Something
blue
Spreading a little bit of love, sharing real stories from real people ISSUE 1, MAY 2018
Bridal Reloved
A wedding dress doesn’t have to be worn just once
Under the sea
This bride didn’t see her proposal coming
Marry me?
Should tradition stop women from popping the question?
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Afrom littlethe bit of love editor
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elcome to the very first issue of Something Blue. To work in the wedding industry has been a dream of mine since I was a very young girl- what’s not to love?! Pretty flowers, picturesque venues, loved-up couples and of course, my favourite, silk, lace, tulle (I could go on), wedding dresses. However, with no clear idea as to which part of the industry would suit me best, it struck me, I love writing, meeting people and chatting to them- so why not start a magazine talking ALL things weddings? A place for likeminded people to revel in the beauty of the industry too- so here we are! When I started Something Blue, I realised what was missing from the industry. There are hundreds of beautiful magazines filled with photos of gorgeous venues, and models wearing the latest dresses, however, I think that the people behind the reality of it all are all too often forgotten. For me, the ladies who are wearing those dresses is what I want to hear about, I want to know where she got proposed to and how she met her husband. I want to know people’s little secrets that made their wedding day stand-out from their friends’, and I want to know about the people you often forget about, who work tirelessly in the industry to make all these dreams come true. I hope you enjoy reading the magazine as much as I loved making it, and let us know what you’d put in the next issue. Grab a cup of tea, put your feet up and prepare to fall in love.
Suzy xxx
Pic © Suzy Sankey
MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 3
Contents
What is in this issue? 4 Carol Dinwoodie, of Bridal Reloved tells us why a wedding dress can be loved more than just once
5
Thinking outside the box for some alternative wedding gift ideas
6
Married couple The Struths make brides and grooms feel comfortable on their big days as they capture it all on camera
8 Pic © Joe Totti
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We ask if wedding traditions are outdated in 2018
10
Angela expected to lose weight, not gain a husband
Stop panicking! We look at the details of your wedding that the guests probably don’t even notice
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12
Joe and Tanya’s mutual support keeps them strong- especially when their wedding party was cancelled
Christina and Mark bonded over their love of diving, so it made sense to ask her to marry him right there
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Carl and Maz are celebrating 10 years of marriage surrounded by their friends
20
Nothing can phase Tony and Geraldine who have been married for 30 years, not even battling cancer and a huge house fire
22
A fun game to find out what your partner’s perfect wedding would be
Pic © Louise Griffin Photography MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 3
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Second hand
doesn’t mean second best
We took a visit to Bridal Reloved, in Liverpool, to chat to owner Carol Dinwoodie about the stigma surrounding pre-loved wedding dresses, and some of the big-named designers you can find on the rails, for a fraction of the price.
Pic © Louise Griffin Photography
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raditionally, a wedding dress is the most expensive dress a woman may ever buy- only to be worn once, of course. A bride must look and feel her best on her wedding day, and the all-important dress must be nothing short of perfect. The perfect dress, however, can often come with a hefty price tag, but Carol Dinwoodie, of Bridal Reloved in Liverpool, has found a way to make sure that all brides are able to afford their dream wedding dress, without compromising on style or quality. As a trained make-up artist, Carol, from Edinburgh, has worked a lot of weddings in her past, but moving to Liverpool just two-anda-half years ago, she decided that although she’d like to stay in the wedding industry, she wanted to embark on a new adventure. When she stumbled upon a franchise called Bridal Reloved, she knew it was perfect. Bridal Reloved is a chain of wedding dress and accessories stores that stocks pre-loved wedding dresses, as well as samples, seconds and display dresses from other boutiques. “20% of our dresses are second-hand, so they’ve been worn by brides before, they’re pre-loved. But about 80% of them are simply seconds, they’ll be last season’s styles that I source from other boutiques and stores,” Carol told us. For Carol, it’s important to ‘break the stigma’ surrounding pre-loved dresses. “I saw a Mercedes approved-used advert and thought, why’s that any different to a dress? People are happy to drive around in second-hand cars, so why is a second-hand dress any different?” From the moment you step inside Carol’s shop, it feels no different to any other bridal
boutique in the city, with its beautifully quaint décor, dresses hung clearly on display, and a beautiful window display complete with flowers and bouquets a bride would die for. Her warm personality and friendly face are enough to make any bride-to-be forget her
“
People are happy to drive around in second-hand cars, so why is a second-hand dress any different?
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anxieties as she offers clients a cup of tea and a comfy spot on the sofa the minute they step inside. “It’s the most important dress that you’ll ever wear, so I want all my brides to feel happy, comfortable and beautiful. I see lots of brides with body issues and confidence issues, and it’s my job to make them feel wonderful in their dress.” When admiring the rails of dresses hung proudly in the shop, it’s clear that second-hand doesn’t mean second-best in here. Amongst the dresses are some created by some of the most elite wedding dress designers, including a classic Vera Wang tulle ball gown, with a label boasting its jaw-dropping low price. “I think my brides are women who mostly women who don’t want to compromise on quality, but don’t want to spend a fortune. They aren’t too concerned if the dress is this season or last season- the important thing to them, and to me, is that they leave here with a dress that they feel happy and beautiful in.”
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Alternative wedding gift ideas Not sure what to buy the couple who seem to have everything? Or maybe you want to find the perfect gift for an extra special pair? Or do this bride and groom seem to have a more quirky tase? Don’t panic, each issue we’ll bring you four ideas for the perfect gift...
FOR THE COUPLE IN TO...
BEING OUTDOORS
FOR THE COUPLE IN TO...
FASHION A his ‘n’ hers magazine subscription for the year, so they have something to read on their lazy Sunday mornings. You don’t even have to choose the magazine yourself- WH Smith sell gift boxes, so you can let the happy couple choose their favourite magazines if you arent too sure.
BUY IT: WH Smith
Pics © WikiCommons
FOR THE COUPLE IN TO...
ART Help the newlyweds to make some of their own art whilst capturing memories of their new life as Mr and Mrs at the same time. This Instax camera is so small it’s handy enough to throw into any bag, especially for their upcoming honeymoon. It comes in a range of cute colours too, so you can pick their favourite!
BUY IT: Currys Pic © Instax
If your special couple love spending time outdoors, why not pay for them to take part in one of the country’s latest crazes? Couples can take part in a self-led or guided hike with the company of a llama. Soft, furry and cute- what’s not to love? Whether the special couple prefer to spend time in the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales or Devon, these furry friends can now be found at many locations country-wide.
BUY IT: llamatrekking.co.uk Pic © WikiCommons
FOR THE COUPLE IN TO... INTERIOR DESIGN What better way for a newlywed couple to remind every guest at their house of their recent big day? A personalised door mat will be the perfect gift for a couple who already have everything, and you can be pretty certain that they won’t have one already! It’ll help to give any couple who are in to their interior design a subtle way of putting a personalised touch on their home, and you can even give it an extra touch by adding their nicknames instead.
Pic © Laser Made Designs
BUY IT: Notonthehighstreet
MAY 2018/SOMETHING BLUE/PAGE 5
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Kimmy and Ant Struth. Pic © The Struths
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apturing someone’s big day through the lens of a camera is a huge responsibility. They are the photographs which will be framed, shared and enthused over for years to come. From the moment the groom lays eyes on his bride, to the father-daughter dance, and the laughter and celebrations captured late on into the night, these are the images that will help keep memories of the biggest day of someone’s life vivid and alive. Choosing the photographer to capture your big day can be one of the most daunting choices in planning a wedding, but choosing a married couple to take on the task, who’ve been through it themselves, may be the perfect solution to any bride and groom’s initial worries. Kimmy and Ant Struth, known as The Struths, use their fun-filled and heart-warming relationship to make brides and grooms feel relaxed and at ease on their wedding day, ensuring that they can capture the most
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natural and authentic pictures to last a life-time. “I think it’s a huge responsibility, and behind the scenes I am so hard-working and professional. But to my clients, from the minute I meet them I am laid-back and relaxed, because that’s how I want them to feel on their day” Kimmy told us. From the minute this married couple meet their clients, they use their personalities to encourage the bride and groom to leave their nerves behind, and to do one simple thing which many may forget: to enjoy their day. “It can be so hard going from emailing someone to being the person who’s photographing their wedding day if you haven’t met them before. Even now, before I go into the bride’s room in the morning, I’ll take a deep breath and just try to be myself so she can too.” Although both halves of this married couple are quite a dab hand at photography, their similarities don’t stretch all too much
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Picture perfect photographers
The Struths, a married couple from Liverpool, use their own loved-up relationship to make the bride and groom feel relaxed on their own big day, as they capture all their special moments
further, and they really seem to prove the ‘opposites attract’ theory. Where Kimmy is most definitely the confident and chatty half of this pairing, husband Ant is much more quiet and reserved. Beyond their personalities, their styles and choices in photographs differ too, but when brought together, this means any newlyweds’ album will be filled with shots to capture every aspect of their day- from every angle and perspective they can find. “We’ll adapt for our clients, we can tell if they’re really loveydovey, or want more serious shots. Ant likes to pose people and get those shots, where I love to find natural ones, so with both our different ideas you get a real mixture of shots in your album. “Me and Ant will take the mickey out of each other, I’ll heckle him and say ‘oh look at you you’re so cheesy’, and the couple will be laughing and then I’ll be able to get some beautiful natural photos of them when they’re
joking and relaxing more.” At the moment, Ant works a full-time job around photographing weddings with Kimmy, mostly on weekenends. However, the couple are due to soon embark on their latest adventure, as Ant will be leaving his profession to venture full-time into the world of weddings alongside his wife. “I do shoots on my own, but I’m more relaxed with Ant. Sometimes I can panic without him. It’s scary that we’ll be going fulltime together, I’m nervous but I’m more excited.” As well as this adventure, the couple are also hoping to take another new path as they are hoping to extend their venture into wedding videography and film this year too. “It’s different to photography and we will eventually do them both on the same day, we’re slowly getting there! We have one trailer up on our Facebook page at the minute and I keep thinking, ‘do I like it?’ but at the minute we’re still learning.”
Some of the natural moments at weddings captured by the couple. All pics © The Struths
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BREAKING AWAY FROM
Tradition W
ould you dare ask a man to marry you? Or wear a jumpsuit instead of a dress? Will you be making a speech as the Bride on your big day? Our editor, Suzy discusses the old traditions that may be a bit outdated in 2018, and how a modern bride can make them her own.
Pic © Bruce Smith Photography PAGE 8
MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 9
THE THREE-TIER CAKE
THE WHITE DRESS
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raditionally the white of the dress symbolised purity in the bride, a sign that she had saved herself for her husband, on the night of their wedding. Over time, the white has stayed and is still known as the traditional wedding dress for a woman to wear. However, statistics show that ivory and off-white dresses now prove much more popular than white with modern brides. “A lot of brides don’t want white dresses as they don’t suit their skin tone”, Sally Knott a Liverpool dress designer told us. Another trend amongst modern brides which seems to be very slowly emerging is a move towards jumpsuits and trouser suits as alternative. Olivia Palermo famously wore a wraptop and skirt for her wedding day, teamed with blue Manolo Blahnik, proving that the white dress doesn’t have to be a bride’s only option.
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THE BRIDE’S FAMILY PAY
he average cost of a wedding in the UK is over £27,000 (according to a survey by Hitched). Traditionally, it would be the responsibility of the bride’s family to take on the burden of paying the wedding. Personally, all of my friends who are married or engaged have paid for their weddings themselves, with maybe just a small help from their parents. Is this tradition long gone? I personally think it’s definitely one that’s dying out, to the joy of a lot of Mothers and Fathers out there.
TAKING THE HUSBAND’S NAME
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gain, this is a tradition which really seems to be in favour of the groom. When I was a young girl, I told my parents I would change my name when I get married, unless his surname is Smith, as it’s far too boring for me. Alas, here I am, and my parenter’s surname goes by the name of Smith. He refuses to take my surname if I won’t take his, so a double-barrelled name seems a fair option. However, I can’t help but think this can’t be the new thing to do, as eventually, people are bound to end up with quadrouple-barrelled names, and soforth. Who knows?! Do you know any husbands who took their wife’s surname? As a female are you happy to take your husband’s name?
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edding cake is traditionally a fruit cake, but the trends have moved away from this recently. Cake companies boast their elaborate designs online with personalised cakes popular amongst many brides and grooms. A new trend on the wedding scene has also emerged in the form of cheese. Tiered wedding ‘cheese cakes’ offer a quirky and savoury alternative to the more traditional approach, and still give couples the opportunity for the all-important ‘cutting the cake’ photograph, but with an individual twist.
THE MAN PROPOSES
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radition would say that there is only one day that a woman can propose to a man- 29th February. However, this day only comes once every four years. Feminist movements are now stronger than ever, with equality for women seemingly closer than ever, however, this is one tradition that really seems to have stuck. With the legalisation of civil ceremonies for same-sex couples, should this tradition be a thing of the past? Why does it matter which sex proposes? Let us know ladies if you would propose, and gents, would you rather it was left to the woman? TWEET US your views, @SomethingBlueMag
THE GROOM’S SPEECH
Usually speeches will be made by the groom, the best-man and the father-of-the-bride. Hang on a minute, when do the girls get to have their say in things? At my wedding, I can confidently say that I will be standing up and saying my own speech too. The guests are the friends of the brides and the groom, and so are both families now, so it’s only right that the bride has her opportunity to thank people for attending, and crack a few of her own jokes too. I’ve never actually been to a wedding where the bride, or any female, for that matter, did speech, but I’m hoping as I see more of my own friends get married, that’s something that will change.
All pics © Wikicommons
MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 9
PAGE 10 INVITATIONS
Y
ou’ll spend hours planning and designing them, and probably way too much money buying them, for them to unfortunately, probably be tossed in the recycling a couple of weeks later. Of course, the invitations are the guests first glimpse of your wedding, but you don’t have to spend a fortune because at the end of the day, the guests will still turn up even if your invitations haven’t been hand-crafted with bespoke Venetian lace! INSTEAD: Thank you cards after the big day will probably be much more remembered, and much more appreciated.
U
FAVOURS
nless it’s edible, or something they can use on the day, your guests won’t be too bothered who you got to engrave your new initials on to something. Your guests simply want to enjoy their day, so anything that helps that is great, but any keepsakes of the day, unfortunately are likely to just get thrown in the back of the drawer with all the rest of the wedding favours. INSTEAD: Focus on the food and drink instead, and put more money in to that. If you want your guests to have the best time, this is what they’re really bothered about.
STOP PANICKING
Things your guests wi not even notice You spend so long planning this day that even the tiniest detail must be perfect. However, are your guests really going to notice if the table cloths are made from Egyptian cotton, or Primark’s budget cotton? We don’t think so.
DESIGNER DRESS
I
t’s your wedding day, everyone is going to be looking at you, so you want to look and feel the most beautiful you have ever felt in your life. Even if you don’t look your best, no-one would tell you that anyway. No-one would begrudge you for wanting to find the perfect dress, but, perfect doesn’t have to be designer. Your dress could be last season, it could be ASOS Bridal range, or it could be second-hand: as long as you look and feel beautiful then who cares? INSTEAD: Don’t focus on who designed the dress, or where it’s from, look in the mirror and focus on your reflection. If you’re on a budget, check out page 4 to read about our visit to Brial Reloved.
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CENTRE PIECES Table centre pieces have always been popular with bride and grooms-to-be planning their wedding, however, recent years have seen them become bigger and more excessive than ever before. Understandably, they do add to the overall look and ambience of the room, however, rather than spending hundreds of pounds on something which may go unnoticed by the majority of guests, focus the effort into another way of dressing the room which everyone will notice. INSTEAD: Before worrying about the table dressing, make sure the table plans are right first! If two people who don’t get on are sat together, then no-one will enjoy any aspect of the table!
MAY 2018/SOMETHING BLUE/PAGE 11
Download our new app Free on the app store Search ‘Something Blue’ and start using the app today to be involved in the next issue. We want to hear from newlyweds, married couples, people who work in the wedding industry, or people who are just simply good old-fashioned romantics. Use the app to get in touch!
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PAGE 12
Whale you
A surprise proposal,
Chrissie thought she knew exactly when partner Mark was going to ask her to be his wife... she just didn’t expect it to be 30m below the sea...
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eing proposed to is a moment that many women dream of, for as long as they can remember. For many, a proposal will remain as one of the happiest moments of their life, and as a treasured memory for the happy couple. Chrissie Bainbridge, from Liverpool, was convinced that her partner Mark wouldn’t surprise her with a wedding proposal, as she thought she knew exactly when and where it would happen. “We used to joke about proposals and how if he ever did, you know, propose, I would so know, he would never get me!” However, she didn’t have in mind the same kind of plans that Mark did. She knew he was ‘the one’ from early in the relationship when Mark turned down a job in Dubai, so that he could stay in Bahrain to be close to Chrissie, just three months after they first met. “We both had a love of scuba diving and regaled each other the day we met with our tales of bravery, facing lion fish, white tip sharks and other dangerous aquatic creatures 30m under the ocean” Chrissie told us. The couple both knew that diving was one of
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the things that brought them together, however, Chrissie still didn’t quite anticipate what a big part it would play in the future of their relationship. She was convinced that Mark was going to propose on their upcoming trip to Iceland, in December 2011. “We booked a trip to Iceland for New Year, and would spend the Christmas before with my parents. ‘This is it’ I thought. ‘He will ask my Dad for permission over Christmas, and I will get a proposal underneath the Northern Lights. Oh, how Romantic!’” However, a couple of months before the big trip, exactly one year after they had first met, they flew to Fujairah (a resort on the East coast of the United Arab Emirates) to do some diving together. “Just as we landed Mark received a call from the dive school to say that our dive trip the following day had been cancelled due to the expected wind conditions. I was disappointed of course, but Mark was really miffed! He called his brother who lived in the area and asked him to get us on another trip ASAP. Within 30 minutes, he had called back and we were on with another dive school.”
MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 13
be mine?
30m below the sea
T
he next morning, ahead of the scheduled dive trip, Chrissie was feeling like her usual ‘dizzy’ self. She couldn’t find the padlock to her dive bag, or the room key, and Mark seemed to be feeling unusually frustrated with her. “It wasn’t like him, he’s usually always so calm and knows I am a bit dizzy. We had plenty of time to get to the dive centre, ‘CALM DOWN’ I thought!” Luckily (despite Chrissie’s best efforts to stop them), the couple managed to make it to the dive centre intime for their slot, where they were warned about the lion fish they would be swimming amongst. Being 30 metres under water meant that there were a lot of lion fish around the couple, but it also meant that they were using their air rather quickly. So Chrissie
“
I was in shock! I just floated there and did nothing!
”
wasn’t initially very pleased when Mark took out his writing board and pencil (a special writing plate used to communicate under water) and began writing her a lengthy message. “’He’s writing me a message about all these lion fish no doubt!’ I thought. He kept writing, and then flipped the board over and kept writing. We weren’t moving, there were lots of parts of the wreck we hadn’t seen yet and going through the air quite fast at the depth. ‘Hurry up and finish what you’re writing or just tell me on the surface’, I thought. You never leave your dive buddy so I couldn’t just swim off. I was about to swim off when
Above and right: The writing board that Mark used to ‘pop the question’.
he turned around and showed me what he had written.” When Mark held up the board, Chrissie couldn’t believe what was written on it. Although she was expecting a proposal soon, it wasn’t quite so soon- the idea of a proposal under the Northern Lights was firmly embedded into her mind. The board read, ‘I always thought diving brought us together, which is why I chose now to ask you…’, he flipped the board over to reveal the other side, ‘Will you marry me?’ “Oh my life! I was in shock”, Chrissie told us. “I just floated there and did nothing! After a few seconds he looked at me and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘well?’” Chrissie took the writing board from him, and quickly scribbled down her reply. “I always said you would never ‘get me’ but you did!” Of course, she said yes. The continued on with the dive, with the short time they had left before returning to the surface. Chrissie was still in shock, and had to double check with Mark that it had really just happened, where he proceeded to place a black O ring on her ring finger. An O ring is essential for diving; it’s a small circular rubber seal that creates an airtight seal between the air tank and the regulator. Although, Chrissie did later manage to choose her real engagement ring when the couple returned home from their trip. In a very fitting style, the wedding included countless diving and sea-themed quirks, to celebrate the special thing that ‘brought them together’. “We made our invitations to suit the proposal and our tables were named after sea movies. We had Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, and many others.” Six years later, the happy couple have now moved to Florida, where they can continue to do what they love together, and one day hope they can share their passion with their two little boys, Elliott and Oliver.
Above. The wedding invitation the couple used was fitting to the theme of their engagement. All pics © Chrissie Bainbridge.
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PAGE 14
It is a
MARRIAGE not just a wedding
A
wedding day is the biggest day of thousands of people’s lives. Some women dream of their wedding day for years before they’ve even met their future husband, and then spend years planning the ‘big day’. Years spent saving-up, and making sure that every tiny detail is perfect mean that this one day will be remembered for the rest of their lives. However, once the wedding day is over, a bride and groom become a married couple, and begin the rest of their lives together. Although a wedding may be one day, a marriage lasts years and it’s the mar-
riage that will determine the couple’s happiness together. We spoke to several couples, at different stages of their relationships. One couple who will be getting married just weeks from now, a couple who are celebrating their first anniversary, one their tenth, and one their thirtieth. We wanted to find out what a marriage is to them, what makes them happy and what has made their relationship work so well to reach these anniversaries. First up, we spoke to Angela and her fiance, Paul.
COUPLE: Angela and Paul YEARS MARRIED: Engaged For Angela and Paul, supporting each other through a difficult time they both had in common led them to find a love which neither of them expected.
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fter having undergone a RNY Gastric Bypass operation, Angela, from Liverpool, never expected that one of the members who helped her through her difficult time would become the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Angela had suffered with obesity her entire life. Approaching her 40th birthday, she decided it was time to seek medical advice after a string of events which left her feeling she had no other way to turn. An embarrassing experience, where she couldn’t fit into a ride at Alton Towers, her marriage was failing and her health was deteriorating, all led to her weight loss surgery in 2013.
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MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 15
After having her surgery, Angela joined a support group in Liverpool, WLSINFO, which offered support and advice for people who were about to, or had undergone the surgery. “In one meeting, I shared with the group that I had experienced a work colleague making a nasty comment about my weight which had really upset me. A new member stood up and told me to ignore the comment, that I was better than that person and I should be proud of what I have achieved, ‘never let anyone put you down’ he said”. The new member’s name was Paul Chesworth, and he was due to have the same surgery as Angela had had just a couple of months later. Like Angela, Paul had also struggled with his weight loss for many years, and after a watching his father suffer with diabetes, was determined to
“
beat his health issues by undergoing surgery too. Through the support group, Angela and Paul soon found that they had a lot in common. “WLSINFO organised weekly walks to encourage members to be more active, Paul and I would attend them and soon discovered we had many similarities within our lives other than surgery. Our failed relationships had left us both low in confidence and unsure what our futures had in store.” However, the biggest thing that the couple learnt they shared a love for was motorbikes. “My childhood dream had always been to ride on a motorbike, but my weight had always made me self-conscious. I told Paul about my dream to which he smiled and said, ‘I can make that dream come true’. “We arranged to meet at a Starbucks, and Paul
I expected to lose weight, not gain a husband!
”
rode in on his motorbike and my knees went weak!” The couple soon began to spend more time together, walking Paul’s dog in close by parks or the Lake District and before long it became clear that they couldn’t bear to spend any time apart, and decided to move in to their first home together. “So much has changed in our lives. We’ve ended our long term relationships, we’ve had major surgery, we’ve changed our eating habits and activity level. Living together for the first time is scary enough, learning each other’s funny ways without dealing with excess skin and being self-conscious, but having each other to confide in and keep motivated keeps us both focused and on track.” In June 2017, Angela was due to have a hysterectomy, her first surgery since her weight-loss surgery. Paul surprised her with a weekend away in Windermere, as he wanted to spoil her before another major operation. After spending the day exploring lake Windermere, Paul took Angela for a meal in where they were taken to the top floor of the restaurant, which
Pics © Angela Astles
was exclusively for them. “As we waited for our food to arrive, he began to tell me how much I mean to him and how excited he was to spend the rest of his life with me- if I would have him that is! He pulled out a Haribo ring and asked me to be his wife.” The couple are getting married next month in St George’s Hall in Liverpool. However, for them, it’s the rest of their lives together that matter, and not just their one special day. Angela and Paul have become WLSINFO committee members, in hope that they can support future members of the group, in the same way that they supported each other. They have also joined Novo Nordisk, a pharmaceutical company that are focused on helping people suffering with obesity, and are OEN (Obesity Empowerment Network) champions. “We share our experiences with Novo to have patients’ voices heard. We have so much to look forward to this year, life is good. Having weight loss surgery, I expected to lose weight, not gain a husband!”
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PAGE 16
Our wedding party was
CANCELLED
two days before the date
Joe and Tanya Totti were getting married in Rome lst year, when they found out that the venue hosting their party had closed. Luckily, Liverpool venue HUS came to the rescue, offering the services free of charge.
Pics © Joe Totti PAGE 16
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COUPLE: Joe and Tanya YEARS MARRIED: One THIS ISSUE’S COVER COUPLE
J
oe and Tanya Totti, from Liverpool, will be starting off the second year off married life exactly how they started the first- happy, in love, and in Rome. For Joe and Tanya, a support of each other’s often hectic and difficult career paths means that they have grown to become a solid and supportive unit for the other, and that was especially helpful when their wedding party almost turned into a disaster. As a free-lance graphic designer, Joe is creative and constantly thinking outsidethe-box. Studying fashion, Tanya is similar, so naturally, this played a part in their wedding story. The young lovebirds knew that they wanted to get married abroad, outside of their home city of Liverpool, and choosing Rome was an easy decision for them. “It’s a beautiful and romantic city and I’m half Italian and we’d considered other places like Mexico but when we said Rome, it felt right. We knew that was the one” Joe told us. For Joe, it wasn’t just love at first sight with Rome, but with Tanya too. “I remember the first time I saw her”, he told us. “It’s too strong a memory in my mind for it to not be love at first sight. Opposites attract is true for us, we’re opposites but in a good way.” The Tottis opted for a small affair, taking only their closest family and friends to the vibrant city. Although, they made sure that they could include all their friends in the celebration, and booked a venue for a wedding party for just two days after their return from Italy. The wedding seemed to go without a glitch, until the last
day of their holiday, when Joe was alerted to a news article from his local paper online, informing the couple that the venue for their upcoming party had mysteriously closed, with no explanation to
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Someone from the company offered them the use of a room, with champagne on arrival for all their guestscompletely free of charge! “It was really good of them, and of course we took them
I remember the first time I saw her, it’s too strong a memory for it not to be love at first sight
anyone. Of course, after trying all avenues, it seemed there was nothing the couple could do. They couldn’t contact anyone from the venue, and after a few quick phone calls, it appeared that most others in the city were booked up. “For us, marrying each other was the important bit and we had done that. The party was more for our family, as we have family all over the country who would want to see us. I was happy to have a small party in the garden, as long as it meant we still got to see everyone.” owever, there was no need for Joe to put on his gardening gloves just yet, as he was contacted by a local venue. HUS, a restaurant and bar in Liverpool city centre saw what had happened to Joe and Tanya’s plans on Facebook, after Joe had posted a status about it.
about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. After a year of hectic work commitments for both Joe and Tanya, he has booked a trip back to the city where they took their vows, so the couple can relive their wedding day again, but this time, with all the stress that a wedding brings behind them. “I’m working fully freelance, and Tanya is leaving her job to start university in September to study fashion, so the support that we give to each other will be more important than ever before this next year”.
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up on the offer. At first, we had panicked but really all that mattered to us was that we were married, and that our guests had a good time, and that’s exactly what happened.” Despite the few days of panic, and what could have potentially turned in to a wedding-disaster, the couple are
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The secret
never, ever
COUPLE: Carl and Maz YEARS MARRIED: Ten
T
en years may have gone by, but for Carl and Maz Rice, not much has changed. Their relationship is still all about having fun, laughing and sharing their contagious personalities with their friends. Carl met Maz when the couple were just 15 years old. He told us how they would see each other ‘in the close’ where he grew up, just a few doors down from Maz’s good friend. It was only at his 18th birthday party that he decided to ask her to become his girlfriend. Nine months later, feeling that he his childhood sweetheart would become the woman he would spend the rest of his life with, Carl got down on one knee, and asked Maz to become Mrs.
Rice. “I couldn’t imagine life without her, she is my whole life so we just wanted to marry each other.” Despite a proposal which was quite early into the relationship, the wedding came eight years later, as the couple had other things which they focussed their love and
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I couldn’t imagine life without her, she is my whole life, so we just wanted to marry each other.
Pics © Carl Rice PAGE 18
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attention on. At the age of 20, the Rices were delighted to find out that Maz was pregnant with their first child, Jake, now 15. A new child being born is always a reason for celebration for a family, especially when it’s a first-born, however, for Carl and Maz, Jake’s birth brought something extra. “She gave birth about a week after my Dad had died, so it
helped us to get through the time. We had to grow up really quickly then. We’ve been through hard times and we’ve been through rough times financially too, but we now have two beautiful children who are good kids, really, great kids. We’re a really happy family.” ight years later, when the couple decided to get married, the wedding ceremony itself wasn’t of huge importance for the couple. For them, the important thing was legally being seen as a married couple, and a family. “We just wanted to be married. We had a family and we were happy so we just wanted to get married and legally be together. We weren’t bothered about a big wedding, we wanted something low-key and to be out of the lime light”. Along with their two children, Jake and Paige, Carl and Maz were joined by their brothers and parents for a small wedding in Gretna Green. They had no photographer, and kept the day simple because for them, the party for their friends and family afterwards, back at home, was the important thing. Something which is still clearly of great
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is simple
grow up!
For Carl and Maz Rice, marriage is all about sharing their laughter and good times with friends, and making memories to last a lift time- which is exactly what they’ll be doing for their 10th wedding anniversary this year
importance in their relationship today. “It didn’t even cross our minds to spend a lot of money. It was all about the party when we got back and it turned out it was everything we wanted. Everyone had loads of fun, even all the kids. That’s all we wanted”. Carl told us how the couple share a large group of mutual friends, who they love to spend a lot of their time with, which was what their wedding was all about ten years ago, and their upcoming renewal of vows will be later this year. Two years ago, the couple visited Gretna Green for their 8th wedding anniversary, and went back to visit the places they married, dined and stayed in the small Scottish town.However, this time, it was just the two of them. For their 10th wedding anniversary, later this year, which is traditionally known as the ‘tin’ anniversary, the couple will be celebrating with a trip to their favourite place in the world: Bruges. Along with their closest friends and family, they’ll be renewing the vows they took 10 years ago. That’s all bore another party back in Liver-
pool, of course. It’s still just as important now to the couple that the occasion is shared with their friends. “We could never afford a big wedding then, and we didn’t really want one, but we want to celebrate with our friends and have a big party- for them more than us.” The couple haven’t changed much in the last 10 years, and sharing their enjoyment of life with their friends is still as important now as it was back then. “We still have the same fun and excitement as we did when we were kids, and now our own kids are growing up and we get to watch them do that too. We’re a very sociable couple but we’re different too. Maz is so generous, she’s really laidback and she always, always sees the best in people. She helps me to try and see things from other people’s points of view. She thinks about people all the time.” Maybe the secret to some happy relationships is simply never, ever growing up.
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PAGE 20
I couldn’t do it
without YOU The final couple in our ‘it’s a marriage, not just a wedding’ feature are an especially special pairing, as they are our editor’s Mother and Father: Geraldine and Tony Sankey. As they celebrate 30 years of marriage, they explain how they couldn’t have got through the hardest times of their life without each other.
COUPLE: Geraldine and Tony YEARS MARRIED: Thirty
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MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 21
T
ony and Geraldine met in a pub in their home town of Wigan, when good old-fashioned dating (or ‘courting’ as Geraldine still calls it) was the only way to meet your potential future partner- internet dating hadn’t even been invented. “Of course, you change over such a long time”, Geraldine told us, “but you change and grow together and that’s what a marriage is about.” The couple have had a lot to celebrate since their wedding day in 1988, having had three children, all of whom are now adults themselves, and recently, the birth of their first grandchild, too. In the last year, however, coming up to their 30th wedding anniversary, the couple experienced some testing times which would be difficult for any family to face. In May last year, Geraldine was diagnosed with breast cancer, and had to undergo chemotherapy to help battle the disease. “It was frightening, but I am lucky to have amazing family
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You grow and change together and that’s what a marriage is about.
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and friends who’ve supported us. I couldn’t have done it without the incredible MacMillan nurses at Wigan Cancer Centre, but especially, I couldn’t have done it without Tony, he really is the best husband ever.” The couple are known amongst all of their friends and family for their positivity and light-hearted attidtudes towards life. Although Geraldine’s diagnosis came as a huge shock, the couple immediatly embraced the attitude of: ‘it will all be OK.” Tony is known to be a joker amongst their family, who likes to make a joke and laugh out of any situation, and so
Geraldine ringing the bell in Wigan Cancer Center. Pic © Suzy Sankey for him, it was the best way to help keep the family positive through out their difficult time. “He makes me laugh, every single day. He makes me
scream sometimes too, but he always makes us laugh with his jokes and stupidity. He made the long days in the hospital go faster by keeping everyone, including the nurses’ spirits high.” Shortly after Geraldine’s diagnosis, which would be hard enough to deal with for anyone, the family were woken in the night to find that the house, which they had lived in for 29 years, was on fire. “The important thing to us was that none of us were hurt, we all got out safe and that’s what matters. Belongings can be replaced, but people can’t.”
Tony and Geraldine with their three children and daughter-in-law. Pic © Suzy Sankey For a month after the fire, the family had to move to a nearby hotel, where they lived for a month before moving to a rented house for a further five months. “It was very hard, all I wanted was to go home, but at least I had my family with me, and that’s what I had to remember, and just focus on getting better.” In September 2017, shortly before the couples 29th wedding anniversary, Geraldine completed her full course of chemotherapy, and could ‘ring the bell’ and ‘read the poem’ which is a tradition for all cancer patients at the end of their treatment, in Wigan Cancer Centre. “Tony kept us entertained throughout the whole thing, he didn’t miss one session of chemo and he kept us all positive and laughing. Little things like pretending my new wig was a dog- he can make anyone laugh and brighten up anyone’s day.” In February earlier this year, Geraldine and Tony threw a ‘thank you’ party, and invited all their friends and family, along with some of the staff from Wigan Cancer Centre. They had raffles and games, and raised over £900 for the charity through donations from everyone who attended. “It was a great night, we all had a belting time”, Tony told us. “It’s been a hard year but it was so nice to see everyone and say thank you to our friends, I don’t think Geraldine could have done it without them.” Despite what seemed like a run of bad luck for the family, in October 2017, their eldest son became father to a baby girl, making the couple ‘Granny and Grandad’. “David and Claire kept me going through out it all with the promise of our beautiful Lily. She turned a very bad year into a very good one.” Since the birth of Lily, the couple have spent the last six months enjoying their new role as grandparents, and turning their re-built house back into a home. In just a few months, the couple will be celebrating 30 years of marriage, and although it hasn’t all been ‘plain sailing’, they’re always happy to look back and reflect on the good times, funny times, and hard times that they’ve been through. “I really don’t know what I’d do without Tony, I couldn’t have done any of it without him.”
MAY 2018/ SOMETHING BLUE/ PAGE 21
PAGE 22
What is your partner’s
PERFECT WEDDING? Pic © Suzy Sankey
Take this fun quiz with your partner to find out what their dream wedding would be. Our editor Suzy asked her boyfriend and he got abroad, on a beach. What will you get?
Do you want to get married?
YES
Do prefer winter or summer?
WINTER
Do you have lots of close friends or a few best friends?
FEW
DESIGNER
SUMMER
Do prefer designer or high-street?
Would you rather have a fancy 5 course meal, or a BBQ?
LOTS
Which flower would you rather have in your bouquet?
NO
HIGHSTREET
BBQ
PINK PEONIES 5 COURSE MEAL
RED ROSES
SMALL INTIMATE WEDDING PAGE 22
BIG WINTER WEDDING
ABROAD, ON A BEACH
BIG STATELY HOME
COUNTRYSIDE WEDDING
DON’T GET MARRIED
Until next time...
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Pic © Suzy Sankey
Pic © Suzy Sankey