As we continue to wait patiently for wedding restrictions to ease so we can get back to doing what we do best, we have started an ongoing series looking back at a few of our recent weddings. In these Q and As we speak to a few of our newly married couples about their wedding day, the planning process, advice they have for newly engaged couples and, of course, their menu!
We start with Chris and Sophie, a lovely couple currently living in London but originally from from Surrey and Hampshire. With their first wedding anniversary just over a month away we thought now would be a great time to catchup with them to discuss their beautiful marquee wedding at Sophie's family home.
Date of your wedding
28th September 2019
How many guests?
120
Where did you hold your wedding and why?
We held our wedding in a village called Selborne in Hampshire where Sophie’s parents live. They have a beautiful cottage with amazing grounds so we had the wedding in marquee in the garden. The house also happens to be a short walk away from the village church so we had the ceremony in there before walking down a meadow to the house – very picturesque!
What unique challenges did you encounter (if any) by having a marquee wedding?
The weather! We had the wedding at the end of September so worries about the weather were ongoing. I remember being sat in the garden on 28th September 2018 (1 year before the wedding) and it was the most glorious day, with 27 degree sunshine, so was hoping that would be the case 12 months later. A week prior to the wedding every single day was forecast for heavy rain and storms but come the big day it was clear all day until the evening when we were inside the marquee which worked perfectly. The fireworks at midnight were interesting though in torrential rain and wind!
How did you find the planning process? Any tips for other brides and grooms?
Enjoy it. The 18 months or so from the engagement to the wedding day are so exciting and the planning, whilst stressful, is a lot of fun. You go through every emotion but for us it was all about throwing the biggest party with all our friends and family which we achieved. If you’re hosting the wedding yourself make sure you consider every eventuality – where the photographer can park, do you have a back up electricity source, do guests know where to get picked up/dropped off – it all sounds simple but there’s a lot to consider.
My top tip would be to do a booze cruise to Calais too – we saved almost 50% on alcohol going over to Calais to get wine/champagne. Well worth it!
What was your favourite part of the day?
The party of course! We had a Motown band who were amazing and we made sure the dance floor was as big as possible. The marquee company advised us it was too big because usually most people don’t dance – luckily we advised them “you don’t know our friends/family” because it was packed all night!
Why did you decide to go with Tandem?
Having had a fantastic experience of Tandem's food and service at a friends wedding previously we kept tabs ever since and saw the amazing reviews and pictures from other weddings across social media. When we decided on a marquee wedding there only really was ever one choice – we went and met Tom and Carole in Godalming and pretty much agreed on a menu there and then. The food on the day was incredible and still to this day people reminisce about our wedding and mention the delicious menu.
What was on the menu?
Canapes Mini tacos with avocado, feta, toasted sweetcorn and lime pickled onions (v)
Sweetcorn fritters with mango and coriander salsa (v)
Vietnamese summer rolls with prawn, vermicelli, mint, cucumber and carrot
Korean beef with cucumber and black sesame
Starter Salmon ceviche with avocado and fennel salad and a grapefruit and lime dressing
Vegetarian: Heritage tomato and basil bruschetta on griddled garlic sour dough with fresh basil oil
Main Portugese Spiced Chicken, Sweet Potato/Potato Chips, Coleslaw, Homemade Chilli Sauce. Vegetarian: Halloumi, courgette and red pepper kebabs with Sweet Potato/Potato Chips, Coleslaw, Homemade Chilli Sauce.
Dessert Chocolate brownie with chocolate fudge sauce and vanilla cream
How did Tandem help to make the day special?
From start to finish everything was brilliant. In the planning, no request was too big and they were so proactive on making our day as special and unique as possible. Tom made great suggestions as and when we needed them (not just around the food) and the menu we decided on together was a great combination of our favorite food and crowd pleasers. The cherry on top of the cake was the Hot Sauce Tom had specially made. He created bespoke labels with a clever play on words using our names and it was such a great touch.
Who were your other suppliers?
Photographer / videographer: Steven Duncan Photography
Flowers: Wildbunch Florists (Alresford)
Dress/suit: The Farnham Boutique (Dress) and Suit Supply
Marquee: Perfect Pitch Marquees
Cake: Homemade!