Meet Angela: A Canny Lass

Meet Angela: planner extraordinaire, self-proclaimed ‘list queen’, wedding fairy godmother and zip-lining ninja (okay, we may have over-egged that last one).

When it comes to Doxford Hall weddings, Angela’s your gal so we thought it fitting to introduce her properly. Angela joined the team at Doxford in the summer of 2022, bringing bags of wedding experience and a little black book of helpful contacts with her – and a lot of energy to keep her working tirelessly to ‘get stuff done’.

What was your route to becoming a Wedding & Sales Manager?

I started my career in the travel industry working my way up from a trainee travel consultant to a branch manager. I learnt a lot about customer service during those years and my administration skills and love of a list meant that I progressed to not only organising holidays and honeymoons but also overseas weddings. I relished the fact that others were happy to put their wedding plans in my hands and it felt such a privilege to play a small part in their big day. After 13 years I took a sideways move from the travel industry into the hotel industry with a role overseeing conferences and events and this ultimately morphed into a wedding and events coordinator position. Since 2009 I’ve been responsible for weddings and events in various hotels around the Northeast.

What’s your favourite part of the job?

I love seeing the full cycle of a wedding: meeting a couple for the first time, working with them to bring their plans to life and being there on their wedding day to see them marry. I get immense satisfaction when I see the end product: a happy couple, looking amazing in their outfits with all of their friends and family, knowing that I’ve helped to pull it all off.

Over the years I’ve met some wonderful couples with whom I’ve built a great rapport and have felt genuinely sad when their wedding is over. I’m still in touch with some couples and their families 14 years on.

What do you think gives the hotel wow factor?

I’m lucky to have worked at some beautiful venues but Doxford Hall is especially photogenic. For me, the exterior of the Hall and the grounds take some beating. A favourite view of mine – and many photographers – can be had by taking a wander down the steps in front of the Hall into the landscaped gardens and looking back towards the entrance. Inside the hotel, our hand carved staircase, built by a local master craftsman and our huge ballroom are also showstoppers.

Can you describe your typical day?

It varies hugely though usually starts with a scan of my emails to prioritise anything urgent and a check through of my to-do list that I write at the end of each day in preparation for the next day. I generally work two months ahead for our weddings and events so will be forward planning functions and liaising with other hotel departments to ensure everything runs smoothly. I may be meeting some new faces for a show-round or have appointments with couples who have already booked their wedding with us.

Most asked question by a couple?

I’m often asked whether we ever host more than one wedding a day – which we never do. Or how many bedrooms we have (41) and what the price of accommodation is for their guests. There are usually some queries relating to the menus – we have a lovely head chef who is very flexible on menus so is happy to change sauces etc if there’s a dish that the couple would prefer to eat.

What’s the best season for a wedding?

For me it’s summer. It’s lovely to see people outside enjoying their drinks and canapes on the terrace in the sunshine.

Your favourite dish on the menu?

I stay at the hotel with friends fairly regularly because I want to show off the hotel and for the feather blade of beef! It’s melt-in-the-mouth good.

A little-known fact about you?

I once zip-wired across the River Tyne in memory of a bride who I’d got to know when she had married at the hotel I was working in. We’d struck up a friendship during the wedding planning process and despite being petrified of heights I wanted to do my bit to raise money and awareness of her medical condition. I raised £1,150 and it was terrifying – never again!