From watching The Wedding Planner to heading up our Wedding Team!

10th July 2022

Watching movies such as 27 Dresses

As well as Jennifer Lopez’s blockbuster The Wedding Planner gave Debbie Armstrong the desire to plan and deliver weddings. That said, it wasn’t until Debbie decided to change career that the opportunity to fulfil her dream arose and join the award-winning Ellingham Hall team.

Whilst having an informal chat with Debbie our General Manager, David, recognised her warm and friendly personality, it was clear to him that Debbie was ambitious and passionate – all attributes that David knew would be essential in becoming a successful wedding and events planner. Little did he know that later that year the stars would align, and Ellingham Hall would be looking to recruit a new wedding and events co-ordinator, which Debbie later became the successful applicant of. Having no hands-on experience in the world of weddings it was Debbie’s sparkling personality, kindness and transferable skills from previous employment that made her stand out.

During Debbie’s first year with Ellingham Hall, she really earned her stripes by planning and part delivering the extensive backlog of weddings that were sadly not able to take place during the pandemic. Under tremendous pressure Debbie had to plan multiple weddings side by side, all the while making each couple feel special. It was Debbie’s calm approach and excellent customer service skills that gained her a promotion, awarding her the title of Head of Weddings and Events.

With Debbie’s new role and Ellingham Hall winning the title of ‘Events team of the year’, awarded at the regional final of The Wedding Industry Awards, we thought we’d catch up with Debbie and see how she’s enjoying being the real-life Mary Fiore, planning and delivering bespoke weddings at our exclusive Northumberland Wedding Venue.

What did you do before joining Ellingham Hall?

I am a trained nurse but was working in retail when I was chatting to my neighbour, David, who is General Manager, about a career change. When I asked him what he did, I told him it was a dream of mine to plan weddings as I’d been inspired by movies, like The Wedding Planner. It isn’t quite the same as what you see on screen, of course. It is a real privilege to help couples plan and deliver their dream wedding.

Any standout moments?

Well, there was one time when a florist forgot the confetti and suddenly realised before the ceremony. We pulled out all the stops and managed to contact our admin assistant, Wendy, who had some. It arrived about three minutes before the couple left the Ceremony Room. The bride was so grateful because it was important to her. It was a lovely photograph. One bride was in the process of getting ready, and when I popped into the suite to check everything was OK, she jumped up and gave me a huge hug because she was so thrilled with everything!

What have you learned so far?

It’s nice to make people feel good and make them happy. It maybe just my job, but it’s important because their wedding memory will be with them forever. It’s more than just a job, and it’s why I even take work home because I want every couple to know that every detail is as important to us as it is to them.

We’re now back from our honeymoon and we just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for everything you did to make our wedding day so special.
The entire team was incredible from start to finish and we especially appreciate the flexibility you showed in accommodating my wish to have the ceremony outside, it meant the world to me!
Thank you again for helping create such an unforgettable day

Lisandra & Stephen, 26th June 2025
What a beautiful venue! Me and my partner just got married at Ellingham and we could not have chosen a better venue. From booking the venue, to our special day everything was just amazing. Staff have been so great with us and were always there to answer any questions we had leading up to our day. Our special day ran smoothly thanks to all the staff here and all the staff were just so nice from start to finish. All our guests commented on how amazing the venue was and how amazing the staff had been with everyone. We cannot thank everyone there enough for helping to make our day so special.

Rebecca & Aidan Morrison, 13th February 2025
“We have hosted a number of corporate events and the staff have always been superb in supporting us. Our guests are always delighted when they walk through the doors and get to spend a day in the beautiful surroundings. “

DIGITAL SPARKLES – NICOLA LITTLE (CHIEF SPARKLER & DIRECTOR)
Ellingham Hall really is the perfect wedding venue. It has everything you need for a memorable wedding experience. The exclusive wedding package created the perfect 3 day experience for us and our guests. As we and some guests had travelled from Australia, it allowed us to maximise the amount of quality time we spent with our closest family and friends to celebrate our wedding. Those staying in the Hall loved their rooms and constantly complimented the venue and the staff.

Thank you so much, The Cardings

James & Megan Carding, 17th April 2025
“Thank you all so much for everything you did to help with our Annual Forum and Celebration Concert on Thursday. As usual, I was a bag of nerves for much of the day, but the calm efficiency of Connor and his team helped to get me through. I will definitely recommend Ellingham Hall as a corporate venue. Surprisingly, a lot of the attendees were unaware of the Hall and what you’re able to offer. The fact that we could move from one room to another and have two very different events at the same venue was a big draw for us. “

Catherine Gray, Funding and Communications Officer – Northumberland AONB Partnership
“The venue was immaculately presented and very welcoming. Easy to find just off the A1, with plenty of parking next to the meeting rooms and closer space to unload equipment. The area provided for breakout/coffee/lunch had plenty of room and was a relaxed environment, which gave delegates the chance to meet each other before the conference. The food and drink was plentiful, and of a good standard. The meeting room itself was well equipped and a nice size for our group, not to feel crowded, but also not lost as can happen in large rooms. The staff were on hand all day and happy to help with any of our requests.”

Karro Food Group Rep

From watching The Wedding Planner to heading up our Wedding Team!

Watching movies such as 27 Dresses

What did you do before joining Ellingham Hall?

Any standout moments?

What have you learned so far?

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