One of the great joys of my job is that I get to witness up close such a diverse mix of weddings. Whilst they might have certain things in common like an Ed Sheeran first dance (!!) every day is unique in some way or other. So it puts a particular spring in my step when I meet a couple like Vonnie & Jamie. Not only that but I uncovered a unique Kent wedding venue into the bargain!
From the outset they stood apart from some of my other couples by virtue of Vonnie’s absolute distaste of the conventional twinkly, industry standard starcloth DJ booth. It’s ok guys I didn’t take offense at this! Vonnie knew exactly the look she was going for from her DJ. No bling. The simpler the better. In fact she’d have been quite happy if I’d set my decks up on a wooden tressel table with very minimal lighting. By pure coincidence Vonnie and James contacted me at exactly the right time. My plan to offer couples a look that was a little less twinkly, more subtle and in keeping with those vintage summer weddings was taking shape. With their big day as my deadline, stops were very much pulled out the stops to give them a booth that was a great fit for their day and venue.
Here’s a sneak peak of my rustic booth on it’s maiden voyage for Vonnie & Jamie’s wedding reception;
What a gem of a Kent wedding venue!! The Oak Grove is nestled down on The River Medway on the outskirts of Upchurch. Al fresco is very much the order of the day here, so it’s fitting that the early May BH weather was record breakingly hot.
Set in a secluded, sun dappled woodland, Vonnie and Jamie (now Mr & Mrs Foster) invited their guests to FostFest. This was the newlywed’s very own wedding/festival complete with lanyards and woven wrist bands for each guest! The Oak Grove’s laid back vibe was the perfect setting for FostFest. The venue centres around their showpiece stretch tent, which opens up, allowing friends and family to move effortlessly from the dining and dancing space inside, to the woodland and ceremony area beyond. Complete with quirky sofa areas and loungy glades with blankets and cushions it really did provide the perfect space for guests to chill-out with a drink. Hungry guests were fed by the Deli truck and ice cream van to complete the festival feel.
This place really is something rather special and is now firmly on my radar to recommend to couples looking for a wedding setting that’s unique, quirky and laid-back. Paul, Sam and team at The Oak Grove have clearly poured heart and soul into creating a stand-out venue, right down to the horse box toilets.
Here’s a selection of the eclectic mix of tunes for Vonnie & Jamie’s evening reception;
| Heartbeat (TV Theme Tune) | Nick Berry (Father & Daughter Dance) |
| Goo Goo Dolls | Iris (First Dance) |
| Caesars | Jerk it Out |
| Ben E King | Stand by Me |
| Snow Patrol | Chasing Cars |
| Bodyrockers | I Like The Way You Move |
| Orson | No Tomorrow |
| Chic | Le Freak |
| David Bowie | Let’s Dance |
| The Killers | When You Were Young |
| The Killers | Mr Brightside |
| Flo.Rida | Low |
| Michael Jackson | Thriller |
| Michael Jackson | Billie Jean |
| Kings of Leon | Sex on Fire |
| Estelle (ft Kanye) | American Boy |
| Kasabian | You’re in Love with a Psycho |
| Sean Paul | Temperature |
| Dizzee Rascal ft Calvin Harris | Come Dance with Me |
| Shaggy | It Wasn’t Me |
| Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars | Uptown Funk |
| Hozier | Take me to Church |
| Portugal. The Man | Feel It Still |
| Dizzee Rascal | Bonkers |
| Nelly Furtado | Promiscous |
| La Roux | In for the Kill |
| La Roux | Bullet proof |
| Tina Turner | Proud Mary |
| Spice Girls | Wannabe |
| Spice Girls | Stop |
| Aloe Black | I Need a Dollar |
| Vance Joy | Riptide |
| Billy Idol | White Wedding |
| Outkast | Hey ya |
