Adam and Tutsi's Big Festival Wedding!

Written by SJ 

The Confetti Shot! 

Well here it is our first real festival wedding blog of the year! Welcome to the wedding day of Adam and Tutsi Selvey. Pictures courtesy of the absolutely fabulous ( said Patsy style) Chris Meany, yet again Chris you have blown us away and I know the happy couple are over the moon with how you captured their day. Good work that man! We are so pleased you are involved with all of our other weddings this year too! 

Well this morning it was back to a 6am start for SJ which can only mean one thing, festival season is well and truly underway and rocking! We are all a bit excited here as a few of us are off to the Isle of Wight festival this weekend. Rowan is performing with the blindingly brilliant Kassassin Street, if you are there this weekend check them out! You will find us in true festival style supping cider enjoying the festival to the full!

Chocolate favours! You can't beat them! 

Now back to Adam and Tutsi…There are brides that know exactly what they want with no messin! Tutsi was absolutely no exception to work with from the very first time she called me between Christmas and New Year 2014. This wonderfully creative bride had BIG plans and nobody was stopping her!  What was a first for us is that she wanted it in her back garden. “ Your back garden?” I repeated…      ” Absolutely, I want all of our guests together in our home, where we can remember the day, every day, for years” was her reply. Tusti went on to tell me that her and Adam had recently moved, but that her garden would be ready for their May wedding. As part of our prefest ( just made that word up- it’s staying!!!) inspection, Simon and I trundled to Birmingham in the dead of winter to check out this garden. It was certainly big, but was it going to ready in time? Not a chance! 

The coolest most relaxed bride EVER! 

However Tutsi was adamant that the whole lawn was going to be re- turfed, the existing conservatory knocked down and the large outhouse they have completely decked out to have the bar in. I should add this was about four months before the big day... This bride had nerves of steel! I have to say, during the next couple of months I was almost scared to ask questions on the progress!  However,  needless to say everything she wanted finished was completed in time, by the skin of a nats backside!  The bar area was finished the night before the wedding at 6pm ready for decoration!

Team Wedfest were up and on it for 5am to get to Birmingham,  (leaving plenty of time for a dirty breakfast on the way up) to go at look at this venue which we never thought would happen. We were over the moon to find both marquees fully assembled by Marquee Leisure waiting for us to put our creative magic touches in. 

Myself and Mimi started with bales and bunting while Rowan and Si attached the festoon lighting. By 7.30 that night we decided to call it a day, the venue was almost ready for the final touches. The beautiful flowers had been delivered coutsey of From me to you flowers,  who I think you will agree did a cracking job. The stage was up which was supplied by Sound Kicks,  lanterns in place and love lights on. Now when I mentioned that this bride was getting what she wanted, I should also point out that she had in excess of twenty five suppliers to include six just on props, I told you no messin! All of the suppliers were fantastic and arrived on time with the goods, I am glad for them they did! Oh I’m making Tutsi out to be a diva now, that’s soooo not true or fair. 

Some Wedfest props 

However, Tutsi and I got along just fine and from memory she was so cool, that her and I only had one moment involving her 5 foot cake!

The 5 FOOT CAKE! 

Yup, you can read over those words as many times as you like, but they won’t change, I said 5 FOOT CAKE!!! To be honest, it was worth the moment, for the record Tutsi won, love brides rights!

We fell into our beds pretty late that night ready for the super early day in the morning.  Just after 8am Tutsi called me to tell me her Garden had been ransacked over night, the venue was destroyed. As my eyes welled up I heard her laughing in the background. I have never been more relieved in my life!!! After I had changed my underwear and trousers, ( not really!) we headed over to put the final finsishing touches to the venue. Other than the positioning of the 5 foot cake, along with more cakes than I have ever seen in my life in one place,  everything was on time. That is except for one thing... the bride…Tutsi had wanted to add some of her own inspiring creativity to the day at the church and had a slight issue putting some of it in the ground. “ Has anyone seen Tutsi I asked?” as I walked through her house. One of the guests answered” I think she is at B&Q” That’s where the music from the omen came into my head, “ B&Q?? sweet mother of all mothers, she is going to be in a right state” I thought. Staying as composed as calm as I always do, I picked up my phone to call her with no idea what I was going to be greeted with…Still holding my breath I said “ Tutsi, are you ok? Can we help?” Well, not only was THIS bride still totally composed, but she was still relaxed. I need to find a term harder than nerves of steel! 

The second wedding cake! 

Vintage tea party fun 

Set up of the vintage tea party...

Ok ok so we had to giggle a few things about, SJ went into the church to explain we were running a “tad late”, but everything was fine and our bride finished getting ready all set to make the short trip across her road to the church, still relaxed I hasten to add. Tutsi was so laid back and cool she made a cucumber look like a chilli!

Finally we were all positioned with Pimms poured, the circus performer on Stilts handing out lanyards, the string Trio Amber strings ready to start playing their epic repertoire and canapés ready to roll!

Ok not only have I never seen as many cakes at one wedding, but actually I don’t think I have ever seen as much food. “We all like to eat..A LOT” said Tutsi! I have no idea where this gorgeous bride puts it as there was not an ounce of anything on her! You can go off people Tutsi! Just as the stunning melt in your mouth canapés were coming to an end,provided by Fun Loving Food,Springbok BBQ were ready for action and went to work with round one of their canapés, closely followed by the most magnificent array of BBQ food and salads. These guys are not only bloody lovely guys, but they have a really interesting way of cooking the food with flavoured wood burning pellets, yes I thought I had died and gone to food heaven as did the guests, it was absolutely delightful!

Adam and Tutsi enjoying a welcome drink! 

Springbok BBQ 

Children could be found in the arts and craft room either making badges, boxes or cards or having their faces painted, while the guests had starting partying on down in the main marquee to both Eagle and Weeks and RemedySounds who were on fire I tell you with their live sets!

Dan Eagle 

Child in a prop! Random- Had to be included! 

Remedysounds 

 I did have to stop for a boogie with the bride, I can’t help myself when these guys perform! Others could be found in the smaller marquee that we turned into an ethnic chill out area catching up with friends and family. Some were even having a jam with Remedysounds before his set!

Although there was a lot going on, the atmosphere was both electric and chilled all at the same time, oh just like a festival! Ah the beauty of a wedding festival, all the prettiness, and very little formality, very free spirited.

Before we knew it we were pouring copious amounts of champagne ready for the speeches and tea party and Lights and Beats who did a top job providing the lighting for the live sets and sound engineering were leaving! Was it really that time already?! Wedding day time is always twenty five times the speed for the event managers and the couple! The bride had changed and donned another stunning dress, the speeches were made and the 5ft Cake was cut!

Sam Weeks 

Remedy getting down with the guests! 

The Line up! 

The first dance was as always beautiful and both Adam and Tutsi looked happy and relaxed! Yay fast clapping, they were having a ball as were their guests!

Now, these guys know how to party, this counts from the youngest guest to the oldest. Sound Kicks arrived for the DJ and Karaoke set and the main marquee erupted! What a bunch of party animals, love it! Gavin was a tremendous DJ and got the dance floor absolutely stoked and packed!

Now I know why Tutsi said they will need as much food as possible to keep them going! The scrumptious hog roast was served with all the trimmings provided by Birmingham Hog Roast, followed by popcorn, candyfloss and a chocolate fountain! I can tell you nobody went home either early or hungry at this festival wedding.

The evening ambiance was just idyllic, guests partying hard in the main marquee, people helping themselves to non-stop food and drinks whilst enjoying a moment to relax in the chill out area,  children playing in the arts and crafts area, it was just perfect!

We love THIS pic! 

Our bride getting on down! 

Before we knew it guests were departing, nooooo, it’s always too soon! To be fair we are used to seeing our guests the next morning after dive bombing them in their tents to get them up for breakfast, so I think this is why the day went so super-fast! We had made the decision to break down that night. So we kissed and hugged the stunning couple as they headed for their beds and made a start.

We got home at 7am the next morning and had a cheeky cider before sleeeppppp! We were all over the moon that we had put on an amazing wedding. What really makes it for us is hearing so many guests say that it was the best wedding ever! Of course they are, we run them and we love what we do!

We would like to thank Adam and Tutsi for allowing us to be part of their epic adventure. We had such a great time guys. Thank you to all of the guests that were such a lot of fun! We miss you already! 

We would also like to thank each and every supplier who made this day so magnificent! We would love to work with each and every one of you again! 

Photography – Chris Meany Photography

Caterers – Springbok BBQ, Birmingham Hog Roast and Fun Loving Food
Wedfest - Lanyards 

Lights and Beats Sound Engineers and Lighting 

Florist – From me to you

Marquee, toilets, table and chair hire – Marquee Leisure

Prop Hire – The Wedding Festival Company, Not Just for Hire, Penny Lane Vintage, Vintage Venue Styling, something borrowed and Wedding day hire. 

Live Music –RemedySounds, Eagle and Weeks and Amber Strings

PA Sound Engineer and lighting – Lights and Beats

DJ and stage – Sound Kicks

Chalk Boards – The Chalk Spot

Photobooth – Celebrity Photbooth

Caricaturist – Richard Ellis

Stilt walker and Fire act – The circus people

Cakes -Sweet Fantasies, Miss Lola Bakehouse 

If you would like to plan an epic festival wedding, get in touch with us today by emailing me at sj@weddingfestivalcompany.co.uk 

Love out 

SJ xx