Stop everything – we’ve just found your dream wedding venue!
Sandburn Hall in York will stop you in your wedding planning tracks with its pure and natural beauty. Even better? They have a wedding planner that will make your dream wedding come to life! Having been in the industry for 5 years, Ashleigh pours her heart and soul into each and every wedding that comes her way. This week we caught up with Ashleigh to learn more about what makes weddings at Sandburn Hall unique, her top tips and most memorable moments. See what she had to share with us below…
The Beginning
I started working in this trade by chance, as a waitress as I studied my A-Levels. After finishing my A-Levels I decided to study my degree close to home, so carried on waitressing and made my way up to become a front of house events manager in a very short period of time. I then moved companies after graduating from university and realising that I loved both events and Fashion. This made being a wedding coordinator a very good job choice for me, as I get to follow trends, decorate weddings and try and make peoples big day as special as possible.
The Highlights
My Favourite part of being a co-ordinator is definitely the lead up to the ceremony. I get to stand outside the door with the bride and bridesmaids, sending them all down the aisle one by one. The anticipation and excitement at that point is definitely the best part of my job. I’m lucky enough to be one of the only people to see the bride’s facial expression just before she walks towards one of the best moments of her life.
Weddings at Sandburn Hall
I believe our venue has everything that is on trend at the moment. It is very ‘in’ to have a barn style wedding and that is what we offer, yet we are more than just a barn! With everything included, tables, catering and bars. It takes away a lot of the hassle for the brides and that’s where I and the coordination team come in. We aim to take away as much stress as possible and are a constant point of contact for the brides from booking to their wedding day. We see the whole thing through and love our couples popping in to have a chat and a cup of tea.
A Word of Advice
Don’t forget the day is a celebration about your love for each other and not about what everyone else wants your day to be like.
Favourite Memories
Honestly, I don’t think I could mention some things that I have seen happen at weddings after the guests have had a few Sambucas! In all seriousness though I have seen so many incredibly beautiful weddings that are all memorable in different ways. One of the most magical moments for me was this Christmas just gone when the Bride was obsessed with everything Christmas and the Groom surprised her with two real-life Reindeer. Now that’s a great wedding gift!
Popular Trends
After the Royal Wedding in 2018; 2019 and 2020 are looking to be filled with Sage green and white. I am also a huge fan of new lighting trends such as Edison boards and neon signs.
My favourite trend by far at the moment is floral hoops. As we have such high ceilings here at Sandburn Hall, we can have them suspended from the beams above the tables, which is incredible.
Favourite & Least Favourite Trends
Being from a Fashion background I am a huge follower of trends, but I have always found for me, that the best most beautiful weddings are the ones where they go off trend, and use bright vibrant colours. I have seen a festival themed wedding which was amazing, with glitter face painters and saxophonists, it was all very much Instagram goal worthy.
Personally, the trend I disliked the most at the time, was when weddings used a colour which I could only describe as ‘Cadbury’ purple. This was mainly because it was extremely saturated at the time. Yet, due to me not seeing this colour scheme in a while I think it could be quite classy now.
The Strange or Unique
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s strange, because I personally think it is fabulous, but I would possibly go for the Shetland pony dressed as a Unicorn.
jim poyner, the york photographer, www.jimpoyner.co.uk, Simmons wedding, Sandburn Hall Wedding, Unicorn, Unicorn wedding,
