JANE & WILLIAM’S wedding

We decided to plan our wedding in February 2021, so all a bit last minute. We had experienced a miscarriage which was obviously heartbreaking, so we decided we didn’t want to wait to get married any longer (we have been together for over ten years). So, we managed to choose a day where there was hardly any horse racing, a Sunday! We were over in Dubai at the time so I contacted suppliers I knew already that I wanted to use, like Crown Catering and our florist Imogen Hall. I confirmed the date with the church straight away and then went on the hunt for photographer band etc. Crown Catering recommended Events Under Canvas, which was absolutely one of the best decisions we made. They listened to exactly what we wanted and made insightful suggestions without imposing on our unique ideas.

I like to make decisions snappily. Go with what feels right, don’t second guess or put too much worry into it. It’s your wedding. Enjoy the planning, don’t get hung up on things; just book the essential things in and fine-tune them as you go along.

We wanted a small intimate wedding. Guestlist was probably the most challenging part. Keeping the day small was a tough choice, but we knew we wanted to respect covid and didn’t want a big spectacle of a wedding. This wasn’t easy when we have both worked in racing for so long and have met so many amazing friends and colleagues over the years. 

We decided to go with the approach that you can’t please everyone. We knew we wouldn’t be able to invite absolutely everyone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with them on another occasion.

We didn’t want a 300 plus wedding which would have probably still left people still feeling left out, so we were ruthless and tried only to choose family and a few friends that we see regularly as a couple and had 60 to the day. So it was the perfect size for us. 

Our best man James Doyle and one of my best friends Suzanne, organized singing waiters as a surprise for our wedding. It was excellent and really set the tone for the evening ahead. We had no clue! It was lovely to have an aspect to our wedding that was chosen by those we love.

The best advice would be to make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink; you can’t really fail then! Create as much atmosphere as possible. The sushi bar in the evening went down well, and the fire pits and having the separate marquee as a bar lounger area really worked.

We had a seven-piece young band who were recommended by a friend in the north. They truly delivered. They bought great energy to the event, and when we met them, we could tell just by speaking to them that they would be a great fit.

On the day, they created a beautiful atmosphere for everyone, taking requests to ensure everyone enjoyed the tunes they loved the most.