Rachel & Ben's Wedding at Tournerbury Woods Estate

Not everyone needs co-ordination for the duration of their wedding day, some only need help for part of it...

I first spoke with Rachel and Ben pre-covid when everything was normal! 

Their wedding was booked at the DIY venue ‘Tournerbury Woods Estate’ for June 2020.  Everything was planned and set in place, however, thanks to covid rearing its very ugly head several months before their big day, Rachel and Ben had to not only postpone their big day once...

Finally a new date was booked at their original venue, where Rachel and Ben required my help with the decor and set-up. I will tell you honestly I am not a stylist. However, I am more than happy to put up any of my couples own decorations to ensure the venue is looking pretty and everything is in place before the guests start to arrive. 

The beauty of Tournerbury Woods Estate is it is a blank canvas marquee. Set in secluded woodland close to the waters edge it really is yours to do whatever you want with...oh and you also have some amazing settings for your photos! 

Chatting with Rachel and Ben in the planning stages of their wedding they knew exactly what they wanted when it came to decoration, nothing too fussy but just enough to take away from the plainness of the marquee. After hearing everything they needed help with I was able to make a start on writing up their decoration schedule, which with all the covid rules changing regularly we could amend as and when we needed to.

Venue visits are always important to me as it means I know exactly what the venue looks like beforehand and whether the jobs are possible in the timeframe. Several weeks before Rachel and Ben’s big day we met at Tournerbury Woods Estate so I could see the venue and envisage how they wanted their wedding to look.

Knowing puffballs were on the agenda I also wanted to check out the height of the marquee ceiling and see what ladders the venue could provide me with. For anyone that has used puffballs before will know that they take a long time to puff up, so I strongly recommend you puff these up beforehand! 

At the venue visit I was able to take some of Rachel and Bens decorations home with me including the puffballs, which meant I could puff them up at home before their wedding day. The rest of the decorations would be dropped off on the day itself by Ben and his groomsmen.

At last their big day arrived, one which I had looked forward to for so long!

My team member Julia and I arrived early and started by draping a sash of material across a beam in the corner of the ceremony stand, ready for the florist Catkin & Pussywillow to decorate with flowers.

Next, we hung the puffballs which after a bit of ‘To me, To you’ going on they looked really pretty hanging in a cluster above the head table.

Once we had put the tables and chairs in place according to the table plan, the caterers laid the tables with linen, glassware and cutlery. We then put the place names and table numbers on as well as some personal touches from Rachel and Ben.

Mini games in a box were put on each table along with a paperback book Rachel had printed in memory of her grandfather, entitled...

The children had their own little wedding boxes with things to entertain them, as well their own drinking cups which we gave to the caterers to serve their welcome drinks in.  

A table plan was placed in an easel ready to put outside once the rain stopped, which thankfully it did just in time for the ceremony.

The order of service cards and confetti bags were left in a dry spot on the ceremony stand ready to be handed out by the groomsmen and bridesmaids later on.

Not forgetting the pretty silk ribbons which we hung from the trees by the bar out the front of the marquee and some more on a lone tree just to the side of the ceremony stand, which the children loved!

It is always great getting to know new suppliers so I was really pleased to meet Dean John DJ who was not only the DJ but also the host for Rachel and Ben's special day. Other suppliers involved were Island Catering who catered for the food and bar...and of course the fantastic photographers Emily and Steve Photography who captured all of these fantastic images.

Receiving Rachel and Ben’s feedback was so lovely to read and it goes to show just how valuable our help can be...

Helping Rachel and Ben in the morning of their wedding day meant they could relax and get ready in peace knowing we had everything covered, which is exactly what you want on your wedding day! 

Something I must share with you is Rachel and Ben's wedding cake which was set up by Ben's mum just before the ceremony. A three tier buttercream cake topped off with some Cork Couple Cake Toppers that I had made. During lockdown I decided to make use of all the champagne corks I had rescued at weddings and events and started up Cork Couple Crafts. Rachel liked my cake toppers so much she asked me to personalise a couple to their colourscheme. It made me so happy to see one of my cork couples sitting proud on a real life wedding cake...

When all of the jobs were done and just before the guests arrived we slipped away quietly leaving Rachel and Ben to tie the knot and have a fantastic day with all their friends and family.

After their big day it was so lovely to hear from Rachel and Ben and to be sent their wedding gallery to look at. This meant although I wasn’t there, I could see just how lovely and how much fun their special day was...

There really are so many jobs, big and small that need doing right up until the big moment itself.

No one wants to be asking their Auntie Jan, Nana Pat, Uncle Dave or even best friends to run around, climb ladders, prep food and get a sweat on! All of these special people in your life want to enjoy the build up to your ceremony, to have a drink, relax and spend time with you both before you tie the knot.

So, if you need help either decorating your venue like Rachel and Ben or all day co-ordination then don’t be scared to drop me an email and ask any questions...

Wishing Rachel and Ben the very happiest of futures together...