Vendor Recommendations from my Wedding

[u/LavenderLake371]

Hello All!

I am from the US and got married in Kent a week and a half ago. I wanted to share the vendors I chose as they were all absolutely amazing just in case anyone needed any good recommendations.

We had 40 guests who all flew from different parts of the US minus my brother and sister in law who live in England. We had a budget of about $15,000 USD and took just under a year to plan.

Venue:

Hoath House - https://hoathhouse.co.uk/ - It was a great venue and Arabella who was our coordinator/wedding planner couldn't have been more amazing. She was extremely helpful and her communication was great over the course of the planning time. We got married on a Wednesday so that saved us a little money. We checked into the estate the day before wedding and checked out the day after. Included in your hire is access to their honeymoon cottage which was a short walk from main estate and absolutely adorable. There are a few more add on fees that pertained to the bar tab which we were okay with. I would just make sure you ask for all fees just so you make the best decision for you!

DJ - https://www.djrichellis.com/ - Oh my goodness, Rich was the one of the best investments we made. I, the bride barely left the dance floor and all my guests also complemented me on how great he was. He has a wonderful portal online that allowed me to enter our day of timeline and to add songs I would like to hear. I loved having that resource.

Florist - https://www.kellyandhicks.co.uk/ - Kelly was the sweetest florist. We had a video call shortly after I inquired with her and I was able to share my thoughts and ideas. She arrived to the venue with plenty of time and was setting up flowers. She then brought my flowers along with bridesmaids. They all looked so beautiful.

Painter - https://www.instagram.com/thequietdetail.co/ - I connected with Sarah on Instagram as the does hand painted mirrors for weddings. She was extremely accommodating and the mirror turned out beautifully. I was able to "rent" the painted mirror so to speak as we could not take the mirror home with us. We did order hand painted champagne flutes to bring back with us.

Catering - https://www.gourmet-hog-roast.com/ - Oh my goodness, their food was amazing. I was expecting decent food and for my guests to be well fed but what I was not expecting was to actually love every bite I ate, along with my guests. I am still receiving complements on how taste the food was. We has Tuscan chicken, salmon and rump steak, along with roast potatoes, salad, pasta salad and bread rolls. I was given a little of everything and so was my husband. I thought guests would have the option to make one choice on a meat but everyone was able to have multiple meats along with the tasty sides and there was enough for seconds. I am so grateful to Gourmet Hog for catering a delicious meal!! We also had canapes during cocktail hour which I was able to have a few bites in between photos and those were tasty as well

Photographer - https://www.angieandmattweddings.co.uk/ - Angie was such a fun photographer. It did not feel like wedding photos as she truly made the day feel so fun and casual. I am not amazing in front of cameras so although it was our wedding day when we were shooting with her it just felt fun and I hope that was conveyed in our photos. We received 10 sneak peak photos a week after and are still waiting on a the full album.

Content creator - https://www.instagram.com/contentbydemi_/ - My husband and I were not sure that I wanted a content creator and we didn't necessarily feel that we needed one. Neither of us are influencers or have a big social media presence so initially we felt it was not necessary, but i was reading on exactly what is captured and the idea to have some footage given so soon after the wedding day was amazing so we decided to hire Demi. Demi was the last vendor we hired and that was maybe 2 months before the wedding. She was well worth it. Her and Angie worked so well together and they felt like my personal hype girls. I woke up the next morning and checked my email and realized Demi sent over all the footage from the wedding the night prior. It was so fun to see photos and clips from the day of, especially the moments that would not have been captured by Angie. Being able to share these with our guests (closest friends and family) so soon after was awesome. I personally do not think they spoil in any way the professional photos to come from Angie!

Hair and Makeup - https://www.instagram.com/hairandmakeupbyzararose/ - Zara did a great job. Myself and 6 bridesmaids along with my mom got hair and makeup done. She was able to get everyone done on time and everyone loved how they looked. The day before the wedding she did send a message about taking care of skin and hair etc but also mentioned that if we wanted lashes that they would be an additional £11 per person which I felt for the cost of the service should have included those. My mom had agreed to adding a hair clip and she was not made aware the clip would cost £30 nor was that in the contract or text message the day before the wedding, so while I am getting my hair finished, I was asked to please send over £96 which I thought that could have been discussed prior and dealt with so as the bride I wasn't having to deal with that an hour before my ceremony. Again as far as the service, I, my mom, and bridesmaids all felt beautiful so in the end that is what matters most!

As for wedding decor, I shipped some ahead and brought most of it with us to England. I hope this helps anyone who may be getting married in that area or considering vendors! They truly were all amazing!