Emma Sanders, Wedding Co-ordinator at The Wild Boar tells us why she loves what she does and why creating a bride and grooms perfect day will never be boring!

The Enquiry

I love the fact that everything to do with weddings at The Wild Boar is woven around the individual needs of the bride and groom. We don’t have set ‘bronze’, ‘silver’ or ‘platinum’ packages, we just have what is perfectly individual each time.
When a bride and groom get in touch to make an initial enquiry, I send out our wedding brochure but what is more important to me is that first appointment when I get to meet the couple for the first time and show them around the inn, with all its charm, family warmth and wealth of unique features that can be tailored to create what will be the most important day of the couple’s lives.

Fulfilling Dreams

I grew up around the Inn. My Dad, Marc Sanders, has been Head Chef at The Wild Boar for over twenty years, so I know that fulfilling a couple’s wedding dreams is what we do here. After I’ve met the bride and groom and they’ve decided to trust us with handling the event of their lives, we get down to the details.

I’ve found that couples are usually reassured by the fact that the team here at The Wild Boar take weddings in their stride - whatever requests are made.
One wedding featured Betty the Bulldog complete in wedding outfit! It was her responsibility to make sure the wedding rings arrived down the aisle safely.

Last year a bride and groom having a marquee wedding in the Wild Boar woods requested a bus stop at the top of the woods where their guests were to wait to be driven to the venue. The team at the Wild Boar do everything we can to make these kind of dreams come true.

We Make Much Ado About Food …

Early in the planning process we invite the bride and groom for a chat with Chef. This is where years of experience with wedding menus has given him an instinct for what works and what doesn't. He crafts the wedding menu around what the bride and groom want - and if it’s not something normally on the menu he is happy to make it or to work on a wedding theme.
One bride and groom were very particular about having a very spicy sauce for their steaks. Chef sourced some scotch bonnet chillies, grown only in the Caribbean and with them we created their very own sauce and called it the 3XXL! Cheese wedding cakes are becoming more popular and we love to dress them and make them just as beautiful as a traditional cake.

The Big Day arrives

It wouldn't be a wedding unless everybody involved had some kind of pre-wedding anticipation. Obviously the bride and groom and those in the wedding party are going to have the usual nerves associated with such an important day. However, The Wild Boar ‘family’ are also on heightened alert – weddings are never run-of-the-mill days! From the Housekeeping team to the Restaurant team there is an excited buzz around the inn and we all feel very much a part of this special day.
Behind the scenes there is always the tension of making sure that everything on the surface runs perfectly smoothly – taking the strain is all part and parcel for the team. This might mean that Chef is nagging me to get the guests seated before the cooked-to-perfection steaks become cremated or threatening to send out the food before the Father-of-the-Bride has completed his hour and a half speech!! Of course, he never does – he cares too much about creating the perfect day!
So, the hard work, planning, long shift, Chef’s mini tantrums are over and the wedding has been a huge success. The Bride and Groom and all the guests have had a wonderful day – the food and drinks, home-brewed beer, family atmosphere! They’ll never know that more than once I’ve threatened to send Dad home! After a recent Wild Boar wedding, I asked him what type of wedding he’d like me to have? I was told in no uncertain terms that he will be happy to arrange my elopement to the Caribbean! Perhaps I’ll keep him this side of the kitchen when that day arrives!!

Next Wedding Fayre

Meet the team at our next Wedding Fayre on Sunday 22nd February from 12pm - 4pm. This a great opportunity to see The Wild Boar and speak to our local hand picked suppliers.
 

• Written by: Emma Sanders, Wedding Co-ordinator at The Wild Boar