Blog Post

Emma & Ed's DIY Wedding at Harrow Wood Campsite

  • by Natasha Gilchrist
  • 05 Nov, 2022
Image by Stephanie Beken Photography

I do love a local wedding and Emma and Ed’s was no exception. Finding out they were planning their wedding just up the road from where I live at their family owned Harrow Wood Campsite got me intrigued and excited, somewhere I had driven past so many times but never been to.

The week running up to Emma and Ed's wedding the forecast was showing sun but frustratingly on the day we were graced with some showers... 

...NOT THAT ANYONE LET A BIT OF RAIN RUIN THE DAY!

Thankfully it stayed dry for everyone to walk down the road to Bransgore Church for the ceremony and back again, long enough to not need umbrellas! 
Image by Barry Rickman Photography

Once Emma and Ed arrived back to the campsite they dashed off with their groomsmen and bridal party to capture some fun photos with the golf buggies down by the meadow before the rain came.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography
Image by Barry Rickman Photography
Image by Stephanie Beken Photography

Emma also rode her horse Kitti down by the meadow to ensure her four legged friend was included in their big day too. 

...HOW GORGEOUS ARE THESE?

Image by Stephanie Beken Photography
Image by Stephanie Beken Photography

Lucky for Emma and Ed, Emma’s dad makes his own artisan cider called Dickies Dribble which of course was on offer to the guests. Seeing Emma’s dads face on the side of the cider bottle I knew instantly who he was on the day and with his loud infectious laugh I could tell he was definitely going to be a fun and loveable father of the bride.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography
Image by Barry Rickman Photography

As a DIY wedding and with a free bar Emma and Ed needed extra hands to help so I took along two team members to help.  Serving drinks from the famous Dickies Dribble gazebo we made sure everyone had a drink in hand whether it was Pimms, Prosecco, beer or cider. Using the golf buggies we were able to easily transport all the drinks from the barn to keep them topped up in the drinks tent, which I have to say was an absolute lifesaver!

Image by Barry Rickman Photography

With family pets being a big part of Emma and Ed’s life they had named their tables after their beloved furry friends...

...A LOVELY PERSONAL TOUCH.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography
Image by Barry Rickman Photography

When it was time for the wedding breakfast we checked the caterers Charter 1227 Catering were ready for service and then asked the guests to take a seat. The catering team served the meal whilst we topped up the wine on the tables. Outside we cleared all the empty glasses and prepped the bar ready for when the meal was finished.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography

One of Emma and Ed’s friends Ford Boi Bakes made their wedding cake and an extremely yummy tower of brownies which I made sure was collected from the house at the right time. Prompting for the cake to be cut after the meal along with the speeches I made sure everything ran as Emma and Ed wanted it to and to their time plan.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography

 The speeches were hilarious with a quick shot of homemade coffee liqueur...

Image by Barry Rickman Photography
...and a cardboard cut out of Rob Beckett joining Bruce, the best man!

CAN YOU SEE THE SIMILARITY?

Image by Barry Rickman Photography

HE EVEN JOINED THEM ON THE DANCEFLOOR LATER!

Image by Barry Rickman Photography

Once the speeches and cake cutting were over the guests came outside to the bar where my team Ellie and Abbey served from. At this point we changed over to plastic cups and squirrelled away all the glassware. Something I always say is safer especially when in a field that animals might go back in to the following day.

Over in the marquee I helped clear all the rubbish from the tables while the caterers cleared all the glassware, crockery and cutlery from the tables. I then cut the wedding cake into pieces and handed it around to all the guests to enjoy with their drinks.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography

The band Century soon arrived and I gave them the key to the horse trailer as Emma and Ed had said they could use this as their green room…

...DIFFERENT BUT IT WORKED PERFECTLY!

One of my jobs was to light all the outside candles in jam jars hanging from stakes in the ground. Frustratingly as many times as I tried, the wind kept beating me and blowing them out. It was one of those jobs that was near on impossible but I persevered, repositioned them slightly and managed to get some of them to stay alight, even if just for a short while.

The free bar was busy all evening serving from the mobile trailer whilst the caterers served the Tex Mex evening food. During the evening I went around clearing all the empty food plates and cups and generally tidying up.

With the band and party in full swing it was soon time for us to leave so we stocked up the DIY bar before we left and went to say our goodbyes. With a hug and a shout of ‘We Love You Tash’ as we walked away made me super happy knowing we had helped make Emma and Ed’s day as stress free as possible.

Image by Barry Rickman Photography
Image by Barry Rickman Photography

Not long after Emma and Ed's big day I received the loveliest of feedback from them…

“Tash & her team recently coordinated our marquee wedding at home and we cannot thank them enough for making the day run so smoothly and stress free. From the moment we touched base with Tash she was so helpful with recommending suppliers and tips for things we may not have thought of with having a DIY reception. Every little detail was meticulously planned to help put us at ease and ensure everything was covered whilst also manning our bar like pros! Our guests were so complimentary about how friendly and helpful Tash & team were”.

So, if you are planning a DIY wedding like Emma and Ed and feel you might need help with on the day co-ordination then don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Always happy to chat weddings!

Much love

Other Suppliers Involved in Emma & Ed's Day...

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