Tips to planning your wedding

Do you love where you work enough to get married there....?

Wedding Co-Ordinator Kate and now husband Will had their magical wedding day here at Deer Park Country House in December 2018. We managed to catch up with Kate and get a glimpse in to the magical day.

The perfect proposal

Will could not have chosen a more perfect place to propose and did so at Glastonbury Festival where we have made many happy memories together. His best man managed to sneak in the engagement ring and hand it to Will during a visit to the portable toilets. The proposal was without question one of the most magical moments of my life and was followed with celebrations involving cider and falafels. After 9 years with Will it’s fair to say that this Glastonbury memory has topped all others.

Choosing the right Wedding theme

With our hearts set on a Winter wedding and Deer Park Country House chosen as our venue both provided huge inspiration for our theme. After much thought (and research on Pinterest) our hearts were set on a winter wonderland meets botanical garden with hints of forest green, soft copper and grey.

That moment you know you’ve found ‘the’ dress

I chose Kate Walker who had also dressed my sister for her wedding, this was the easiest decision I made when it came to planning the wedding. Kate is amazing, she took me through the most amazing experience to help identify what I did and didn’t like about different dresses which ultimately allowed her to hone it down to what she knew would be the perfect dress. I’ll admit I went in with a set idea of what I wanted but when Kate put me in ‘the’ dress it was not what I expected at all but was without question ‘the’ one, it made me feel both happy and confident.

On the day seeing Will’s reaction at the moment he turned and got his first glimpse of me in my dress at the end of the aisle was just amazing!

Complementary bridesmaids’ dresses

We chose the wonderful Kim from Abide Maids to dress my sister, Ellie. Kim is so incredibly talented and even managed to do some last-minute alterations after Ellie received some wonderful news. The handpicked dress was a stunning dark green with beautiful bow detail on the back. It complemented mine just perfectly.

Floral delights

We started with Pinterest to get some inspiration and ideas for floral arrangements that would work with our theme, it provides so many amazing ideas. A very talented family friend, Dawn from Coombe Blooms, then worked to bring our vision to life creating stunning arrangements that used an abundance of greenery with white florals to provide that winter element.

It’s so important to have complete trust in your suppliers, choosing the right ones will see your vision come to life.

The most magical morning, the start of the most perfect day

I woke full of excitement and anticipation about the day ahead and was so lucky to be surrounded by my family who had stayed with me the night before in the Play House, the morning was relaxed, and time felt like it was moving slowly almost like a dream.

When Laura Le Page and my hairdresser Hannah arrived and asked me to sit down, that’s when things started to feel real.

Sitting to have my hair and make-up done gave me the perfect opportunity to take in everything that was happening around me, my Dad busy cooking breakfast, my brother trying to iron his shirt, champagne bubbles flowing and the excitement in the air as everyone got ready for the big day ahead.

Little did I know the first happy tears of the day were bubbling inside me. The entrance of my nephews Dylan and Samuel who looked even more adorable than normal in their gorgeous outfits saw the first happy tears make an appearance, I was bursting with pride.

The moment I saw Sophie my good friend and colleague it really sunk in…it was my turn to get married! Eek!

The walk down the aisle

This was the only part of the day I felt I had no control over, and I could not have anticipated how my body reacted. As I approached the entrance to the room it was like all of my senses related to anyone, or anything other than Will switched off, I couldn’t see or hear anything apart from him. I took a deep breath, stayed focused on Will and walked.

The most memorable moment

It’s true what they say the day flies by. After the wedding breakfast we planned a retreat to the lounge, with the open fire roaring and with a hot beverage in hand it provided the perfect backdrop for Will and I to spend time with our family and friends.

With Dan Brazier (magician) and Charlotte Atkinson (artist) mingling with our guests to provide entertainment it was the perfect moment for Will and I to step back and watch how happy our guests were and realise just how perfect the day was.

The most important investment of all

There is a lot to plan and organise for a wedding but for Will and I photography was the area where there could be no compromise. This is the element that captures the raw emotions throughout the day, those moments where if you blink, you’d miss them but when captured allow you to relive those wonderful moments over and over again. We had no hesitation in booking the amazing Venetia Norrington supported by Jermaine as our photographers, they were just wonderful.

Layers of flavour

I can still taste the flavours of our wedding cake now! Claire Makes Cakes created the most amazing two-tier cake using carrot, white chocolate and raspberry and elderflower and lemon they were just scrumptious and the most amazing flavour combinations.

Explosion of senses

During the day there is so much happening, and I found myself frantically trying to not miss a thing there’s no question your senses go in to overdrive.

The stand out things for me from our magical day were

• Taste – Gin and botanical garnishing’s from our amazing gin bar (Created by John & his team)
• Smell – The roaring open fires
• Hear = Laughter! So, so much laughter!
• Feel = The touch of Wills hand with me all day

I wouldn’t change a thing

A wedding day is what you want it to be. For me marrying Will was my favourite part, we were so lucky to share it with our friends and family, for me this is what makes it one to remember

Hidden surprises

Everyone wants the perfect wedding day but it’s important to remember that it is still real life. Sadly, some of our guests were unable to attend on the day due to ill health. Everything else ran without a hitch which we had no doubt it would with the amazing team at the Deer Park Country House involved.

Returning to Deer Park 

Although my place of work it was strange returning to the Deer Park after a wonderful week away with Will. Seeing the house took me straight back to the emotions of the wedding day, not wanting my memories of the day to disappear I didn’t even step foot in the orangery for three days (crazy I know). I’m lucky that I now get to relive my wedding day each time I help others experience theirs.

What are your top tips for other planning their big day?

I’ve got three tips that I would share

1. Enjoy every moment!
2. Do not stress over the small stuff – it’s all about friends, family and your love on the day
3. Trust your suppliers