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 

Donna & Darren’s Bestival Wedding – TWO weeks of celebrations for these crazy kids!

Written by SJ

 

I was so excited when Donna contacted me that I simply couldn't wait to share this!

 

Darren and Donna met at school and lost touch for many years while their lives took them on separate pathways! But being separated just simply wasn’t the bigger plan for this adorable couple! 

Donna who is hard-core as far as festival goers go, had been to the Isle of Wight festival for ten years in a row, now that’s commitment for you! However, what she had been missing was a soul mate to ride with her as her festival buddy. This is of course Darren! What had he been missing out on for all these years?!  

 

Off they went to the Isle of Wight festival in June 2013 together and Darren caught something...Yup, the beloved festival bug! Straight after his baptism of fire at the IOW, the couple booked tickets for Bestival, these guys are just insatiable!

Little did the beautiful Donna know that Darren had something very special planned for Bestival. As they sat under the wishing well HE PROPOSED! What better way could Donna wish for a proposal than at a festival, I ask you?! Little did she also know but a year later they were set to have their wedding day in style there, and boy what a day that was!

 

When I asked Donna what her inspiration was, she told me that they had started to make plans for a traditional wedding, a wedding they thought would be the right thing to do and that would make everyone happy. “Something was missing for us and eventually we decided we would rather do something for ourselves rather than the rest of the congregation and decided upon a festival wedding but back at the festival we got engaged at - Bestival!  

“We approached the organisers and they were absolutely fantastic, they gave us VIP backstage passes (we met lots of famous people), and transport via golf buggy with all of our items when we arrived as we were in our wedding regalia, wedding dress and wellies, suit and wellies, bouquet and backpacks! We were also given a free luxury tipi in Boutique camping by Eve's Tipi's and Eve was just amazing and very attentive to our every need.” 

Initially they had their civil service at Southampton Registry Office and wanted to plan this as close to the actual festival dates, they only went and did it on the morning of the festival! Both parents attended, but they wanted to keep this part of their day very private. This was followed by champagne and Tapas at Le Regatta…. I love this restaurant, good call you guys! 

But, come on there is always a but!  Darren had been back in secret plotting mode…No horse and cart around here…He only went and organised a private Yacht over to the Isle of Wight! Darren, you get a massive gold star from us here for organising that, just genius! What a way to pamper your stunning bride!

 

 

 

As they arrived at the festival they were given an enormous welcome by the team at Bestival, along with friends that were already over their waiting for them. Clearly that had to sample the real ales and ciders just in case they were not up to spec for the newlyweds! Off they went to explore their beautifully decorated tipi. We think this is the perfect way to spend your wedding night, big thumbs up!

 

 

Now wedding festivals to us are all about not just having one day, this is about having at least a weekend to enjoy the celebration, Donna and Darren’s wedding is absolutely no exception to the rule!

 

The following day the inflatable church awaited them for round two, (dingalinglingling) they did all of course dress up for the occasion! Good effort you guys! 

Fellow festival goers were all amazing, congratulating them all day, taking pics and buying them drinks. Festival goers, you beautiful people, know how to make a couple feel special. So much so that Donna said they ended up feeling celebs for the weekend, rightly so! 

Ok, so we plan weddings for couples over two days, most of our couple and guests leave feeling as they should….. “partied out!”

However, these crazy kids went for round three (dingalinglingling!) the following weekend by having another celebration! This deserves nothing but ultimate respect! They planned a reception at their local club furnished with hay bales. To top of all off, Wedding Festival Company favourites ‘The Butterfly Collective’ played a set for them! Ah you can’t fail to love these guys! 

Now, I can party, trust me, but this has almost worn me out! 

Donna and Darren…We salute you, you did good, real good! May the festival God keep you happy for many years to come!

 

 

If you want to share your engagement or wedding story with us, do get in touch! We love hearing them and you get the chance to be entered into our annual competition to win 4 STAR accommodation for FOUR at St Georges Palace in Bansko

 

Love out! xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our rendition of "12 Days of Christmas" festival styleeee!

The big man is coming tonight!!!! We are all massively excited here as we know how good we have all been this year...well for most of it anyway, no names mentioned! 

Here is our rendition of "12 Days of Christmas" festival styleee! 

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me…..

Twelve fireworks flashing

Eleven children playing

Ten campers camping

Nine dozen straw bales

Eight ales and ciders

Seven hoggs ‘a’ Roasting

Six hoola’s hooping

Five rocking bands…..(and breathe!) 

Four hundred friends

Three bridesmaids

Us two in love

and the best wedding in the world…….

Wishing you all the most beautiful Christmas, hope all your dreams come true...

Love from SJ, Simon, Rowan and Mimi xxxx

Kris and Kim’s AMAZING Isle of Wight Festival proposal – Get your hankies ready! Written by SJ

Festival lovers Kris and Kim packed up for the IOW festival in June this year along with their friends Gemma, Grant, Su and Louis, little did Kim know what the crew had in store for her…

This gorgeous couple grew up living around the corner from each other and were actually at the same high school, but not in the same year. Kim, by her own self admission, calls herself a bit of a cougar! Check this chick out! They met properly about six years ago at a hotel bar they both used to work at, Kim was Kris’s boss…and still a cougar… Although their jobs meant they saw a fair bit of each other, these guys took a whole two years waiting for the love fairy to come and sprinkle her magic dust over them. Jeez that fairy tries the patience of a saint!

They have been together for four years now and Kris had decided that the love fairy had sprinkled enough love dust to last for a lifetime, but wanted to plan something really special for his girl! 

Obviously having thanked the fairy, he started to conspire with his crew to plan a proposal never to be forgotten!

For months, Kris had been plotting behind Kim’s back with conspiracy crew (sorry guys but conspiracy crew just feels sooo right!) to make this perfect. Kim still doesn’t know quite how he pulled this off as she speaks with Gemma and Su (both girls on the pics and video) on a daily basis and they see each other every weekend. I can tell you now this is a tough job! One of our friends is getting married and we are the event planners, but NOBODY else knows about this yet! I have almost got to the position of having to bind my mouth with masking tape up the pub on a Friday!

The lies got sooo big that Kim later found out that she was there when her ring was delivered, the girls used the excuse that it was the spare part to a car! These guys are big car geeks, so she didn’t even bat an eyelid! Good work those girls! Would the guys have been flapping around making big hand gestures and going red in the face..?! Not judging…just sayin!

By the time they packed themselves off to the festival EVERYONE knew to include their families, no pressure there then Kris! Tension, in an exciting way, was mounting…

After last year’s mudfest at Leeds for Su’s 30^th they decided to treat themselves to caravan this year. Look at this pic as their own experience of mudfest…Now I met my hubby looking  like this too, so of course I think this is just the hottest look!

 They started the weekend off with a hearty meal and few drinks at one of the locals on the other side of the Island. Kim knew something wasn’t quite right but drew the conclusion that she had upset everyone! “ Nobody would hold a conversation with me and they would all of a sudden have something really important to do, or dash off to the loo” The crew told her later that they were all so excited, but petrified that booze and secrets just simply didn’t mix! I’m hearing you guys on so many levels right now! Gemma, (who you will see was six months pregnant) didn’t have this excuse, but as Kim explained to us, she just simply can’t lie, so ended up avoiding Kim all night!

The big day came and Gemma (oh responsible one, unable to lie) was assigned the task of looking after the ring. Odds on favourite she wasn’t going to end up in a mosh pit or at a ciderfest!  The whole crew held their breath whilst getting through security that the ring wasn’t pulled out of the bag! Her Daughter Pippa Florence was born last August and these guys love the fact that she has been to her first festival!

Kim goes on to explain to us, in her own words I hasten to add…”The guys in the video are Gemma's husband Grant (the tall bald one) and Su's boyfriend Louis (the dark hairy one, who is also Kris's cousin) and they will definitely be part of our wedding crew that Kris is going to have to choose from! He has a lot of close mates and brothers who are all after the best man spot but I'm leaving that one up to him to decide”

“Grant is normally the super organised one (he's in the RAF) but it was Louis who was flapping on the day as the girls apparently took too long to get me back after we had nipped to the posh loos before Biffy Clyro came on” Come on girls you were doing so well!!!

As Kris whispered sweet nothings to Kim with his arms wrapped around her, the conspiracy crew were hard at work getting their T-shirts on and positioning themselves in the right order. This sounds easy, but after a few beers at a festival, I’m sure was a task and a half!  Kim could have turned around at any moment! Just before Biffy came on to play his set THIS HAPPENED!!!

 This gets an almighty awwwwww from us! 

Have you got your hankies ready?! We asked Kim how she felt about the whole festival proposal experience?  “ I think it's safe to say I am amazed by the whole proposal, though the gang were all surprised I didn't cry (I think I was in shock). I did finally burst into tears at the end of the Sunday night after Kings of Leon finished, we all turned around to leave and there was a massive fireworks display and they played 'All you need is love' by the Beatles. Pretty much a perfect weekend! 

 Conspiracy crew, you all get a massive huge thumbs up from us here at TWFC, we not ONLY do we love this, but had a bun fight to get the blog! I’m still on tea duty here and it ended up in bribery, well these things happen! You all did a fantastic job to make this perfect for these guys! Have you thought about hiring yourselves out?! 

Plans for their big day in summer 2016 definitely involve live music to reflect their love for each other, one of their local bands has already agreed to play. Kris is working on asking Biffy Clyro but just needs to make sure he has enough room to fit Biffy in his line-up!

Hen and stag plans are for the boys to head off to Le Mans for the racing but based on their history Kim tells us it could be anywhere from Vegas to Ibiza. The girls are heading to Dublin as it ties in nicely with going to a few Irish sessions for the music, without Kim having to convince anyone to go to a festival!

Watch the video here...( get more hankies!!!!) 

Kris and Kim, we hope you have the most amazing day that you guys really deserve!

If you have an engagement or quirky wedding you want to share with team here, drop us a line at info@weddingfestivalcompany.co.uk. The best stories are being entered into a competition over the next twelve months to win a weeks skiing accommodation for 4 in Bansko here! 

http://www.saintgeorgepalace.com/

Love Out xxx

Butterfly Collective- Marvelous Mod vibe for your line-up! Written By Simon Williams

Photographs by Chris Meany Photography and Rock Inspired Photography

We are well and truly getting into the festive spirit here! Planning which bands we are going to go and check out over the Christmas break that would add some razz and dazz to your line -up! 

 Now, we like live music…We like live music a lot! Be it at our local pub or Glastonbury Festival (two of our team have tickets for 2015… AC/DC are a big rumour… so excited, one of our team is likely to be playing there!!!). So when we heard the Butterfly Collective were performing at one of our local venues, us we just had to pop along and check them out!  Now, we have worked with the Butterfly Collective at previous festivals that we have organised, it’s fair to say we love what they do! 

But we heard that their set had undergone some major changes, so we were intrigued to find a little bit more. It’s always a tough one when you find out a band you already rate have changed their set list, especially when you know what they already did rocked! However, the Butterfly Collective did not disappoint!

These guys are a perfect party band for your own festival celebration and play the best mod music in town. From the Jam to The Who, The Small Faces to the Kinks, Oasis to Blur, these guys kept the venue screaming out for more all frickin night! Boy do they know how to get a party pumping, giving non-stop entertainment throughout their show. I call it a show, as not only are these guys incredibly talented muso’s, but their energy is electric!

Butterfly Collective owning the stage at the Celebration Festival 2014! 

 Most people associate mod music with Lambretta’s and rightly so, but the mods were and are still are passionate about their music. The mod scene has some of the finest music ever written. Tin Soldier by the Small Faces, Won’t get fooled again by the Who, Park Life by Blur (that was narrated by Phil Daniels who starred in Quadrophenia) to name but a few!

The Butterfly Collective are on fire right now peeps!  All of the favourite mod tunes plus some superb Northern Soul to get the crowd skanking about and crying out for the encore! Check them out on Facebook to get a sneaky preview of what they are up to. We were already excited about working with them next festival season, now we are buzzing for this, can’t wait hear more from them!

So whether you and your other half are mods with a Lambretta’s, sharp suits and miniskirts, or you just love great music, a Wedding Festival from the TWFC is the best way to party with the finest sounds around. We can plan a line-up for you that will stamp your day with BEST WEDDING EVER!

Love Out x

Setting the stage for your big day! - Written by Rowan Bastable

Hello hello! Rowan here from TWFC. I didn't get the best night’s sleep last night, I was awake all night thinking about music, bands, events and why I think live music is such a vital part of any wedding festival...

It's hard to put into words, being a musician myself, I suppose it's very much in the blood. If I'm really honest, I'd probably book 100 bands for a wedding festival and forget about feeding anybody!! That’s why we make such an epic team here. My role is very much about the stage, lights, sound and getting you the perfect line-up to get your wedding rockin'!

So here goes…

My top tips when booking live music for your big day...

1. Setting the atmosphere - Nothing quite sets the scene like live music and as festival loving bride and grooms' to be I'm sure you'll very much agree!

Live bands are great fun and will really make an excellent feature for your event.

There really is nothing quite like the feeling of 'togetherness' that comes from dancing wildly to a band you love or joining arms to sing that chorus everybody knows (or pretends to know!) the words to.

Making music a more focal point of your day will make the atmosphere last on a high from bar one to midnight!

2. This is a party! We're not about sit down 3 course meals and stiff upper lips here at TWFC. We're about letting your hair down and throwing that mad party at a venue you've always dreamed of! Why just party in the evening on your special day when you can party all day (Or all weekend if you choose)?
I believe that your wedding day is as much about celebrating your joint personalities as it is about celebrating your love for one another. What better way to express the diversity of your tastes than through the bands you choose to play on the day? Are you the sort of "rock-chick" that wants to turn up on the back of a Harley and rock out all day, or perhaps you'd like to float in amongst the sounds of a barbershop trio?
I'd perhaps suggest to start your line up nice and easy with some beautiful acoustic tunes in the background, whilst everybody mingles, and then slowly build the atmosphere to blistering dancing in the evenings finale! But hey, maybe you want to skank away to your favourite ska band at midday? The choice is yours!

3. Creating memories to cherish - Whether it be singing along to your favourite songs around a campfire or stage diving in your wedding dress (yes we've seen this done!), the music that you choose will create lasting memories for yourself and your guests.

 

Who knew you had a secret love of Irish Dancing? Well they all found out at midnight on your wedding night didn’t they...?

4. Something for everyone - We appreciate wholeheartedly how daunting a task it seems to try and please everyone when organising your special day. From the choice of food to guest list management there's always someone or something to worry about. Well why not safely remove that worry when it comes to booking your big day and work with us to make it unforgettable!

Be it rock, rap, folk, acoustic, indie, funk, or all of the aforementioned, you could arrange a line- up that perfectly complements you and your guests tastes. Let there be something for everyone to enjoy, you most certainly won't regret it!

5. Well known songs or original masterpieces? We work with a vast network of professional musicians who write and perform their own music (and a few covers if you require) and guarantee only the highest quality of musicianship from the bands that we book. Why not have a real Irish Folk band play at your festival, as opposed to a rock band who have learned songs by request?

Of course we understand that you may wish to book a covers band or two for the day! It's totally up to you, but by offering your guests a range of genres and original music throughout the day the feeling of being at a real music festival will certainly come to life!

6. One band, or a whole festival? - As I'm sure you are aware, most weddings have one function band, who will play one pre- defined genre of music generally for 2 hrs (2 x 1hr sets of 3 x 40min sets) and can charge an obscene amount of money due to demand... that means placing all of your trust (and a large sum of money) in the hands of one band to provide all the entertainment for your guests. There is, of course, no problem with that, if that's what you want? However, here at TWFC we would look more towards you having multiple bands to provide entertainment for the entire day/night and of course it will help spread the cost for you, as you won’t be potentially look at thousands of pounds per band!

So your husband-to-be is a staunch heavy rock fan... but you prefer a bit of Motown and Soul... how can you choose a band to please everyone? Well don't, choose six!

7. Choosing the right bands - What to look for when deciding which bands you wish to play? If you're not musically minded yourself how will you know the best from the worst? Well here are a few things to consider...

* A Good Demo - All bands should have a good quality recorded demo that you can hear online. This will show off their musicality! When they are in time, in tune and sounding great, you know that you are onto a winner!

* Good Equipment - A band should be able to provide all of their own musical equipment for the event (Some wedding bands will also supply the PA for you, but of course for a festival style wedding you'll have one set up for the weekend).

* A High Quality Photo - You want to know what your band are going to look like, right? All good bands will have a professional, quality, press photo of themselves online, that you can see.

* Reliability - A complete must when playing a wedding. It is so important that the bands you choose to play are reliable and trustworthy! All good bands will have testimonials online to their performances and professionalism and they are always worth checking out before you part with your money!

8. The Stage - It's vitally important to have a decent set up for your festival. You'll need stage, lights, PA, microphones and an engineer just to start! We aren't all technically minded and this can all seem very daunting, but all you really need is someone that you trust to control the entire affair for you. From setting the equipment up, to stage managing for the day, to packing it all down and taking it home at the end of the weekend. The last thing you need to worry yourselves with is how the PA works and whether it'll do the job for your many guests who are raring to party!

So there we are... my pointers to consider when thinking about booking bands for your wedding festival!

It would be my absolute pleasure to help guide you through all aspects of arranging your line-up for the day. How about a bit of heavy rock for hubby to be, some funk and soul for yourself and the bridesmaids and a bit of acoustic folk for auntie Jane (who won’t really will moan about all the racket!!!)?

Remember that whatever you wish, you can make happen!! It'll be the best day of your life for sure!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and an even better weekend!

Love Out x

Our top reasons to put on a wedding festival! - Written by SJ

Happy Friday beautiful People!

SJ here, I hope you are all looking forward to a super exciting weekend! I've woken up super early this morning, it's only 5.45am! Why? Well firstly the Chihuahua decided she wanted to try and claim the majority of our bed (she smaller than a cat...!) How can I be mad at her, it's only sleep after all!

Needless to say she won the fight! Once I was awake I was too excited to go back to sleep because today IS an exciting day! Today, guys, is the day that the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park opens and this weekend I shall be behaving mainly like a child there!

 In amongst my excitement and the planned theft of my niece and nephew (as an excuse to go to the Winter Wonderland you understand!) I thought I would write a blog after a chat we have been having here at TWFC this week about the top reasons to hold a wedding festival.

Jeez, where to start?! We could probably give you fifty awesome reasons to hold a wedding festival! However,  not listed in any particular order (as they are all equally fabulous reasons to get yourselves involved with doing something mind blowingly amazing for your big day!) this is what we have come up with...

1. Don't get us wrong, we love, love, love all weddings and all things weddingy. However, what makes us start to bounce up and down is when couples decide do something a bit radical and out of the ordinary.  Stand out from the norm!  If you love music and are free spirited, a wedding festival is a perfect choice to celebrate your marriage. Get yourselves out there and put on a wedding to go down in history as the best ever!

2. Invite everyone! If you have decided that you are going to put on music festival, the base cost per head thereafter for a festival wedding is significantly less than a traditional wedding. It stops all those awkward conversations about who you can and can't invite and the seating arrangements for sure! So what if aunt Mavis ends up sharing a straw bale with your top biker mates... they will probably end up buying her a Tequila Slammer and she will end up partying on down with them and loving every minute of it! WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THIS HAPPEN!

3. Brings us nicely on to "anything goes! " You can put on a whole range of things for your guests to get involved with. For example what we find really works is a vintage tea party. This is the perfect place for aunt Mavis to hang out (pre Tequila Slammer!) where it's a bit quieter from your main stage and she can catch up with uncle Frank who secretly (wants to be drinking the Tequila with your biker mates!). From street entertainers and carnival acts, through to rock choirs and Teddy Bear Picnics, you can balance your line-up to absolutely wow all of your guests... from your party animals through to your Grandma (who was rolling her eyes at aunt Mavis, but equally secretly wants to be the biker boy's top chick of the day! Plus Tequila does turn her tummy a bit!).

4. Make a weekend of it! Depending on your venue, you can party for the whole weekend!  For all of you already married reading this, you will know that wedding time goes at 27 times the speed of a normal day! Find a venue that offers camping (with plenty of places for people to stay who don't opt to camp) and let your guests drop in and out for the weekend. A great way to spend the day after your big day is to play rounder's and "old skool sports day races". This is when aunt Mavis can be found sipping Pimm's over the BBQ, with her new best mates... the biker boys from the night before!

5. Weddings can be expensive, not only for the happy couple, but guests too! Lose the dress code so that guests don't feel like they have to spend a lot of money on a new outfit. Choose the right bar company (we have our own – Just sayin!) so that the drinks are priced at pub prices reasonably.  Nobody wants to pay £7 for a G&T regardless of where you are! You will find that your guests are so much more relaxed (not just through affordable drinks, I hasten to add!) and happier to just go with the flow and get down and party much harder with you guys!

All in all, a wedding festival is one epic party! You don't lose the romance of your blessing, in fact we think it's hugely romantic to have a service outside, packed with everyone you want to invite.

Rights guys, I'm off to book my ice- skating and other fun stuff for Hyde Park, plus I feel it's way too early to be talking about Tequila quite so much!

Have a truly amazing weekend!!!!!!

Love out xxx