Weddings by Annabel

Annabel is my ray of sunshine throughout the the whole wedding process. She is calm, professional, funny, and kind. You really need an ally who can talk some sense into the many stressful situations that arise. We planned this wedding from the United States and it would not have happened without her. I would recommend Annabel to anyone and everyone who needs not only a wedding planner but a friend! Thank you again for the best wedding ever!!!!

Annabelle arranged our 50th wedding anniversary party in our local church hall. She completely changed the look and atmosphere with her superb decor. She coordinated the food/wine and music with such grace and skill that every supplier praised her efficiency. This was all done at a distance from Cumbria to Yorkshire. We can’t thank her enough for making it such a memorable evening.

“We had a definite vision of what we wanted our wedding to be and planned it ourselves but it became clear as we ironed out the details that we would need someone there on the day so that everything would run smoothly and we could enjoy every minute of it.” What made you pick Weddings by Annabel? “Once we agreed on our venue, which was not an established wedding venue, I started to research who could offer wedding coordinator services in Cumbria. There was no contest, every review and every indication pointed to Annabel being the best choice. Following a call with Annabel it was clear she really knew her stuff and would be an asset to our wedding, both before and on the day.” The day before and day of the wedding, what stood out as most helpful from Annabel? “Annabel came the day before to help us to set up, decorate the tipi and to walk through the schedule for the day. Her direction and support helped immensely during what could have been a stressful day of set up, but she helped prioritise what needed to be done to get everything in order before the next morning. I could not have relaxed as much as I did on the day without Annabel, she made sure everyone was in the right place, chairs were moved when they needed to be, the caterers knew where to go and at what time, and that was all before midday! Throughout the day she was wherever she was needed, making sure the day went as planned and always smiling. “ Would you recommend Annabel for those couples? READ MORE “Absolutely. A DIY wedding is great but only if you can enjoy it. A wedding is probably the biggest event you will ever plan and it is a huge thing to orchestrate, not something I could ever have imagined going smoothly without Annabel there to run the show.”

Why did you choose Annabel? *We actually liked how she had done a wedding in a completely non-traditions venue having seen the pictures online. Once we met with her her easygoing vibe really made us feel comfortable, and she didn’t tell us what we should or shouldn’t do in a way that felt restrictive or pushy - just gave advice on options, ideas and what she thought would work well, meaning she was a great sense check for us at any time. What was the immediate effect of having someone with Annabels experience and contacts around? *She recommended our venue in our first meeting - we called, went the next day and booked it! It wasn’t even on our radar but she seemed to understand exactly what we were looking for and pulled it out of thin air. We loved being able to ask her about suppliers - either ones she knew or if we found someone checking she had heard of them - and her knowledge of what would and wouldn’t work in terms of run of show and everything was so helpful.* During planning, how useful was it having Annabel on the team? *Planning the wedding remotely, it was amazing to have Annabel local and so accessible to us via email etc. She also brought many things to our attention that we just wouldn’t have thought of on our own. She also made us feel calm about the things we didn’t have figured out and helped us get the timing right in terms of what suppliers and plans needed to be in place by when.* On your special day, did you notice the influence of having Annabel around? READ MORE *By that stage it was really nice having her there because we had enjoyed the time we had spent with her! But it was also great that we could direct questions to her, that she helped keep people calm, that the venue could talk directly to her instead of with us about every detail and a million other small things. It was also great having her with an eye on timing - we never had to check a watch and wonder if we were on track. Annabel was really lovely to work with and we would definitely recommend her!*

Why did you decide to find a Planner? Our wedding was very DIY and 6 hours away from where we live in London. I knew just setting up and getting everything up there would be stressful enough and didn’t want to have to think about that on my wedding day. Being a bit of a control freak (!) I realised I was at risk of spending our wedding day stressed about logistics, so I took swift action to find an ‘on the day coordinator’ that I found out about on one of the bridal Facebook groups I joined when I got engaged. What made you pick Annabel? She was one of the first I googled, and after sending a few emails to a bunch of planners she replied immediately which I felt was a great sign of efficiency! What were your preconceptions of a Planner’s role and did Annabel change those thoughts? I thought if you had a wedding planner they essentially took on all of the organisation. I didn’t think there was something in between; someone who gave you some advice to take or leave, who worked through problematic areas with you and was a general wonder-woman/man on the day. Couples who want some help but still want to hold the reigns and realise their vision to make their wedding their own should totally chat to the wonderful Annabel! Throughout planning, what was most helpful? Tackling issues with me for sure. We had this lovely plan to serve the cake as dessert ourselves (as in, me and my husband going round to each table) which we didn’t do in the end, but Annabel worked through the logistical struggles with me and was chill when I decided to just throw money at the problem and pay the caterers to do it instead! I also appreciated how warm Annabel was. From day one she felt like someone I could talk to and I really, really, really appreciated that. On the day, did you feel Annabel helped make the day flow? Absolutely! I didn’t need to think about a thing. I think the only point I intervened was when my very nervous bridesmaid begged us to start the speeches so she could get hers out of the way and get drunk! Would you recommend Weddings by Annabel? 100 million per cent, yes.

Annabel ensured that our wedding and handfasting ran perfectly. From our initial planning chats, to meeting us on site a few days before the day Annabel was brilliant. Offering advice based on her wealth of experience but also listening to everything we wanted & our 'vision'. She also went above and beyond on the day, even going to retrieve a set of keys that had disappeared into the village with one of our guests! Highly, highly recommended