For Annabel and Gary, it wasn’t until a year of being engaged did they decide it was time to set a date and find the perfect wedding venue. With so many venues to choose from, this can sometimes be a daunting prospect for most couples. For Annabel and Gary, their ideal venue was one they had admired often but just didn’t realise it was somewhere they could host their wedding.
“My family live in Malton and we live in York. For years I drove past Aldby Park without even knowing it was there. From a distance we could see the beautiful house on the hill but didn’t know where it was or how to get to it”
Luckily for them, whilst searching for a marquee venue, they found Aldby Park and decided to get straight in touch. From the moment they went to view the venue, they knew it was the one for them. The idyllic setting and breathtaking grounds blew them away “We knew instantly that this was where we wanted to have our wedding. We didn’t consider any other venue. Aldby Park was perfect in every way”.
With the date set and the venue booked, they gave themselves 18 months to make arrangements. This they hoped would give them plenty of time to plan their big day and find the best suppliers.
This task initially started off well. Having found people who came highly recommended or even getting in touch with people they knew. Unfortunately for Annabel and Gary, they did find themselves in a far from ideal situation….
Having looked in to hiring Tipi’s for their wedding day, they had found a company who could accommodate their requirements. Unfortunately, the company had since found themselves in “financial difficulties” and would be unable to offer their services. This for any couple planning a wedding would have been a nightmare situation but fortunately for Annabel and Gary, Louisianna’s Weddings was able to help. Having hosted many marquee weddings, our founder and owner, Lee, was able to swoop in and save the day. Offering help and advice, a new Tipi company were soon booked. Saving the day, Boutipi, a Beverley based company, worked closely with Annabel and Gary to ensure everything was covered
“Excellent, would highly recommend. Michelle and Sam were awesome. From arranging our initial meet at Aldby Park to the putting up of the Tipi’s. Could not praise their services enough”.
Preparation Time!
A marquee wedding can be a daunting prospect. This was not the case for Annabel and Gary who took things in their stride with a calm coolness (at least that was the impression we got!). Helping with planning, Boutipi, along with Lee from Louisianna’s Weddings ensured things went smoothly. Tipi’s were soon erected, generator installed and toilets in place. With the essentials installed, the fun part of dressing the Tipi’s was next! Wanting to bring the outdoors in, they decided on a rustic theme. With vintage bunting, tables named after famous peaks and even walking boots as vases, the end result was stunning.
Although the Tipi’s looked great already, the icing on the cake had to be the flowers provided by Fleur Adamo. With garlands and bouquets of wild country flowers, they certainly helped set the rustic theme Annabel and Gary had been looking for
“Katherine gave such attention to our detail. From our initial consultation she really understood what we wanted to achieve. She came up with some great ideas. We loved our flowers”
Decorations complete, everyone could then relax before the big day…
Perfect Weather, Perfect Day
The day had finally arrived and what a day it was shaping up to be. The happy couple couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Although a bit of rain never dampens any wedding at Aldby Park, sunshine is always a welcome bonus!
Whilst Aldby Park does offer the choice of having a bespoke wedding blessing in the grounds or the use of the quaint village church in Buttercrambe, Annabel and Gary decided to tie the knot in a church which they often passed on their regular cycling excursions
“One thing we were really set on was a church wedding. Having cycled through Sand Hutton ALOT we fell in love with St Marys. Chris (the vicar) was just great. He made us feel welcome, relaxed and comfortable. His church warden Rachel Barker helped us with all the details which resulted in us having the most beautiful, memorable and personal service”
After the church ceremony, Annabel, Gary and all of their guests made the short journey to Aldby Park where the party really started. Guests would see the venue for the first time and were blown away by the idyllic location. Certainly the theme of “The Outdoors” was clear to all. Everything about their big day, reflected the passion they both had for being in the countryside.
“We love the outdoors. Walking, camping, running, hiking and cycling. We knew early on that a hotel style wedding reception would not suit us – We don’t do being indoors! The idea of being outside in the fresh air with the freedom of space was important to us. I guess you would describe our wedding style as outdoorsy, rustic, magical and relaxed”.
With celebrations in full swing, guests enjoyed drinks served by Louisianna’s Mobile Bars. Having sat down with Annabel and Gary, a tailored cocktail menu was created with some of their favourite drinks; all named after famous mountains and in keeping with their love of the outdoors.
Guests were even surprised with the arrival of an ice cream van, courtesy of Graham’s Ices. Perfect for the warm weather, these went down a treat with both young and old!
“On seeing the ice cream van, many guests chose something before the food was served & again later in the evening. I found all the staff extremely friendly & helpful & some of the younger guests assisted me during service which was great fun”
Drinks flowing, food was needed to ensure people had fuel to party the night away. Above all, they wanted their wedding to be more of a relaxed affair compared to more traditional weddings. They chose a local catering firm, Yorkshire Hog roast who provided both the daytime meal of delicious hog roast and the evening meal of scrumptious pie and peas
“Sam got the catering just right. We wanted casual relaxed dining. You can’t go wrong with hog roast and pie n peas!”
An Evening to Remember
By now everyone was certainly in the mood to hit the dance floor and show of some of their best moves. When we found out Annabel and Gary had booked one of our recommended suppliers, Undercovered, as their entertainment, we knew the evening would be a lively one. Playing music tailored to their tastes, Annabel and Gary knew they had made the right choice. We don’t think the dance floor was ever empty which is always a sign of a great band, playing great songs.
“AMAZING! Such a highlight of our wedding party! All of our guests loved them. The dance floor was full all night! We gave the band a feel for the type of music we liked and they tailored the set list for the band, along with the playlist for the disco perfectly. Clark kept in regular contact with us and the band did a tremendous job of learning our first dance for us”
Speaking of first dances, we have yet to see a better choreographed first dance to date! Clark and the Undercovered band certainly rose to the task.
“Gary & Annabel’s wedding was certainly one to remember! We have done many first dances where choreography has been put in but nothing quite like this! When we were told about their plans to do a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ themed routine AND to a song montage from ‘Pulp Fiction’ we were 100% on board with this. Naturally, Gary & Annabel were feeling nervous, especially as their rehearsals were all to the original recording. The first time they were going to do it with the live band was on their wedding day, in front of everybody, so we had to make sure we copied the song EXACTLY. We were confident it was going to be superb – and it was!”
I am sure we weren’t the only ones to feel that the day seemed to fly by and it didn’t feel like long before carriages arrived and guests made their way home.
With their wedding a happy memory, we asked Annabel and Gary to reflect on their big day and asked what would be their highlight if they had to pick one.
“That’s a tough one as it was all perfect! We were blessed with awesome weather which was a huge bonus! Aldby Park as a venue was by far our favourite aspect of the day. Arriving at Aldby Park and meeting our guests for the reception drinks was really special. Everyone commented on the venue and how stunning it was. We felt very honoured to have been able to have our special day here.
Annabel and Gary were a pleasure to host and we loved being able to be a part of their dream wedding. As their venue supplier, we always like to know how they felt the whole process of planning a wedding with us went.
“We could not have been happier with Louisianna’s weddings! From the viewing, planning, communication and advice everything was excellent. Lee & the team were excellent. The service from the staff was fabulous. Our friends and family were very complimentary of them all. The personalised cocktail menu was a lovely touch. Leading up to our day, Lee was very supportive and attentive. It felt like we had a friend helping us in the preparations”
Let’s end our first wedding blog by asking the happy couple to sum up newlywed life in three words.
“Only three?! Secure, Fun, Loving”