The wedding

Here I am again having just sorted through the photos.

I am mainly going to show you the cake & the room decorations as I am never very sure about showing people unless you have asked.  I hope to get straight on & do a scrapbook page so perhaps you will be able to see that.

The hotel took the various sections of cake & stored them in a safe place ready for the next day.

When we had got settled in the hotel we went for a walk around Lyndhurst, but as it started to rain & I didn't want to get my hair wet it was a brief walk along the main street & a look at the various restaurants so that we could decided where to eat that evening.  One shop that I spotted was just on the other side of the road from the hotel a few yards down - yep - we were right near a craft shop. After returning to the hotel we decided to eat in the hotel.  Whilst we were having our meal Karen dropped in as she had brought some of the decorations for the main room of the reception.  My friend Veronica (Karen's mum) had made all the table decorations & sorted some wooden hearts to hang from the back of the chairs.  The table decorations consisted of jam jars that had had their lids painted lavender & filled with sweets.  Then some other small jars had lavender ribbon wrapped around the tops & little wire hearts hanging from the ribbon - which Veronica had made.  Thee jars held small tea lights.  I have a picture of them to show you.

As you know I was a bit concerned about the flowers for the cake & when Karen joined us at breakfast she went & got the ones for her hair & the ones for the cake to show me.  The florist had cut the flowers & taped the stems with florists tape - but they only had stems about 4" long.  I tried not to show my disappointment as I now had to think at the last moment the best way to show them.  Anyway in the end they were just laid directly on the top of the cakes - 3 on each - & I have to say they did look nice. My main concern was what they would look like by the time we returned to the hotel for the reception.  The hotel's wedding organiser was very good & suggested I left putting them on the cake until about 10-15 minutes before I left for the church.  Which I did.  Anyway enough chat - here is the cake;

In this photo you can see a couple of the little jars that were used on the tables & right in the front some origami hearts that Veronica had made to go on the cake table.

This photo is a close up of the front section of the bottom tier.  Those flowers were already looking tired.

This is the top tier & just as I was leaving I noticed that the white flower had a small bud that was definitely past it's best by date - so I snipped it off.

Another view of the complete cake & this time I think you can see my sherry glasses that I raised the top tier on. 

There were lots of compliments & that made me feel good & the grooms mother asked where the idea came from as she had never seen a cake set up like that.  Answer?  Out of my head - it is my design & I made it only once before for another friend who got married about 18 years ago.

This is a close up of one of the tables - I think someone had moved some of it as they were originally a lot nicer set out than that.  There was absolutely loads of them, so some were put out in the little lounge next to the reception room

All the pillars in the room were decorated with this chiffon type material & there were strips of it on the tables too.  Karen's friends had also decorated with those twisted hazel sticks & lengths of ivy & after the wedding her now mother-in-law brought the flowers from the church - so the room looked absolutely fabulous.

At the reception the bride's father made his speech followed by the groom, then the best man who was unusually followed by 3 of the grooms friends.  I thought they were never going to end. Then Karen spoke for  a couple of minutes in which she thanked her in-laws for all they had done & also called her mum out to the front & thanked her for everything that she had done & made sure that everyone knew the decorations on the tables were down to her.  She then presented both mums with a beautiful potted rose.

As Bob & I went to say good night to her at the end of the evening she asked us to wait for a minute & came back with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me for making the cake.  She apologised it wasn't done at the reception but because all those male friends had gone on a bit - she had decided to give them to me personally.

Aren't they beautiful.  Sorry about the kitchen sink

So there you have it.

Oh yes & by the way - in the morning after breakfast I went to the craft shop - only bought a couple of things.  But I couldn't not go could I?  No, I thought not.