This is the story of Courtney and James, a fun and lovely couple based in LA, who needed help bringing their special day together. Courtney is American and James is British. They met in New York, moved to LA and the rest is history.
The couple spend the majority of their time in LA but as they got engaged in the UK they felt it would be great to have their wedding celebration here in England, near James's home in the North of England. They had already booked their fabulous venue, Dorfold Hall in Cheshire, and a few other suppliers. But being so far away and with the arrival of their beaut baby girl, Lennon, they started looking for someone to plan and coordinate the day. This is where I came in!
As Courtney and James wouldn't be in the UK until a week before the wedding, they choose my partial wedding planning service which included sourcing their remaining suppliers for the DJ, hair and make-up, florist, stationery, guest transport and a food truck. I worked with their modern yet elegant wedding design, liaising with the venue and suppliers, to pull together a timeline and final bits for the day. This also included my being there on the wedding day to coordinate everything.
The day started with Courtney and her girls getting ready inside the stunning Manor House part of the venue. With 10 girls, including mums, to get ready in the morning, all hair and make-up timings had to be planned in detail - Hair Creations by Colette and Hannah Finn Make-up created the perfect glam squad! The ceremony took place at 5pm (with lots of American guests, it was important to Courtney to include American wedding timings), with heartfelt vows; both bride and groom quoting Friends (talk about meant to be!) and a close friend officiated the ceremony, they did the legal bit in the US beforehand. Their 6-month baby girl made the cutest flower girl and the bridesmaids looked super elegant in black, floor-length dresses.
The drinks and canapé reception took place in the Tack (a bar area with glass doors overlooking a courtyard) with a violinist arranged by the family playing background music. While the guests enjoyed the entertainment, the couple got to head off in a 'getaway car' which was James's vintage family car. It was perfect for photos and allowed the two of them to have a moment together after the ceremony. The guests were later invited to L'curie (a renovated and modernised stable) for a delicious wedding breakfast by The Cheshire Dining Experience, and The Estate boys ran a bar service throughout the dinner so guests could enjoy whatever they fancied. The tables were kept beautifully simple with green foliage by Moss Floral Artistry, alongside black sleek lanterns, elegant and modern stationery by Paper Grace and the finishing touch of black cutlery for a modern wedding feel.
After dinner, New Power Soul Club provided music to keep everyone dancing all night long. Along with a lovely first dance to Courtney's favourite song, 'Lover' by Taylor Swift, before Courtney and her Dad had a sweet father-daughter dance to Frank Sinatra, 'Fly Me to the Moon'. There was also a photo booth and audio guest book provided by Photo Booth Guys, and a pizza truck by Woodland Rover pulled up outside for late-night snacks. The last dance was James's choice of Oasis, 'Wonder Wall', before the evening ended with a gorgeous sparkler send-off. The whole day was beautifully captured by Joe from The Curries and a wedding video by Soby Films.
I honestly had so much fun planning with this couple and running the day of their wedding! Thank you so much, Courtney and James, for choosing me to be your wedding planner and trusting me. I am beyond grateful and wish you the happiest life together.
Photographer: Joe at The Curries
Venue: Dorfold Hall
Florist: Moss Floral Artistry
Hair Stylist: Hair Creations by Colette Makeup Artist: Hannah Finn Make-Up
Stationery: Paper grace
Photo booth: Photobooth Guys