A classic English wedding on a beautiful summer’s day

With the venue for their celebration already settled, the challenge was on to find suitable suppliers who could give the top class service required to create a magical weekend for the couple.

Finding a quality marquee was top of Amelia’s agenda, and naturally she sourced a number of quotes. “We were doing a lot of research on marquees, and I was quite specific with what I was looking for,” Amelia explained. “June has very long days so it’s light until late into the evening, and I wanted to create a different atmosphere for the dancing area, with a reveal, which not all marquees can create, and we wanted our loos built into the marquee, which again not every supplier can offer.

“Village Farm ticked all these boxes, but more than that – they were so accommodating and just couldn't have been more helpful. What really came across is they genuinely cared and wanted us to have the best day possible. Ultimately it was a combination of these practical factors and their personality that made it such an easy decision to choose them.”

And the legendary Village Farm Marquee service hit the mark, as always. Amelia added: “I couldn’t have been happier with the service. Throughout the whole process, Chrysta was so diligent, she spoke with every supplier and created a brilliant timeline. We wanted a few adjustments making, for example, a few more clear panels in the sides of the marquee, and she sorted that with a moment's notice.

“Chrysta and Tony and their team could not have worked harder, they were starting at 8am and leaving around 9pm. They were a fantastic team and I've recommended them to quite a few people who’ve booked them because of what we’ve said, and they've noticed the same positive things.”

Elegant and sophisticated

The marquee layout was cleverly designed to accommodate a large dining area with a circular bar and a ‘reveal’ to the dancefloor, as well as the all-important luxury loos. Amelia chose a clear roof over the bar section to flood the space with light, an ivory lining to help keep the dining area cool (as the outside temperature hit a scorching 31 degrees), and a black lining for the dancefloor section to create a proper disco vibe.

In the dining area, the long tables were adorned with stunning floral arrangements and elegant candelabra to add height and drama. Amelia chose a mix of peonies and foliage, as well as ivory candles, to match her sophisticated colour scheme of cream, white and green, with a pop of blush pink.

A perfect weekend

Saturday gave the Village Farm team and the florist chance to rejuvenate the marquee and its contents, ready for the next day’s lunch.

Amelia is full of praise for her caterer Natalie, from the Yorkshire Party Company – who was also her on-the-day wedding planner – as well as her photographers, band and DJ. “I handed everything over to Natalie two days before the wedding and she was brilliant. She worked really well with Chrysta and I just couldn’t rate them more highly, they were both wonderful to work with.

Chrysta Newman, Co-director of Village Farm Marquees, said: “Amelia and Olly’s wedding was an absolute dream from start to finish. The weather, the location, the people… it was a joy to help Amelia achieve her vision and create such a beautiful weekend of celebration.”

On-the-day co-ordination

Right up until two days before her big day, Amelia fulfilled the role of wedding planner extraordinaire – and then made the very sensible decision to appoint an on-the-day co-ordinator so that she could enjoy every single moment without the stress of having to organise all the different suppliers and ensure everything ran like clockwork.

Step forward Natalie Moore, Director of the Yorkshire Party Company, who not only already knew Amelia personally but had also been hired to provide the catering for both the wedding and the Sunday lunch party. Yorkshire Party is one of the region’s finest caterers and Natalie herself is a top-notch wedding planner with peerless organisational skills and a fantastic network of suppliers (she was able to come to Amelia’s aid when her original Sunday photographer cancelled an hour before the lunch started).

Natalie explained: “When it comes to taking on any sort of wedding planning, you've got to find somebody who is the right fit and who understands fully the client’s brief, because you’re putting all your trust and responsibility for your special day onto that person.

“Amelia handed all her plans to me on a beautifully prepared spreadsheet, we had everything on there that I needed to know, every single supplier, all the contact details and timings, she was super organised! There was a lot of co-ordinating to do and Amelia and her family didn't want the stress of all that last minute, which makes complete sense.”

Some of the suppliers were travelling from London on the day of the wedding and unfortunately a number of road accidents between the capital and Yorkshire caused delays, which kept Natalie on her toes! Thankfully despite the late arrivals, everyone pulled together and were still able to deliver a seamless first-class service, as expected, on time. “It’s such a dream to have flexible and understanding suppliers who are on board with the schedule you’re trying to work to. Ultimately everyone involved just wanted to create the best possible experience for the whole wedding party,” Natalie added. “It really was great that Amelia found such fabulous suppliers, it made my role a lot easier and enjoyable because everyone was so nice to work with.”

Guests were treated to an exquisite summer menu courtesy of Natalie’s team: canapes were followed by a sesame and coriander crusted tuna starter, Yorkshire honey and five spice duck breast main course, and a three-tiered wedding cake as well as mini treacle and raspberry frangipani tarts, with tea and coffee.

At Sunday’s lunch, guests were served an assortment of canapes to start followed by a main course of guinea fowl and a lemon posset pudding.

Every event Natalie caters for is special, but Amelia and Olly’s celebration particularly stands out in her memory. She said: “The marquee looked so beautiful, you walked in and couldn’t help but say ‘wow!’”

SUPPLIERS

Catering and wedding day co-ordination – The Yorkshire Party Company

Photographer (Friday) – Richard Greenly

Photographer (Sunday) – Joe Dodsworth

Furniture – EPH Creative /Black Event Furniture

Bar Hire – Louisanna’s

Lighting and Sound – AV Matrix

Toilet Hire – Oakwood Services

Power – The Convenience Company (North) and Jor Event

Fridge Hire – One Event Solutions

Flowers – Vincent and Stubbs Flowers

Reception Music – York String Quartet

DJ – Matt Potter – Potter Group

Band – 29 Fingers

Security – TJ Security