The rain came and didnt look like stopping…

Names: Katy & Adam from the USA

Month: June 2018 - Blasts of big rain then glorious sunshine

Venue & Catering: Belmount Hall, Outgate

Others: Jo Huckson (Florist), Hipshaker (Band), Anna Sorbie (Hair), Jaye Adams (Beauty), Special Event Tipis (Furniture & Lighting)

If you are Cumbrian or spend time in the good old Lakes, you get used to the fact that the weather is terribly unpredictable. You guess rain and are overjoyed when its sunshine!

This special day showed this craziness perfectly. While setting up the day before the wedding, there was epic heavy rain. So much so that the marquee had it own little rivers running through it! We carried on regardless.

“I found I say this a lot at times like that: “Its just the sky emptying for your big day!” - Annabel

On Katy & Adam’s lovely day, this was right and the sun came out just when we needed it to! With a sigh of relief the guests got to roam the gardens at Belmount Hall before heading in for dancing!

The planning with this couple had been a hoot and their laid back vision for the day was perfect. It had all the elegant touches of a traditional wedding but with the edges smoothed. They didnt want to have the feeling of too much grandeur, just them and their special people celebrating love.

They contacted Annabel because they felt too detached from the area and knew that the suppliers involved would need to be specially picked for such a DIY style venue. Their ideas were spot on but putting them in place proved to be harder than expected.

“Katy reached out when they were only just engaged. We met to just chat through what they had in mind. I got a feel for what they were hunting for and happily helped. Its lovely when you meet a pair and can have the time to understand whats rattling around in their heads about such an important event.” - Annabel

A few comments from the couple…

Why did you look for a Wedding Planner?

“We were planning a wedding from the USA in Cumbria. Even though we knew the Lake District well and had family there, we really wanted someone with ears and eyes on the ground to help us.”

Why did you choose Annabel?

“We actually liked how she had done a wedding in a completely non-traditions venue having seen the pictures online. Once we met with her her easygoing vibe really made us feel comfortable, and she didn’t tell us what we should or shouldn’t do in a way that felt restrictive or pushy - just gave advice on options, ideas and what she thought would work well, meaning she was a great sense check for us at any time.”

What was the immediate effect of having someone with Annabel’s experience and contacts around?

“She recommended our venue in our first meeting - we called, went the next day and booked it! It wasn’t even on our radar but she seemed to understand exactly what we were looking for and pulled it out of thin air. We loved being able to ask her about suppliers - either ones she knew or if we found someone checking she had heard of them - and her knowledge of what would and wouldn’t work in terms of run of show and everything was so helpful.”

During planning, how useful was it having Annabel on the team?

“Planning the wedding remotely, it was amazing to have Annabel local and so accessible to us via email etc. She also brought many things to our attention that we just wouldn’t have thought of on our own. She also made us feel calm about the things we didn’t have figured out and helped us get the timing right in terms of what suppliers and plans needed to be in place by when.”

Setting up for the big day, was it worthwhile having Annabel there?

“We were bringing in tables and chairs from a company offsite... on the day we were setting up, they hadn’t shown up by half an hour after their arrival time. We would have been stuck wondering but Annabel knew them, knew the manager and could call and just check they were on the way. That sounds small but it was huge at a time of trying to coordinate a million things! She played a big part in the look and feel of all the set up of things they also brought such as lighting and decorations, just from knowing what worked well.”

On your special day, did you notice the influence of having Annabel around?

“By that stage it was really nice having her there because we had enjoyed the time we had spent with her! But it was also great that we could direct questions to her, that she helped keep people calm, that the venue could talk directly to her instead of with us about every detail and a million other small things. It was also great having her with an eye on timing - we never had to check a watch and wonder if we were on track. Annabel was really lovely to work with and we would definitely recommend her!”

A huge thanks to all the team involved and watch this space for more updates on life as a Wedding Planner!

Rain Rain Go Away... and it did!

The rain came and didnt look like stopping…