From Los Angeles to Rutland Water: F&K’s Normanton Church and Marquee Wedding

An iconic waterside ceremony, a boat trip across Rutland Water, a beautiful marquee celebration and a wedding cake that became an international celebrity!

When F&K first got in touch with me about planning their wedding, they were living over 5,000 miles away in Los Angeles. They had fallen in love with Louise & Tom’s Rutland marquee wedding after discovering it on my website, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. A beautiful lakeside setting, a boat journey to one of Rutland’s most iconic buildings for their Normanton Church Wedding, and the freedom to create a wedding that felt completely their own. And so began the planning of another rather fabulous Rutland Water wedding!

Planning a Rutland Wedding from Los Angeles

Planning a wedding is quite an undertaking at the best of times, but planning one from another continent, with an eight-hour time difference, brings a few extra challenges! F&K wanted a relaxed, personal celebration where they could bring their friends and family together for a proper weekend of celebrations. They also wanted the freedom that comes with a marquee wedding: choosing their own suppliers, creating an atmosphere that suited them and doing things their way.

With my Great Outdoors wedding planning package, I supported them with supplier recommendations, planning advice, venue logistics and keeping all those moving parts on track. There were plenty of meetings across the time zones, but between us, we brought together a fantastic team of suppliers and a wedding that was unmistakably theirs.

A Wedding Weekend at Rutland Water

One of the lovely things about F&K’s wedding was that it wasn’t just about the Saturday. They chose Celestial View at Normanton Park Gardens as their base for the weekend, with its distinctive accommodation just a stone’s throw from Normanton Church. It provided the perfect setting for Friday evening celebrations, somewhere to get ready on the wedding morning and a place to recover after all the dancing on Sunday!

Having everyone nearby also made the logistics of their wedding weekend that little bit easier. And when your wedding involves transporting guests across a lake, trust me, good logistics are rather important!

All Aboard the Rutland Belle!

Rather than simply arriving at the ceremony by car, F&K gave their guests a rather special experience. Everyone gathered at Whitwell Point, where they left their cars before boarding the Rutland Belle for a journey across Rutland Water. Their destination was the beautiful and instantly recognisable Normanton Church, perched on the edge of the reservoir and one of the most memorable ceremony settings in the East Midlands.

By the time everyone arrived, Cate from Elowyn Wedding Flowers had worked her magic, decorating the ceremony space with gorgeous floral urns and meadow-inspired flowers. Although F&K had already completed their legal marriage, they wanted a meaningful ceremony to share with their loved ones, and celebrant Claire Lawrence created a warm, personal service that was all about the two of them. With that extraordinary waterside backdrop, it really was a beautiful setting for their celebration.

Let the celebrations begin

After the ceremony and the all-important photographs, everyone climbed back aboard the Rutland Belle, but this wasn’t simply a return journey. Guests enjoyed a leisurely cruise around Rutland Water, enjoying the drinks reception, soaking up the views and celebrating with the newlyweds.

While Fran was enjoying herself, I took charge of carrying her bridal bouquet back on the boat, because trying to juggle a beautiful bouquet and a glass of fizz isn’t exactly conducive to enjoying your own drinks reception! It’s often those little behind the scenes things that make all the difference.

I love weddings that give guests an experience rather than simply moving them from one part of the day to the next, and a drinks reception on a boat is a pretty memorable way to spend an afternoon!

A lakeside marquee reception at Whitwell Point

Back on dry land, the celebrations continued at Whitwell Point, where F&K kicked things off with a fabulous champagne spray! A brilliant way to start the marquee reception, and thankfully Tom Wyatt was on hand to capture the moment.

A beautiful marquee from Sami Tipi was waiting, providing the perfect space for F&K’s relaxed lakeside celebration. Guests were welcomed with acoustic entertainment from the band and two cocktails chosen to reflect the couple’s personalities: strawberry daiquiri, sweet like the groom, and spicy margarita, spicy like the bride! Now that’s my kind of wedding drinks menu.

Thomas the Caterer provided a delicious three course wedding breakfast, while the floral arrangements and styling brought the whole setting together.

There’s something very special about a marquee wedding. You have the freedom to create a celebration that’s completely personal, but behind the scenes there’s a lot to consider, from supplier access and catering facilities to guest movements, timings and making sure everything works together. With a wedding like F&K’s, where the ceremony, transport and reception were all interconnected, getting those details right was particularly important. It’s exactly the sort of wedding I love planning.

The Wedding Cake That Made International Headlines!

Now, I couldn’t possibly tell the story of F&K’s wedding without mentioning the cake. Debbie from My Little Cake Studio had created an incredible wedding cake display, complete with a beautiful heart-shaped lemon cake. Everything was going swimmingly until F&K leaned in for a kiss during the cake cutting and, unfortunately, the cake had other ideas!

As the couple turned towards each other, the cake and its stand started to topple. But Fran, demonstrating reflexes that would put most professional goalkeepers to shame, managed to catch the cake before it hit the floor! Photographer and videographer Tom Wyatt captured the whole thing, the cake survived, the guests had a good laugh and F&K took the incident in their stride.

The moment was so brilliant that it even ended up being featured in PEOPLE magazine. Not quite the wedding cake moment anyone had planned, but certainly one nobody will forget!

Dancing, Shotskis and One EPIC Sparkler Shot

With dinner finished and the cake safely rescued, it was time to party. The evening celebrations brought live music, plenty of dancing, a photo booth and, of course, a shotski. Because why have one shot when you can make it a team activity?

And to finish things off, we pulled together the most EPIC sparkler photograph, with everyone joining in to create a spectacular moment for F&K. It was a rather fabulous finale to a day already full of memorable moments!

The whole wedding had that lovely balance of thoughtful details and a genuinely relaxed atmosphere. A beautiful setting, brilliant suppliers, great entertainment and guests who were there to celebrate properly. Exactly how a wedding should feel.

What F&K Said About Planning Their Wedding

One of the things I loved about working with F&K was helping them bring everything together despite the distance between us, and I was rather touched by their lovely words afterwards:

“Planning a wedding is no small task, especially when you’re doing it from another country, but Linzi made the entire process smooth, stress-free, and enjoyable.”

They also shared:

“What impressed us most was how effortlessly Linzi managed to translate our vision into reality. Whether it was handling venue logistics, keeping us on track with deadlines, or managing last-minute changes, she exceeded our expectations at every turn.”

It really was a pleasure to be part of their celebrations.

Planning Your Own Rutland Marquee Wedding?

If you’re dreaming of a marquee wedding in Rutland, perhaps overlooking Rutland Water, or you’re planning a UK wedding while living overseas, I’d love to hear what you have in mind.

My Great Outdoors wedding planning package is designed for couples who want to be involved in creating their own celebration, but would love an experienced outdoor wedding planner alongside them to help with the details, logistics and everything in between. From finding brilliant suppliers to making sure the day flows beautifully, I’m here to help turn your ideas into one unforgettable celebration.

Explore my outdoor wedding planning services or get in touch to tell me about your plans.

And if your wedding cake decides to make a bid for freedom, let’s hope someone has Fran’s reflexes!