On 26th October 2016 the UKAWP held their annual Northern Mix and Mingle event at the enchanting Dorfold Hall in Nantwich, Cheshire. The UK Alliance of Weddings Planners is a leading body for professional planners in the UK and exists for the purposes of promoting professionalism within the wedding industry.
We are very proud of our membership and connection with the UKAWP and we were delighted to be involved in planning and organising their Northern Mix and Mingle event together with UKAWP Northern Ambassador, Andrea Swift of Fabulous Day.
Venue
Dorfold Hall is steeped in history and boasts stunning architecture with an expansive estate. It is also one of the latest additions to grace the ever-growing list of luxury wedding venues in Cheshire. You can read more about the Hall in one of our earlier blog posts here. Owners Candice and Charles Roundell were the perfect hosts and went above and beyond to assist us with our preparations.
The event
As always, we were totally blown away by the breathtaking floral designs by Mat Hepplestone and his incredible team at Red Floral Architecture.
With the event taking place just a matter of days before Halloween it seemed perfectly fitting that the Hall should be dressed with golden pumpkins, beautiful autumnal blooms and adorned with candlelight in preparation for the evening’s celebrations.
Guests arrived to a jaw dropping light display by the wonderful Lightech. The Hall was shrouded in beautiful blues and pinks with dramatic gas flambés framing the entranceway to a fun evening of networking.
A beautiful autumnal cake from Suzanne Thorpe of the Frostery, complete with gold piping and the most perfect sugar flowers was on display in the entrance Hall as guests were directed in to the Hall by our wonderful ‘Tall Toastmaster’ for the evening, Stefan.
Downstairs in the dining room, guests were greeted with the fantastic sounds of SIX15 events including their unbelievably talented Sax players, Dax on Sax and Tom Di Lips.
Delicious canapés were provided by one of Dorfold’s recommended caterers, With a Twist. Living up to their name, ‘With a Twist’ made sure they didn’t disappoint with mouthwatering cocktail sausages served on beautifully presented mini washing lines!
A fantastic array of cocktails and drinks were served to guests on their arrival by Escapade bars. The cocktails were created in the most spectacular style, complete with dry ice! Our favorite drink of the night had to be the Polish Au Pear, it tasted absolutely divine.
Upstairs was most definitely the place to be for all our sweet-toothed guests. The desert table created by one of Dorfold’s other recommended caterers, Catherine Skates Catering was one of the most decadent we have ever seen.
If that wasn’t enough, further sweet treats were on offer by The Fine Dining Company who provided a much welcomed barista station for all those on driving duties. Their raspberry macarons and chocolate ganache sticks not only looked beautiful but they tasted amazing as well.
Singer Emily and pianist George, from Hello Young Lovers also provided some fabulous musical entertainment in the drawing room and Magician, John Holt wowed us all with some incredible tricks.
Now a party wouldn’t be a party without light up letters and a photo booth. Our #NMAM hash tag provided by Love Lights The Way looked spectacular all lit up in the dining room.
We also had great fun playing around with all the quirky props supplied by The Jolly Good Photo Co (www.jollygoodphoto.co.uk), proving that wedding planners are not all about checklists and spreadsheets!
To finish off the evening, guests were given a gift bag that was filled with all sorts of goodies, including delicious home made Dime bars by Catherine Skates Catering, vanilla and raspberry fudge by The Fine Dining co, white chocolate macarons by Bloomsbury Cakes and beautiful 'Thank You' cards by Leeming Brothers Stationers.
With thanks to Emma of Hattieboo Designs for providing beautiful signage for the evening, our official photographer, Phil Drinkwater for providing these wonderful images, all the suppliers involved who helped make it such a successful evening and Candice and Charles Roundell together with their family for hosting our event at the wonderful Dorfold Hall.
If you are interested in attending any of the UKAWP events then please do get in touch or contact the UKAWP directly here.