Sarah entered the room on the arm of her very proud father wearing a stunning  ivory, Benjamin Roberts wedding gown made of gilded silk. The Registrar welcomed everyone, and proceeded with the ceremony . One of Aaron’s colleagues Maj S Hill read a poem, the other Maj. S Grant  a reading, after all the vows were made, the registrar , Geoff declared them Husband & wife and said, “Aaron you may kiss your bride”, … which he obliged, but Geoff did not think it was good enough, and rated the kiss 5/10…so made him do it all again, which amused us all, but Aaron did not take much persuasion .

 The piper escorted them back up the aisle to thunderous applause, and the canapes reception, where everyone could greet the new Mr & Mrs Browne.

" I do" Sarah taking her vows. (c) A. Stonehall

It's official .... Mr & Mrs Browne (c) A. Stonehall

We all found the sparkling wine, supplied by Ian Harvey, very welcoming along with the  delicious selection of canapes, which consisted of : Beef satay with bell pepper, mini fish & chips,(yum!) – thai veg pancakes, spinach Ricotta & provincial tart & tiger prawns & melon.

We were entertained by Margaret on her piano whilst our couple went to the beautiful Botanical Gardens to have some photo’s taken,  our couple were applauded as they made their way back to the car to join their guests who were waiting their arrival at the Banqueting Suite.

Sarah & Aaron at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. (c) A. Stonehall

The Toastmaster announced the arrival of Sarah & Aaron, and the piper escorted the happy couple to their seats, where the guests applauded and cheered so loudly, that at one point you couldn’t hear the piper at all. We went straight into the speeches, where Sarah’s father Tom, told us all how Sarah always loved horses as a child, and how she used to get him to crawl around the room on all fours, as her pony…… and how when she met Aaron she told her parents Aaron reminded her of Ronan Keating…….. I think Aaron went a brighter shade of red than that of his tunic, i wander if his friends & Army colleagues will ever let him live that one down?

Aaron made his speech after Niall’s, and handed Sarah’s mum Judith,  Aaron’s mum Margarite, & myself a beautiful bunch of flowers, and wine for the ushers & my husband . I thought it was very nice & touching to have Aaron say that he & Sarah looked upon Danny & myself as their third set of parents, as he thanked us .

Aaron making his speech. (c) A. Stonehall

Before the cake was cut, Aaron announced that it was also a special day for his father…..His birthday, to which we all sang Happy Birthday, be it some what out of tune!….on to the cake cutting.

cutting of the cake. (c) A. Stonehall

That was it, speeches over, gifts handed out & the lovely cake cut….or so we thought,  Declan the front of house manager announced that they personally had a little surprise for our couple, ( even i did not know of this). They were presented with champagne glasses that had been engraved, & in a lovely presentation box as a suprise from Birmingham City Council .  Personally i thought this was a lovely gesture.

As we enjoyed our wedding breakfast of Smoked Salmon starter, followed by Chicken breast in a mushroom sauce served with  dauphinoise potatoes, Asparagus & a truffle dressing then dessert was a delicious brandy basket with berries & ice cream, our guitarist Stuart Toogood , played his guitar, which added a nice touch during the meal.

Stuart Toogood, Guitarist. (c) chocorococo

 As time progressed, we had to leave out table to set up our chocolate fountain, ready for the evening celebrations , which was a shame as we were enjoying talking to everyone , but they were all looking forward to …the chocolate fountain.

Part three of the wedding blog –  will follow shortly .(c) chocorococo2010

CHOCOROCOCO & SUPPORT OUR SOLDIERS WEDDING OF THE YEAR.

Welcome to the wedding of Sarah & Aaron that took place at the Birmingham Council House Banqueting Suite, August 8th 2010.

clare working her magic

When we arrived at the venue at 10.30am, Clare was busy working her magic, and soon put us to work, My husband Danny was made an honorary flower arranger for the morning , yes folks this is true, he carefully carried the beautiful tall flower arrangements and placed them on the tables, with us all shouting , “Don’t Drop them” in his ears. Our son-in-law Nick and myself were given the job of scattering Lilac, purple & Ivory petals on the tables, and doing odd jobs along the way. Very soon the room was transformed into a stunning vision, with the cutlery polished, glasses neatly arranged, place cards set , chair covers on and bows neatly tied, petals scattered & the beautiful floral arrangements taking centre stage….there was only one word to say… WOW!.

Banqueting suite looking fabulous. (c) abby stonehall

The Banqueting Suite looking stunning. (c) Abby Stonehall

the stunning floral arrangement on top table (c) Abby stonehall

The colour theme was just lovely, deep purple, lilac, pale pink & ivory.. and i was right all along in my thinking, the grand room wanted big, beautiful arrangements, to give the room more of an impact, and not small centre pieces.

the beautiful White Chocolate Wedding Cake (c) abby stonehall

Cassie arrived with her stunning 3 tier wedding cake, covered in white chocolate curls, with a drape on one side to simulate the brides train &  Lilac, Pink & Ivory chocolate roses placed around & on top of the cake. I think you will agree how lovely it looked, and it tasted nice too!!!

As the clock ticked away ever closer to midday, more and more of our suppliers arrived, armed and ready for action.Our ToastmasterSteve McTeigue , commented on how beautiful our room looked, and it was one of the nicest rooms he had seen in a long time, our  dear friend & Registrar Geoff Edwards arrived ready to afficiate and our Pianist Margaret Croucher  set up her piano, and limbered up those fingers.

Geoff & Margaret chatting before the ceremony

Aaron & Niall talking to the Toastmaster, Steve.(c) chocorococo

Margaret at her piano. (c) Abby stonehall

Aaron & Niall his best man & brother  arrived shortly after midday, with Dan the grooms man . Dan & Niall were wearing pale grey morning suits, with lilac waistcoats complimented with a deep purple cravat, supplied by Slater’s of Birmingham. The bridesmaids followed shortly  looking gorgeous in their deep purple skirts & bodice with matching wraps, supplied by Debbie of Wedding World, hair by Debbie & Becky of Francesco  group, & make up provided by my lovely daughter, Louise .

Dan & Niall, looking very smart in their suits supplied by slaters of Birmingham.(c) chocorococo

Our three lovely bridesmaids, (c) chocorococo

As Aaron went for his interview with the registrar, which i understand is a legal requirement before a civil ceremony, i joined our photographers down stairs to welcome the brides mother Judith & the grooms mum Margarite, who were a little stressed at this point, and while the vintage wedding car went to collect our bride & her father Tom, our good friend, (Doc) the piper  arrived, looking very smart. ( other wedding vehicle supplied by David Humphries.)

The Piper Malcolm (doc) & yours truly

I still do not know what a Scotsman wearsunder his kilt! …I’m liking the man-bag..oops! sorry…. sporran .

As we all made our way back upstairs, our piper went to tune up…. Incidentally how does a piper tune up?  Our Toastmaster ushered the guests into the drawing room to take their seats, where Margaret entertained us with her piano playing & the giant oak doors were closed , ready to await the arrival of our bride. Very shortly we heard the piper playing, this alerted us all to the arrival of the bride, as we all stood up , the doors were opened to reveal our stunning bride.

Doc our piper tuning up, (always said he was a bag of wind)

Sarah & her father Tom by the wedding car (C) Abby stonehall

Because there is so much to show you all, we are going to have to split the blog  into sections , plus i would be at my computer for day’s….   second part of our wedding blog….  ” THE CEREMONY”   coming soon . (c) chocorococo 2010

A few weeks ago Aaron & Sarah were taken to Kenneth Cooke Jewellers, in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham to view & choose their wedding rings. We were met by the lovely Denise, who brought out a vast selection of wedding rings for them to look at & try on.

Aaron & Sarah choosing their wedding rings.

With so many to choose from, it was just as well Sarah had some idea of what she was looking for, as she wanted her wedding band to match up with her engagement ring, (Titanium). Aaron on the other hand was unsure what kind of style to have , but with the help of Denise he soon made his choice. I am pleased to say that Sarah & Aaron are now in possession of the rings , and they are both delighted with them.

With only 10 weeks to go until their wedding day, things seem to be busier than ever, i have updated their menu choices & after careful consideration  Aaron & Sarah , have chosen their music for their ceremony, and their first dance……. No! i am not going to tell you all what they have chosen, you will have to wait & see.

tall flower arrangement at Banqueting Suite

Sarah has been to see our florist Clare, from Clare’s flowers to discuss her wedding bouquet & bridesmaids flowers, and of course the flowers for the wedding venue, it was decided upon that tall table  arrangements were the best choice for the venue,  small table arrangements would be lost in such grand surroundings it was felt. The chosen colour theme for the flowers is Ivory, Dark Purple & Lilac, it should look amazing.

The wedding cake has been chosen & lets just say that the chocoholics amongst the guests will be pleased. Invitations have been sorted for the evening along with the table plan & place cards etc, the flights for the honeymoon are booked, & i am informed that Sarah has an appointment with the hairdresser next week.

So as you can see, Sarah & i have been very busy , i dare say that with only 10 weeks left it will get even busier. (C) chocorococo

The wedding season will soon be upon us, and i dare say all would be & soon to be brides are busy planning their ideal day, have you thought about chocolate dipped strawberries? you will see that we now offer a Berry Tower as well as a chocolate fountain for your guests.

Chocolate fountains are still popular, but we have had some brides say they wish to have something different, so why not have the Berry Tower as part of your celebrations, have them as a centre piece for those guests who do not wish wedding cake, or as canapes on arrival at your venue, or even as a wedding favour in a box, tied with a colour co-ordinated ribbon, with your guests name on, this will not only act as a name place, but also as a delicious favour.

delicious wedding favour, hand dipped strawberry in a box.

We also have spared a thought for the children, we have come up with delicious, hand made Belgian chocolate (white or milk) heart shaped lollipops, we place them in a celophane bag, tied with a colour co-ordinated ribbon & flower, with the child’s name on, The children love it, not only have they a treat to eat, but they know where they are sitting too.

Should you wish the more traditional approach, we also provide wedding favours in what ever colour you desire, (well i will do my best!!) we can either fill the boxes with chocolates for you, or supply the boxes for you to fill. Below is just one of the favours we supply, (Piccalo) we  decorate them to suit your  theme,( the theme below was olive & cream.)

wedding favour, with olive green ribbon.

The much loved Chocolate Fountain, a super centre piece for any occasion, and definately more cost effective than the more traditional desserts.

chocorococo chocolate fountain

Lets not forget your entertainment, what ever kind of entertainment you desire, be it a band, dj, singer, group, etc, give Aries Entertainment a call .

A Chocorococo Berry Tower is a fantastic centre piece for any occasion, and looks simply stunning when displayed with delicious hand dipped Belgian chocolate strawberries. A Berry tower also makes a great alternative to a wedding cake if you have vegetarian guests or guests on a gluten free diet.

We all know that strawberries and champagne are a match made in heaven,  so if you have clients to impress or a family celebration , you couldn’t get better tasting canapes than this, now could  you?

All our strawberries come dipped in white / dark or milk belgian chocolate , then dipped in nuts or coconut, but we are happy to cater to individual requirements.

Hand dipped strawberries can also be provided as an alternative wedding  favour with a difference, they look lovely displayed on your tables, and what a treat for your guests when they open the box. Alternatively , we can display them on our tower, with further dipped strawberries, the choice is yours

The following companies have very kindly offered to donate the following for our competition.

SOMERFIELD.. have kindly offered to supply all the fruit  that will be required, & GILES & POSNER  have made the generous offer of supplying the chocolate. We would like to thank them both for their generous offers……(c) Chocorococo

Update… (7/7/09) We are pleased to announce that A QUEENS  GUARD PIPER has now come on board, and has very kindly offered to play for any event or couple that wins our competition , what a treat , you could be piped in to your reception or banquet by a piper in full Scottish Dress who in the past  has played for the Queen Mother  & Her Majesty…Could that be YOU.

UPDATE 8/7/2009…. WOW!  we can now also offer our winning couple a wedding cake of their dreams…Cassie Brown who is an award winning sugar-craft specialist  from passion4cakes , has very kindly offered to donate a 3 tier wedding cake, up to the value of £500 . this is another fabulous offer from one of our friends in the wedding trade .  Hurry to enter our competition, as this is turning into the competition of the year, and the offers are still coming in.

Here's one we made earlier!

Well, the day is set and now you face a very long list of requirements for your wedding, one of them will definately be the wedding cake, who do you call? What shall we do? well lets hope i can save a few sore fingers from the endless calls & emails being sent with the following suggestion.

A wedding wouldn’t be complete without a wedding cake, and now there are endless possibilities as to what kind of cake to have. Some companies will offer different flavour sponges for a three tiered cake,(Madeira / carrot cake / fruit etc.) Cakes shaped as suitcases if you are getting married abroad, and having a party for friends & relatives when you get home. Individual cupcakes decorated to match your colour theme, or with photos of the bride & groom on.  Or why not have a go yourself, most supermarkets now sell ready iced fruit & sponge cakes ready for you to decorate in your own individual style, or ask your florist to supply you with some extra flowers to decorate the cake, and finish it off with a colour coordinating ribbon, the possibilities are endless, let your imagination run wild, and get creative.

If all that is too much, give Cassie a call at Passion 4 Cakes , she will give you plenty of advice, and her cakes are stunning too.

And of course, dont forget the chocolate fountain, no need to have further desserts with the cake & all the  yummy dips on offer, you will please the old & young alike, if some of your guests dont want the chocolate, thats fine they can enjoy the fruit & pastries on offer on their own, and leave the chocolate for the chocoholics out there…Mmmmm!    (c)chocorococo