Marc Bates

 

Your wedding planner is the person who brings your wedding vision to life, they are the ones who create your day. In this latest edition of the Expert Opinion blog series, I sat down and spoke with three of my favourite wedding planners. Each of them shared with me some of their top tips for wedding planning.

These women are all brilliantly talented artists who create the most stunning and awe inspiring events. On a personal note they are all the most kind, wonderful individuals. I feel very honoured to know them and to be able to call them my friends and work colleagues.

In the last edition of the EO blog series I said this:

 

 

If this is true, if we are the orchestra, then allow me to introduce you to the conductors…

 

 

ABIGAIL LUCY – Founder
Abigail Lucy Events
www.abigail-lucy.com

 

Break the planning process down.

Write a ‘To Do List’ and then break it down into bite sized chunks. Give yourself three tasks per week. Remember, wedding planning is a full-time job for most people, and it can easily become overwhelming. Be kind to yourself.

Carve out time.

When you get engaged it is all very exciting and very quickly you can get carried away with wanting to do ‘everything’ right away. They are all big decisions, and they should not be rushed. Do not succumb to external pressures, your timeline is the right timeline.
Take time to enjoy the journey.

Book several venue visits and write a ‘must have’ list and also a list of questions before you visit each one. This will ensure that you make the most out of your visit and leave with all information you need. Research which dress stores stock your favourite designers, try on several, enjoy the process. Do a mini photoshoot in store with your family and friends, take videos, drink champagne, SAVOUR THE MOMENT.

Take the time to meet the suppliers you want to work with. Their work might be right up your street but it’s just as important that your energies match and you gel. You will be working with these people for 12 months, so it is important that you feel comfortable around them.

Track your budget. Manage your timings.

You can download free budget trackers online or even create your own using excel. Start by writing a list of the core components that make up a wedding, and then colour code them based on priority. Work with the priority elements first, and the bonus ‘nice to have’ elements. Second to be sure that you do not run over budget half way through.

Make sure you sit down and take the time to put together a good running order (timings of the day) If you have children attending, when will they usually eat? Weddings are long days and you want everyone to be happy.

Consider the lighting for your portraits (sunsets times), consider the first dance – don’t make it too late that guests have dropped off and you don’t have all those you wanted there to see your magic moment. Getting the timing’s of your day right can be tricky, there is a lot to consider, a lot of moving parts that need to work together in order for the day to flow flawlessly – so do not rush this process. Take your time and work with your suppliers to seek advise from them.

 

 

 

 

Ella Hartig – Founder
Ella Hartig events
www.ellahartig.com

 

 

Budget Clarity

This is essential, make sure you know what budget you have to plan your wedding before you start. If that means reaching out to family to see if they’ll be contributing, then have those conversations early on. I appreciate they can be a little awkward, but it is better to know exactly what figures you are working with before you start the planning.

If family are contributing, then be clear on what that entails, are the funds a no strings attached gift or do they expect to have some involvement in the planning, or the guestlist selection in exchange for the funds; if so do you want that or would you prefer to plan a smaller wedding that you finance yourselves but that you have complete control of. Once you have your budget remember that it will need to cover everything from the venue to catering, florals, entertainment, hair and make up, cake, styling, confetti and so much more so know your priorities when splitting out your budget and keep on top of tracking it (or even better book a planner to help you with this!).

Capture the Moments

The day will fly by and after it’s all done you’ll want something that helps you to relive the special moments over and over. Photos are beautiful and of course essential, but one supplier people often overlook is the videographer. The added element of seeing all your guests moving, laughing, dancing, it really does add another dimension. A good photographer and a good videographer are must have wedding suppliers. The best ones will blend seamlessly into your day then deliver incredible highlights of your Wedding for you to treasure forever.

Savour the Special Moments

Your wedding is a unique opportunity to gather everyone you love most in the world together to celebrate you and your partners love for each other, savour the day; the opportunity to have everyone you value most all together in one space is rare. If you can, then make a weekend of it, it will give you more time to spend with you guests, more time for your guests to all get to know each other too, and more time to create magical moments to treasure for a lifetime! We find a Friday early evening welcome reception, followed by the Saturday Wedding Day, then a Sunday morning farewell brunch normally goes down a treat!

One final point…Remember it’s Your Day!

Personalise the day to you, it’s easy to get carried away with all the beautiful wedding inspiration available online and all your friends and family’s opinions but remember what’s important to you and your partner and prioritise those elements. If there are ways for you to make the day unique to you and your love story then do it.

 

 

Melanie Helen
Founder – Cranberry Blue Events
www.cranberryblue.co.uk

 

What’s important to you?

To begin with it’s vital to think about what’s most important to you as a couple – right at the start of the planning process, we always ask our clients what their top 3 priorities are so we know to focus on these and allocate a good proportion of the budget accordingly. It’s easy to get carried away in the excitement so this helps to focus the mind.

Make a statement

Whatever style and look you go for, rather than trying to decorate the entire event space it’s important to have a few statement pieces at the venue as these are what will create that wow factor whatever your budget.  So for example you may have an incredible floral archway at the entrance or a floor standing escort card tree to hang your table plan from.  These are what capture’s people’s attention as opposed to fiddly little arrangements on the mantelpiece for example.

Are you getting married outside?

For an open air ceremony, something people often forget is making sure everyone can hear what’s being said as it’s surprising how hard it can be for sound to travel.  You can hire the necessary PA systems and microphones inexpensively but it’s certainly worth it so your guests are fully involved in the most important part of the day.