Lizzie & Duvall

Private Marquee, Nether Alderley

It was so lovely to receive an email out of the blue from Lizzie’s Mum Sarah; as we had last been in touch after I had planned her son Billy and his wife Ashley’s wedding back in 2018. Now 3 years on and she wanted to see if I could help her daughter plan her big day and of course I was delighted to!

Lizzie and Duvall had both loved Billy and Ashley’s wedding, which was held in the garden of Lizzie’s parents home, an old rectory right next door to the church and were hoping to create something similar… even choosing the same weekend in June as the weather had been so fabulous; but putting their own spin on it, with guests being invited from all over the world; as Duvall’s family is from Nigeria, Germany and Scotland.

In the intervening years a few things had changed, with some suppliers no longer being around after Covid or having moved into other areas. So I knew before we could even contemplate starting the planning, the first thing I had to do was find a marquee company that had the specific equipment to enable us to build on the back garden which had quite a slope and was willing to take this wedding on. Thank goodness after quite a few phone calls I found just the company who weren’t phased at all by this unusual build; with a dining marquee in the front garden and the evening reception marquee in the back.

Once we knew we had a marquee company then the planning could start in earnest. Sarah had got in touch with me almost 2 years before the big day, so we had ample time to plan, which was a good job as Lizzie was working hard on completing her master’s degree and then embarking on a brand new career in Law.

From the outset it was clear Lizzie and Duvall were big foodies and had mentioned a restaurant they loved and hoped they might be able to cater their wedding. I also happened to be a big fan and a regular of one of the other restaurants in this small group; and I had recently received a newsletter to say they had indeed started catering for outside events – how perfect was that! And sure enough we all thoroughly enjoyed the menu tasting; with Lizzie and Duvall so torn they decided to give their guests a choice menu so they could enjoy it all.

With Lizzie so busy she’ll be the first to admit that she found it hard to focus on the planning and struggled to make decisions. She found it hard to visualise what she wanted from her day and doubts would creep in, but fortunately we didn’t need to rush, so we could ease into things. As time went on and with mine, Sarah and Duvall’s support, the day gradually took shape with all the key suppliers booked and a colour scheme settled on with the most amazing florist who used all British grown flowers and foliage.

One of the things I encouraged Lizzie and Duvall to do was to include some elements that they really loved and for them as well as the food, this was the music; they wanted a Bossa Nova style band that reflected their love of Brazil, a country they had visited on holiday together and it had obviously made an impression. After much searching, they found the perfect band, who on the day created exactly the vibe they were looking for.

Finally, after almost 2 years of planning we got to the week of the wedding and as Lizzie and Duvall saw all the hard work come together and the marquee take shape, they knew it was just as they wanted, with Lizzie loving how it all looked (phew). Her mum and I couldn’t have been happier and with the weather forecast to be equally as glorious (as her brother’s wedding) we knew they were in for a great day.

Sure enough on the day, the sun shone as we completed the final set up, with the beautiful British summer blooms and colourful candles perfectly complementing the crisp white table cloths and elegant glassware. As the weather was so nice we were able to have all the sides open on the marquees, creating that perfect outdoors in feel in this oh so perfect English country garden setting.

Guests gathered at the church and with the church bells ringing Lizzie and her bridesmaids, who looked amazing with their complementing outfits, were able to make the short walk to church.

After the traditional, but always fun petal shot, guests made their way to the house, where the champagne that Sarah had spent months researching and sampling awaited guests. They enjoyed a feast of canapés in the garden, with the music from the band in the background as our fabulous photographer captured the day perfectly, before being invited into the dining marquee.

We had some speeches at the start of dinner, meaning Steven, the Father of the Bride and Duvall could relax and enjoy their meal and as expected the food was restaurant standard and we were delighted to have the chef patron (a bit of celeb in our neck of the woods) there to oversee things! I may have asked to have my photo taken with him.

One of our trickiest moments was moving the cake from the chiller to the cake table, due to the heat the delicate butter cream could only be out in the heat for a few minutes; fortunately, our lovely manager from the bar team volunteered to carry it for us as we cleared the way! I’m pleased to say it made it in one piece and looked and tasted amazing!!

After the very funny best men’s speeches and as evening guests started to arrive, everyone made their way round to the rear marquee which had now been opened to reveal the bar, dance floor and fabulous glitter ball. Like the dining marquee we had been able to open all the sides and could enjoy the views out to the garden and field beyond. Guests arrived to cocktails and the band playing Bossa Nova… they were soon dancing and enjoying the evening sunshine.

Lizzie hadn’t been looking forward to the first dance (a lot of couples worry about this), but you don’t need to be out there for long on your own and our excellent DJ gave instructions for guests to join is as soon as they were invited. Once the photographer had got a few shots that was it; the dance floor was full and the party was well underway! After the years’ of planning, Lizzie and Duvall said they had the best day of their lives.