REAL WEDDING: ARC EVENTS

Welcome to our HOPP Real Wedding series, where we speak to brides & grooms about how they planned and prepared for their big day, featuring an array of our magnificent HOPP party professionals. For the third in this series, we spoke to Anna Wills from ARC Events about the stunning wedding she produced for her clients Alisa & Scott.

Photo Credit - Joanna Brown

1. How far in advance did you start planning the wedding?  3 months!
2. How/Why did you choose the location?  It was where the groom proposed to the bride: Oakley Court, Windsor
3. How many guests and what was the format?  130 guests, 2-day wedding. Guests were collected from the Mandarin Oriental via coach for a quintessentially English afternoon tea. Later in the afternoon there was a ceremony in the grounds followed by a standing reception overlooking the river, a 4 course dinner, a video light projection and finally live music and dancing. On the second day, guests were given the option of going to watch the races at Windsor Racecourse, or for a tour around Windsor Castle. Late afternoon, there was a BBQ followed by fireworks and dancing. 
4. How did you keep the guests entertained all day as this can often be the challenge with weddings?  See above! We also allowed them downtime in their hotel rooms (most of the guests were staying in the hotel)
5. Did you give the guests party favours?  Every guest had a welcome pack in their hotel room consisting of rose, bespoke Hummingbird cupcakes and an itinerary. We also had bespoke hangover kits made for Saturday evening.
6. Who made the cake?  Sophie Cabot
7. Tell us about the stationery - how did you do the placement / escort cards? Every inch of the stationery was in keeping with the overall theme of the wedding. From the ribbon and wax seal on the invitations, to the hotel room key cards, maps of the grounds, signage, escort cards and menus. Each was personalised with the guest's name in calligraphy for them to keep after. We hung the escort cards from a big tree in the grounds with the same ribbon on the invitations and on the dining table menus. 
8. Who gave the best speech and what tips do you have for the speechmakers out there?  All 4 of their children did a joint speech and they had everyone in stitches with lovely short anecdotes about their first impressions of the bride and groom (second marriage!). The best ones are short, relaxed (write it in sound bites, rather than lengthy descriptive sentences!), and personal to you, the speechmaker! Don't try to be too jokey! 
9. Did you offer vegan and vegetarian options for meals and canapes?  Yes, it's a must nowadays
10. How did you decide on the final menu?  All the ingredients were local to the area, seasonal and fresh. Keep it simple and delicious and you can't go wrong! The couple loved Italian food, so there were nods to this throughout the menu.
11. Did anything go wrong that you had to change last minute?  There was a downpour during the outside standing reception but we luckily had personalised umbrellas for guests, and there were enough awnings for them to shelter under. It certainly didn't dampen any spirits!  
12. Which suppliers did you think truly made it special?  The venue team was amazing, they made our job so much easier. The caterers too were incredible, nothing was too big or too small an ask! Overall the team of suppliers worked so well together, we are so lucky to work with talented suppliers. 
13. What entertainment did you organise?  We had a surprise impromptu performance from a small orchestra and Okiem for the ceremony, and a live band and DJ in the evening, with another live band on the Sunday. 
14.  Did you choose a Band or DJ or both and why?  We chose a band followed by a DJ. The DJ was able to play the songs the band couldn't so ticking all boxes! They wanted to start with some classic oldies and end with some upbeat current music. Best of both worlds!
15. What flowers did you go for and how did you choose the florist?  The florist recommended me for the job! The bride had a very clear vision for her wedding and so the florist was key to select to get this look right for her. There were roses throughout the wedding. 
16. What was the wedding vibe?  Inspired by the visionary image maker, Nick Knight, the floral brief was large-scale, beautiful and painterly. The classic rose was the focus; symbolic of love, faith and truth. Each stage of the wedding brought a different kind of sculptural floral installation and all complementary of the surroundings.
17. What did you organise that was unique?  We designed a 5,000 stem rose cloud suspended over a burnished gold mirror top table. The roses on the table were drilled into the table, to give the idea that they were growing up from the table. 
18. What was your favourite element of the wedding?  Seeing everything come together, and everyone working so well as a team. The journey of getting to the wedding is just as important as the day itself. We love creative designing, sourcing, and operational logistics, and if we can have fun with the client doing it, then it's a win win!