Dreaming of a Woodland Wedding? Meet Our Dedicated Wedding Coordinator, Ruth Mundy
Are you dreaming of a magical woodland wedding?
At Balmer Lawn, our surrounding countryside makes for the perfect romantic location to exchange your vows.
In this week’s blog, we’re introducing Ruth, our wedding coordinator, as she gives us exclusive insight into what it’s like to marry at our beautiful woodland wedding venue:
Woodland Wedding: Ruth’s Day-to-Day Life at Balmer Lawn
Ruth Mundy, our wedding coordinator, has been part of the Balmer Lawn family for over 4 years. She’s typically based in the Sales Office - and on a day-to-day basis, she’ll typically be found dealing with prospective guests and soon-to-be-married couples: “The beginning of the week is mostly admin-based - answering emails, responding to new enquiries, putting proposals together, processing menu choices and securing final details.
“Later on in the week, I’ll often book in show-round appointments - and then at the weekends, our weddings usually take place.
“On the wedding day, I’ll visit the bride at 9am if she’s in-house to check that she’s OK, and has had breakfast, etc. Then, I’ll be back-and-forth to the Wedding Suite to make sure our suppliers have arrived and are setting up.
“My favourite part of the day is collecting the bride from her room to take her to the ceremony. I love the ‘first look’ of the dress, and I make sure to calm last-minute nerves as we walk down the stairs.
After the ceremony, our conference & banqueting manager takes over, ensuring the couples and guests are well looked after for the remainder of the day.”
Ruth’s Journey in Hospitality
Before joining the Balmer Lawn team, Ruth gained a Wedding & Events Planning diploma and has a wealth of experience in the wedding, hospitality and retail industries: “Initially, I worked for myself alongside another role, planning couples’ weddings at the venue they had booked. This armed me with valuable experience.
“I decided to step away from weddings for a while, and started working for a jewellery company. After 12 months, I was desperate to get back into the wedding industry - so I joined a golf club to help improve their wedding offering, tripling the number of weddings and revenue.
Once I felt I had reached my limits, I was ready to move on. I initially applied for the events co-ordinator role at Balmer Lawn; however, the sales manager at the time noticed how passionate I was about weddings - so when the wedding coordinator role became available, she got in touch - and here I am!”
Woodland Wedding: Ruth’s Highlights at Balmer Lawn
Ruth enjoys many parts of her job role - but there are a few particular aspects that she loves the most: “The best thing about my job will always be seeing the couples’ wedding day come to life at the end of their planning journey. It’s always such an honour that couples choose us to host one of the most important days of their lives, and for me to help them plan it.
I also love working with our wonderful team on a daily basis - from the owners who care so much about our couples, to the management who support and mentor the team incredibly well. I also work alongside our excellent banqueting team, who execute the plans perfectly on the day, and in such a fun environment.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the New Forest (particularly when celebrating special occasions with my family), so Balmer Lawn has always been special to me.
Once I had started my career in the wedding industry, Balmer Lawn’s amazing reputation became clear to me - and I realised just how much the team cares about their wedding couples.
I used to drive past the hotel and say, “I’ll plan weddings there one day!”; Balmer Lawn is such an iconic venue, and every evening when I leave to go home, I look back to see it lit up in all its glory.”
Ruth’s Career in Weddings: Looking to the Future
Reflecting on her career, Ruth has told us how she envisions the next few months and years:
“We’re going into our busiest wedding season on record, which will be lovely. We’ve also had a few couples who have had to postpone their wedding - so I’m looking forward to seeing them finally enjoy their special day.”
Ruth’s Wedding Career Advice
Ruth has kindly offered her advice to those considering a career in the wedding industry: “Despite the difficulties the hospitality industry has faced in the last 18 months, it is just as exciting, ever-evolving and progressive, and you can meet people from all walks of life. It’s also very sociable and fun!”
On behalf of everyone at Balmer Lawn, we’d like to thank Ruth for taking the time to tell us about her day-to-day life at the hotel.
If you’d like to find out more about our woodland wedding packages, or you’d like to make a booking, just browse our website or contact a member of our team.
