Paddy & Mary Beth: Sussex Marquee Wedding (with an American twist!)

Roll the clocks back to September 2010.
I’m barely 20 years old, and I’m on a Eurostar to France with an enormous bag packed and no return ticket. It is genuinely the most terrifying thing I have ever done in my life! The only thing that’s slightly reassuring is that there are some friendly-looking people in a Facebook group who I should get to meet when I arrive.

One of those guys is Paddy. Over the next eight months or so, he and the other students I meet become really amazing friends. We travel together, hang out together, get a little too drunk on Kir together… and basically share one of the most awesome experiences of our lives with one another as we spend a year living out in Dijon.

Fast forward a few years, and we’ve all gone our separate ways and are all following our own paths in life. Paddy is back in touch with someone he had met out in France, who now lives back in Buffalo, NY. His job means he can fly back and forth and after a while spent doing exactly that and holding down a beautiful and exciting trans-Atlantic relationship, Paddy proposed to Mary Beth in Central Park in 2018.

And we all know the next part of the story…

As well as wedding plans being put on hold whilst the world is in lockdown, these two have to spend a lot of time living on opposite sides of the ocean. I mean if this isn’t the most romantic story you’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is! They were eventually able to marry in New York in 2021 with a few of their nearest and dearest, but we all knew we needed a proper English wedding for these two where everyone could celebrate together, and we were finally able to do just that in July 2022!
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I was so pleased these two asked me to support with their wedding, and was thrilled to be invited to go along not just as a coordinator but also as a friend.

Planning a wedding from a different country can't be that easy... but Paddy and Mary Beth did the most fantastic job whilst living out in New York together. A few Zoom calls and emails with a little advice from me, and we were all set for the big day!

I arrived the day before the wedding and met them at the gorgeous Milwards Estate, Sussex to help make sure the room was prepped and to meet the team and get my bearings. We popped along to the church in the evening to make sure we all knew where we needed to be, and I was lucky enough to be asked to go and meet them with their families and friends for drinks down in a lovely, sunny Eastbourne that night too.  

I retired to my purple palace with a very full heart and buzzing for the next day!

The next morning, whilst Paddy got ready back at Mums and Mary Beth was with her bridesmaids, I went out on a couple of last minute errands before heading to the church to await everyone's arrival. It was the most stunning little place which I know is significant to the family and it was looking magnificent as everyone came to take their seats. Last minute hiccups were addressed (let's just say, it's a good job I had my emergency supplies with me or Paddy's uncle would have been stood up in church with his flies undone in front of us all!) and they had the most beautiful wedding service which, I have to say, finished in style as they walked back up the aisle to a rather beautiful rendition of the Thunderbirds theme tune!

Confetti was thrown and pictures were taken before we made our way across to Milwards for a glorious marquee reception!

Can we also take a moment please to appreciate the Morris Minor which they drove themselves to and from the venue in?! This was a family project which had long been in the making, and I know Paddy's parents were thrilled to have an excuse to finally do her up and give her a great purpose. (I'm very aware here that I'm worrying I've misgendered a car...?). But it made a wonderful backdrop for some photos with bubbles and sat in pride of place the rest of the day for everyone to marvel at!

There were drinks and canapes served whilst I tagged along with the amazing photo & video team (Teri V Photography and Dale Rook Films) who found the most gorgeous little spots for these two to work their magic in - and they know how to work it because they looked magnificent!
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Food was served by EpiCatering (which was fantastic, and it was so lovely to be given a place at a table where I could keep an eye on everything and coordinate when needed, but also feel like a real wedding guest at the same time!), and it was super lovely to have a front row seat to all the speeches too.

As well as the usual hilarious and moving words from Paddy's parents and brother, Luke, the best man, we had the Father of the Bride, Maid of Honour, and the groom himself say a few words. But there was also space for other super important people to take to the mic, and I love that Mary Beth made her own speech - she's a bride after my own heart! It was all magnificently MC'd by Mary Beth's brother too meaning so many key people were able to play their part.
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The sunset after dinner may well have been one of the most beautiful I have EVER seen, and it meant we had the perfect opportunity to get some golden hour photo of the happy couple, as well as some epic group shots with bridesmaids and groomsmen too. And I really do mean EPIC. Potentially the highlight of my day was watching as a group of grown adults in suits (and one in a wedding dress) went running through the fields pretending to be chased by a T-Rex. It summed these two up to a tee - it was never going to be a McFadden wedding without a few laughs thrown in, was it?!

The cake was cut, and the dancefloor opened with Paddy and Mary Beth, followed by some really lovely moments with their parents too. This wedding had the perfect combination of laughter, silliness, but also really touching moments and it felt so special to be a little part of it!

Once my coordination duties were over, I stayed on to have a little dance and a drink with the guys and was there right until the end, as I honestly didn't want to say goodbye to these two! It's so rare that we have chance to get together, but they are genuinely some of the most wonderful people and most brilliant friends I have ever made, and I wished it could have gone on forever!

Alas, it was just so great to be asked to play a part and a real privilege to witness such a gorgeous day for two such amazing people.

And what's even better is that I know they got to do it all over again over in the US where they partied with all those on the other side of the pond. How lucky are they?!

And whether it be in a few months or a few more years, I really can't wait to catch up with these guys again. Thanks so much for having me at your wedding, and happy first Sussex anniversary!

Venue: Milwards Estate
Catering: EpiCatering
Photographer: Teri V Photography
Videography: Dale Rook
Coordinator: Worcestershire Wedding Planner