Georgia and Phil's Wedding at Tournerbury Woods

There is something to be said for getting married in May. This year the weather was without doubt better in May than every weekend we had in July! 

Georgia and Phil couldn’t have asked for better weather at their DIY marquee wedding venue, Tournerbury Woods on Hayling Island. The sky was blue with a very slight breeze and the sun was shining, just perfect for their outdoor ceremony.

When Georgia and Phil first got in touch, they initially asked for help decorating their marquee as they weren’t sure how they were going to get it all done with limited time on the morning of their big day. After chatting with them both on the phone and going through everything they needed help with, Georgia and Phil decided that in fact they could actually do with all day co-ordination to ensure their whole day ran smoothly. Receiving Georgia and Phil’s kind words after their big day made me really happy to hear how much they valued their decision in booking me to help them for the duration…

“Tasha is INCREDIBLE! I can say for definite that our day wouldn’t have been as perfect as it was without her.

We found Tasha after looking for help to set up the marquee on our wedding day. I had originally planned to do it myself but when I realised how big of a job it was we knew we needed someone who knew what they were doing.

Tasha was extremely friendly and helpful. We video called a few times, had a chat on Whatsapp we could use at any point and she even travelled to see us in person to go over how we wanted everything setting up. She shared ideas of things we hadn’t even thought of and contacted all of our suppliers to make sure everything went to plan.

On the day Tasha and Jan were on site early to set up the marquee and it looked amazing! They brought our visions to life and it looked better than we could ever have imagined. She checked in with us both to make sure we were both okay and clarify last minute details. Everything was timed perfectly and we didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Tasha was highly thought of by all of our suppliers, our venue and our families who helped on the day. We cannot thank her enough for everything she did for us”.

Jan and I arrived first thing and set to decorating the inside of the marquee. Laying the table cloths and putting out the table name centrepieces Georgia and Phil had made, they were now ready for the florist Vanessa Jayne Design to place her pretty wild meadow floral jars.

On the table we also placed the napkins and the place names and added the best favours ever of ‘His and Her’ sweets…Percy Pigs for Georgia and Skittles for Phil.

We met with the bar The Three Cockerels and the caterers Island Catering Company to check they had everything they needed and carried on with putting out the rest of the decor, such as the welcome sign, the reserved seat signs and the confetti stand.

Georgia and Phil also decided to have an unplugged ceremony meaning guests are asked to turn their phones and cameras off and leave the photos to the professional photographer. I think this is a really good idea, otherwise you end up with your professional gallery back and your ceremony pictures have all your guests holding their phones up in the air. I know your guests are only trying to help by attempting to capture the best shot of you tying the knot, but I say...

We also set out the very brilliant audio guestbook from Calleo UK. If you are looking for an alternative to a guestbook, I would highly recommend this idea as it means rather than reading a book you can hear your friends and families voices when you listen back in later years.

About an hour before the ceremony Phil arrived along with some of his friends so they could capture some photos with their photographer Lucy Dracott Photography. The sun was now beginning to hot up, so my emergency trolley was able to assist some of the girls with sun cream and later on with antihistamine tablets and paracetamol…

In between all of the prep I kept checking in on Georgia who was getting ready with her mum and flower girls in the cottage. With hair and make up by Olivia Marshall Make Up Artist booked through Suzanne Dusek Hair & Make Up everyone looked beautiful, especially Georgia.

Upstairs in the cottage Georgia's mum helped her into her wedding dress. I always think it's nice to have a few precious moments with your 'special someone' before you walk down the aisle. 

Wearing her nan’s wedding dress which Georgia had altered with a different neckline and style of sleeve, it was a very special and sentimental moment when her dad caught the first glimpse. A dad's first look of their daughter in their wedding dress is always an emotional moment...

Greeting the registrars is always a job on my list. Once Phil had spoken with them and I had shown them where they could talk with Georgia, I made sure Phil was down at the front of the aisle and asked all the guests to take a seat ready for the ceremony.

Working alongside Ella, Tournerbury’s venue co-ordinator, Ella waited by the PA system ready to control the music whilst I stayed with Georgia, her dad and her flower girls making sure they were happy, calm and ready to walk down the aisle. Giving the thumbs up to Ella to press play I stood with Georgia and helped with timings of when to start walking, reminding her not to walk too fast, to hold her bouquet low and of course to enjoy every moment. It seems natural to want to walk quickly down the aisle and to hold your bouquet up high in front of your chest, so a little reminder just before the big moment is always a good thing.

After a beautiful ceremony in front of the pergola which had been decorated with stunning floral arrangements by Vanessa Jayne Design, along with the floral aisle jars and of course the pretty bouquets and buttonholes, we directed all guests to the safari tent slope to form a confetti tunnel.

Making a confetti tunnel away from your aisle is a good idea as it means all your guests can be involved rather than just your guests in the aisle seats. It also means you have a much longer confetti walk to capture lots of confetti images like these ones by the very talented Lucy Dracott Photography.

It was now time for the welcome drinks and canapés to be served which Island Catering Company took care of whilst we moved the ceremony chairs into groups on the lawn for the guests to use and put the rest away that weren’t needed.

Lawn games are very popular at weddings and always welcomed by guests, giving them something to do during the chill times. Earlier in the morning I had met with The Lawn Game Company and chatted with them about where to set up their games which included Welly Wanging, a Coconut Shy and Beat the Buzzer.

In the run up to Georgia and Phil’s wedding we had several conversations about other ideas that may be popular and Phil was really keen on me bringing my coffee sacks and rope markers from my new business venture Mae & Maple Prop Hire. It’s amazing how the old school sports day races can bring so much fun to a wedding. Just look at these awesome images of everyone getting involved…

Not wanting any major speeches during their wedding breakfast Georgia and Phil decided to have the father of the bride speech outside just before everyone went in for their meal. By using the slope going up to the safari tent, it meant Georgia could stand with her dad and Phil at the top so everyone could see them. In doing this it felt far more relaxed which is the vibe Georgia and Phil were going for. 

At the end of the speech Georgia’s dad asked everyone to make their way into the marquee to find their seat.

With everyone sat down and Georgia and Phil sat at their incredible 'Sweetheart Table' it was time to send everyone up for their food. 

Checking the caterers were ready I sent a table up one at a time to collect their delicious…wait for it…

...a yummy curry in a big pan with rice, naan bread, poppadoms and chutneys. Completely different to the norm but that’s why I loved it and it went down an absolute storm with Georgia and Phil’s guests.

After the caterers had cleared the tables I then sent the tables up to collect their pudding from a selection of delicious one pot puddings of eton mess, chocolate brownie and vanilla cheesecake.

With no more speeches, straight after the meal it was time for Georgia and Phil to cut their semi naked wedding cake made by The Pastry Corner.

Keeping a close eye was their cousin’s little boy who had been crowned chief cake taster and was promised first taste from each layer. The winning flavour went to caramel but of course he loved them all and so did everyone else!

Once the cake flavour judging had been announced we took the cake away to cut into smaller pieces and put onto boards, so the guests could help themselves to it throughout the evening. 

The guests then headed outside to buy themselves a drink from the bar and chill out on the lawn area. 

During this time Georgia and Phil went off to capture some pics with their photographer, Lucy. This is something I always suggest factoring into your time plan and any good photographer will suggest doing this too. Having a bit of ‘You Time’ is really important and means you can capture some wonderful images of the two of you. Whether you choose golden hour or not, you won’t regret taking a few moments to yourselves away from your guests.  

During the chill time I met with Ashley Riggs DJ who began setting up. Whilst he was doing this I went round to all the guests reminding them to leave their audio message on the phone before the music started up. I would have hated for all of the guest messages to have been drowned out by the loud music!

Jan and I also moved all of the cards and gifts over to the cottage so they were in a safe place and Georgia and Phil wouldn’t need to worry about them later.

With the DJ set up it was time for Georgia’s dad and daughter dance, which is always something very special to see as not everyone does this any more. Gathering all the guests, everyone stood around to watch Georgia and her dad, followed by Georgia and Phil’s first dance.

For their evening food Georgia and Phil opted for pizza also from Island Catering Company, a choice you can’t go wrong with for evening nibbles, especially after a few drinks. Alongside that they set up a s’mores table by the fire pit so guests could toast their own s’mores and marshmallows. If you are having a fire pit at your wedding this is a great idea and something that is always a hit with the guests.

With all the jobs done and everyone having a good time, it was now time to leave. Saying our goodbyes to Georgia, Phil and their families, we headed home leaving everyone to enjoy the evening party.

If you are planning a DIY wedding whether it’s at a wedding venue, in a marquee in a field, a community hall or even at home in your garden and you think you might need some help like Georgia and Phil, then don’t hesitate to get in touch. As a wedding co-ordinator I am here to help take any worry away and provide you with a stress free day. If you have questions along the way and need supplier recommendations then I will be there for you along your wedding planning journey to help in any way I can as your wedding buddy.