From the manor... to the marquee

Helen Davies – who has run events at the prestigious Rise Hall stately home for TV celebrity Sarah Beeny for the past four years.

We can’t tell you how excited we are about this new link-up to create ‘Village Farm Events – with Helen Davies’, for all sorts of reasons.

Of course, she’s simply brilliant – and one of the most sought after event planners in the UK.

But aside from that, she’s a lovely person and a consummate professional – a very neat fit indeed with our ethos here at Village Farm Marquees, and we’re looking forward to developing some really exciting new opportunities together.

We have to admit that this feels a little like kismet – one of those happy events in life that seems to come at the right time, for the right reasons.

And we’re particularly excited about the new avenues the partnership with Helen will enable us to explore with our clients. We have already begun to venture into wedding planning and delivery, and have had the privilege to work with some wonderful clients over the past year, on shaping their special day.

Working with Helen will now enable us to go one step further, though, in collaboration with someone who is at the top of her game and, frankly, renowned for creating magic wherever she goes.

The partnership will mean all our customers booking weddings or other events with Village Farm Marquees will benefit from extensive advice from the expanded Village Farm team, including Helen. This will cover everything from supplier recommendations to creative concept ideas. An upgrade to full event planning by Helen will also be available, with or without one of our marquees.

We spoke to her about her journey to this point, her experience at the famous Rise, and what she’ll be offering our clients.

First things first – Rise Hall

Of course, we couldn’t resist asking her for a sneaky peek into the fabulous world of Rise Hall.

“My Rise Hall 'story' began in 2013, just 12 months after launching my own wedding planning business, 'The Wedding Concierge',” she said.

“Sarah Beeny contacted me out of the blue and explained that she needed some help at Rise Hall. She had spoken to a number of wedding industry professionals, who had repeatedly mentioned my name,” continued Helen.

“When Sarah got in touch and asked me to meet her at Rise Hall the same day, I had no idea what to expect. I imagined that her team might have needed some ‘on the day’ help with weddings and events, or perhaps some generic guidance relevant to their business.

“Intrigued, I headed over there for a face-to-face meeting with Sarah, during which I recall drinking an obscene amount of coffee!”

And so it began.

“It turned out that, having completed the restoration of the property and following a lengthy battle with the local authority to secure the relevant licences, Sarah needed help to drive the business forward.

“It was clear to me that Rise Hall had enormous potential as a wedding and events venue, but there were certain fundamental elements missing and this represented an enormous opportunity.

“Sarah persuaded me to seize it and, six days later, I moved in with nothing more than a suitcase, a computer and a head full of ideas. This was so much more than a job. Rise Hall became my home and my number one priority. I put it before everything and everyone else in order to focus on making it a success. It was my life.”

And what followed for Helen was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and opportunity to build something truly extra-special.

“The first six months were terrifying and exciting in equal measure,” she continued.

“With no systems, processes or people in place, everything needed to be established from scratch, which included implementing customer relationship management systems, appointing housekeepers and general administration staff, managing the maintenance of the property and its grounds, overseeing relationships with multiple third party contractors, overhauling bed linen, upgrading soft furnishings, installing headboards on beds, replacing interior fire doors and installing a serviceable bar, all while promoting Rise Hall as a venue, attracting numerous clients, conducting viewings, taking bookings, meeting with suppliers, and hosting weddings and events.”

And all this hard work paid off, massively.

“In 2014, we entered the Wedding Industry Awards and were highly commended in two categories – Best Countryside Wedding Venue and Best Events Team,” said Helen.

“In 2015, we received the Regional Award (based solely on customer feedback) for the Best Countryside Wedding Venue in the North East of England. I doubt that I will ever again experience such a feeling of pride. Rise Hall and its tiny, but incredibly passionate and committed team were well and truly on the map. We were being recognised. It was an incredible result.”

And the growth of its reputation was mirrored by an increase in bookings.

“At the point when I took over Rise Hall in June 2013, there were just 17 weddings in the diary. However, this number grew to 32 and Rise Hall now hosts an average of 40 weddings each year,” she added.

And the million-dollar question – what was it actually like, living in the kind of property most people can only dream about?

“I felt very privileged to live in such a beautiful place. I am a country girl at heart and am definitely happiest surrounded by beautiful scenery, so I felt blessed to be in such a historic building, surrounded by idyllic countryside. However, it was incredibly lonely at times - and cold!”

Rise’s secrets of success

So what, does Helen believe, were the contributing factors to this venue’s phenomenal turnaround of fortunes?

“We focused on offering every couple exclusive use of the entire venue, which enabled them to have complete freedom and flexibility,” she added.

“As such, they were able to create precisely the experience they wanted to have, often for a full weekend – Friday to Sunday.”

“The Rise Hall team were also incredibly passionate and committed to delivering a truly personal service. In one particular instance, a bride described her experience as being as though she had ‘been looked after by a team who felt like family’. Couples often remarked about the fact that everything we did for them made them feel ‘at home’.

“I developed a relationship with every bride and groom, always taking into account their individual visions of the perfect day and making sure that no two weddings were ever the same.

“I provided each individual couple with a personalised portfolio of suppliers, whose products and personalities were the perfect match for their needs.

“The best weddings I planned there were those where couples and their families truly embraced every opportunity to personalise their experience. There are certainly one or two which stand out in my memory and I have made some life-long friends as a result.”

Destined for this career

“I had a successful background in financial services, working as Internal Communications Manager for a FTSE 250 company and responsible for managing a communication strategy with an audience of over 15,000 people,” said Helen.

“I was responsible for organising events, including conferences in the UK and in Europe and parties for up to 1,000 guests. It soon became clear that this was my forte and it was certainly the aspect of my role that I enjoyed the most.

“In 2011, I was honoured to be asked by a very good friend to assist her in planning her wedding, which was a very rewarding experience in so many ways. Shortly after the wedding, her photographer contacted me and suggested that we meet for coffee, to discuss how we might help each other.

“He had presumed that I was a full-time wedding planner. When I explained that I had merely been helping my friend, he told me in no uncertain terms that I should seriously consider a career change! According to him, I had completely altered his perception of how a wedding planner worked – because I was so collaborative, approachable and calm.

“This conversation planted a seed and in 2012 (whilst continuing to work full time initially) I launched and began to build my own business.”

So what is Helen’s trademark?

“I hope that my name is now synonymous with professionalism, reliability and a passion for delivering unforgettable weddings, private parties and events,” she said.

“I aim to bring a stylish, unforgettable personal touch to all manner of occasions, from intimate dinner parties to weddings and larger celebrations for up to 2,000 guests. People who have worked with me talk about my ‘unrivalled enthusiasm and attention to detail, combined with an irresistible authenticity, charisma and warmth’.

“Above all, I care about each person’s day as if it was my own. Therefore, when someone puts their trust in me, it will never be misplaced.”

She added: “I have worked with prestigious brands like Orient Express to deliver some truly incredible experiences but, above all, I guarantee my clients an entirely stress-free time. I take full responsibility for all the practicalities so that they are able to relax and enjoy every moment with absolute confidence that I will take care of everything.”

It is Helen’s ‘little black book’ of industry contacts, though, which is worth its weight in gold to the people she works with.

“When I first went into event planning, I networked tirelessly, like a whirling dervish, getting around as many people as possible to establish positive relationships,” she said.

“As a result, I have an unrivalled network of tried and tested suppliers who are the best of the best in their respective industries – and can link people up with everyone they are likely to need, from photographers to caterers, and everyone else in between.

“I have invested a great deal of time and energy into developing relationships with suppliers, as a result of which I can be supremely confident that they would NEVER let me down. The depth of these relationships adds another dimension to the service I deliver to my clients, who benefit hugely as a result of the fact that the suppliers I recommend will ALWAYS go the extra mile for them and for me.

“Most couples I come across have never planned a wedding before, don’t know where to start and are daunted by the process, particularly finding the right suppliers, but I make it easy and enjoyable for them.”

So what will she be offering Village Farm Events customers? .

“I intend to build upon my existing reputation and work with Chrysta and Tony to create a go-to brand for all aspects of wedding and event planning, delivering an excellent standard of customer service. In East Yorkshire, my name is synonymous with creating unforgettable experiences at Rise Hall but I want to extend our reputation far beyond that.

“I’m so proud to be affiliated with Village Farm Marquees and confident that, together, we will deliver the ultimate customer experience.”

Together with Helen, we’ll be offering our lovely couples the opportunity to have us plan their special occasion from start to finish, as well as supplying a stunning backdrop for it.

“It will give them the opportunity to discuss their vision for their perfect wedding with an experienced, knowledgeable and professional wedding and events planner. I’ll be able to offer them helpful advice and guidance so that they can avoid some of the pitfalls which they might otherwise encounter and ensure that, ultimately, they have precisely the experience they want to have," added Helen.

“I can also help them to identify what their priorities are, and kick-start their plans by pointing out all the suppliers they will need and ensuring that absolutely nothing is overlooked, as well as giving them the opportunity to ask questions, highlight concerns or resolve any dilemmas relating to any aspect of their plans – right through to basic advice about wedding etiquette.”

You can read more about our plans for Village Farm Events in our news story and our Your Perfect Day event planning and price guide contains more details of the services we have available.

Anyone wanting to find out more about our range of services, including our new collaboration with Helen, can contact us on (01262) 468160 , or via email at info@villagefarmmarqees.co.uk. For more details of Village Farm Events and the services we offer, download our 'Your Perfect day' Event Planning and Price Guide.

* Image courtesy of Joel Skingle Photography