those left standing created a tunnel, which Mr.Q and I ran through and escaped. I have it on good authority that the party continued, but we were done, needing time to ourselves to be happy and grateful for having such wonderful friends and family.
Tip N0. 13: How I coped with post wedding blues
It’s true. You read about it, you might even think about it briefly, but it does exist. After the honeymoon is over, the presents are unwrapped, thank you letters sent and the tan begins to fade, there is a moment of 'what now?' It can feel very daunting. So here is how I dealt with Post Wedding Blues. Returning home from honeymoon on Wednesday, we had family to see, people to thank - this was all done by Sunday morning and by Sunday night a pregnancy test had been done, confirming that we had in fact conceived a LittleQ on honeymoon. No time for post wedding blues... we had baby planning to do!
It’s true. You read about it, you might even think about it briefly, but it does exist. After the honeymoon is over, the presents are unwrapped, thank you letters sent and the tan begins to fade, there is a moment of 'what now?' It can feel very daunting. So here is how I dealt with Post Wedding Blues. Returning home from honeymoon on Wednesday, we had family to see, people to thank - this was all done by Sunday morning and by Sunday night a pregnancy test had been done, confirming that we had in fact conceived a LittleQ on honeymoon. No time for post wedding blues... we had baby planning to do!