Picking the dress
Claire tried on about 20 dresses. She instantly fell in love with the Berta dresses – but sadly they were well over budget at £10,000! She did however find one equally as amazing from Fleur de Lys Bridal in Saffron Walden. Claire looked beautiful in her soft, romantic, lace dress and was able to add details to make it her own. The groom & grooms men wore classic black tie from Goldings in Newmarket. The bridesmaids all looked stunning on the day wearing baby pink.
Hair and make-up
The very first supplier Claire booked for her wedding was Bo Wright of Botia’s Wedding Hair & Make-up. A luxury bridal service booked regularly for clients at wedding venues such as The Ritz, The Savoy and The Dorchester to name a few. Nothing but high regards for this incredibly talented make-up and hairstylist. Claire also used Dani Roberts makeup in Burwell for her bridesmaids along with Venus Hair in Newmarket On the day Claire’s brother Chris Chapman built Claire’s dream wedding marquee. Bridesmaid Louise Byrom sang live in the church as well as conducting a children’s choir which was just angelic. Claire’s god-daughter Bonnie Marie Byrom played the flute as Claire & David walked down the aisle, supported by Aileen Henry on the harp. Claire’s Nan Joan Chapman organised a beautiful white horse and carriage from The Ostler Ltd to take them to the church. The day was a truly romantic fairy tale.
Wedding photography
For such a stylish, classic wedding an amazing photographer was needed – and Thomas Ellwood Photography was booked immediately. His style reflected Claire and David’s big day to perfection. The wedding was videoed by Keiron Exley which you can find by clicking here. They both captured superb memories of the day and we cannot recommend them both highly enough.
The marquee and decoration
Of course the wedding was in a beautiful marquee provided by Claire’s family business The Highfield Event Group Ltd. It was decorated to perfection, the main dining area was cream with a huge central crystal chandelier. The colour palette was a refreshing blend of pink, gold and florals which look gorgeous when combined with the soft textures – complimented by the delicate chair sashes and diamonte clips hand-draped by Covers by Gill from Newmarket. Simply Linen very kindly supplied regency stripe table linen for the tables which added a whole different dimension. White carpet was kindly supplied by CTN Exhibitions. The evening moved the guests into a magical wintery nightclub area with black starlit ceilings and a starry white dancefloor. Every ounce of the decoration was thought about by Claire, even the folding of napkins in the style of dinner jackets and pretty dresses.
Catering & Cake
Catering was the work of the very talented James Yallop and his team at Crown Catering. Poppy Yallop greeted the bride and groom as the horse and carriage arrived and handed them both a glass of champagne – she really was the most amazing event manager. The absolutely delicious looking cake was by Marks and Spencer with added roses from Tolly’s Flower in Newmarket.
Flowers
The flowers were from Tollys Flowers in Newmarket. They were the main centre pieces for the tables and totally breath-taking.
Time to party!
When it came to the evening, Claire arranged lighting, sound, production and DJ from Jason Coles and 3D Productions who kept everyone on the dancefloor until 3am. The first dance was Whitney Houston ‘I wanna dance with somebody!’ which got the New Year’s Eve celebrations off to a bang. Perry Jackson was live on the saxophone and guests enjoyed some Shisha by The Cambridge Shisha Company whilst seated on curved white chesterfield sofas provided by Event Prop Hire. Everything was kept safe and sound by the ever-brilliant security company Safe Door Security based in Burwell and Newmarket.
Words from the bride
“It’s all a rush at the last minute. I didn’t want to be late but was by 15minutes!. The only thing I would have changed would be to have got ready earlier and chilled out! But in the words of my father Garry Chapman, I wouldn’t really change it for the world ‘Claire your whole life is a rush, why would you want your wedding day to be any different!’ I will never be able to say thank you enough to every single person who helped me to arrange the most perfect day including with super special thanks to my fantastic mum & dad.” Claire’s one top of advice Definitely, definitely have your wedding videoed. It is simply fantastic to look back over. I could watch mine every day for the rest of my life. A special mention to all the great suppliers who offered things for free – CTN Exhibitions white carpet, Simply Linen – regency striped table linens and Classical Toilet Hire, generators bar and much more.
List of suppliers
Marquee: The Highfield Event Group Ltd The Dress: Fleur de Lys Bridal Horse & Carriage: The Ostler Ltd Groom & Groomsmen: Goldings of Newmarket Photography: Thomas Ellwood Videography: Kieran Exley Food & Bar: Crown Catering Cake: Marks & Spencer DJ, Lighting, Sound & Production: 3D Productions Carpet: CTN Exhibitions Tablecloths: Simply Linens Loos’: Classical Toilet Hire Power: P&N Generators Bar: Intents Effects The Ceremony: St Mary’s Church, Burwell, Bridal hair & make-up: Botia, Bridesmaid make-up: Dani Roberts, Bridesmaid hair: Venus Hair, Chair Covers: Covers by Gill Security: Safe Door Security, Saxophone: Perry Roberts, Derby Shisha: The Cambridge Shisha Company, Harp: Aileen Henry, Sofas: Event Prop Hire
