RealLifeWedding
Winning wedding at Jocasta’s How it began... Sharon Howell and Kevin Chalinor met on Valentine’s Day 2004 on a night out in Doncaster with friends. They were soon inseparable and moved in together a few months later. In April 2007, after a romantic meal at their favourite Italian restaurant Emilio’s in Bawtry, Kevin proposed at home and gave Sharon a beautiful white gold engagement ring set with three diamonds. A date was set for July 2009 and Sharon registered on a number of different wedding websites to help her keep track of the plans and to get ideas for the big day. To her astonishment, in late 2008 she received a phone call to say she had won a £10,000 wedding provided by Jocasta’s Group of Lincoln through www.UKBride.co.uk. ‘I could not believe it; I just sat in silence for a while before I could take it all in,’ says Sharon. ‘I arranged to meet Jenny
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Hellawell, the events manager at Jocasta’s, and once I knew that it was all for real we began putting plans into place.’ The venue As well as offering marquee hire, Jocasta’s has a marquee on its own site at Thorpe on the Hill. ‘The second I saw Jocasta’s venue I fell in love with it,’ says Sharon. ‘It’s by a lake and the marquee was so versatile that we could make it look however we wanted.’ The couple decided on a black and white theme, with black chair covers and white sashes, plus a starlight ceiling over the dance floor. They opted for a carved buffet reception, followed by a barbecue in the evening. ‘On the day the food went down amazingly,’ enthuses Sharon. ‘Everyone commented on how delicious it was, especially the puddings – chocolate maltster pie, wild fruit cheesecake and lemon torte.
WHITE Weddings
RLW Howell&Chalinor.indd 34
13/11/09 11:10:30 am