Hello all...
This week it’s been all about the venue!!
Before I won The Perfect Wedding competition on Heart 106 and thought about getting married, the venue was always something I worried about as it needs to be just right. As with most things in the competition, the venue had already been decided, so I didn’t actually get to choose where I’d be getting married - as is the craziness of winning a wedding on a radio station!
Also, until now I hadn’t been able to see inside the hotel as it was being renovated from an almost derelict building. The doors opened this week and all of my worrying was for nothing as I wasn’t disappointed…
After circling Derby we found the venue where we’d be getting married - The Cathedral Quarter Hotel, down the quiet St Mary’s Gate, running straight off Derby Cathedral. The hotel blends into the historic architecture of St Mary’s Gate, but from the outset you can see the attention to detail will rival any other Derbyshire hotel. The front of the hotel is going to be fabulous for confetti throwing, and they will have staff throwing confetti from the top floor, which will be visually spectacular for photos.
As you enter the hotel, you are greeted with a magnificent sweeping marble staircase which leads you up to the reception and ceremony room. It almost feels like you could be getting married in a Cathedral as there are lots of lovely stained glass windows and it’s very grand.
Our bridal suite for the evening is two storeys and probably the same size as my first flat in Loughborough. It also comes equipped with 3 televisions! Including one in the bath, this also has illuminations - in a subtle classy way of course! Noleen from the hotel has been a super star and is talking us through all the details.
Although we have left her scratching her head on how to fit seven beer kegs and a buffet into the function room! We decided that having guests go downstairs to the bar would detract from the atmosphere, so we are locating a temporary bar next to the buffet and working on the assumption that an open bar will cause our friends and family to have fish like capabilities!
After our hotel visit we headed to Darley Abbey Park for the first time. This is where we plan to go and have photos taken straight after the ceremony. It’s really pretty and you can see views of the cathedral which will tie in well on the photos. As the park was pretty much deserted when we visited, I even convinced Tim to try out a few dance moves for our first dance – it was a giggle. It may even be the highlight of my whole day.
All of the arrangements seem to be going very smoothly and Heart 106 listeners are having their final vote on the groom’s suits this week. After that, all of the arrangements, such as hair and make-up, are our choices.
Much work is still needed and there’s less than a month to go until the big day!
Sarah x
Sara’s Spanish Diary click here.
Diary of a DJ click here
