Celebrating the marriage of Mr and Mrs De La Cour on 31st August 2007
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TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY We can hardly believe it has been almost nine years since we met back in 1999, we'd met at a summer job working at a travel money company. Although we had originally kept our relationship a secret (to avoid the gossip of the workplace) it wasn’t long before we knew it was turning into something very special. We got engaged on Valentine’s day 2006. Gary: “I cooked Leanne a meal with the intention to propose at the end of the evening. I was so nervous that I started to wish I hadn’t said I’d cook! I managed to keep my nerve – it was very emotional and there were lots of tears from both sides (another reason why I wanted to propose in private!)” We looked at lots of venues before finally deciding upon Quendon Hall. It just seemed like the perfect place, we could picture everyone there on the day. Also the staff were extremely helpful which relieved a bit of our stressful planning! We wanted to keep our wedding colours simple and elegant. Leanne: “Being from a design background, Gary had lots of ideas regarding the colour scheme. We opted for white flowers with luscious green foliage and an accent of pale gold. This also co-ordinated with the table plan, place names and wedding invitations which Gary also designed himself.” We really had such a wonderful wedding day. We were so pleased that so many people were able to share it all with us and we’d like to thank everyone for their kind wishes and generosity. We had set up a John Lewis wedding list which was great because every present we received, we really needed – thank you! So here is a little something that we can give back to you. A little memento of our special day – full of memories we will cherish forever.
& Gary Leanne
Above Left: Leanne with stylist and friend Jodie Jenkins. Right: Sharing a moment with mum Lorraine. Below Left: Getting ready on the morning of the big day.
Leanne: “There were so many emotions whilst I was getting ready upstairs, I was excited but at the same time nervous. I could see all the guests in the garden and hear the jazz band playing. It was so lovely to see it all coming together and everyone looking so happy. When my Dad came into the room it all became real and we both had tears in our eyes.�
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Above Left: Legs of jelly coming down the staircase as the ceremony begins. Above Centre: Gary's nephew Max. Above Right: Gary’s dad Ray giving a heartfelt speech. Right: Leanne with father Steve. Below: Emotions were beginning to show moments before the ceremony. Sarah and Alison aren’t looking too impressed!
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Before the ceremony, Gary and Matt welcomed the guests into the garden area where the three piece jazz band kept them entertained. Gary: “Leanne said she felt calm before the ceremony, however, after watching the wedding video I realised this wasn’t entirely true! She said she could hardly walk down the stairs because her legs felt like jelly. Meanwhile, I was waiting at the end of the aisle feeling very emotional and taking lots of deep breaths.” The bridesmaids – Gary’s sisters Sarah and Alison along with close family friend Kelsey – all did such a great job on the day and looked absolutely amazing.
Above Left: Best Man Matt on ring duty. Above Right: We just about managed to get through our vows without complete emotional overload. Below Right: It’s official! The signing of the register.
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Top: Our fantastic friends, looking great on the day. Above Left: With Gary’s sisters Sarah and Alison who both looked amazing Thank you for being such super bridesmaids. Above Right: A manly handshake with Best Man Matt. Below Left: Leanne with mum and dad, Lorraine and Steve. Thank you so much for all of your kind help and contribution towards our special day. Below Centre: Gary with mum and dad, Lin and Ray. Thanks again for all of your help and contribution, your reading was just perfect. Below Right: Leanne with brother Danny who was also an Usher on the day. Your tan’s fading a bit there Danny!
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Above Left: Kind words from Carol in the receiving line. Below Left: I suppose it’s a little late to say steady on the wine, table one! Bottom Left: Graham looking like a movie star – look out Burt Reynolds! Bottom Centre: Nel keeping Gary on his toes during his speech. Bottom Right: Always the last man standing on the stag do. Cheers Barry!
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Above Left: Mark and Maxine looking smooth for the camera. Left: Matt dishing the dirt during his speech. Bottom Left: Cheers! We had such a special day, thank you to everyone who came. We hope you had as much fun as we did. Bottom Right: Thank you Max for taking many lovely photos of our day!
The speeches went well. Leanne’s dad Steve gave a very heartfelt speech which was lovely. Traditionally, the best man’s speech was the most entertaining. Matt has been Gary’s best friend since childhood so provided some very entertaining stories. Gary: “He did a great job organising the stag do and his speech on the day was hilarious, even though slightly embarrassing in places! Hopefully I’ll get to return the favour one day.” Unsurprisingly, Leanne’s brother Danny was taking bets on how long the best man’s speech would last, hence there were lots of heckles, coughs and strange noises throughout Matt’s speech. We had expected the day to be warm (which luckily it was!) so we had chosen lighter meals for our wedding breakfast. Later on in the evening we opted for a BBQ, which everybody loved! We had a three tier cake, each layer consisting of a different flavour. One layer was the traditional fruit cake, the next was carrot cake and the top layer was ginger carrot cake. It was delicious!
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Although we mainly invited family and a few close friends to the ceremony and reception, lots more friends arrived to help us celebrate in the evening. We had a DJ playing 70s to current day music and he did a fabulous job - the dance floor was never empty!
Left: Our first dance to Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Heaven Help.’ Above Centre: Lovely couple Matt and Mary. Matt looking relieved that his best man duties have come to an end. Above Right: Lovely Jo showing her bridal aspirations after a ‘few’ vodkas. Right: Superstar couple Andy and Jodie striking a pose for the camera. Thanks for all your help guys. Below Left: Tom and Sandra winding down after a night of dancing. Below RIght: Leanne and father-of-the-bride Steve sharing a special moment on the dancefloor.
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All photographs Š Mark Nunn 01707362600