From Elvis and Elton John to Pachelbel and…..Pokemon….harpist Fiona Hosford has had all sorts of song requests for weddings she has played at over the years.

The harp’s beautiful sounds can set the right romantic tone for your wedding in a way few other instruments can.

At Cooling Castle Barn, only the most tried-and-trusted suppliers make our ‘recommended list’ - and Fiona is one of a small group of talented musicians to make the grade.

However, despite playing the harp for 42 years and at weddings at Cooling Castle Barn for around 17 years, some requests can still surprise her - although she’s always happy to try to oblige.

She said: “Canon in D is the most requested tune to walk down the aisle to. I love it when clients have specific pieces they'd like me to play - even if I have to learn them.

“The most popular pieces over the years have been Your Song - Elton John; Canon in D - Pachelbel; 1,000 Years - Christina Perri; Make You Feel My Love - Dylan/Adele; Can't Help Falling in Love With You - Elvis; Here Comes the Sun - George Harrison; Clair de Lune - Claude Debussy; Le Onde - Ludivico Einaudi.

“One young couple were having a Pokemon Wedding and asked me if I knew any Pokemon - so with a few weeks’ notice I learnt the song and some other songs, like The Legend of Zelda, Tetris and other random tunes! It was a challenge but everyone loved it!”

Fiona can choose pieces to fit the mood of your wedding, as well as requests within reason. She can play during the drinks reception and wedding breakfast, and quietly in the background as guests arrive for the ceremony, as well as the entrance and wedding processional of the bride and during the signing of the register.

For more information, go to Fiona’s website here

If there’s one thing most married couples agree on, it’s that the wedding day itself whizzes by in a blur.

Attending to your guests; worrying about dresses or speeches; accepting a drink or three from long-lost relatives at the bar; there’s rarely a moment to pause and take it all in.

That’s why getting the right wedding photographer is so important. They are there to capture all those special moments that you can then cherish for the rest of your life.

At Cooling Castle Barn, we have two trusted photographers on our recommended suppliers’ list. Here, we find out what makes them tick as they share some of their favourite snaps taken at our Cooling weddings from over the years.

Dan Potter from Dan Potter Photography (gallery above) has been a recommended supplier at Cooling Castle Barn for more than eight years.

On wedding photography…

“I love my job – it’s great being around happy occasions. It’s the best day of a couple’s lives so far, so it’s a great atmosphere and you know everyone is going to be having a good time.

“You know couples are going to keep these photographs forever – it’s a lasting memory - so it’s special to be part of it.

 “I’ve had some great word of mouth jobs – I did the photography for three sisters at different places over a number of years, it’s lovely to be able to do a job for the whole family.” 

On what makes a good shot..

“A good wedding shot needs great light, great composition, but most importantly, it needs a little bit of emotion. You can have great light and great composition and a good photo, but if you have the emotion you have a story in that photo. You need to get to know your couple and I find the photos with with emotion are always the keepers.”

On Cooling Castle Barn…

“I like the different seasons at the Barn and there are different spots within the grounds and outside that are great at different times of year. There’s great blossom in the spring; you have the hay bales in the surrounding fields in the late summer; colourful trees in the autumn; and sometimes snow in the winter. There are so many different spots that you can use.

“Cooling Castle Barn is a well-oiled machine. The staff are great. I feel at home there. I’ve been recommended for quite a while and know a lot of the staff to speak to which makes your day easier. Communication is great, so I’m always kept informed if anything is going behind schedule - which it very rarely is!”

Nicky Tulip at Nicky’s Photography has been a recommended supplier at Cooling Castle Barn for 15 years.

On wedding photography…

"It’s hard work, but an amazing job. The pressure is immense, it’s the most important day of someone’s life. But I love it when I see a moment and know that I’ve got it. You look through the lens and know that it’s really special, but the couple won’t see it until later.

“Building a relationship up with a couple and being part of their journey is such a lovely thing.”

On what makes a good shot…

“I offer a pre-shoot for Cooling couples as I want to get to know them before the day.  They are generally more relaxed if they do this. They can then get to know me as well - but I like to know their story.  

“There are some couples who are adventurous and you get to see that in the pre-shoot, they may do some running or climbing trees and things like that. Others are more nervous, so we have to build up to the photos, I might ask them to go for a walk together and get the long-lens on.”

On Cooling Castle Barn… 

“Cooling is a second home to me. I know the space, I know the light and where and when I can use it. It runs so well and I’m trusted as a supplier there, they can let me get on with what I need to do. 

“It makes it easier to work with everyone when they know you. That makes a good venue on the whole - where everyone comes together for this special occasion and it all runs like clock work.”

We love a good cake here at Cooling Castle Barn. But while we eat it with gusto, we leave the baking and creative side to the experts.

With decades in the wedding industry, we know what makes the perfect wedding. And a show-stopping cake is definitely up there! It’s why only a select few businesses make it onto our recommended suppliers’ list.

Here we asked three cake suppliers from our fab list to pick out their favourite creation.

Sue Pridie, from All Shapes & Slices Cake Co picked this buttercream iced cake as her favourite. It had a red velvet tier, a vanilla sponge tier and two dummy tiers to reduce servings. It served 50 slices, but would have served 130 slices had all tiers been edible.

She said: “I love this cake because four-tier wedding cakes are my favourite size for making a real impact at a venue. I created this cake in May 2021 when weddings were still under government restrictions, but my couple Alannah and Matt didn’t want to reduce the cake size that they had their hearts set on.

“It was the first multi-tiered cake that I had made in such a long time and the flowers that Floral Explosion provided were absolutely perfect for creating the delicate floral cascade on this design.”

Photograph by Rebecca Carpenter Photography

Chelsea Prior from Chelsea Buns Cake Design picked this stunning cake made up of rich chocolate, white chocolate and passion fruit and lemon tiers.

She said: “As a specialist in handcrafted sugar flowers, this cake is one of my all-time favourites. The beautiful, botanically correct sugar flowers are the focal point of this design and had people guessing if they were in fact real! The flowers alone were about two days’ work, as every individual petal is rolled, cut and shaped by hand. 

“I can recreate any flowers in sugar, meaning that my couples can have everlasting flowers as a memento from their wedding day. Creating beautiful wedding cakes with amazing sugar flowers is my favourite thing to do.”

Jeyda Ali from Jey’s Heavenly Events picked out this display which includes a four-tier main cake, three single tiers, 40 brownies, 48 cupcakes, 40 mini cakes and 40 personalised cookies. It took her two days to bake and design and an hour and a half to set-up!

She said: “This is my favourite set-up as its unique to Jey's Heavenly Events and brings the ‘wow factor’ into a couple’s big day. I love extravagant displays and this is definitely one! They can be altered to fit any theme!” 

Has the pandemic changed what we look for in a wedding? 

With families and friends unable to meet in large groups for months – or even, years – we are seeing more couples looking for a more relaxed wedding vibe. 

The special day is still about two people showing their commitment to one another, but an important factor has also become about getting everyone together: the chance to kick-back, catch-up and mingle all day with loved ones.

That’s why we have spent time designing an amazing outside space for couples and guests to enjoy throughout the day - and evening.

After the wedding and sumptuous wedding feast, we have paid special attention to our outdoor grill area for the evening time.  We offer lots of different options for your evening menu, the majority completely included in the price. Think Hog roast, a BBQ, Mexican, Indian, buffet, or piping hot pizza straight out of the outdoor oven – whatever you choose, you can be sure that your evening guests will be as well fed as the guests that have been with you all day. Even better, if the weather is good, you can enjoy the food, drink, company and ambience on the stunning patio and garden area, too!

And when everyone has caught up and eaten well, the memories will live long into the future.

Take a look at some of our latest photos showing our outdoor grill area being put to good use!

For more information on all our fantastic wedding options, follow the link here

You’ve eaten, drunk and – of course – celebrated your marriage in front of your nearest and dearest. 

The day’s almost over - but you need a big song to get everyone up on the dance floor and end the night with a BANG!

What do you go for?

Megan and Scarlett Welling-Rodd had a November winter wedding at Cooling Castle Barn timed to make the most of our amazing Christmas decorations. They chose Wonderwall by Oasis for the final song that got everyone singing and swaying - as their guests got covered in the white stuff courtesy of our snow machine!  

Jody and Keith Poynton-Brewis, another of our couples to opt for a winter wedding, managed to squeeze in two songs while the snow-flowed, including The Fairytale of New York.

Meanwhile, with more than 20 years behind the decks at Cooling Castle Barn and sister venue The Vines, our resident DJs James Johnson and Robin Chappell have seen it all. 

James said: “The last song tends to be quite different from couple-to-couple. Some want everyone really going for it on the dance floor, while other’s want slow and intimate! 

“Tracks that come to mind include Sweet Caroline, The Dirty Dancing song, The Time of My Life, Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis, and New York, New York, by Frank Sinatra.

Robin added: “The last song of the night normally sends everyone home with a simile on their face. We’ve had some couples who pick the same song for their first dance and last song of the night – it’s a nice way to round it off.

“New York, New York, is pretty popular, but we’ve also had All Night Long by Lionel Richie and Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On, which I think is a great way to send everyone home!”

Want to find out more about amazing winter weddings and snow machine extras, or anything else? Give us a call today.

Top photo courtesy of Jodi Hanagan Photography: wedding took place at sister venue The Vines of Rochester