Our comprehensive guide to planning your wedding
Pro tips on getting the wedding snaps of your dreams from award-winning Cambridge photographer Jean-Luc Benazet
Photographs
Hire a GREAT photographer
If possible, hire someone local who will know the area well. Check out their website testimonials and how many Google reviews they have, and ask for recommendations from friends. Always try and meet the chosen photographer beforehand either face-to-face or via Skype to get a feel for how they work and if you would be a good match, as they will ultimately be telling the story of your big day.
Create a mood board
In order for your photographer to understand what you want, it may be a good idea to create a mood board. It can be easily created using Pinterest, where you can save ideas and images you like. That way, you can easily communicate the style of photos you’d love for your big day in a truly visual manner.
Plan enough time for each section of the day
It is important for you to create a rough timeline for your whole wedding day. How long will the bridal preparations, ceremony, drinks reception, meal and evening entertainment last? That way you can give your photographer an idea of what to expect and when – especially during the crucial drinks reception right after the ceremony, as that section of the day is often the moment when he/she will capture group photos, pictures of you two as a married couple and the important candid and informal photos of your guests.
Keep your group/formal photos to a minimum
In order to have as much time as possible for socialising and chatting with your guests on your wedding day, and especially during your drinks reception, I recommend keeping the number of group and formal photos to a minimum. Firstly, choose someone who knows both your families well to help the photographer gather everyone. It is not the couple’s job on the day. All you have to do is relax and enjoy.
Secondly, have a maximum of five group photos planned. Remember, it can take between one and five minutes to organise one group photo, so if you want your photographer to capture five photos it could take between five and 25 minutes depending on the organisation! As for the location of your group photos, a great photographer should be able to make almost any location work. Have trust in your photographer’s creative abilities.
Don’t forget to enjoy your wedding day
Tell yourself you will not be able to influence an unexpected something that may not fit in with what you had perfectly planned. The wedding day goes very quickly, so the important thing is to enjoy every minute of it – you will have your photographs to look back on to remind yourself how great it was!
Jean-Luc Benazet Photography, 3 Brookfield Way, Cambridge
07811 512422, jeanlucbenazet.com
Venues
Whether you want small and intimate or a full-on mini festival, there’s a local venue that can fulfil your dreams 
Secret Garden at Burwash
At the heart of Burwash Manor, Barton, lies the sixteenth century moated Manor House. Nestled in its peaceful and secluded old walled garden is a spacious and pretty marquee – the ideal setting for a perfect country wedding.
This 1600sq ft pine-floored, permanently situated marquee combines all of the charm of an English country garden marquee-style wedding with the ease and comfort of all the necessary facilities to hand – while the rural site which surrounds it makes a dreamy backdrop for those all-important big day photographs.
At The Secret Garden, couples have the freedom and flexibility to create their own dream wedding while receiving the full support and advice of the experienced team at Burwash Manor.
If you’re looking for a relaxed venue which can be tailored to your requirements in a stunning countryside setting, this might be your dream spot.
South Farm
Found on the Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire border, South Farm boasts an abundance of unique features. Made up of stunning barn buildings, a picture-perfect country house, secluded gardens and a unique set of Romany caravans, not to mention various luxury accommodation options, there’s much to love about this family-run venue. We adore that their smallholding supplies the home-grown produce for wedding menus throughout the year, ingredients which are then transformed into seasonal feasts by the in-house chefs, and that you can arrive at your ceremony aboard a Thai-style tuk-tuk. You’re in safe hands with the dedicated and friendly front-of-house team, too, who offer meticulous planning, flexibility and great service, and will be there on the day to ensure everything goes swimmingly.
Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa
If you’re looking for a luxurious, all-encompassing wedding venue, look no further than Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa. Awarded Best Venue, East of England, at The Wedding Industry Awards 2018, the hotel has been recognised for always exceeding expectations – going above and beyond to make your big day truly special.
The elegant 17th century building is nestled in a stunning rose garden and houses three banqueting suites, enabling it to host weddings of all sizes, from intimate parties of ten to extravagant occasions for up to 150.
The hotel also houses romantic wedding suites, 80 luxury rooms and an award-winning spa for limitless wedding celebrations. To top it all off, Sean Melville, the venue’s award-winning executive head chef, is on hand to create your ultimate wedding dining experience, whether it’s a relaxed afternoon tea or a sumptuous three-course meal.
Old Hall, Ely
A recently renovated Jacobean manor house, The Old Hall is set in an historic estate of 3000 acres that also boasts formal gardens, ornamental lakes and gorgeous views across farmland to Ely Cathedral. The venue team pride themselves on a welcoming atmosphere, a creative and personal approach to the weddings they host, and in making the planning as enjoyable and relaxed as possible. Civil ceremonies take place in the stunning oak Garden Pavilion within the picturesque setting of the lower lawn, or in the Grand Hall by a roaring fire. The all-important wedding breakfast takes place in a completely up-to-date marquee, which nonetheless epitomises the essence of a traditional, English country house wedding.
Lined in mid-ivory with pea lights in the ceiling, two sides of the marquee are completely glass, and can be opened to offer beautiful views of the lake and Ely Cathedral. If you choose to marry at The Old Hall, you and your guests will enjoy private use of the house and grounds, complete with a complimentary four poster honeymoon suite and 13 additional bedrooms for guests. All the rooms have been individually designed and furnished with antiques and handmade furniture.
University Arms
Having reopened following a stunning £80 million refurbishment this summer, the University Arms has put itself firmly on the map for venue-seeking betrothed couples in the area. Perched on the edge of Parker’s Piece, there’s no doubt the hotel would make a jaw-droppingly beautiful backdrop for big day celebrations, plus you know your catering would be in the safest of hands with celebrated in-house chef Tristian Welch masterminding the wedding breakfast.
There’s an elegant, 200-capacity ballroom for larger gatherings, but if yours is a more intimate affair it can be scaled back with a solid oak partitioning wall that divides the space into separate rooms. Promising exceptional service, “from the personally crafted menu to the bespoke silverware on the tables”, the experienced team will be on hand to make sure your nuptials are everything you’ve dreamed of – and more.
Chippenham Park 
A charming Georgian country house, Chippenham Park is located on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border near Ely and Newmarket. It’s surrounded by 300 acres of pretty parkland and gardens, giving a secluded feel, and couples can walk down the aisle surrounded by trees and flowers before saying ‘I do’ at the edge of a lake in a beautiful summer house. Other ceremony venues on-site include an oak gazebo, the Old Ballroom (capacity 120), or the nearby St Margaret’s Church.
Come the reception, you and your guests can enjoy drinks and canapés on the rose terrace before a wedding breakfast by one of the venue’s catering partners, be it a sit-down feast or a more relaxed hog roast. Then, party the night away on the star-lit dancefloor and lakeside decking area to a live band or DJ – you can bed down for the night at Chippenham Park, too, with a range of stunning en-suite rooms in the converted potting sheds across
the courtyard.
Hotel Felix
With a stately Victorian villa at its centre, stylish interiors, award-winning food and luxurious suites, we’re pretty sure it’ll be love at first sight with Hotel Felix. Say ‘I do’ in the elegant first-floor rooms overlooking the gardens or, weather permitting, in the hotel’s romantic gazebo.
Should you require a little more space they also offer a marquee option, with the Victorian mansion providing a stunning backdrop for those all-important wedding photos.
After the formalities, sip champagne on the terrace, relax into the evening celebrations, dance the night away or perhaps enjoy a stroll in the garden as you celebrate the start of your life together. Whichever option you choose, you can rest assured that the hotel’s experienced team of wedding coordinators will work with you to make sure your special day is memorable for all of the right reasons.
Email [email protected] hotelfelix.co.uk
Happy hens
Give Team Bride the pre-wedding treat they deserve
Pampering at Gresham House Wellness
For a spot of pampering for you and your girls (or guys!) in the heart of Cambridge, recently-opened Gresham House Wellness takes some beating. Unveiled in May this year, this beautiful retreat is nestled inside a Victorian villa within the walled garden of the Gonville Hotel. A sleek and contemporary spa inspired by the surrounding gardens, a botanical theme abounds inside, with stunning floral wallpapers and soft furnishings providing pops of rich colour. There are three serene treatment rooms where guests can unwind and take advantage of an extensive spa menu, created in partnership with prestigious skincare brand ESPA. Pampering enthusiasts will be spoiled for choice with the sumptuous selection of offerings, which include Optimal Skin Pro facials, Holistic Total Body Ritual massages with hot stones, Advanced Body Cocoons and Jessica Nail treatments. If you’re looking to really relax and indulge, there are also eight feature bedrooms for an overnight stay, each uniquely designed and boasting gorgeous features such as freestanding bathtubs and jewel-coloured velvet armchairs.
Cambridge Flower School Party Workshops
Creative brides-to-be will love the range of party workshops on offer at Cambridge Flower School in Newton. The ‘Bridal Party’ package – geared specifically towards hen groups – will see you and your gang creating a pretty, vintage-inspired table centrepiece with a rustic mixture of flowers and foliage.
Other popular party options include ‘Four Seasons’, where groups learn to create gorgeous, hand-tied bouquets using pretty seasonal flowers, and the ‘Country Garden’ where you’ll create a natural arrangement in a wooden box using herbs and British-grown flowers.
The sessions last two-and-a-half hours and are priced at £75 per head for groups of six to nine, or £65 per head for groups of ten to 12, which includes refreshments, homemade cake and all materials. The school can also bring the workshop to the venue of your choice for an additional charge – contact the team for more details.
thecambridgeflowerschool.co.uk
The wedding saviour
Vanessa Harness, director of award-winning local wedding planners Rocks & Frocks, offers her top tips for brides-to-be
1 Budget Decide your budget at the beginning and stick to it. It’s all too easy to be distracted by Pinterest and Instagram, but only budget what you know you are comfortable with – remember that no matter how big or small the amount you have to spend is, you will be able to create a fabulous day.
2 Guest Numbers The more guests you have, the less you’ll be able to spend per head. To get the most out of your budget, consider keeping your guest numbers low, inviting only the immediate family and friends who will be with you throughout your married life. This will allow you more budget to spend on your food, drink, decor, florals and so on.
3 Priorities Think about which parts of the wedding you would like to really impress your guests with, and then divide your budget according to what really matters to you – if you and your fiancé are ‘foodies’ and food is therefore really important to you, allocate more of your budget for food than, say, flowers – or vice versa.
4 Bride Tribe Choose your girls wisely – they will be the ones you ask for help and reassurance along the planning journey, at the set-up of the wedding, the day before and on the morning of the wedding, so make sure that these moments are drama- and stress-free!
5 Bored, thirsty and hungry These are the three key things you must avoid your guests becoming on the day! You can spend lots of money on a jaw-droppingly beautiful venue but if your guests are thirsty, hungry or bored, this is what they will remember your wedding day for. Concentrate on timings, entertainment, food and drink.
6 Lasting memories One area not to cut your budget is on your photographer. At the end of the day and in years to come, the images are the only lasting item from your day so make sure you choose wisely. Always have a consultation with them before booking to make sure that you like them and get on with them, as they will be with you all day. Never book a photographer based on price alone.
7 Set Up Never underestimate how long it takes to set up your wedding if you are doing it yourself. Keep your helpers to a minimum, write a list of everything to be done and assign responsibilities to those you have chosen to help. If you intend to set up/decorate the day before, do not book beauty appointments or dinners for that evening unless you are 100{b486c5a37ab2d325d17e17d701cb2567b1ecd1814e8ceb33effa2a4f1f171d46} confident you can all work to strict deadlines – you may well still be decorating your venue late into
the evening.
8 Delegate For any wedding day, especially outdoor weddings, there are lots of tasks throughout the day that need to happen, from meeting suppliers as they arrive to table and glass clearing. Always ensure you know who is undertaking these tasks and managing the suppliers. If necessary make sure you book a planner to manage your day so that you and your family and friends can enjoy yourselves.
9 Make it Yours Plan your wedding so that it is exactly how you want it to be – if you want to mix the speeches up and have them before dinner or between courses or none at all, that’s absolutely fine! If you don’t want to cut the cake, or have a first dance or do a big choreographed number with the bridal party then that’s ok – it’s your day, so do it your way.
10 Don’t sweat the small stuff Remember that your wedding day is all about celebrating you and your fiancé becoming husband and wife, do not stress the small stuff and remember that if someone says that nothing went wrong on their wedding day, they probably didn’t notice it! Relax and enjoy every moment, and if anything does go wrong, remember that your guests don’t know what your plans were – they will have absolutely no idea if something is not quite how you wanted it to be.
The finishing touches
Cocktails and Macarons
Founded in 2016, Cocktails and Macarons is a Cambridge-based company that specialises in custom wedding favours, dazzling macaron towers and pre-prepared fresh and natural ready-to-drink-cocktails. All items can be customised for your special day, as all products are made from scratch and to order, so you can be sure that you and your guests will not be disappointed.
Saphsa, the founder of Cocktails and Macarons, says, “I’m very conscious about unnecessary ingredients going into products and as a result no artificial flavours or additives are used, and the addition of refined sugar is kept to a minimum.” Macaron towers range from £55 upwards, with pre-prepared cocktails ranging from £75 upwards (33 portions). Cocktails and Macarons were a finalist in a University of East London Enterprise entrepreneurial competition earlier this year, beating the other entrants in a three-stage process from 256 to five.
Anna’s Flower Farm 
Anna’s Flower Farm creates spectacular floral designs using flowers from Audley End for brides all over Cambridge, London and the South East. The process begins with a consultation at the studio, which is located on the plots where the flowers are planted so brides and grooms can see and smell their blooms growing in the weeks before their wedding.
Anna offers a range of fixed-price packages from the Ready to Wed – which includes everything from the bride’s bouquet down to boutonnière for the groomsmen – to the Ready to Arrange, where you’ll receive buckets of flowers to arrange yourself. Sign up for her newsletter for details of year-round growing and arranging classes or visit for one of the monthly open events. Join the taster session for the year-long Grow Your Own Cutting Garden course on Thursday 11 October 2018.
