1. Why should a couple employ a wedding planner and how should they choose one?
There are many reasons why a bride and groom may choose to hire a wedding planner. I could ramble on for hours about the different things we can do, but instead I thought I’d highlight the main benefits or our services:
1. Saving time and stress. Planning a wedding, no matter how small and informal, requires a huge amount of time, effort and organisation. Organising so many different things and keeping on top of the arrangements can leave even the most organised person feeling stressed out. A wedding planner will do all of the legwork on your behalf, leaving you with the more fun aspects of planning a wedding, and by taking care of the organisational side of things you can relax with the knowledge that everything will be meticulously planned in plenty of time
2. Reassurance. We spend a lot of time researching and matching suppliers with the requirements of each individual client, and only recommend suppliers that we fully trust to provide an exceptional service on the day
3. Saving money. We keep a close eye on your budget throughout the planning period to ensure that your wedding doesn’t break the bank. We also know the little tricks that can help you make the most of your budget, and can advise on less costly alternatives if something is out of reach. Because we establish close working relationships with our suppliers, we can often negotiate discounts or special rates to save you money. In some instances, a client may actually save the same amount as the cost of their planner, effectively meaning their services haven’t cost any extra!
4. Impartial advice. A wedding is a very emotional time, and it’s easy for anxieties and little niggles to turn into major dramas. We’re used to dealing with all sorts of situations, so we can offer objective and impartial advice on dealing with family dilemmas and wedding etiquette
5. Running the show. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to be worrying about whether everything’s going to go to plan. A wedding planner will take care of everything on the day – we’ll decorate the venue, liaise with your suppliers to make sure everything is exactly as you want it, deal with any little hiccups with the minimum amount of fuss and make sure everything runs on time
If a bride and groom are thinking about hiring a wedding planner, then I would recommend first researching planners in their local area. I’m a member of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (www.ukawp.com), and they have a members’ directory of professional planners which is searchable by county.
Once you’ve made a shortlist of prospective planners, visit their websites to find out more about them and the different services on offer. You don’t have to hire a planner to organise your whole wedding if you don’t want to, and there are lots of choices available. For example, in addition to full wedding planning I also offer partial planning, venue and supplier sourcing and wedding day management. Give the planner a call to discuss what you are looking for and what they can do for you – a good planner will tailor their services to meet your needs. Arrange to meet them as this will give you the opportunity to ask plenty of questions about their work and find out whether they are right for you. You will be working closely with your planner for many months, so it’s important that you feel comfortable with them.
2. How did you get started in the wedding planning business and what do you love most about your job?I first became interested in becoming a wedding planner after planning my own wedding, but it took a few years before I took the plunge and launched my own business. I used to be a biological scientist for a pharmaceutical company. I know this sounds like a massive career change, but being a scientist in a corporate environment actually requires similar skills to being a wedding planner – you need to be super-organised, you’re planning experiments weeks/months ahead, you work with lots of different departments, and you’re constantly researching new ideas and theories. In the end it was a fairly straightforward transfer of my skills into a more creative role. I love pretty much everything about my job and I definitely wouldn’t go back to my previous life! It’s an immense privilege for me to be so closely involved in a wedding and for a bride and groom to trust me with the biggest day of their lives. Probably the best part is seeing everything come together on the day after so many months of hard work – I always have to keep my tissues handy because it’s virtually guaranteed that I will shed a few happy tears!
3. What are your favourite current wedding trends? I still like vintage styling, even though it’s been around for a couple of years, but I’m loving the move towards outdoor weddings, which we’ve started to see more of this summer and I think will become more popular over the next couple of years. It’s quite difficult in this country to have a proper outdoor wedding, both because of legal restrictions and the weather, but it’s a great challenge to work with! I love English country garden and rustic styling, and I really enjoy incorporating natural elements into a wedding design. There are also some quirky trends over in the States that I’m excited to see are starting to feature in English wedding designs, like photo booths, sweet stations and photography accessories, like moustaches on sticks and giant balloons.
4. In these financially trying times, what are your top tips for maintaining a stylish wedding on a budget? 1. Be flexible with the date. Venues often charge higher rates during peak season (i.e. June-August) and for weekend dates. Opting for an off-season or week-day wedding date could save you several hundred pounds. There are also some great late venue deals around at the moment, so you could grab yourself a bargain if you’re happy to get married fairly quickly
2. Cut your guest list and consider alternative catering options. The catering for your wedding will take up the biggest portion of your budget, so the bigger the guest list the bigger the bill! If you’re going to have a large guest list then invite only close family and friends to the main part of the day, as this is where you will have the greatest outlay on food and drink. Also think carefully about how you can minimise the cost of your catering. A buffet or barbecue will require fewer waiting staff and so will be less expensive than a served meal. If you prefer a waited service, why not serve canapés as a starter, or cut out dessert and serve your wedding cake instead along with tea and coffee?
3. Get the most from your flowers. Using flowers that are in season at the time of your wedding will be far less expensive than out of season blooms. Your florist should be able to advise on what will be readily available, as well as less expensive alternatives if your favourite flower is out of season. Also think about where your arrangements could be used – I would recommend spending the main portion of your flower budget on decorating the reception space, as this is where you and your guests will spend most of the day. Ceremony arrangements, like altar flowers or pew ends, can often be re-used to decorate your reception room (for example, on mantelpieces or tied to the back of chairs)
4. Call on friends and relatives. If you know people that have particular talents, ask them to help with your wedding. For example, maybe your aunt could make your wedding cake or a friend could do your make-up on the day. Involving friends and family adds a very personal touch to you celebration, but do make sure they are happy to help and are comfortable with what you want them to do.
5. Try some DIY. You can easily spend a fortune on all sorts of pretty decorative accessories, but with a little thought and effort you can create a beautiful reception space without breaking the bank. Tea lights are an excellent way of transforming your venue, and only cost a few pounds if you buy in bulk from somewhere like Ikea.
If you’re the creative type, consider making your own wedding favours, like biscuits or jam. Not only will it save you money but it’s also a nice personal touch for your guests, and you could even double them up as place settings by attaching a name tag to the jar, box or bag. Alternatively, try making your own place cards instead of purchasing them from your stationery designer. You can be quite inventive and co-ordinate them with your wedding design – for example, you could write names on pebbles for a seaside wedding, or pin name cards into apples for a rustic theme.
{IMAGES} - STEPHEN SUTTON PHOTOGRAPHY FOR HELEN CARTER WEDDINGS
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