Photos by Memory Cake Photography

Wedding package: On-the-day coordination

Wedding venue: Marquee in Tarrant Monkton, Dorset

From the couple:

We used Sam as a wedding co-ordinator for our big day and honestly it was the best money we spent on the whole thing. Just to be able to take the stress out of organising things on the day and being able to enjoy it was so great.

Sam is also very amiable and professional, which is so important when you’re spending time together on your wedding day. The day went perfectly, despite some last minute dramas which she helped smooth over. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

What we did:

Sara grew up in Tarrant Monkton and her family still live there, however, she lives outside of the area now. This coupled with a marquee wedding (which are notoriously more challenging) was giving Sara some sleepless nights.

Sara called me quite close to the wedding but I was available on her date and by the end of the conversation, I could hear the relief in her voice. This is one of my favourite parts of my job; you can visibly see, or hear, the big sigh of relief as clients let go of that stress bubble, knowing someone else is going to take control of things.

On the morning of the wedding, there was lots of running around to do, making sure everything was in its place. We greeted suppliers (cake maker, DJ, band, florist, caterer) and took delivery of the TV for the best men’s speech (yes, two best men!) and set out blankets on the hay bales. We also removed the sides of the marquee as it was such a lovely day. Such a workout for the arms! I also picked up the bar drinks from the house and transferred them to the chiller trailer behind the marquee.

I collected kindling from Sara’s parent’s house, as well as matches to light the table candles and fire pits later that day. I always like to be prepared ahead of time in case you’re caught up with something else. Sara’s mum was lovely and got used to me popping in with a shout of “me again!”

Sara and her bridesmaids were getting ready in the house next door to her parent’s. This made is easy to pop my head in and make sure they were all okay and didn’t need anything.

The church, where the ceremony was being held, was in the village. Once Jamie was there, I helped seat the guests (only a select number due to COVID) and greeted Sara outside before she entered the church.

Once they were all inside, I collected the confetti, previously stashed in my car, and handed it out to all of the other guests who were having drinks at the pub, handily located across from the church, and lined them all up ready for Sara & Jamie to exit the church.

As they departed from the church, a brass band greeted them and the bride and groom started a procession from the church to the marquee. It was so fun to see!

As soon as everyone was out of the church, I whizzed in to pick up the flowers and take them to the marquee, to provide decoration in front of the bar.

Once back at the marquee, I assisted the photographer by gathering the next group of people she needed.

Once it was time for the wedding breakfast, I invited the guests inside to be seated.

Once everyone was inside the marquee, I straightened the blankets on the hay bales, lit the fire pits and had a general tidy so that it looked beautiful when everyone came back out.

It was an absolute pleasure to help Sara & Jamie on their wedding day!

 

If you’d like to book South Coast Weddings for On the Day Coordination, please get in touch to see if we’re available for your wedding date.