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 just wanted to say thank you so much for our incredible wedding. The day was an absolute dream and everything we could have wished for. From our first visit to the day of, every person we interacted with us on your team was friendly, so welcoming and professional. We couldn’t be happier with how it all went.

The venue looked absolutely exquisite, our guests were amazed!! I kept giving tours to the bridal suite 😂 Hopefully we’ll visit again one day!

Camilla & James Allan, 10th May 2025
As soon as we walked through the doors at Ellingham hall we knew it was going to be our venue, we looked at a few others but always found ourselves comparing them back to Ellingham hall, it had everything we could’ve asked for.
The staff were all amazing throughout from the planning process to the big day, Wendy had us at ease through it all and had all the answers to all our daft questions.
Everyone who came had commented on how lovely the venue is, how fantastic the staff are and how amazing the food was the entire time we were there

Lauren & Eddie Liddle, 27th February 2025
Ellingham Hall is the most stunning venue, and we knew it was the one for us the moment we stepped inside. We travelled around 3 hours in search of the perfect venue, and after a long search without finding “”the one,”” Ellingham instantly stood out. The staff are absolutely amazing, they went above and beyond to help us create the most perfect day, and it truly was perfect. We honestly can’t thank them enough. From recommending suppliers (since we lived further away), to answering all our questions, to helping us set up for the big day, they were always there for us. We loved that Ellingham is a two-night wedding venue and that it’s exclusively yours during your stay, which made everything feel so personal and intimate. One of our favourite touches was the Poochie Parlour, our dogs are a huge part of our lives, so having a space for them meant everything to us. We’re really hoping they host another Dine & Stay around Christmas or Valentine’s, any excuse to go back! All our guests had such lovely things to say about the staff and the Hall itself. Thank you again for the most amazing day.

Jordan & Jack, 25th March 2025
We chose Ellingham Hall due to wanting a full weekend to celebrate such a special moment. We got married at our local church on the Friday before heading up to celebrate Friday night surrounded by all of our family and the following day Saturday surrounded by our friends and family. We wanted a party vibe and we got that. The fact that it was 4 days before Christmas made it even more magical. The Ellingham team went out there way to make sure everything went so smoothly throughout the weekend, nothing was an issue. Special mention to Hannah who was always there to help whenever we needed her. I wish we could relive full weekend again!

Jenny & Jordan Skeels, 21st December 2024
“The Hall has such a lovely feeling and having our meeting at the same time as the corporate launch last year, gave a very different feel to what we usually have at other local networking events. The Chamber needs local venues that make the North East stand out, and Ellingham Hall is a venue that is a hidden gem.”

CLARE MCCABE, RELATIONSHIP MANAGER NORTH EAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
“We can’t begin to thank everyone at Ellingham hall for making our wedding the most beautiful and memorable day.

We got married at the beginning of December and went for a 3 day wedding, Friday-Sunday. Ellingham was transformed into a winter wonderland with its beautiful Christmas decor. The Friday night was so lovely to be able to spend time with all our loved ones together before the big day.

The team were so friendly and really felt like an extension of our wedding party/guests. You’re truly made to feel like the venue is your home. Everyone was so attentive and the whole weekend was stress free and the wedding ran smoothly despite the threat of a storm!

We loved how the wedding day didn’t have to end at 12am and could continue the celebrations into the night in the Hall’s secret club/den which was highlight for us.

We also have to mention how incredible the food was the whole weekend and how easily they catered for our guests dietary requirements.

Everyone who attended the wedding continues to speak about how it was the most beautiful wedding they had experienced. Ellingham hall is truly a magical place and we wish we could do it all again!

Thank you again for everything”

Abbie & Joseph James, 7th December 2024

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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