When I was planning our wedding I spent hours and hours searching for wedding suppliers as I had heard so many horror stories of suppliers not turning up or going bust leaving brides and grooms stressed out. I wanted to book reputable suppliers that were local and didn't charge crazy prices and who would help create the day we wanted.
One bit of advice I can give to any engaged couple is to take your time, research suppliers and book a trusted supplier as they honestly will make your day extra special. I left the whole day up to our wedding suppliers and they made the day so stress-free and relaxed for us as everything was taken care of and we honestly could not have asked for better.
We got married in North Tyneside, just north of Newcastle and these are the suppliers we used who all cover the North East area. I recommend them all as we had no problems at all with any of them and without them, our day wouldn't have been as lovely as it was.
The Venue - Backworth Hall
When we first started looking at venues we had no idea where we wanted to get married and actually made a list of every licensed venue in Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside (details can be found on each councils website) before narrowing the list down. Right from the start, we knew we wanted to get married on a Saturday in June, obviously pushing the price up but some of the prices were crazy!
So many venues had hidden charges such as you had to have a minimum spend limit, hire out all the bedrooms or use their own suppliers etc. Backworth Hall didn't have any of these you simply paid the room hire fee then tailored the menus to suit you, there were no minimum numbers or hidden costs and all the prices were available to see online before we visited. As it is only a small venue you are also the only wedding that day which was important to us and you also get the day before your wedding to set the venue up.
Backworth Hall really is a hidden gem here in the North East as I had never heard of it before booking our wedding. The grounds are beautiful, the food was lush and the grade 2 listed hall was perfect for a wedding.
The Photographer - Paul Flannigan Photography
I always think wedding photographers are one of the most important parts of the day as they capture the day and once the day is over all you have left are the photographs to look back on. So I really wanted to book someone amazing, someone, who would capture all the little details and produce natural shots.
Paul ticked all of those boxes and we were so glad we picked him to photograph our day. He is so friendly and down to earth, he instantly put everyone at ease and half the time we did not even realise he was taking photos, we have some amazing unaware shots. He was great to have around on the day as he is so helpful and knows his stuff. He was taking photos from around 9am until about 9pm, he didn't stop and we will always be glad we booked him as the photos will be treasured forever.
The Dress - Brides Dream Ltd
My wedding dress was from Brides Dream Ltd in Walkergate near Newcastle. I had asked people on my facebook for bridal shop recommendations and so many people recommended Brides Dream to me so I booked an appointment. I honestly never expected to find a dress but I did and actually ended up buying the first dress I tried on from the first shop I visited.
They were so lovely that I even went back to get my daughters flower girl dress here too, as well as all of my bridal accessories.
The DJ - Chris Smith Wedding DJ
We knew from the start that entertainment wise we wanted a DJ and a friend recommended Chris to us and I am so glad they did. He was actually one of the first suppliers we booked as he gets booked up so quick. Chris is really friendly and he takes the time to meet you before the wedding to listens to what kind of music you like and don't like.
He has really nice white heart and star lights which are perfect for a wedding and there was no rubbish cheesy music, we actually ended our night with dance tunes and clubland hits.
The Decor & Cake - Vanilla Teas
I am not the type of bride to DIY my day as I wanted the whole thing to be as stress-free as possible so we booked Helen from Vanilla Teas to decorate our venue as she came recommended by our venue. She provided all the chair covers and sashes, the table centrepieces, decorated the staircase and decorations for the reception room and top table - it looked lovely.
She also bakes cakes so we booked her for our cake which was a beautiful three-tier semi-naked cake with matching cupcakes all decorated with fresh fruit. She also baked heart-shaped cookies with our initials on as favours which were popular with our guests. She set the whole room up and then took it all away again the next day meaning we didn't have to do anything.
The Extra Decor - MN Events & Occasions
I adored the floral Love letters and floral arch that MN events and occasions have and when I noticed they had them on special offer last year I just had to book them for the big day. They looked amazing at our venue and really finished things off beautifully. The arch was at the bottom of the staircase and so many of our guests were taking photos for Instagram in front of it - it was lush!
The Love letters stood in front of the DJ box and again looked great, especially on the evening when they were all lit up. I am so glad we booked them both.
The Flowers - Fleurt Monkseaton
I am clueless when it comes to wedding flowers, or any flowers to be honest. I knew I wanted roses and liked the look of peonies but that was it, I told Cristina from Fleurt my wedding colours and left the rest to her and I was blown away! My bouquet was amazing and received compliments all day, it was so beautiful and was ivory peonies and pale pink and ivory roses - it smelt divine.
The buttonholes were roses to match my bouquet with a tiny bit of gypsophila to match the bridesmaid bouquet. We even had cute little wands covered in pale pink and ivory flowers and lots of sparkle for my flower girl. The flowers exceeded my expectations and the service we received was outstanding.
The Make-Up - Melanie Hedley
I don't wear a lot of make-up these days and I am totally rubbish at my doing my own but Melanie was recommended to me so I booked her straight away. I loved her classic bridal style, she had brilliant reviews and she was really local to where my dad lives (where I got ready on the morning of the wedding).
I actually never had a make-up trial as I trusted Melanie and just let her do her thing on the day and I was so happy with the results. The make-up stayed in place all day, despite the sweltering heat and many tears and the makeup looks lush in the photographs too.
The Hair - Shanice's Styles
I booked Shanice after my friend recommended her as Shanice had done her wedding hair. I loved that she didn't charge crazy prices and she is really friendly and down to earth and easy to get along with. She did mine, my bridesmaid and three flower girls hair and they all stayed in place all day.
I honestly don't know what I would have done without our fab suppliers, Paul, Melanie and Shanice were so calming and great to have around on the morning of the wedding. They were all so easy to chat too and they all knew their stuff and helped me with timings so I wasn't late! Backworth Hall, Vanilla Teas and MN Events made the venue look beautiful and nothing was too much trouble for the staff at Backworth Hall they really did make our day run so smoothly. Chris had our guests entertained and on the dance floor all night with his tunes. My dress made me feel so confident for the first time in a long time and my flowers looked beautiful, I ended up placing them on my late mams grave after the wedding as they were so pretty.
I honestly can not thank them all enough and I really do recommend each and every one of them as they all did a fantastic job.
All photographs by Paul Flannigan Photography who owns the copyright to all images.
Love all the beautiful little details, it looks like the perfect day! OMG don't get me started on the hidden costs of venues. So many places we looked round wanted us to hire the venue for three days and charge our guests a fortune for rooms!
ReplyDeleteYes we were the same, it was crazy some of the prices. Lots of venues said we had to pay extra for exclusive use too or there would be other weddings on the same day which I wasn't keen on xx
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