Vow Renewal and Birthday Party Celebration
Earlier in May, I was privileged enough to be asked to organise a Vow Renewal and 60th Birthday Party for two clients. Having been married in an intimate wedding ceremony abroad some 13 years previously, they decided they would use this opportunity to bring all their friends together, celebrate a 60th birthday and reaffirm their vows. Using their beautiful country farm as the venue for their celebration, I set to work arranging everything they would need. The brief was quite simple; it had to have amazing food and be very classic.
Party Venue
Luckily, the garden closest to the house was perfect for erecting a marquee. Having worked on an initial budget, it was quite obvious which suppliers I would collaborate with on this celebration, so the whole process was fairly swift and moved along at a great pace. The marquee I picked for my clients was a clear span one to maximise the space. We picked window walls along two of the four sides and arranged for the roof to extend out onto some patio area to provide additional rain cover if required. With classic cream linings, round tables, and crisp white table linens, the venue was booked! Grice & Foster provided a fabulous service as always, and this area of the celebration came in completely on budget!
Food
My clients were very particular about how they wanted to feed their guests. It was imperative to them that they were able to offer a choice of main dishes that were pre-selected before the party. This required a fair amount of organising and chasing of RSVP’s to be successful but the result was worthwhile as every guest was made to feel that they were specially catered for and looked after. It was the first time I had worked with the caterers we selected for this party, and the food was just exquisite, exceeding all my client’s requirements and more than meeting the original brief! Being real foodies this was a massively important part of the party. Oystercatcher Catering did an incredibly professional job, working in my client’s kitchen on the day to cook and prepare all the dishes. Each dish was meticulously created with flair and panache! Each was a little work of art in its own right! Our delicious cake (because who can have a birthday party without cake right!!??), was created by Sugar Buttons and with various dietary requirements and allergies among the guests Imogen catered for them all effortlessly. I decorated the cake with some fresh flowers from our florist for the finishing touches.
Music
The perfect music choice for a summer afternoon was provided by Scintillo Quartet. Having been serenaded when they made their original vows by a duo of violins, I did my best to source something similar for the vow renewal. However, I quickly learnt this is a real specialism and one which budget would not allow so the compromise here was a brilliant duo of a violin and a cello, playing an array of beautiful timeless pieces which again fitted the theme of the party perfectly! These guys were so professional to deal with, and they really were most flexible and accommodating.
Finishing Touches
The lovely Little Pea Designs created some classic and elegant table stationery for the party which complemented the overall look my clients were looking to achieve. I recommended that my clients spend some of their budget on a professional photographer to make sure they could enjoy their event with their guests, leaving the recording of the party to an expert! Luckily, at short notice, I secured the services of Andrew Kahumbu, who worked tirelessly in very hot weather with incredibly strong sunlight – his job was not an easy one!! We chose low flower arrangements for the tables, again in a classic combination of roses, lisianthus, peonies, delphiniums and eryngiums to give a country garden feel. For the vow renewal, a gorgeous bouquet of soft pink peonies and lavender was held by my client to complement her bespoke gown and coat created by Terry Fox, a previous winner of the Best Wedding Dress Designer award from the Wedding Industry Awards. Our floristry creations were from Fox and Fern
Wedding planning in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Anglia
I've been planning weddings and celebrations across East Anglia since 2012, with particular experience in marquee weddings, private estates, countryside celebrations, dry-hire venues and wedding weekends.
I work with a small number of couples each year, providing calm, experienced support from the earliest stages of planning through to the wedding itself.
If you're considering working with a wedding planner, you can explore my Full Wedding Planning service or get in touch to discuss the celebration you're planning.