Blog

What Does Full Wedding Planning Include?

Jan 11 2020

Asian Wedding North Mymms Park Hertfordshire Sheena Yath 2

Couples often ask me “What does full wedding planning include?”. So I thought it might be useful for me to run through the four phase process that I use for planning my couples weddings when they book my full wedding planning service. In these examples I'm going to base it on a one-year planning process, obviously this can be extended or condensed depending on the time you have available or to work around other projects in your life such as holidays or busy periods at work. PHASE 1 - THE FOUNDATIONS & VIP SUPPLIERS Phase one is to produce the foundation documents and structures to ensure the wedding planning goes smoothly. It may seem rather unromantic but the 3 foundation documents are your budget, the schedule planner and the design board. Before we book any suppliers it's key to create a realistic budget and break it down, allocating it according to your priorities. The schedule planner is my...

Real Wedding: Black Tie Wedding at Dartmouth House, London

Nov 11 2019

Dartmouth House London Wedding Black Tie

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!...

5 of The Most Beautiful Country House Wedding Venues In Hampshire

Oct 02 2019

Heckfield Place Hampshire Country House Wedding Venue

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...

Conservatory & Orangery Wedding Venues in London

Aug 30 2019

Syon Park Conservatory Wedding London

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...

Real Wedding: Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire

Jul 28 2019

Hedsor House Wedding Planner Buckinghamshire First Look

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!...

Real Wedding: An Asian Wedding at North Mymms Park, Hertfordshire

Jun 20 2019

Asian Wedding North Mymms Park Hertfordshire Sheena and Yarh

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!...

Real Wedding: Black Tie Wedding in Surrey

May 28 2019

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!...

How To Organise A Black-Tie Party or Event

Apr 27 2019

London Event Planner Grosvenor House Hotel

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...

Tips for planning your garden wedding

Jan 30 2019

Garden Wedding Marquee

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...

How do wedding planners charge?

Sep 18 2018

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...