Names: Jess and Ben from London

Month: June - cloudy with some fine rain

Suppliers:

Venue: At parents home in Kendal

Tents: Ribble Valley Canvas Marquees

Music: Ben Jackson and DJ Dave Whicker

Catering: Smoke and Steel

Bar: Twisted Mojito

Photography and videography: Emily and Steve Photography

Floristy: Ben’s mum

Hair: Danielle W

MUA: Emily Miller

Toilets: Lakes Loos

A note from Lindsey:

Annabel and I met Jess and Ben on a very wet, dark winters day! Their vision of how they wanted their day was very clear - a glorious mix of Mexican meets English country garden styled marquee with a drinks reception on a little hill close by. They had lots of different elements to chat through but wanted reassurance they were on the right track and help with logistics. On the day it was cloudy with that very fine rain that didn’t know whether to turn up or not. This meant making decisions about the location of drinks reception was very last minute, thanks to some fantastic suppliers we were still able to make this work beautifully even bringing the saxophonist back outside at the very last moment. Ben’s Mum had made so many of the decorations including seat cushions so they’d added a really lovely personal touch. Music was a massive factor in the day which they totally nailed - I don’t think I have ever seen so many people all on the dancefloor at the same time! The sun made a timely appearance into the evening to end their beautiful day.

Kind Words from the couple:

Why did you hunt for a Coordinator? As our wedding was a marquee wedding at the groom's family home, we needed someone (who isn't also a guest!) to be in charge of logistics and timings. 

How did you find Weddings by Annabel and what made you choose them? Via a Google search for recommended Cumbria-based wedding coordinators!  I had a brief intro chat with Annabel and in about ten minutes she managed to recommend solutions to some of the issues we were currently facing (transport for guests/bar service). It was clear she has an extensive network across the area and tons of experience. 

What was the most difficult part of planning a wedding? Particularly with a DIY wedding, understanding all the logistics that need to be in place when you haven't planned a larger scale event before (eg water sources, electricity requirements). 

What are your key memories from the day? Seeing the marquee set up in all its glory after we came back from the church (which Lindsey had helped put the finishing touches on) was a highlight after months of planning all the details. We were also lucky enough to have a fantastic band and my sister's boyfriend did a DJ Sax set later on - seeing all your friends and family in one place dancing the night away is surreal but wonderful! 

Would you change anything? There were a few items of detail that we spent weeks worrying about that weren't necessary (eg loads of florals in the church) - Lindsey and Annabel were very good at guiding us to focus on what is important and to drop the details that weren't worth the time. 

How was having Lindsey there throughout the event? I am a control freak/pepetual worrier so having her there as a support to pick up any issues was really reassuring. She even printed my speech for me on the morning of the wedding at 5.30am before she travelled over! 

What advice would you give others planning a DIY style wedding? As well as all the nice bits to plan (decoration, music etc) bear in mind that a DIY wedding needs a lot of focus on the boring bits - as mentioned, your infrastructure, supplier access requirements, toilets...!

Have you feedback on the rest of your supplier team? We had such a positive experience with all our suppliers- we felt that they were all so helpful in the run up and also on the day, really going above and beyond. 

Would you recommend Weddings by Annabel? Of course! 

Gorgeous images from Emily and Steve Photography