Events & Occasions has contacts with some of the best wedding venues in the UK. From stately homes to hotels, marquee owners to local bespoke venues, the company can source and book your dream wedding location.

Once the venue has been secured Events & Occasions will live up to its name by helping you make your wedding the family occasion of the year.

Events & Occasions offers a ‘one stop shop’ service, sourcing suppliers and managing the plans to make your dream come true. You can relax and be confident that all will most certainly be right on the day. Flowers will be arranged, caterers will cook, invitations will be printed and sent, the room will be dressed and the bride will look radiant.

Attention to detail is the secret of any successful event or occasion and you can be confident that everything has been organised at that level.

Whether you are planning a simple ceremony with half a dozen guests or want to stage the social event of the year, trust Events & Occasions to make your day. Email Events & Occasions or call 0845 270 1437 today for a free consultation.

Why not add something really special to your wedding reception – something spectacular.

Sabrage!

Sabrage, opening the champagne with a sabre - an age-old art and tradition started by Calvary officers in Napoleon’s army. The secret is to hit the champagne cork with the sabre at the right angle and with the right degree of force in order to send the cork flying through the air.

Our person has been trained in the art of sabrage and is a Chevalier of the Order of the Golden Sabre – Le Confrérie de Sabre d’Or. Find out more about sabrage, visit www.confreriedusabredor.co.uk.

The tradition of opening the champagne in this way goes particularly well at the moment before the cutting of the wedding cake by the Bride and Groom – a time when a glass of champagne is traditionally circulated to the guests in readiness for the toast proposed by the Bride’s father.

We find this is the best time as it is the moment before the speeches start. The master of ceremonies calls for silence whilst the Bride and Groom Sabrage. The blade of the sabre is then wiped so that the sabre can be used to make the initial cut into the wedding cake and the couple make their wish together.

After the applause the master of ceremonies once again calls for order for the Bride's Father to make the first speech which is followed by the Groom and then the response by the Best man.

During this time the Champagne is poured and is circulated to the guests in readiness for the conclusion of the speech and toast to the Bride and Groom which is traditionally offered by the Bride's Father.

And there’s the toastmaster

A toastmaster dressed in the traditional red livery (red tail coat) can add that something really special to the proceedings. It is important to have an MC who can introduce the speeches and call for silence when the time comes. This is often left to the caterer or venue manager but why not have your own Toastmaster do the honours instead. Ask us, we will do it for you and with the right amount of dignity and ceremony that befits such an important occasion.

There are many benefits to having a toastmaster at your wedding reception. A toastmaster wears ceremonial clothes (most noticeably a red tail coat) thus adding to the pomp and splendour of any wedding. Experience in dealing with formal occasions brings the toastmaster's skills in to play, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of a wedding reception. The Toaster master discreetly goes about his duties and provides confidence and a calming influence on the bridal party. He is also expert on wedding etiquette and protocol, which will ensure that the members of the bridal party, who have roles to fulfil during the reception, do so in the right order and without embarrassment.

The toastmaster is responsible for keeping the reception running effortlessly and to time, ensuring that events happen in the right order. The toastmaster will liaise with the bridal party, the venue staff and the catering staff to ensure that everything happens when it is supposed to. Managing these elements will result in a seamless feel to your celebration.

As well as time keeping, the toastmaster can introduce guests to their hosts at the start of the receiving line, and announces meals, speeches, toasts and cake cutting. They may also help guests to find their seats for the wedding breakfast. Having someone with responsibility for these elements of the reception will ensure that the event runs smoothly, eliminating pauses where the bridal party and guests aren't sure what's happening or what to do next.

Events & Occasions – ‘Excellence at all times’