With this in mind, the office is temporarily closed to allow me some maternity leave from 2 December 2011. We plan to re-open our doors again in the summer of 2012.  Wish me luck, I am a tiny bit terrified!

We are thrilled that this wedding is featured in the current issue of Perfect Wedding  magazine. 

This is the wedding of an infectiously fun American/Persian couple based in Kuwait who decided to marry in the UK.

Not in London though; the bride had her heart set from a very early age on a classic (but with a twist) English country wedding and so to work we went. 

It had to be Oxfordshire and had to be a beautiful ivy-clad mansion house and well we just had to have a marquee.

Of course it wouldn’t have been an English wedding without rain which did mean that the outdoor ceremony (largely Persian in style, tradition and décor)  moved inside to the stunning Baronial Hall.

But it didn’t matter a jot as guests were able to enjoy some time outside enjoying drinks before heading into the most eye-poppingly colourful marquee design. 

Orange and lime green is not a colour palette that we immediately threw together but it worked beautifully from the pom pom lanterns to the matchbox favours and the bright sunny gerbera floral designs, to the carefully styled placement card table, not mentioning the tongue-in-cheek reference to Aladdin’s magic carpet in the design of the wedding cake.

Kay and Nima, we salute your boldness and we miss you!

Key Credits:

Flowers: Euphoric Flowers

Wedding cake: Zoe Clark Cakes

Photography: Pippa Mackenzie Photography

Marquee: Wings

Stationery: Dottie Creations

Venue: Weston Manor

Wedding Venues & Services magazine -   Oct/Nov/Dec 2011 issue – Real Wedding of Kelly and Jason

Perfect Wedding

We have worked closely with the team this year on a number of Wedding SOS and Hot Topic features. Below are two of our recent contributions:

For inspiration for your own wedding you might like to take a peek at our press pages and gallery which are full of images of recent weddings we have organised.

Happy planning!

Cutemaps - I came across these at a recent wedding of some of my clients – one of the bridesmaids had decided to use this lovely company to arrange some bespoke maps that were given out to guests as they left the church. Although we had transport arranged, it was a hop, skip and a jump to the reception venue and the maps were ideal for those guests who preferred to walk. Postcard size, the maps show all the relevant landmarks in getting from A to B in a really cute but clear way. I’m sold!

 And more of the written word, at last weekend’s Luxury Wedding Show London I came across a great supplier of every conceivable type of wooden lettering and numerals. I know we’ve all seen lots of wooden blocks in many a store over recent years but when you’re looking at events for large numbers of people and with a certain style and colour theme, sometimes those stores don’t produce what you need in the way that you want it. I’m confident that Posh Graffiti by Emily Readett-Bayley could be just the ticket for bespoke orders!

Happy planning!

Dear Blog, I know I’ve been very naughty and abandoned you for quite a few months now but well, there are just three words – wedding season madness!  OK, grovel over.

There is lots going on which I hope to share with you this autumn. First up I just had to post about the exciting pre-wedding photo shoot for our wedding coming up this weekend.

Captured by the super-creative and endlessly fun Pippa and Ian at  Pippa Mackenzie, they seem to have got right into the swing of things with a really joyous and quirky photo shoot to the theme of the film ‘Roman Holiday’. Inspired by their engagement in Rome plus Bella’s love of Renaissance art and Italian style in general, the wedding this weekend will contain more than a dash of Italy. More on that soon but for now enjoy some images from their special day in Brighton:

 We look forward to featuring the wedding itself on the blog soon!

Yet there are so many traditions and expectations that come with being involved in a wedding, especially for the chosen ones….the Bridal Party! Surrounded by your nearest and dearest, your wedding day should go without a hitch; however ensuring that each member of the party knows in advance what their key duties are is a must. The following hints & tips will help you, and your Dream Team, create a stress-free and simply gorgeous wedding day.

Best Man

Just like Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Fred & Barney and The Lone Ranger & Tonto, your Groom’s  ‘sidekick’ plays a very important role on your wedding day, as the Best Man, his main responsibilities are:

 Pre-wedding

*To help the groom choose the ushers and ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities, attend fittings of suits and are available to attend the rehearsal (if required).

*Together with the groom, decide on the outfits for both themselves, and the ushers (if the outfits are hired the cost is traditionally the responsibility of the groom).

*Prepare the Best Man’s speech. The Staggered website will be able to help them with this…and the Stag Night!

*Arrange the stag night or stag weekend if the groom is having one. It is probably wise to arrange this to happen at least a few days before the wedding to give everyone a chance to recover!

*Attend the wedding rehearsals and check car-parking facilities at the wedding venue and reception venue. If there are elderly or disabled guests pay particular attention to access for them.

The Ceremony

*Ensure that they have the ring(s) and the money for the church fees and any other fees that may arise on the wedding day. If the bride and groom are having a civil wedding the fees will have probably been paid beforehand in advance.

*Upon arriving at the ceremony venue, take control of the buttonholes if necessary and ensure the orders of service sheets have been brought to the venue for handing out to the guests as they arrive.

*At the required moment, when prompted, hand over the ring(s).

*Join the recession down the aisle. Follow in line after the bride and groom, the bride’s father and groom’s mother and the groom’s father and the bride’s mother.

At the reception

*Help the photographer to arrange any formal snaps if necessary.

*Announce the speeches and cake cutting if there is no master of ceremonies.

*Give a speech at the wedding reception.

Bridesmaids

A girls’ best friend, the bridesmaid has the fabulous duty of wearing a beautiful dress and supporting you on your walk down the aisle; sounds wonderful! Apart from this rather lovely task, there are others that should be addressed by your Bridesmaids:

 *Plan and organise the hen night – tiaras and L plates aren’t obligatory!

*Attend all dress fittings and support the Bride in choosing the dresses, shoes and accessories for the Bridesmaids.  

*Attend the wedding rehearsal and make sure they know where they need to be and what they need to be doing at all times.

*Walk down the aisle as part of the procession then standing alongside the other attendants before being seated during the wedding ceremony itself.

*Follow the Bride & Groom out of the ceremony venue as part of the exit procession, either two-abreast or being escorted by an Usher.

 Ushers

Alongside the Best Man, a dedicated team of Ushers are worth their weight in gold. Ensuring that all of the guests are seated, with Order of Service in hand, is just one of the important duties they fulfil:

*Arrive at the wedding ceremony venue before any guests or other members of the bridal party to help to co-ordinate things from the front.

*Stand at either the entrance to the venue (essential for at least one Usher) or mid-way up the aisle prior to the start of the ceremony.

*Hand out the important stuff (orders of Service, directions to the reception venue etc) and inform guests of any essential things they need to know. This could include the fact that the throwing of confetti is not allowed, photography during the service is forbidden, mobile phones should be turned to silent etc.

*Take charge of seating the guests at the ceremony; the guests can either be pointed in the right direction or shown to their seats. The most crucial thing to remember is, when looking from back to front, to seat the Groom’s friends and family on the right and the Bride’s on the left.

*Familiarise yourself with who the VIP guests are (grandparents, brothers, sisters, close relatives and friends of the Bride and Groom may all be part of this clique) and it is critical that they get star treatment and the best seats in the house.

*Be clued up with all things practical – where guests can park, directions, exits and entrance, where the toilets are etc. – this last one may be of particular interest to the Groom before the ceremony begins!

Happy Planning!

Credits: Photographs

PR Wedding Photography

Lloyd Dobbie Wedding Photography

It’s a Classic The traditional table plan, usually placed at the entrance of the Dining Room or Marquee, will detail the guest’s table location and number. These can be home-made (a trip to HobbyCraft will have you stocked and ready to get creative in no time), from a kit (Confetti have a fantastic range) via the internet (TablePlans offer a great selection and range of themes) or designed and produced by a Wedding Stationers….the possibilities are endless!

All your birds in a row Using a bird cage as the centre of your table plan has been popular for the past few years, particularly at English Country Garden themed weddings where they tie in very nicely with the marquee, bunting and blowsy blooms. For the talented DIY-ers out there, a quick search on eBay should source you a beautiful birdcage that you then simply dress with flowers (real or artificial) and attach a card for each table detailing the names of the guests – et voila, hand-crafted and cost-effective.

Hanging Tree A small amount of creativity for a big result! Hanging Trees simply require a beautiful container (for example a large glass square vase for a contemporary wedding or a large metal water jug for a country garden wedding) and the prettiest branches you can find – these can either be from your garden or purchased from a local garden centre. You then attach cards to the branches detailing the guests and which table they are seated at.  The branches can also be ‘dressed’ to match the theme of your big day – miniature bunting, pearls, ribbons, etc…

Rustic Charm to give your wedding a rustic ‘outdoor’ feel; you could consider a variation on the more traditional Escort Card. Small squares of chalk board can be personalised with each guests name and placed on a picnic table outside of your Dining Room or Marquee. Team them with gingham napkins, brushed metal votive holders and native flowers for a relaxed, rural Californian type feel!

A few top tips for table planning:

* With divorced / remarried parents, the top table seating arrangement can cause headaches. Consider not have a traditional top table and instead each set of parents / step parents can host their own tables – filled with their close friends, they will feel comfortable and in their element.

* To save disagreements whilst deciding who to sit where – colour-code your guests (family, close friend, work colleague) on sticky notes which you can move around the paper ‘tables’ until you are happy that each table has the right mix of people.

* However tempting it is, try not to sit two single friends next to each other – they will see through your match making motives in an instant!

Happy Planning!

Credits: Photos

PR Wedding Photography

Butler Madden

Etsy – Bragging Bags

Being a savvy spender in one area can usually mean that you can splurge another; however have you considered renting key wedding items? It really could allow you to have your cake and eat it!

Let’s start with a girl’s best friends…Bridesmaids…as they come in many beautiful shapes and sizes, the trend for bridesmaids choosing their own dresses, tied into your theme by either colour or style, is set to continue in 2011. This is where Girl Meets Dress comes into play; having recently added a stunning Wedding Boutique to their collection, you and your bridesmaids can benefit from a wide range of dresses from 3.1 Phillip Lim to Alberta Ferretti from £49.00 for 2 days – not an unflattering puff sleeved number in sight!

Now let’s consider your other best friends…Diamonds… Sophie and the team at Rent Your Rocks have nearly 150 pieces of jewellery for you to choose from, with rental prices starting at a very purse pleasing £50.00 per week. Choosing to rent your wedding jewellery could enable you to drape yourself in diamonds, pearls or sapphires that would usually break the budget – how divine!

Have you been weighing up the possibility of purchasing Louboutins for your big day? This is often a dilemma; will the colour and style be wearable after the big day? Consider contacting the ladies at Cinderella Me for the fairy princess treatment, without the price tag! A gorgeous pair of Louboutin Prive Riga or Jimmy Choo Brent heels could be yours for as little as £49.00 for a week, perfect for you to strut down the aisle in style.

Should you be planning a retro wedding, another area of your wedding that can benefit from rental is your crockery and decoration. Two favourites in my little black book are Idyllic Days and Simply Love Vintage, both boast a huge selection of teacups, plates, cake stands, vintage table cloths, hurricane lamps and much more! Kim and Carrie have both taken time and care traipsing around car boot sales, eBay and charity shops to build up their fabulous collections so that you don’t have to. This rental option is not only cost effective; it is very ‘green’ which will leave you with a warm glow too!

Happy Planning!

This event, spearheaded by my alter-ego as Director of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners was ambitious in its aims, to genuinely inspire and offer advice to brides in a wedding event with a difference. No hard sell, just pretty things, lovingly presented and teamed with practical information on how to really pull together your wedding day from those who do it everyday, we wedding planners. Some asked ‘how is that going to work – 20+ wedding planners all working on one event on one day?’. But it did work and it worked superbly.

To talk you through the event:

I spent much time in our registration area welcoming our visitors and talking them through what was on offer at The Wedding Sanctuary at Somerset House.  (this isn’t me at the desk, but another planner colleague)

 Check out our ‘plan’ of the event which I worked very hard on with designer Melanie of  Cranberry Blue Weddings who offers a bespoke table plan service.

Guests strolled into our inspiration zone.  Six tables including the photographed sweet treats station were individually and carefully designed to very unique styles and with much attention to detail by fellow wedding planners of UKAWP. Here are just a few images:  

  Next up was the fashion boudoir, beautifully styled with props from Vintage Style Hire

 I was particularly proud of our ‘advice zones’ which I worked hard on designing and planning. Our visitors loved having the opportunity to sit down and actually engage properly with our hand-picked collection of wedding suppliers.

 And finally our ‘talks zone’  not only looked but played the part, with three highly practical and useful talks on key areas of planning from members of the  UK Alliance of Wedding Planners

 For more images and further write- ups on the event you might like to take a look here

 A special thanks to Always Andri  and Isabel Smith Weddings for working tirelessly with me on this event.

Credits:

Photography: Julia Boggio Photography

Flowers: Amanda Austin Flowers

Stationery: Cutture  and With Love

Lighting and production: Wise Productions

Advice zone furniture: Velvet Living

Catering: Table Talk

Table top items: Well Dressed Tables and Just 4 Linen

Cake and candy station: Zoe Clark Cakes

There are many different ways to make your guests feel like they are a true part of your day and not just spectators:

Get in the game If you are planning a summer wedding and hope to make the most of the outdoor space at your venue, there are many different game options for you to choose from; chess, croquet, giant Jenga, or for a French feel, how about open lawn boules – c’est fantastique!

Break the ice For when the guests are seated for the Wedding Breakfast, break the ice by using the back of each place card to jot down a funny fact about the person sitting to their left, it is guaranteed to be a conversation-starter and is a relaxed and amusing way to get the table talking.

Up you get Getting guests up off of their chairs and onto the dance floor is a sure fire way to make them feel part of the celebration. If you feel your guests will need coaxing onto the dance floor, consider a group activity such as a barn dance with the Pass the Buck Band who comes complete with a ‘caller’ to walk you through each dance before the music starts and call out the moves once the band starts. Once your guests are up and enjoying themselves, you will struggle to get them off of the dance floor at the end of the night!

All smiles Throughout your wedding day you will have 100s of professional photographs taken, however a fun way to capture the essence of the evening celebrations is installing a photo booth, complete with props (think feather boas, fake moustaches and oversized reading glasses) for your guests to head into and strike a pose. Say Fromage and The Photo Emporium both offer wedding packages and the photos are a great memento for your guests to keep, but can also be placed in your guest book with a witty message of marital advice for you and your new husband to laugh over in the months to come.

Happy Planning!

Credits:

Photos

Helen Maybanks Photography

Annie Armitage Photography