I'm delighted to be able to share these images from Marina and Shane's wedding at Dartmouth House, London. With a blend of Brazilian and Irish cultures it was a fantastic celebration with dancing starting in the early afternoon. Enjoy!...
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Located in southern England in amongst the Home Counties, Hampshire is known for its rolling countryside, historic villages, and of course its famous Jane Austen collection. So it’s only natural that it boasts plenty of country house wedding venues, all of which would easily make for a beautiful backdrop for any wedding day. With so many to choose from, however, exploring all the amazing country house wedding venues in Hampshire can be a bit of an overwhelming task. So here's a list of just some of my favourites. Heckfield Place This is a venue (pictured above) that proves the best things really do come to those who wait! Heckfield's lengthy renovation has been atleast 6 years in the making, with the owner actually purchasing the estate 20 years ago. And what a mighty fine job they have done! The result is far less formal than say Cliveden House, instead having a much more...
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Glasshouse, conservatory, orangery… they’re all different names for buildings that bring the beauty of natural light and foliage to your wedding. I’ve recently been working with a plant loving couple on their venue search for their wedding in 2020 and therefore checked out the conservatory venues in London. I love an Orangery wedding so much I even chose this type of venue for my very own wedding 10 years ago. Here are some of my favourite conservatory and orangery wedding venues in London: The Barbican Conservatory The Conservatory at the Barbican, London is somewhat of a hidden gem. Full to the brim with tropical plants and exotic fish the space allows for ceremonies up to 150 guests. You can even have your wedding breakfast within the conservatory before moving through to one of their rooms (or to an alternative venue) for the evening party. Chiswick House and Gardens Another West London gem is Chiswick...
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I'm delighted to be able to share these images from Sam and Martin's July wedding at Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire. It was a fantastic blend of cultures and one of the most stunning ceremony settings the UK has to offer. Enjoy!...
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I'm delighted to be able to share these images from Sheena and Yath's June wedding at North Mymms Park, Hertfordshire. It was a 2 day celebration incorporating a Hindu ceremony on the first day and a western wedding on the second. Enjoy!...
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I'm delighted to be able to share these images from Zoe and Dan's May wedding at Wotton House in Surrey. It was a fantastic blend of flower-filled black tie wedding with an absolutely stunning indoor ceremony. Enjoy!...
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I love getting dressed up in a glamorous dress and going to a formal event, likewise I adore when my clients choose black-tie as the brief for their party or event. Although many people think it purely refers to the expected dress code it’s much more comprehensive than this. From your invitations alone, guests will instantly assume it’s going to be a more formal affair. Here are my top tips for how to organise your black-tie party or event. The Basics of Planning Be really clear about your priorities and set a budget accordingly. Considering these aspects before jumping straight into venue finding will pay dividends and ensure you’re able to stay focused on the bigger picture. Choosing Your Party Venue When choosing your venue consider how the decor and ambience will work for a black-tie event. With a generous budget transforming a venue is always a possibility, but with more limited budgets you’ll...
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Some of my couples, or their parents, are lucky enough to own properties with large gardens where they can host their weddings. Often this provides a beautiful and meaningful location, but they can be much more challenging to arrange. 26% of UK couples now hire a wedding planner, but this number sky rockets amongst those planning a marquee or dry hire venue wedding as the logisitics involved can be much more complex. If you consider the average wedding takes 250 hours to plan, imagine how many more hours will be spent arranging all the extra elements that a garden wedding involves. To help you on your way, I’ve outlined a few aspects you might want to consider when planning your wedding. Cost Don’t expect a wedding at home to be cheaper than at a venue, this just isn't true. After all, not only do you have to build a temporary venue, usually in...
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As a consumer it can be daunting enquiring with a specialist, such as a wedding planner, when you have no idea how much it might cost. In today’s blog I outline some of the key factors on how a wedding planner charges for their services. Service Levels It’s helpful to start with a brief overview of the various levels of wedding planning. Most planners, including myself, offer services ranging from “on-the-day” wedding planning (read my blog here about why this is a misleading title), through to partial and full planning. “On-the-day” tends to have a fixed fee. To calculated this we need to get a full understanding of your plans i.e. guest numbers, venues, number of suppliers, complexity of design etc. We can then estimate how much prep work will be needed in advance of your wedding and how many assistants we’ll need on the day and from there we get a price. For partial and...
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Pinterest, it’s an incredible tool for wedding planning, great inspiration and a source of dreamy fantasy images. Many of my couples will come with a Pinterest board in place, or at some point one will often materialise. For a wedding planner, or a bride, at first glance, Pinterest seems great! However, it’s just one tool in your wedding planning tool box. In today’s blog post I outline some of its pros and cons. Essentially, it all comes down to understanding the difference between replication v inspiration and using it accordingly. Use Your Pinterest board as Inspiration to Create a Wedding Personal to You Your wedding day is an amazing opportunity to have a day that reflects you and share your loves with your friends and family. This will always trump producing a cookie cutter wedding that is purely based on the latest wedding trend. Trends are great for inspiration but don’t incorporate...
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