Great feat of Organisation

This was an amazing feat of organisation, as the bride and groom only had four months to plan their wedding, not made easier by the choices given to the couple re the siting of the marquee! This was only finalised a few days before the wedding. Shaun from Affordable Marquees was very laid back and quite happy to wait.

https://affordablemarquees.co.uk / Tel. 01963 33798. Mob. 07932141622.

The final decision was to erect the marquee in the field in front of the house and it looked magnificent. Shaun and his team arrived on the Wednesday to start their work as their Petal Marquee takes two days to put in place.

The bride’s mother delivered hand made ivy garlands to hang in the marquee by the groom and his bride to be. They arrived wrapped in sheets. Shaun relieved her of these and set off across the lawn looking like a Turkish carpet seller - sadly I did not have my camera with me.

Friday did not bring the usual band of helpers. The groom quietly worked away in the dining room assembling the table plan (his pride and joy I’m told), place settings and favours which his bride and sister-in-law to be had made for the tables - the tent was too draughty and everything kept blowing away! The
favours for the guests, in gold striped paper sweet bags, contained tea bags from Char in Winchester and a pack of Moores Dorset Biscuits.  

In the afternoon the marquee began to fill up as the bride and groom set out their beautifully designed props – a table plan based on their favourite sailing destinations, a vintage picnic basket for cards from well wishers and a large blank mount for guests to sign and send messages of good luck.

The walls were soon adorned with signal flags and Andrew Meeks from Meeks Catering arrived to set up his kitchen behind the marquee and to start laying out the tables for the next day.  Andrew took some time out to take a couple of lovely photographs of the house and marquee. (www.meekscatering.co.uk)

He was joined by Dorset Farm Party with their rustic bar which was arranged at one end of the marquee. They also brought a load of hay bales which were scattered about on the lawns and beside the marquee for guests to relax on. (www.dorsetfarmparty.co.uk)

Meanwhile, New Forest Bell tents were putting up a tent, ordered by one of the guests, in the outer walled garden where it would later be joined by several private tents.

Behind the scenes, the bride was dashing around the countryside collecting a car full of buckets of the most beautiful seasonal flowers from Lizzie at Puggs Meadow Flowers. The bride’s sister and a family member remained at home in the cool arranging the flowers in Vesuvian urns for the table decorations. These were brought over in the evening to store safely overnight, in the cool of the porch at Shillingstone House, nestling beside the marble bust in his wedding hat ready for the next day. These were beautiful and looked stunning on the tables - a huge success considering that, as the bride said, neither had ever been trained in flower arranging.

07813945313 / www.puggsmeadowflowers.com

Saturday brought the groom to arrange his carefully folded napkins, favours and table names in place.  We moved the flowers from the porch and the tables were set to go.

With the props cleared from the dining room, there was a bit of a rush to get the chairs set out for the small ceremony taking place at 11.30.  We just got everything ready before the registrars arrived!

The couple were having a very small civil ceremony in the house before leaving a little later for a larger blessing service in the village church.

The bride arrived in the most wonderful little Nissan Figaro which she has owned for many years.  She looked stunning in a lace dress with three quarter length sleeves and a long train.  She had had her hair done by Amazing Face and Bridal Hair and Make up Dorset who later sent photographs to our Facebook page - www.amazing-face.co.uk . She was accompanied by her sister in pale blue and her mother in pale pink, both looking amazing. Lizzie from Puggs Meadow also supplied the bridal party corsages and hair flowers.

As the dining room was full of guests, the bride saw the Registrars in the hall.

With the small ceremony over the couple and their guests celebrated with champagne on the lawn but it was not long before the bride leaped into action to make sure everything was perfect in the marquee. 

The Wedding Cake – from Marks and Spencer – had its small line of signal flags arranged on top, spelling
“Just Married” . The tables were checked and tweaked and rugs were laid out on the hay-bales by the fire-pit at the side of the marquee ready for the fire later in the evening.

Soon it was time to set out for the church.  However, there were issues with arranging the seats to allow the bride, her mother and others to all fit into the car’s tiny interior.  This involved the bride, ready for the church, nearly standing on her head to pull leavers to take the roof down.  Once again, I wish that I had had my camera.  I did manage to get a photograph of them all setting off down the drive.

While the couple were at the church, we moved the big buckets of flowers, we had placed at the foot of the front steps, to the entrance to the tent.  We had to fix them down as the wind was once again getting up.

After being treated to a sea of confetti as they left the church, the bride and groom returned to Shillingstone House in their tiny motor. Drinks and canapes were then served by Andrew Meeks while the Stomping Boondocks serenaded the guests as they chatted. https://stomping-boondocks.co.uk

Informal group photographs were taken by the house, including one of everyone shot from an upstairs window. With their guests relaxing on the lawns, Jason Perkins took the couple away to take photographs in the grounds. All the amazing photographs shown here were taken by him except those marked with SH which are in-house.  www.jasonperkinsphotography.co.uk

Andrew Meek’s wedding breakfast of barbecued meats and a selection of puddings looked and tasted delicious and the sudden onset of rain in the middle of the meal did not dampen the spirits of the guests.  We had to rush out and get someone to put down the roof of the little car!

Speeches over, the guests dispersed to explore the grounds and or relax in the evening sun. As darkness settled, they returned to the marquee to cut the cake which had now gained a frill of flowers on every layer.

Time for the Stomping Boondocks to tune their instruments and start the ceilidh. The bride and groom took to the floor for their first dance,  Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love”. Then, with the help of the Band Leader calling out instructions, the party reeled with gusto until a break for sparklers and toasted marshmallows around the fire pit was called.

The party continued to reel until Midnight when the music stopped and guests made their way to taxis or to the glamping field to collapse into their tents.

Rain came in over night and it was still wet when it was time for brunch. Nothing daunted the campers gathered under the shelter of the great ash tree by their tents to set up a barbecue. Soon a delicious smell of bacon wafted across to us in the house .

Sadly, it was time, only too soon, to start the great clear up and for the bride and groom to set off home to Winchester. It had been an amazing weekend. Getting everything together in four months, whilst both working, had not been easy but as the bride said afterwards “Whilst the build up was hectic we couldn’t have had a better day. I’m so glad we got married at Shillingstone, it was absolutely perfect ”

The bride and groom later sent a beautiful card.

Thank you so much for making our wedding day at Shillingstone such a fabulous experience. Shillingstone is a beautiful house, we, along with all our guests, remarked how special you made the venue and gardens for us.

We would love to come back and visit you in the summer! All our thanks, Ros and Ben