Planning a wedding? Read Michelle's top tips

We are lucky to have Michelle as part of the Penton Park family, her event management background and wedding coordination skills are outstanding, as such we wanted to chat to her about her top tips for any couple planning their wedding. 

1. ​Set a realistic budget from the outset and prioritise what’s important to you before you start your venue searching. With a realistic budget in mind your venue searching can be more focused and save you time in looking at the venues that are right for you and within your price range.

2. Be organised – prepare check lists, supplier lists, a schedule of events or better still consider venues much like Penton Park who come with their own in-house events manager like me, who can take care of a lot of the paperwork for you and ensure the smooth running of your wedding day

3.  Use suppliers you’re comfortable with and who you build a good rapport. From caterers to photographers to florists, they all need to understand your vision and who you can ultimately trust to deliver on the day.  We have a great list of recommended suppliers here, all of whom we have tried and tested and know will look after you as you deserve.

4. Whilst it’s great to get ideas and suggestions from friends and family, it’s your wedding day so do what feels right for you and your husband to be. Don’t feel you have to follow tradition – you can create your own traditions!  Julia and Matt decided to have a first look before their ceremony, and then conduct registrar interviews together. (Huge thanks to Iona Taberham Photography for capturing their day so beautifully).

5.  Lastly but probably most importantly.  Enjoy the journey! It’s hard not to get overwhelmed by the detail and stress involved in planning your wedding but remember to enjoy it – you’re planning one of the best days of your life!

Thank you to Ami Robertson of The Woman and The Wolf for Michelle's pictures, and Daniel Pitts for the last picture of Sam and Mick in the meadow grass