Bex & Graham's Wedding at Warborne Farm

Bex and Graham's wedding was originally booked for 2020 at a different venue. Having to postpone their wedding twice due to the pandemic, their venue also changed hands during this time. Speaking with the new management team to confirm their wedding plans, things that had been promised to Bex and Graham were sadly now not allowed. Losing faith this pushed Bex and Graham to find a new venue which would accommodate their wedding requirements. Happy to help I was able to recommend the stunning Warborne Farm which had a similar vibe to their original venue and I was certain they would love.

After paying Warborne Farm a visit and falling in love with it, Bex and Graham soon booked this totally chilled DIY farm venue for their big day in 2022.

For me, I get asked to travel all over to co-ordinate weddings so it was really nice to be able to co-ordinate a wedding so local to me and at a venue I absolutely love.

Warborne Farm comes as an exclusive blank canvas venue to do what you like with including the most stunning accommodation for up to 40 guests. If you have more guests that want to stay then the owner and farmer, George also allows camping in the field. This is the perfect solution to ensure your guests don’t have to worry about getting home straight after a full day of wedding celebrations. There are even a couple of showers for your camping guests to freshen up the morning after and loos too. Having these different options and facilities was what Bex and Graham wanted to be able to offer their guests, so it was perfect for their big day.

The day before Bex and Graham's wedding I paid a visit to Warborne Farm to see how they were getting on, have a look around and see how they had set it up.

Annoyingly it was very windy and the weather forecast spoke of rain the next day. Just in case the heavens opened we discussed the all important contingency plan, something I always recommend you have in place. Over night there were a few downpours but thankfully after a quick shower in the morning the sun came out for the rest of the day, meaning there was no need for the contingency ceremony marquee!

On the day itself we arrived in plenty of time so I could show my team around and talk them through the plans for the day.

Our first job was to prep the welcome drinks of Bellinis and make sure the blankets were on the haybales ready for the ceremony.

Walking through the gates to the orchard where the ceremony was to take place we were greeted by a group of cute fluffy sheep nibbling on the haybales and chickens hopping from bale to bale. Surrounded by fields with horses grazing, geese waddling around and ducks in their pen, this was enough for anyone to fall in love with this ceremony set up.

As the guests started to arrive we poured and served the Bellinis so they could have a drink before the ceremony.

Welcoming the guests was also Bex and Graham who wanted their day to be totally relaxed, so decided to be out with their guests for a drink before their ceremony. This is what I love about DIY weddings, there is no need to do things as you think they should be done or as people tell you they should be done. This is your day and you can do it your way, so if you and your partner want to get ready together and enjoy every special moment of your day together then...

Whilst Sam and Hayley served the welcome drinks on the lawn, myself and Jan prepped for the wedding breakfast. Bex and Graham had chosen to have a vegan wedding and had ordered in some delicious vegan pasta salads, coleslaw and green salads, as well as some yummy freshly baked vegan bread. All of this was to accompany a selection of vegan cheeses, homemade vegan sausage rolls, crackers, chutneys and vegan butter. One of our jobs was to put all the different components into large cardboard hamper boxes ready to be put on each table.

Adding wine and water to the tables hired from South Coast Marquees they would soon be ready for the guests to take a seat on the natural fold up chairs hired from them too. With the vintage crockery and glassware hired from Swingletree Vintage and the floral arrangements by Kemlo & Kemlo the tables were looking really pretty.

Sharks were a big part of Bex and Graham’s theme with their love of marine life and Bex working for the Manta Trust. With Bex and Graham’s tables named after sharks and a ‘Find your Shark’ table plan, these little touches made Bex and Graham’s wedding really personal to them. It was a joy to see a story being told through styling, especially one linked to raising awareness of the incredible sea life that play a big part in Bex and Graham’s lives.

Taking cakes from the guests as they arrived these would make up the ‘Dessert Cake Table’ which Bex had made a papier-mâché sharks head to go on.

Now time for the ceremony and with Graham’s best man Ollie and his friends playing the guitar and violin, we asked the guests (and chickens) to make their way through the gate, across the track and along the winding path to take a seat on the hay bales in the orchard.

Waiting with Bex who looked beautiful in a deep red dress, blue shoes and her hair in a 1940s victory roll style and Graham in a relaxed open neck shirt and chinos, it was soon time for them to walk down the aisle. Bex arm in arm with her dad and Graham arm in arm with his mum, it was a very special moment seeing them all walk down the aisle together.

Stood in front of the arch which had been beautifully decorated with foliage by Graham’s mum, stood Bex and Graham’s good friend Tony who was acting as their celebrant.

After a beautiful and intimate ceremony Bex and Graham made their way up the aisle so their fabulous photographer Kate Jackson Photography could capture the all important confetti shot.

Making their way back through to the lawn my team were ready to serve everyone more Bellinis whilst they chilled out and played some lawn games.

Once it was time for the wedding breakfast we asked the guests to make their way to the barn to find their shark!

Keeping an eye on everyone during the meal and making sure they had enough wine and water we stocked the DIY bar ready for later. Graham and his friends had their own barrels of home brewed beer which went down an absolute storm and didn't last long!

After the meal came the speeches. I do love listening to the speeches and wow did these ones bring a tear to my eye. Incredibly heartfelt and just beautiful to listen to.

As well as Ollie, Graham's best man singing his own funny song…

Once the speeches finished the guests got up to help themselves to the ‘Cake Table’ and tea and coffee. This gave us some time to clear the tables of all the plates, glassware, hampers and leftover picnic food. Scraping the plates, sorting the rubbish and stacking everything in the prep room we made sure it was left as tidy as possible for Bex and Graham. The last thing any couple wants to be faced with the morning after their wedding is a mess to clear up.

Not long after the wedding breakfast finished I met with Tanzie and her Epic Veg burger van and showed her where to set up to serve the evening food.

I can’t say I have ever really tried vegan food before but Bex and Graham's wedding certainly made me realise just how yummy vegan food can be. Epic Veg burgers were delicious and with a choice of either the Epic burger, BBQ Pulled Shroom burger or Mexican Mountain burger, Bex and Graham's guests were spoilt for choice!

Throughout the day Graham’s best man Ollie was in charge of the music. Having his own entertainment agency Band Boutique it meant he could bring a fabulous band The Mayhemsto perform for the evening reception. With the band setting up whilst my team put the hay bale seats around the courtyard and served drinks at the bar, it was nearly time for the evening party to begin.

Just before the sun began to set Bex and Graham went off for some quiet time with their photographer Kate Jackson Photographywho captured these gorgeous couple shots around the grounds of Warborne Farm.

Checking the toilets and filling up the loo roll which of course is an all important job at a wedding, we continued to tidy, clear glasses and make sure everyone had a drink that wanted one throughout the evening.

It was soon time for us to leave so we stocked the bar ready for the guests to help themselves throughout the rest of the evening.

Saying our goodbyes to the suppliers and friends and family we had gotten to know during the day, we packed up our stuff and left Bex and Graham with their loved ones to party the night away until they could party no more!

Not long after Bex and Graham’s big day they sent me the loveliest of feedback…

"Tash did a wonderful job of helping us prep for our wedding, without her assistance in planning we would have made a lot of crucial mistakes.

On the day her team took care of everything so we could concentrate on enjoying our wedding. I've hired her again for a work event because she was so good. Highly recommend!".

I can't wait to help co-ordinate a Manta Ray awareness event at the Royal Geographical Society in London for Bex and her conservation team. I couldn’t be happier knowing how pleased Bex and Graham were with my on the day co-ordination and that they are recommending me to others.

If you are planning a wedding at Warborne Farm or any other DIY venue and you think you might need some help ensuring your day runs smoothly, then get in touch. I can help you along your wedding planning journey with ideas, timing suggestions, supplier recommendations and I will of course write up a detailed time plan listing everything you would like done and when. On the day itself I will ensure you have nothing to worry about and that your special day is stress free. My team and I will get all your behind the scenes jobs done, making sure you and your guests are happy and having the time of your lives.

If you have any questions regarding on the day co-ordination then please don’t hesitate to ask, I am always happy to answer any queries and chat weddings!