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MODERN RELAXED AND NATURAL WEDDING

August 5, 2017

A gorgeous Saturday in July saw the beautiful wedding celebrations of Kate and Becky at the stunning Pumping House Exclusive Wedding Venue in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire.

Kate and Becky first contacted me in October 2016 to enquire about wedding assistance and a wedding venue search.  One of Kate’s best friends had recommended me to them as I did her brother’s wedding earlier that year who lived overseas and also got married in the UK.  Living in Cambodia, South East Asia, they needed that wedding professional to get things moving quickly as they planned to marry in the Summer of 2017 in the East Midlands area, when they had their summer break as they are teachers out there.  After a lovely Skype chat with them, I started their wedding venue search.  On Kate and Becky’s wish list were the words – relaxed, modern, non-traditional, non-fussy, natural, barn-like and industrial.  Around 8-10 venues made it onto their shortlist, but it soon became apparent that the Pumping House ticked most of their boxes and with it being a new wedding venue had the Summer availability that Kate and Becky needed.  Lot of imagery was shared with them via secrete Pinterest boards and you could see that they had secretly fallen in love with the space and could already visualise having their wedding celebrations there.

How did you both meet?
We met when we both moved to Beijing to teach in an international school in 2012. We soon found out we actually had friends in common back in the UK.

Tell me about the proposal?
Becky whisked me away for a surprise weekend in Kep, a beautiful coastal town in the south of Cambodia. She had it all planned out, and we had a private dinner at the end of a jetty that I had once told her was my idea of the most romantic place in the world. As the sun set, she asked me to marry her, and of course I said yes! We sat under the stars and celebrated with a glass of fizz.

Whilst Kate and Becky enjoyed a glass of fizz in Cambodia (which is 7 hours ahead of the UK), I carried out a Skype tour of the venue for them (with the lovely Venue Manager, Jo).  They fell even more in love with it and Kate arranged for her mum and sister to pop over and see it and the deposit was paid and this was the start of their wedding planning journey.  Planning a wedding from the other side of the world can be hard without that professional support to bring it all together especially those finer details and the things you don’t really think about.  Kate and Becky soon booked me to provide full wedding planning support including being there on the day itself.

Describe your style?
We wanted a modern, relaxed, non-traditional, non-fussy but still classy celebration that reflected us and incorporated all of our favourite people from around the world.

Kate and Becky visited over the Christmas period where we met up with a photographer I had found for them – the lovely Anete from Lusina Wedding Photography who was the perfect fit for them, as well as arranging their menu tasting and of course seeing the venue properly.

Why did you choose Amy as your wedding planner?
Amy had been recommended by friends that had worked with her to plan their UK wedding from across the miles.

What did you enjoy most about working with Amy?
Amy was calm, organised and very thorough. She thought of all the details that we might have missed, and was always ready to follow up any queries we had at any time.

Kate and Becky didn’t then return until a month before the wedding, obviously, we had a few Skype catch-up in between.  As soon as they arrived in June we met with their chosen florists, the lovely Emma and Jenny from Flower Barn.  Kate and Becky’s vision was greenery, ivy, natural, simplistic and timeless, right up Emma and Jenny’s street.  I had previously met with Jenny to talk through some details so it was great to see it all come together.  Whilst the Pumping House is a beautiful venue, the greenery element just really added to it and gave it warmth and a very natural and beautiful vibe.

The day before the wedding, lots of Kate and Becky’s friends did craft bits and pieces for the wedding day.  The most amazing order of the day, seating plans, name tags and photos were created.

The morning of Kate and Becky’s wedding was just great.  Kate got ready in the new Honeymoon Suite and Becky in the Bridal Boutique.  I assisted the florists with the table styling and got everything prepared ahead of everything starting.   Buttonholes were allocated, things put in place and nerves calmed.  Can I just say that Jo and the team at the Pumping House were brilliant.  I have worked with lots of venues and not all are so friendly and attentive.  Also, not all venues have the manager there all day on their wedding day, so refreshing and how it should be.  Every bride likes to see the face they have been working with on their wedding day there actually in the flesh on their wedding day.

Kate and Becky’s wedding day was just one of the best.  Such a relaxed and happy occasion with all of those personal touches that make a day so special.  Kate and Becky ended up having their official ‘marriage’ in Cambodia a couple of months before and so it was a very personal blessing at the Pumping House in the lovely Ollerton Room.  Kate and Becky’s friends, Marc and John conducted the blessing and there wasn’t a dry eye.

What memories will you always cherish about your wedding planning?
My favourite memory is us sitting with a glass of fizz in our living room in Cambodia while Amy did a Skype video tour of our potential venue. We signed up for the venue based on that tour and we loved it as much when we finally saw it in person as we had that day from Cambodia.

Following the ceremony, there were drinks and canapes outside, lots of great photos and then their wedding breakfast in the great space that is the Engine Hall, which they chose to have ‘relaxed and sharing’ style.  Scrumptious antipasti platters, followed by Moroccan tagine, couscous and green leaf salads and then some of the most emotional and best speeches I have heard.

After speeches, it was dessert time and Kate and Becky chose ‘bake-off ‘ style.  A lot of their guests made cakes and brought them before the blessing for us to display.

From the relaxed daytime celebrations to fantastic evening dancing and partying.  As I said just the best day and one I will always remember.  It’s always lovely to assist a lovely genuine couple who have such great friends and family.

What part of your wedding day did you most enjoy?
It’s so hard to pick one moment – the whole day was simply perfect from beginning to end. The ceremony itself was beautiful and so emotional, the speeches were incredible and the dancing was epic!

What advice would you give to a bride whilst planning her wedding?
Make the day about yourselves and what you both want, not what your families expect or try to dictate. Don’t show anyone the seating plan before the day!

Five words to describe Amy?
Calm | Organised | Approachable | Dedicated | Practical
Thank you, Amy! We could not have planned our amazing day without you!

There are so many lovely memories from Kate and Becky’s wedding.  I have always said that when I retire (don’t worry quite a few years yet) I will write a book about my life in the wedding world and Kate and Becky’s wedding will certainly be a part of that.  Such great memories that I will always cherish and I’m so happy that I played a part in the start of their new chapter together as wife and wife.

A selection of some of the beautiful images captured to perfection by Anete and Geoff of Lusina Wedding Photography:-

A small team of great suppliers were on Kate and Becky’s wedding dream team, including:-

Photographer – Lusina Wedding Photography
Full Wedding Planning – Amy Thorne from Amaranthyne Weddings
Wedding Flowers – Jenny & Emma from Flower Barn
Hair – Hayley Broughton
Makeup – Calli Webb
Wedding Dresses – WED2B
Catering – Gail Dandy
DJ and Dance floor – Diverse Entertainment (recommended by the Pumping House)

Venue – Pumping House Exclusive Wedding Venue

Warm Wishes

Amy xx

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