What a wonderful day we had on Thursday when Daniel and Jasmine got married. It seemed a long way off when we booked the venue but these last few months before the big day have flown by. As most of you will know, Jasmine's American, all her family live in America, so being Mother of the Groom has been a little different for me as I've got to do most of the things that Mother of the Bride would usually do, including shopping with Jasmine for her wedding dress. It's been an absolute privilege. I know you'll all be wanting to see the dress she chose so we'll start off with a photo of Jasmine.
We looked in so many bridal shops, there were a few close calls but there was just something about each dress which let it down, until she saw, and fell in love, with this one.
The wedding and reception was held at Walton Hall at Waterton Park Hotel & Spa. The Hall is the former home of famous naturalist Charles Waterton and it stands on an island in the middle of a lake. There's also a more modern hotel on the mainland in the grounds but the ceremony, reception and evening reception were all held on the island.
We'd been hoping for fine weather. We were all a little worried when we woke at 3am to the sound of thunder, flashes of lightening lighting up our bedrooms and the sound of rain. The rumbles of thunder continued through the night and accompanied us as we were getting ready in the morning but by the time we arrived at Waterton Park, the sun was shining and the temperature was rising nicely. It got really quite hot as the day went on but not too overbearing as it had been earlier on in the week, it was perfect.
The ceremony was at 12.30pm, this was followed with a prosecco and Budweiser drinks reception and canapes on the lawn by the lake. It was so relaxed with guests mingling and chatting whilst different groups were called for photos. It was nice that some of Jasmine's family were able to come over from America to share the celebrations and there were lots of friends from different areas of their lives joining in the festivities too.
Jasmine had four bridesmaids including Eleanor who was Maid of Honour. They each wore dresses chosen themselves, Jasmine wanted them to have their own style but more importantly, be comfortable.
Eleanor and Jasmine stayed together in a room in Walton Hall the night before the wedding. On the morning of the wedding, Eleanor presented Jasmine with a scrapbook she'd made for her containing photos from all stages of her life with different friends and family, and letters she'd asked different people to write to her to be opened on the morning of her wedding. Jasmine said she cried at every one. It's a good job then that Eleanor was on hand to do her hair and make-up before the wedding. It's lovely to see these two sisters-in-law getting on so well.
Daniel couldn't choose between two of his closest friends so in the end decided to have two best men. They both did a brilliant job. Mick and Jacob are at each side, Ryan and Rob at each side of Daniel. I was surprised when Daniel decided to go with tuxedos but I thought they all looked very smart, I love the look.
The flowers were gorgeous. Eleanor was so happy with the florist she used for her wedding that Jasmine went with the same person. She wasn't really fussy about what flowers she wanted, she knew she wanted blues and purples and eucalyptus, she really just gave a broad outline of the things she liked and the florist came up with the rest. I think she did a beautiful job and Jasmine was very pleased with them.
Jack was a little star. He was a ring bearer and came down the aisle with his head bowed. I thought he must be a little shy but he was, in fact, so thrilled with his new shoes that he couldn't take his eyes off them, haha. Bless him. He didn't make a murmur throughout the ceremony and was as good as gold all day long. He kept going past 10pm when Eleanor finally took him up to bed.
There were three speeches, Daniel made one and so did each of the best men. Daniel decided they'd make the speeches before we ate so that everyone could relax and enjoy the meal. He didn't want to be worrying about having to stand up in front of everyone whilst he was eating. Daniel's speech brought a tear to my eye when he mentioned my mum and dad and how he wished they could be here celebrating with him, I didn't know he was going to say that and it caught me off guard. I also had a little moment when he was thanking me and Mick for everything we've done for him, his speech really was very touching. Although the best men hadn't conferred, they managed to make their speeches very different and individual. They were three very good speeches.
The wedding breakfast was delicious. We started with traditional Yorkshire pudding with braised beef brisket and a rich onion gravy. The main was oven roast breast of chicken finished with a red wine jus, fondant potato and seasonal vegetables. For dessert we had individual white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake delicately sprinkled with cracked meringue, finished with raspberry coulis, and we finished off with freshly ground coffee and mints. Everyone commented on how good the food was, the canapes earlier had been excellent too.
The wedding had a loose galaxy theme, after all, they both studied astrophysics at university. The cake followed this theme in design. Each tier had a different flavour, from top to bottom: strawberry milkshake, chocolate orange, toffee and salted caramel, lemon. I have to say that the cake was absolutely delicious, I've never tasted cake so moist and flavoursome.
There was a little time to relax after the meal before the evening festivities began. An evening disco was held in the old boathouse which opened out onto decking where a barbecue was enjoyed. Yes, yet more food, and this was equally as good as what we'd already sampled. Daniel and Jasmine had their first dance to Lover by Taylor Swift. The DJ played a good mix of tunes and the dancefloor was never empty. It went on till the early hours and everyone said what a fantastic day they'd all had. There were smiles on everyone's faces all day long.
We've had a few preview photos sent by the photographer, some of which I've included here, others are photos that have been snapped on phones throughout the day. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the official photos.
What an absolutely fabulous day, very special memories made for everyone. I asked Jasmine if she was sorry it was all over and she said no, she couldn't be sorry because it was just perfect!
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