It’s not every day that you hear of the Groom taking on the role of wedding planner but following a magical proposal in Mexico, our gorgeous bride and groom decided he was going to do just that!
After exchanging their vows in the stunning chapel at Giggleswick school, Cat and David opted for an outdoor reception in the picturesque school grounds. Choosing a DIY approach, the couple paired their love of travelling with beautiful wild blooms and added really unique personal touches, to create a relaxed setting to celebrate with their loved ones.
Here David talks about planning a wedding, tequila and how to make sure creating your seating plan is a breeze…
VENUE
While searching for venues I discovered that if you are an Old Giggleswickian (ridiculous name I know) and weren’t expelled, (and luckily I wasn’t), then you can get married in their amazing chapel! Next to the chapel was a field where we could set up an outdoor reception, so it was a perfect. All I needed to do was convince future Mrs Lea, who is a teacher and wasn’t keen on a wedding at a school. I did this by convincing her mum, completely by accident, as I brought it up pre-engagement, when we went ring shopping together. Her mum loved the idea and then convinced my too be bride after the proposal. From that I learnt a new lesson: If you can’t convince the wife, convince the mum and then just maybe, you might get your way!
OUTDOOR RECEPTION
Our dream was to have a service in the chapel and then a quick and easy transition to an outdoor reception. Originally we had a marquee in mind, as we wanted an outdoor venue near the chapel we were to be married in. Then we saw the tipis and we were sold immediately. The unique shape you can only get with a tipi, along with the benches, fire pit and its openness to our surroundings of the Yorkshire dales, provided the perfect setting for us, better than anything we had in mind with a marquee.
PLANNING
Cat was responsible for choosing the key elements of the day and I was responsible for making it happen. She is a chemistry teacher and so time is limited during the school term, so I was happy to take on the bulk of the work. It turned out to work a treat!
Cat made amazing choices with Bar Events UK and selecting the Ribble Valley Group for the catering, alongside lots of amazing little personal touches that we included in the day.
I mistakenly thought that if I can organise an international supply chain, planning a wedding wouldn’t be that hard. It turns out they are two very different things!! I found the help of those around me was invaluable, so I was able to muddle through. Bar Events, especially Laura, were a great help making sure I’d covered all bases and was a fantastic sounding board when it came to the plethora of issues and questions that arose as I went through the planning.
ANY HICCUPS?
Well… I thought I’d booked the photographer very early on with the recommended photographer from Bar Events. However, it turned out that I’d said that I was going to look around and never actually came back to confirm. Then, about 3 months before the wedding, I checked in to check on the photographer, to then realise I hadn’t confirmed. Photographers are notorious for getting booked up quickly, but Laura was quick to resolve this and managed to book the original photographer, who had been keeping the day free for a night time event she had, but could do both. If this wasn’t possible, I have every confidence Laura would have helped however she could, with both of us calling round everyone possible, to get it fixed.
PLANNING CHALLENGES
To be honest, the biggest challenge was probably for the Bar Events team, with the tipi setup. We found out in the run up to the wedding the school had its speech day the day before the wedding. This meant no access to the site until 6pm the night before the wedding! Laura and the Bar Events team didn’t seem fazed by this last minute surprise and simply set up late into the night instead. Turning a giant worry for us into a seamless installation!
STYLING
We took a relaxed approach to the style and decorations and choosing the right events, catering and floristry teams meant that we didn’t need a stylist. One of the things we loved about the tipi set up, was that little more was needed to create the special day we loved. We added little touches that were a simple but very effective. Cat’s unique ideas like the bunting made from maps (we love to travel), tequila shots as favours (we got engaged in Mexico) and pictures of the two of us from various holidays (sticking out of the wild flowers which matched the bouquet), were perfect.
We added the snug to the tipis which we used as a chillout area and gin bar, we also had a fire pit which was a big hit later in the evening. We chose long tables and benches for our guests and I cannot recommend it enough! It made the seating plan and the headache of who to sit where so simple. (It also means you can hide the, shall we say, less family friendly ones in the middle of their group of friends, where they will do the least damage!)
SUPPLIERS
Planning a wedding is stressful, but it’s worth every strenuous, hair pulling moment. We simply couldn’t have done it without the suppliers we picked and my advice is, pick wisely!
From our first meeting with Bar Events UK I felt comfortable with how Laura and Dan approached the planning, providing options with their seasoned understanding that the couples they embark on creating an experience with are all unique, and who therefore have their own ideas of what they want to control and where Bar Events can support. Laura and Dan were able to provide all we needed for the reception and provided complete visibility of costs at all times, which is crucial for planning and peace of mind.
There is a lot said about weddings and the £ signs in the eyes of those helping organise the event, so before we met I was of course cautious, but trust grew quickly and all the way through the planning, onto the event and to the post event catch ups, the Bar Events team were a joy to have had with us throughout the whole journey and added an unexpected fun twist to the whole experience.
The day went seamlessly for the guests and was an expression of ourselves in a party, which was as much for us as it was for all those there that we love and hold close to our hearts.
We can’t thank them enough for their constant clarity, flexibility and support.
WORDS OF WISDOM
Mums! Mums get excited about weddings and have done it all before. Let them help. There are enough moving parts to get in place for the day, so if there are any tasks you can pass off, send them over to the mothers. Ours were incredibly enthusiastic and gave us regular updates and their help made a massive difference to the stress levels of my wife and I on the run up to the wedding.
AND FINALLY…
They say your wedding day is one of the best days of your life and mine surely was, I really don’t think I could have enjoyed it more. I mean, maybe I would have made sure I booked the photographer on time… But on reflection, all the work that goes into organising, I now look back on fondly. The day was an amazing success and the little hiccups that happen along the way (and there will always be some) are little quirks, part and parcel of what was the best day of our lives…so far.
Get in touch NOW to start planning your incredible day with us. It usually starts with a pint in a pub somewhere and a good old chin wag about the vision you have and what is important to YOU! info@bareventsuk.com