Mark and Charlotte were flexible as to where they held their wedding. They wanted somewhere they could take exclusively and have their guests relax. They also liked the idea of fireworks.
The Wedding
They settled on Stapleford Park as they loved the setting and the way we could make the various rooms and spaces work.
Charlotte travelled there with her family and bridesmaids the day before and had a spa day followed by a lovely girls' dinner in one of the private rooms. Mark arrived by helicopter the next day. The rest of the guests arrived on coaches from the Midlands and London in time for some lunch before they got ready for the wedding.
A civil ceremony was held in the Orangery, the room bedecked with brightly coloured flowers in shades of pinks and purples that worked perfectly in the soft décor of the room. I had hired in the silver Louis chairs which suited the room and added elegance. A harp and flute duo played during the ceremony.
After the ceremony guests made their way to the terrace where DIVA jazz band was playing, and two magicians awaited them. Champagne and canapés were served here while the children were entertained with a Treasure Hunt in the grounds, run by the crèche.
As dinner was called by the Toastmaster, guests picked up their placement cards en route to the Ballroom and the children headed to their specially set up room for food and fun with Tinies crèche. We used the Louis chairs in here again to complement the mix of plum and burgundy table linen I had chosen for the dining tables. The flowers were in 3 different styles to add interest to the huge Ballroom.
The magicians entertained the guests through the first half of dinner, interrupted occasionally by announcements from one of The Three Waiters as they geared up for their surprise act after main course. They were the usual entertaining spectacle and had guests on their feet, cheering at the end!
After speeches and cake cutting, guests went through to the main foyer where the DJ was playing. After a set, the Toastmaster announced fireworks and guests headed out to see a spectacular 10 min display set to music.
When guests arrived back in the reception, The Fizz took to the stage as I handed out glitter cowboy hats, kitsch sunglasses, and feather boas to the guests! They played a 90 min set followed by the DJ who entertained guests until 2am.
Photography by Steve Poole