We recently played a wedding at Manor By The Lake in Cheltenham. Our bride and groom Dan and Roisin have kindly taken the time to answer a few questions which we hope will give you some inspiration when planning your own. There is a list of suppliers at the bottom so you can link to all the awesome people we worked with that day.Without further ado here’s Dan and Roisin…
Tell us a bit about yourselves and what your jobs are:
We first met at Uni in Exeter and now live in North London. Roisin is a deputy head at a primary school, and Dan works in advertising
Is there a good story behind the proposal? Can you tell us about it?
We’ve been together for 10 years, so I was stressing out about how to make the proposal good enough. In the end I went cliche and took Rois to Paris. I had two restaurants lined up for Saturday and Sunday because I wasn’t sure which one would be right for the proposal. The first restaurant was lovely, but super small, so I bottled it under pressure.
For the second night I’d booked Ciel De Paris which has an amazing view over the city. I got the ring box stuck in my jacket pocket so it was really obvious what was going on before I actually managed to propose, but luckily she said yes. Top tip: replace the ridiculously over-sized ring box they give you with a much smaller one. Or wear a jacket with big pockets.
What did you consider were the most important things when you started planning your wedding?
We always said that as long as we had good food, plenty of drink, and a good band, then we knew people would have a good time, so that was our focus when we started planning. Also, a midnight hog-roast was a deal breaker for me.
What made you pick Manor By The Lake for your wedding?
Our venue was Manor by the Lake just outside Cheltenham. Its a relatively small venue which still has a really grand manor aesthetic, and lovely grounds. We fell in love with it as soon as we saw it; and it was actually the only venue we went to see. You get to take over the whole place, which was something we really wanted, and there’s an after hours bar so that after the majority of your guests have left you can have an after party with your residents.
Can you tell us about some of the companies/suppliers you used? What made you pick them?
Our photographer was Helen Rimell of Gin Fizz photography. We met her for a drink in London and she mentioned that she always has to stay up until the last guest drops because she thinks some of the best photos are once people start letting their hair down. That really stuck with us, and we knew she was the right photographer for us. True to her word she was the last person standing at the after party, and got some amazing late-night photos of our friends.
Was there anything you did yourself to save money?
My mum & a friend made all of the invitations, the table cards and the name cards for the table settings; we were so grateful and they were exactly what we’d had in mind.
What made you choose Mister Kanish as your wedding band?
It was actually a recommendation from a friend; he’s really into his music, and had got married just before us, so when Rois tasked me with finding a band whilst she was on holiday, I knew he would have some good tips for me. He gave me a few options, and we checked Mister Kanish out on YouTube, and knew you guys were the band for us.
What was your first dance and why did you choose it?
We chose I’m Gonna be (500 Miles) cover by Sleep at Last. Rois is into her 90s R&B, while I grew up on guitar bands, so we had no idea what we were going to pick for our first dance. I stumbled across this cover one day on YouTube and knew it could be the one. When I played it to Rois she agreed straight away. It sounded amazing with the Kanish folk set up; you guys really nailed it.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Exactly like everyone warns you it goes by so fast. Personally I loved being on the bus to the church with all our guests; there was something about that moment, having everyone we love on a bus that we had booked that made me think ‘this is really happening now’. Of course, seeing Rois coming down the aisle is a moment that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Finally the dance floor later on was amazing; after the speeches, when I could finally properly relax and everyone is going crazy.
What is the most important piece of advice you would give to others planning their weddings now?
Prioritize the big things that are important to you and don’t sweat the small stuff. Someone said to us “if it doesn’t go to plan, no one else will know”, and they were right.
- Caterer and Venue – Manor by the Lake
- Photographer – Helen Rimell, Gin Fizz Photographic
- Stationary – My mum!
- Cake – Angel Cupcakes, Cheltenham
- Wedding Fair – National Wedding Fair in London is worth a look, and where we first met Helen
- Flowers – The Bespoke Flower Company
- Suits – Hugo Boss
- Wedding Dress –Shop: The Bride, St Albans, Dress: Savoy, Suzanne Neville
- Hair – Leah Toomey
- Make up – Katy Pheiffer
- Other – Bus: Premier Carriages
Wedding Band Videos at Manor By The Lake
We try and record videos at all the venues we go to. Here are two we did at Manor By The Lake…
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