Kate & Alex's Wedding at Axnoller in Dorset | Masterblaster

The quality of the sound was excellent and everyone loved the music that they played!

We chose Axnoller West Farm in Dorset for our wedding venue. Axnoller is situated in the heart of Dorset in beautiful country surroundings near Beaminster. The large barn is ideal for both wedding ceremonies and wedding breakfasts.

There are three houses near the barn that can be hired with the barn, giving first-class accommodation for around 34 people. Each house is beautifully furnished and provided with every convenience, including indoor pools and hot tubs with two of the houses. There are also many places for additional guests to stay in the surrounding area.

The wedding was a black-tie event in a glamorous setting with rustic charm. Trestle tables combined with beautiful flower settings and lanterns helped to achieve this.

As it was New Year's Eve, we wanted to everyone to get up and dance the night away. Discos alone can be a little impersonal, whereas it is easier to interact with a live band. The band were a huge success and interacted well with the guests on the dance floor. It's the first time that we have seen a dancefloor full from the very first number played!

So much went on during the day that it would be impossible to single out any one moment. However, as father of the bride, the most poignant moment was walking my daughter down the aisle.

We looked online for possible agencies and after speaking with Alistair at Function Central and looking through the acts that could be booked, we chose Function Central.

The agency was very helpful giving us useful information and guidance through the booking process and were easy to contact. The band contacted us a few weeks before the event to finalise details regarding wedding music such as first dance etc. They arrived in good time and set up without any fuss. The quality of the sound was excellent and everyone loved the music that they played. It was New Year's Eve and the band stayed on to enjoy themselves until after 2:00 a.m. on New Year's Day. A great time was had by all.

From our experience, create a list of your requirements including must-haves, nice-to-haves and so on, then draw up a short-list of possible wedding venues, and visit them. Talk to the people who run them and ask them every question you can think of in order to see whether their venue meets your requirements e.g. does the venue allow fireworks, do they have their own suppliers and so on. Once you have decided on a venue, plan every aspect of the day (or weekend) and give yourselves plenty of time in which to do it.

Suppliers

Catering: Gordon Sutherland, Moreton Tearooms

Flowers: Jennifer Poynter

Furniture: Virginias Vintage Hire

Photographer: LemonTree Photography

Audio-Visual: Cinemattag Productions Ltd.

Bar/Drinks: Events Bars Southwest

Make-up and Hair: Amazing Face