Terri & Tom's Wedding | Hudson

Hudson were amazing! They obliged the crowd when they asked for "more, more, more!"

The ceremony was at St Mary's Church, Tilston. The drinks reception was held in a marquee in Terri's parents' garden and the evening party was held in the Tilston Memorial Hall.

We chose these venues because Terri's family have been part of the village for years! Her Great Grandfather laid the first stone in the foundations of the Memorial Hall and her parent's built their family home, now a B&B, over 30 years ago.

We wanted to personalise the whole day and so a blank canvas of a marquee and a hall was perfect! We wanted a relaxed and rustic feel with lots of wood and personal touches. We hired mismatched wooden tables and chairs and we made our own brightly coloured bunting. Tom's Mum & Dad did the flowers, Terri's Mum made the cake and Terri's Dad made wooden tealight holders and table name holders!

We asked one of my Dad's A-level students to play guitar in the marquee. He was brilliant! We then hired Hudson, the best band in the North West that we could find, for the evening reception. They played a range of songs across the ages. Hudson were recommended to us as "excellent musicians" and their testimonials weren't wrong!!!

We can't emphasise enough how amazing Hudson were! They learnt our first song and played it to perfection. They also played our first dance which wasn't on their usual playlist. Hudson started with old classics that got guests of all ages on the dance floor and then played a number of more modern tunes based on what the guests were dancing to most!

The band played a selection of Oasis songs towards the end of the evening as requested by us. They also obliged the crowd when they asked for "more, more, more" by playing "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. At this point our guests surrounded us and then proceeded to pick us both up on their shoulders – a moment we will never forget! Their DJ'ing was also very good and they accepted requests for songs from guests.

Tom's favourite moments of the day including going to the driving range and pub the morning of the wedding to keep the nerves at bay. My most memorable moments were walking up the aisle and seeing all her family and friends, but most importantly, Tom. Other enjoyable moments for the bride and groom were the amazing food, plenty of drink flowing given their evening BYO theme, the ushers table tennis match and obviously, "Hey Jude" at the end of the night! The morning after when a lot of our guests came back to the house to talk and share stories of the night!

Function Central were helpful and efficient and we would definitely recommend them to others. Terri's sister used a band that featured on their website and that's how we found them. They had a great selection of bands in the Cheshire/Northwest area.

My advice to other brides and grooms is to remember that it's the people that count and that should never be forgotten. The food, drink, music and entertainment just put the cherry on the cake. Also, give the band an idea of the kind of music you like but let them play whatever suits the audience; they are the experienced ones!

Suppliers:

Poppy Trading Company - They allowed us to visit the warehouse to see them in advance, they were flexible on numbers until a couple of weeks before and they were prompt on delivery and collection.

Vanilla in All Seasons - Adam and his team were helpful and efficient. All the guests were raving about the food and how professional the staff were. We had a lot of vegetarians in the family and they made a completely new dish for us, which was delicious!

Siobhan Weston Hair - Wrexham based Siobhan was amazing! She had to deal with 5 very different types of hair and they all looked beautiful. She was calm and efficient on the day and finished in plenty of time so that we weren't late.

Spitting Feathers - Delivered on time, helpful instructions and awesome beer!

Bradgate Brides - Helpful and friendly staff. Patient when trying on and very knowledgeable on pregnant bridesmaids!