Cracking Family Fun

Names: Sarah and Matt from York

Month: May - Glorious sunshine!

Suppliers:

Venue: Rowley Estates - Blencowe Hall

Catering: Embers

Lighting: Eden Event Hire

Furniture: DTL

Photography: Dan McCourt

Entertainment: Loud and Bright

Decor: Cumberland Flower Farm

Hair and Beauty: Claire’s Hair Lounge & Felicity Ashby

In Brief:

Throughout planning Annabel was on hand to hear the ideas and designs behind this wonderful couple’s wedding. Each meeting was a full run through of each aspect to give them peace of mind as well as a refreshed task list! They had picked not just some great suppliers and fab venue (check out the crack!) but elements to the day that really helped with atmosphere. For instance they had a friend, Tori, perform the ceremony, a BBQ style meal and then a family fun day for the day after. They used the venue as a home away from home and took advantage of the indoor and outdoor spaces. Al though wedding planning can be tricky at times, with so much at stake and levels of people management thrown in, this wedding showed that its all worthwhile in the end!

Sadly Annabel didn’t get to be there on the day as her lovely Mum (aka Moomins) passed away close to their weekend. Luckily Annabel has an awesome team so Heather stepped up and took the reins. She did this with complete cheer and gusto and enjoyed their celebration!

Words from the couple:

Why did you hunt for a Coordinator?

We knew that we wanted to do a ‘DIY’ wedding, picking each of our suppliers ourselves to build a day that was meaningful for us. That said, we’ve never planned a wedding before, and even though I have events management experience, we wanted to benefit from some expert advice and guidance. Moreover, we knew that we wanted someone to run things on the ground on the day of the wedding.

How did you find Weddings by Annabel?

Google! I looked for sustainable and local wedding suppliers with a range of support options available.

What made you choose Weddings by Annabel for your wedding?

We had a quick 5 minute chat on the phone before a fuller meeting. After that first call, as brief as it was, I hung up and told Matt that we had to choose Annabel. An amazing attitude, combined with calm and pragmatic outlook and super friendly personality cinched it.

What was the most difficult part of planning a wedding?

Managing family expectations/demands. We couldn’t get them to see the vision, and they kept coming to us with more questions or problems right up until the day, despite showing minimal early interest (when we might have been able to do something about it!)

What are your key memories from the day?

Sitting down at dinner and seeing all of our guests having a great time was the moment that I realised that the whole vision had come together. The food was also incredible, which helped!

Would you change anything?

Nope! If pushed, I’d say that I conceded to too many family photos, which I didn’t want to waste time on, but it made them happy so not the end of the world.

How was having Heather there throughout the event?

Heather was a DREAM! From the moment she arrived, I knew we were in safe hands. I think she could see that I had some nervous energy to burn in the morning, so worked with me to finalise the details that I wanted to have a hand in before I went off to get ready. Everyone knew what they needed to know, was where they needed to be, and had everything that they needed. The day ran like clockwork, and she provided the perfect gentle guiding hand.

What advice would you give others planning a DIY style wedding?

It’s worth the extra effort! If you want to pull everything together yourself, rather than a more ‘cookie cutter’ style, then go for it. But seek help, be pragmatic about your budget and what you actually want and need (rather than what you’re doing because you think you have to, or because others want you to). And if you aren’t local, than tap into local knowledge and find the best suppliers in the region!

Would you recommend Weddings by Annabel?

1,000 times over! Everything came together because of the work that the WBA team put in.

If you feel the pressure building for your DIY wedding, drop us a line or book in a chat! Easy and worth it! x

The couple shared a few images with us…