The Isle of Wight or Sicily? How we make your wedding day vision come to life!

When couples come to us with fresh new ideas on how to use a venue, we get a little bit excited, and our minds start whizzing around with creative ways to make their vison come to life!

So, when J & F told us they wanted to make their wedding day at Appldurcombe house feel like we were in the Mediterranean or Sicily (which is where they later honeymooned) and for it to be one massive non-stop party…for 200 people may I add, we quickly set to work on everything needed to create their day!

With the Bride being a well-known interior designer-she had a vision for Appldurcombe that many others wouldn’t have thought of. The Drinks reception was to be held around the ruins instead of the front lawn-she loved the texture of the walls, the light that came through and how we could transform it into a alfresco bar. It was perfect for welcome drinks with the DJ spinning Ibiza beach club tunes, The Seasoned Kitchen serving up a giant leg of jamon with a carving station filled with freshly made breads, Isle of Wight Tomatoes, oils and more! Together with Mixologist IOW bar team pairing it with the perfect pour of crémant. The Party had started! Rachel built trees to look like they were growing out of the walls and intertwined with the stonework, using some silver birch trees hired from Busy Bee it made the building come alive. Transforming later as the sun went down surrounded by firepits and with drink flowing under the romantic lighting.

The lighting played a big role in creating the perfect atmosphere and vibe, it always does with any wedding or event, but this one needed to go to the next level! Carrie who planned every detail for the couple, teamed up with Stage Gear to design every festoon string and uplighter placement around the entire venue- many of it being the first time certain areas had been lit up before.

Making sure the guests got to experience every inch of the venue we had the stunning lemon drizzle cake from Miss Dotty’s on display in the ruins on one of our barrels. A quick top up of crémant as they walked through ready for the first lot of speeches, alfresco style. Speeches took place in an alcove of the ruins, which Rachel again dressed with vines and branches to create a focal point. Speeches ended with the couple cutting the cake so it could be whisked away and cut up ready to serve for dessert.

The feast would take place on the lawns with the view of the magnificent house set behind the Bride and Grooms place settings. A festoon clad stretch tent perfectly placed and provided by Marble LDN made sure that all guests had a view of the front of Appldurcombe. This stretch is currently the only one of its kind on the Isle of Wight (which they have given us full access to BTW!) As guests walked down into the entrance of the tent, they were able to see The Seasoned Kitchen chefs at work behind the massive BBQ’s, turning over the lamb and smelling the taste sensation that was about to grace their plates!

Carrie who was coordinating the day made sure the couple got their big napkin waving entrance. The napkins were a special touch for the couple, as they were all sent over to the Island from Kenya by the Brides cousin. The bright colours together with the seashells, rope, vintage bottles, and natural greenery designed by the Bride and Rachel made the tables come to life. The Father and Mother of the bride made every place setting name card and the table plan with shells they had been collecting from Bembridge beach- and with 200 guests, that was a lot of collecting-but they looked amazing, and we are all about those personal touches! The rustic wooden tables and the cross-back chairs supplied by SDC fitted the brief perfectly and worked well in the stretch tent, and for the feast which was placed upon the tables.

The dinner finished with more speeches, including one by the bride - we always love this #girlpower! Her phone battery had died moments before, and so she had to come up with her speech on the spot, she totally nailed it! Whilst she was making her guests laugh, they were presented with a piece of the lemon drizzle wedding cake paired with a freshly shaken espresso martini from Isle of Wight Cocktail Co served by the Mixologist IOW team- the perfect way to end any meal! 200 espresso martinis out within 20 minutes is a serious operation and all suppliers worked together to make it happen smoothly. A conveyer belt of cocktails- Carrie and Rachel also got stuck in!

The Great Hall would be left for partying the night away filled with disco balls galore! It would also provide a plan B back up which thankfully wasn’t needed, but we will always make sure you have one just in case- (see our last blog about a previous wedding at Appldurcombe when it rained…hard! Why you need a wedding planner?)

As the sun went down, we left them to it, partying the night away with Hey Mr Wilson keeping the dance floor full. More drinks, including Local wight knuckle beers were being served up under the lights of the ruins and the firepits were creating a place for people who needed a timeout to catch up with friends away from the party.

We really, really enjoyed watching the outcome of all our hard work come together throughout the day. The vibe was exactly how it was supposed to be, the love and laughter throughout the day was heartfelt and the suppliers worked together to create one of our smoothest weddings to date- Go Team!

Photographers for the day and Images below by Adrift Visuals