Last summer I began working on an elegant marquee wedding at Holkham Hall. My couple selected my Signature Service, because with busy jobs and a young family, they knew they wouldn’t have the time or energy to plan their day the way they wanted it to be – namely an elegant white wedding. They had booked their venue and knew they wanted a marquee overlooking the lake at Holkham, with their ceremony in the magnificent Marble Hall, but other than that we had a blank sheet of paper.
So where did we start the wedding planning?
The first place to start was gathering inspiration for the sort of look my couple wanted for their wedding. Combining this with their budget meant we could map out what their priorities were and get a good estimate of how I would suggest they apportioned their budget pot. Pinterest is a great tool to gather ideas if you don’t know where to start; pick a few key words and plug them in then pin what takes your fancy. Doing this in addition to researching in wedding blogs, instagram hashtags and using my Shoebox technique is a really solid way to approach the daunting challenge of creating your wedding!
This was a full plan so I got the complete pleasure of really getting to know my couple so well. We spent a lot of time discussing the look of their wedding, their guest’s experience and the budget (which I am very pleased to say was delivered at several thousand less than the original budget 🤛🏻). I love building a wedding from a blank sheet of paper, it means my couples get a day that is 100% them and because of everything I know and my experience we can ‘get it right first time’, something I find a lot of couples get frustrated with, having to unplan parts of their day and rearrange ideas because they subsequently find the logistics won’t work or it blows their budget.
Wedding Planning Priorities
Following on from setting the budget and researching their vision the next task was to book the key suppliers who would be able to deliver that vision inline with the budget. The first few suppliers we booked were the catering team, the marquee, the photographer and videographer. Because these were some of the biggest expenses it then gave my clients a really good idea about what was left in their budget so we could then plan the next phase of suppliers without fear of overspending.
The Elegant White Wedding Design
The brief was modern, elegant and WHITE. The main focus to deliver the vision for this particular client was the marquee. We selected every element to tie in with this theme. The style of marquee was important so that we had a backdrop that felt modern, light and not overly fussy. We opted for a gorgeous sailcloth from Morton Events. not having a lining, the marquee then had a real ‘white’ quality to the light inside. The clean lines added to the modern aesthetic. We opted for simple festoon lighting to drape in the ceiling.
The Wedding Ceremony in The Marble Hall
The ceremony was an intimate, personal one with only 8 guests in the stunning Marble Hall at Holkham. All guests arrived in their Black tie dress code outfits and looked very dapper.
While the couple slipped off for some portraits in the Saloon we got the Marble Hall set up for the infamous confetti shot.
After the ceremony the reception was held in a beautiful Sailcloth marquee overlooking the lake. The newly weds and their guests were greeted here by a delicate champagne tower and the musical duet, Jam Duo to entertain their guests. The white and black colour pallet continued with the signage, cake, stationery, tableware, lighting and florals.
Designing the tablescape for my clients is one of THE most fun parts of my job! The look for J&A was luxurious and refined. With some choice elements from Banqueting hire’s extensive range this was one part of the wedding design that I was so pleased with. The elegant stationery from the lovely Silk and Ink and the florals from Hall&Co finished the look with finesse. I particularly loved the mirror we had from Laurel House Designs.
Dinner was a bespoke menu created by the incredible Hall &Co. With exceptional service and incredible flavours they more than delivered to the brief.
The tables were covered in white cloths and we picked elegant tableware to elevate the look and treat our diners from Banqueting Hire’s extensive selection
The monochrome wedding design was followed through for a cohesive look into the stationery and signage from the fabulous Silk and Ink.
The whole wedding design was brought together with modern floral designs in white, white, white! Hall & Co did an incredible job interpreting the brief and sticking to budget! My clients had also booked Hall & Co as their caterers which added to the cohesion of the design.
The stunning, all white wedding cake and dessert table was provided by Love Wedding Cakes and fitted the brief perfectly. Amber hand-crafted sugar flowers to match with the bridal bouquet.
After the formalities of the day the guests were treated to cocktails from East Coast Bars and an incredible live band to get the party really going. With a mid-evening pick-me-up of loaded fries the guests were well fuelled to dance until midnight. A fab band entertained the guests as the sun set. You definitely can’t beat a live band to really being a celebration to life.
Testimonial from my Bride and Groom.
J also left me a wonderful review on Google:
“I simply can’t recommend Emily enough! From the first encounter, right through until the wedding day Emily was wonderful. The extensive knowledge, her willingness to answer any question .. no matter how silly and whatever the hour and the amazing person she is inside and out, made for the most stress free planning and wedding day we could have asked for. Emily’s presence alone was calming in the midst of nerves on the day and that alone speaks volumes. Emily was there to help with absolutely everything and anything and nothing was too much of an ask. Everything on the day exceeded our expectations and that was all down to Emily making our visions and ideas become reality. From the bottom of our hearts thank you for making our day one that will be treasured forever dearly. x”
Watch the professional video footage of the day by James Kilcoin here.
This was a fabulous wedding day and I am really proud of how all the suppliers met our brief so well. It really does make my job so much easier when I work with incredible suppliers.
Photography by Andy Davison Photography.