Richard and Claire Goodwin's Perfect Wedding (& Perfect Wedding Entertainment!)

I have to say that Hipster were nothing short of outstanding. They really are the talking point of our wedding amongst guests

Our wedding took place at Hagley Hall in Stourbridge.  The wedding ceremony was held in St John's church, and we used Hagley Hall for reception drinks.  The wedding breakfast and evening reception were held in a marquee.  Our choice of venue was an easy one for us because we live around the corner, and it’s at the heart of where we both grew up.  We didn’t consider or view any other venues.  We had 115 guests during the day and an additional 100 in the evening. 

As the wedding venue was very local to us, we developed a “local” theme.  The company we chose to provide food, Morgans Catering, was a local business, and they ensured that the food was sourced locally from suppliers within our region.  The wine was sourced from a local vineyard, Halfpenny Green Vineyard, and all of the suppliers for our wedding were local businesses, e.g., photographer, florist, wedding clothing and accessories.

We named the tables after nearby landmarks and places, and in lieu of table favours we chose a local charity that we made a donation to.  We provided guests with blank CD’s and asked them to download their pictures after the wedding day and send them back to us.  It was great receiving them back in the post and seeing all of the informal shots which really capture the atmosphere.  Of course, the majority of our friends, family and work colleagues were local people too!  We opted for simplicity in the colour scheme, choice of food, stationery, and other aspects of the day.

Our church ceremony was held at 2.00 pm at St John’s Church, within the grounds of Hagley Hall.  After the church service, guests made their way to the Hall for a champagne reception and canapés, with a pianist playing until 5.00 pm.  The wedding breakfast took place in the marquee we hired, and this was followed by speeches.  The evening reception started at 7.30 pm and concluded at 1.00 am.

I have to say that Hipster, the live band we booked through Alive Network for the evening's entertainment, were nothing short of outstanding.  They really are the talking point of our wedding amongst guests.  Since the wedding, several guests have contacted us asking for their details.  Live music made a big impact to our wedding, and was the difference in making the event really special and exciting.  The dance floor was full from the opening song until the end of the night, and the atmosphere was great.  We paid the venue and the band to play for an extra hour, until 1.00 am, and this we felt was a great decision.

We received a telephone call from Hipster’s manager prior to our wedding to ask if we had any specific songs or music genre we would like them to play.  As with many of our suppliers, we did not specify anything, and again we felt this was really positive as they used their expertise to read the audience and play what they thought would get the dance floor rocking!

It’s lovely to see everything we had chosen over 9 months on planning the wedding to see it come together to create one really good event.  However, the most important aspect for us at the end of the day was being married.  Whilst the venue, live entertainment, flowers, photography, and all other wedding details are really important, it’s key to remember what the meaning of a wedding is really about.

We really loved the venue, marquee, excellent food, and live band.  To pick a few favourite moments is really difficult because all of the elements of the day blend together.  The day after was really exciting in terms of reflecting on the wedding, and getting really positive comments from our guests.

What pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you extend to future brides who are planning their perfect wedding?

Choose your suppliers well and be confident in their ability.  Be guided by their expertise and recommendations as this will make the planning and build up much less stressful.

Decide what’s really important to you, and budget more for those aspects of the day.  For us, the church service, photography, marquee look, and live band were really important, and we placed less value on other aspects such as stationery and favours.  When we had to reach a decision on anything for the wedding we would ask ourselves how important it was to us, and does it add value and impact to the day.  We didn’t visit wedding fairs, we just thought about what we liked and enjoyed about other peoples weddings, and pulled it all together from there.

Hipster used their expertise to read the audience and play what they thought would get the dance floor rocking!