Client: Holly & Danny Stupple
Event: Wedding
Venue: Pale & Interesting – website
Date: July, 13 2013
Package: Total Music Package
Music Requested: Latest Charts, R&B, Old School House, Guest Requests
Photos By: Julia Keeley – website
All images on this website © choicedj.co.uk & soundproofweddings.co.uk
If you are looking for an opportunity to create your perfect marquee wedding in beautiful surroundings with fantastic photo opportunities then read on, because this could be the “hidden gem” you have been looking for.
Pale & Interesting is located at Beach Studios in Brookland …so you can get your bearings its about a 10 minute drive from the south coast near Romney Marsh, as soon as Holly had booked me in and I’d seen the venues website at the start of last autumn it was a wedding I had really been looking forward to.
The venue is owned by husband and wife team Atlanta Bartlett and Dave Coote, first and foremost what I love about the venue is that its tucked away very discretely and you feel like you are getting something very different, rather than the conveyor belt commercial wedding venues. I have written in the build up to Holly & Danny’s wedding that this was due to be the last wedding that the venue were to stage, but I am very pleased to be able to say that we learnt from the owner Atlanta that the venue have again started taking bookings again which is fantastic news as there’s nothing else quite like it that I’ve come across in the south.
Essentially at Pale & Interesting you are hiring a stunning piece of unspoilt English countryside for you to then build your own perfect wedding vision, the way the venue is laid out and designed it definately does give you a subtle feel of the USA with its lovely American New England Barn used to stage the Civil Ceremony and some great places for photography including an American Airstream trailer which was used by boy band One Direction following their success on the X Factor in 2010. With plenty of other quaint spots for photography and a lush wild meadow for amazing sunset photo opportunities the venue is a beautiful reflection of Atlanta & Dave’s background in the magazine, photography and design industries.
set up prior to guests arrival
We arrived early at 11am, I instantly fell in love with the idyllic setting, quality of the marquee and all the finishing touches planned by Holly and Danny, to top it all off it was a good 25 degrees, clear blue skies and quiet enough to hear a pin drop except for the wildlife and welcome light breeze occasionally passing through the meadow …it couldn’t of been more perfect. Very similar in fact to last weeks setting at Rachel & Michael’s wedding in Redenham, Hampshire, so we knew yet another great marquee wedding was on the cards !
We quickly met up with groom Danny and his entourage as they were applying the finishing touches before heading off to get changed for the ceremony. The setting couldn’t of been more the opposite to the bride and grooms life in the shadows of Canary Wharf, maybe the reason they wanted something totally different …they certainly achieved that. In fact it was a bit of a South London affair with a large contingent from Danny’s hometown Bermondsey, his best man (brother) even had a Millwall tattoo which I tried to do my best to ignore whilst proudly waving the Charlton one about on my forearm 😀 …seriously though they were a typically decent down to earth South London crowd that I could easily relate to being from the Woolwich and Eltham areas myself …and that was also reflected in the music as we went through the evening.
With the wedding party and guests arriving at the venue just before 2pm the scene was set …I have to admit it was quite amusing at times watching some of the female lovelies walking from their cars through the field into the marquee in their high heels but they all managed it and I’m pleased to say that unlike last Sundays groom they all managed to stay in an upright position all day. Just before 3pm Holly arrived and made her final preparations in one of the outbuildings as the guests made their way into the American New England Barn for the ceremony. In traditional bridal style Holly kept them waiting for about 35 minutes before making her entrance but just after 4pm we heard the cheers from the meadow as the newleyweds tied the knot …as the guests returned to get started on the bar the bride and groom went off to various areas to make the most of the lovely photo opportunities …actually I was lucky enough to get a little photoshoot done myself next to the Airstream trailer while the wedding was taking place, I won’t forget how hot it was standing in the meadow by the aluminium trailer for those 10 minutes but after a sun starved last couple of months I’m certainly not complaining at the current heatwave.
marquee at dusk
With the food starting to be served just after 5pm and Soul and Motown tunes in the background, it was probably the most chilled out wedding i’ve ever had the good fortune to attend …another defining memory of summer 2013 was taking place for sure. Talking of memories – no wedding is complete without a bit of behind the scenes drama somewhere along the line, this week the award goes to Holly’s friend Naomi who was scheduled to sing 4 songs with backing tracks, unfortunately it dawned on the new mum that the distraction of a baby had meant she completely overlooked actually bringing the backing tracks with her, oops …so we all went off to the owners property in search of an internet connection, fortunately we managed to get the songs downloaded much to the relief of a slightly panicstriken Naomi. Whilst at the house in conversation with Atlanta it transpired that the owner/stylist also had a thriving homeware and boutique business, definately worth checking out as she has designed some great pieces and they even hire out a self styled Pale & Interesting holiday cottage near the beach at Winchelsea. What I really admire is that Atlanta & Dave have built a way of living and a brand around their syle, I know from my own approach to business that this is the result of a great deal of dedication, time and effort but extremely rewarding when a client buys into the idea. The cottage looks amazing – check it out by clicking here.
bride Holly (with beer)
As a gorgeous orange sunset started to appear on the horizon Holly and Danny had hoped to get down to the nearby beach for some further photos but with it meaning they would be away from the venue for at least an hour they decided get some sunset photos in the long grassy field and move on with the evening.
“The speeches” …amusing and original without the usual cliches – the best mans speech will stick in the memory, “we went to Berlin for the stag do – that was nice”, “we went for a drink in Rye last night – not sure we’ll be welcomed back though” …dry to say the least from the Millwall fan, didn’t realise that lot from down the road had a sense of humour 😉 but it went down a storm ! So with the microphones provided for the speeches it was time for Naomi to take centre stage to sing her 4 tracks, despite not having sung for a while and having parental duties the singer gave an accomplished performance worthy of her friends special day so well done Naomi.
I feel like I’m saying it every week but this was yet another absolutely fantastic night. The playlist provided by Holly & Danny was a clear indication as to what this crowd loved and once darkness fell and we were in the middle of the field with the music playing it was all very summer festival like as we finished off the day in style playing R&B, Garage and Old Skool 90’s aswell as all the latest chart stuff. Very club like,
marquee heaving and could of definately gone on for a further few hours if we had the license.
guest dive bombs into bush
Several guests had photo moments throughout the night behind the decks as guests flashlights went off repeatedly during a “frenzied” ten minute spell which saw one particular guest grab my hat leaving me diving for cover with very flat hair before he then finished off his stint behind the decks by firstly standing on his head on the dance floor (see thumbnail pics) then finished off his virtuoso performance by dive bombing into the nearest bush …good times, great memories !
Check out the video highlights below of the last few songs and fantastic atmosphere at the end of the wedding reception
There’s literally far too many photos from this night to highlight below so make sure you click through to facebook to see all 127 photos, there’s some absolute crackers in there from this one.
First Dance Daydreamer Adele
Trackbacks/Pingbacks