OCTOBER OPEN HOUSE 2024

HOT CHOCOLATES, PUMPKINS, BBQS & AUTUMN SUNSHINE

Our last open day weekend took place all the way back in May and we had almost forgotten what it was like to host an open house event. Whilst our May showcase was inspired by the hit series Bridgerton, which you can read all about here in our recap blog post, we decided a different approach was needed for our October gathering and boy were our trusty family of talented suppliers more than up for the challenge.

A raft of newly engaged couples looking for their dream wedding venue were in attendance as were several of our recently booked couples showing valued family members around prior to their big event. We are always delighted by the enthusiastic turnout to our events and want to take this moment to thank those attending for coming along; we hope you had as much fun as we did!

For those of you who were unable to attend, fear not as we have plenty of inspiration to share with you below. And if you were unable to make it this time then we are always happy to offer a private showcase for you and your intended at a date and time of your choosing. Just contact the team to book in your private tour.

Special thanks must go to Tobiah Tayo for taking all of the photos that appear in this post. Thank you so much Tobiah for taking the time to snap them for us so that we can share them here on our blog.

 

Where to begin? With so much talent at our disposal, Iscoyd was filled with the most beautiful flowers, backdrops, decorative props, photo booths and table set ups. Our in-house team love to work with external suppliers and we’re incredibly fortunate that many of these creative individuals are regularly booked by couples so that they return to Iscoyd time and time again. As a result we consider these wonderful people as part of the extended Iscoyd family. Katie from Unique Your Wedding styled our Coach House with shades of peach and pink blooms, swathes of romantic tulle and oodles of candles whilst Louis cooked up a BBQ storm outside from the back of the Iscoyd Defender all to the dulcet tones of a DJ and saxophonist from Jonny Ross Music.

 

Elsewhere, over in the Iscoyd marquee, the wonderful Matt from Red Floral  got into the October state of mind and created an on trend pumpkin infused theme that was woven throughout the floral decor. The result was one of sheer elegance, using tones of white and off white, roses and singular candles grouped along the trestle tables accessorised perfectly with paper perfection in the form of stationary designed by Cara of Paper Green Creative.

Against the backdrop of Mat’s creations, we had Nicola from Boutique Bakery whose beautiful cakes sat perfectly amongst the flowers and completely blew us away; you can see more of her fabulous designs over on her website. Free flowing loose florals crafted from sugar adorned her cakes which were too exquisite to eat!

Mike from Capture-It Photobooth was also on hand to snap photos of guests taking a look round and encouraged them to be playful and strike all manner of silly and playful poses against the backdrop of some rather fabulous light up props from The Word Is Love.

Emma from Luna Bloom popped along with some members of her team to install two Autumnal showstoppers in the Drawing Room on the fireplace and ascending up the hallway staircase. It was beautiful; the perfect fusion of a Summertime meadow but with Autumn foliage and flowers. If you’re curious about how it was put together head over to our Instagram page to watch a reel of Luna Bloom installing the magnificent creation.

Katie from Unique Your Wedding dressed our Pigeon House using burgundy toned rustic country garden blooms that she envisages will the the focus of next year’s wedding trends. Chrysanthemums vied with dried hydrangea heads and soft grasses to create a backdrop of florals that mirrored the changing landscape in the Iscoyd grounds. The soft pinks and blush roses harmonised perfectly with Birdie who was parked up outside. For those of you unfamiliar with Birdie then we implore you to meet the lovely Kitty from Birdie Photobooth who was outside encouraging guests to pop into the Photo Booth camper for a quick cwtsh or two!

 

Culinary treats abounded throughout the weekend. Guests were welcomed with canapés and encouraged to help themselves to hot chocolates by our Iscoyd team alongside a self serve bar pictured above. Marshmallows, flavoured syrups and squirty cream were all available to create a tailored drink that tickled the tastebuds. For those guests feeling slightly naughtier we had mini espresso martinis which were a resounding success given the rate at which they disappeared. Our trusty minty green pizza van – Philomena – cooked up a storm dishing out piping hot slices of Iscoyd specials and for those with a sweeter tooth we had customisable doughnuts over in the Coach House with multiple toppings to add to the doughnuts.

Upstairs in the house, the lovely team from Crichton Bespoke showcased their wonderful suits and set up in the Bridal Suite were Vicky and Courtney from Vicky M Hair carrying out beautiful demonstrations of hair and make up looks.

Downstairs in the Garden Room our resident florist Charlotte Tyler Creed treated us to a eye-catching display of blood red, burgundy and scarlet toned florals that set the tone for a vibrant, contemporary set up that we would very much like to see at either a Christmas or Valentine’s Day wedding. Charlie sprinkled her creative fairy dust throughout the house creating pockets of florals in the bedrooms and public spaces that so many guests complimented to our delight.

 

For those couples keen to see the ridiculously cute church St Mary’s Whitewell in the flesh and to meet the iconic Reverend Veronica, the friendly people at Lakeside Coaches did the honours by ferrying people to and from the house efficiently and with a lovely smile to boot!

We also wanted to note the wonderful photographers and videographers who also attended the Open Day and who we adore seeing time and time again when they come to the house to shoot weddings. Tobiah Tayo, Nesta Lloyd, Lisa Webb and Shutterbox Films are the best of the best and we know that any couple booking these lovely human beings will be thrilled with the work these individuals deliver.

To end then, an Iscoyd Open House event is always a huge collaborative effort that we never take for granted. Whilst we have a dedicated in house events and catering team, the sparkling finishing touches are always provided by our much loved extended family of suppliers. With this in mind we wanted to share our appreciation and a special thanks goes to the following people who joined us.

Perhaps you’ll meet some of them yourselves at our next Open Event in 2025…

@redfloral
@charl_tylercreed
@papergreencreative
@birdie_photobooth
@lunabloom_
@uniqueyourwedding
@tobiahtayophotography
@nestalloydphoto
@lisawebbphoto
@shutterboxfilms
@boutiquebakery_chester
@jonnyrossmusic
@vickymhair
@captureitphotoboothuk
@thewordislove
@capriccioquartet
@st_marys_whitewell_weddings
@lakesidecoaches
@crichton_bespoke