They said they loved to party and they weren’t wrong!

Names: Becca & Ben from London

Month: June 2018 - Glorious sunshine!

Venue: New House Farm, Lorton

Photographer: Adam Riley Photography

Catering: Karen Rhodes Catering

Band: Back Chat Brass

Flowers: Evergreens

Cake: Cutie Pie Cake Co.

Others: Wedding Jam, K&B Travel, Wilde & Romantic, Star Car Hire, DTL Marquees

In Brief: This delightful couple got in touch as the Bride to Be was super organised but knew that she wanted to let go of the reins on their special day. Their plans were thorough and involved some of the best suppliers so it was Annabel’s job to guide them, checking the details and sharing some ideas. On the day she was tasked with checking everything off and keeping the suppliers on track.

Annabel:

“The list of suppliers grew and grew for this event and therefore so did my excitement! Becca was so good at piecing it all together and they had some wonderful elements to really make sure their guests had a blast. They promised a party and it sure was, a beautiful balance of love and laughter plus lots and lots of dancing!

My favourite of all was the brass band, Back Chat Brass. They came in after the first dance, a total surprise for the guests! They sounded fab and after a couple of tunes they led the guests outside into brilliant sunshine to continue dancing on the lawn! The atmosphere was perfect and setting stunning! I could have cried it worked that well!

It was one of those events were you KNOW absolutely everyone was happy and it will hang in memories for a long time! Loved it.”

Becca & Ben kindly reviewed Annabel’s time with them and shared some top tips:

Why did you decide to find a Planner?

“Our wedding was very DIY and 6 hours away from where we live in London. I knew just setting up and getting everything up there would be stressful enough and didn’t want to have to think about that on my wedding day. Being a bit of a control freak (!) I realised I was at risk of spending our wedding day stressed about logistics, so I took swift action to find an ‘on the day coordinator’ that I found out about on one of the bridal Facebook groups I joined when I got engaged.”

What made you pick Annabel?

“She was one of the first I googled, and after sending a few emails to a bunch of planners she replied immediately which I felt was a great sign of efficiency!”

What were your preconceptions of a Planner’s role and did Annabel change those thoughts?

“I thought if you had a wedding planner they essentially took on all of the organisation. I didn’t think there was something in between; someone who gave you some advice to take or leave, who worked through problematic areas with you and was a general wonder-woman/man on the day. Couples who want some help but still want to hold the reigns and realise their vision to make their wedding their own should totally chat to the wonderful Annabel!”

Throughout planning, what was most helpful?

“Tackling issues with me for sure. We had this lovely plan to serve the cake as dessert ourselves (as in, me and my husband going round to each table) which we didn’t do in the end, but Annabel worked through the logistical struggles with me and was chill when I decided to just throw money at the problem and pay the caterers to do it instead!"

I also appreciated how warm Annabel was. From day one she felt like someone I could talk to and I really, really, really appreciated that.”

On the day, did you feel Annabel helped make the day flow?

“Absolutely! I didn’t need to think about a thing. I think the only point I intervened was when my very nervous bridesmaid begged us to start the speeches so she could get hers out of the way and get drunk!”

Why would you recommend a coordinator?

“Because your wedding day is one really important, really special day in your life, and there’s no point wasting those pressures hours before and on the day worrying about logistics and organisation. I really recommend a coordinator for people who suffer from anxiety like me in particular: it puts your mind at rest massively, and just enables you to enjoy and party rather than stress, stress, stress.”

What top tips would you offer others in the middle of wedding planning?

“Use Trello for project management of your wedding so you can split tasks up month by month. Also, have a wedding chat with your partner two months to work out all the things that you need to do, working back from your big day. Chatting it through is so much better than being sat on your own trying to think about everything!

Make your wedding your own, and don’t fall into Pinterest black holes. Take on a small number of DIY projects that’ll have impact and leave it at that! I made an 8 ft backdrop that looked awesome, but I didn’t go wild making small things that no one would see. I didn’t see the point!

A bit left field, but make a recording of you and your husband chatting about your wedding day memories soon after the day. We did this on our honeymoon, and while we’ve not actually listened to it yet we can’t wait to snuggle up with a bottle of wine and laugh at how lame and ecstatic we sound!”

Would you recommend Weddings by Annabel?

“100 million per cent, yes.”

Thanks for taking the time to read this. What this space for the next glimpse into a wedding planners life!…

A x