|
TIPS
SUPPLIED BY BEHIND THE VEIL - www.behindtheveil.co.uk
Services
More
and more couples are engaging the services of a professional to plan their
wedding. This is for a variety of reasons: they are too busy and don’t
have the time, they find it a daunting task and don’t know where to
start, they are arranging a long distance wedding or face a tight
time-scale and need things organised quickly and efficiently.
It
is my job to remove the stress, ease the pressure and handle any last
minute panic to enable the couple to enjoy planning their wedding as much
as the day itself. I pride myself on taking a very proactive role and will
go beyond my duties to ensure that everything runs smoothly. I put
together a tourist information pack for couples who do not live in
Scotland
. I have also made extra trips to the airport to collect guests and take
them to their hotel to provide a personal service.
A
wedding planner needs to have a variety of skills: they must be able to
get on with people, quickly solve problems, have creative and affordable
ideas and keep track of costs and expenditure. I also like to keep
on top of the latest trends from chair covers to colour themes.
Every
couple is different and every wedding unique, but the bond that forms
between the couple and their wedding planner, in my experience, remains
constant as you work together to plan the big things down to the finer
details. The initial conversation is the time I work out what part of my
service the couple need. Sometimes I am hired to assist with special
aspects of the wedding, for example, finding a venue, or for on the day
co-ordination where couples have organised all the suppliers and venue and
want someone there to oversee the running of the day, through to a full
planning service. Whatever part of the package the couple choose, having a
wedding planner can certainly save you time, stress and often money, as
well as having the peace of mind that you have with a professional there
to offer guidance and manage the big day.
Going
that extra mile!
Although
I can say all my weddings have gone well there have been a couple of
unforeseen situations where I have had to think on my feet.
An
unexpected guest whom the bride and groom thought were not coming did turn
up and didn’t have a place name card for the table and the couple were
looking to me to sort it out as they didn’t want the guest to realise.
Unfortunately they had given me just 15 minutes notice as the guests were
getting ready to come in to eat! The hotel were able to lay an extra place
and I had fortunately been involved in making the orders of service and
place cards so I had brought the supplies with me just in case and I
always carry scissors and glue so an extra card was made.
I
was working on a wedding where it poured with rain the entire day and I
ended up getting soaked twice. Once to make sure the guests got onto the
coaches and into cabs without getting too wet themselves and again when I
got to the reception venue as the coach had got stuck in the driveway due
to other parked cars and couldn’t turn round to get out. The bride was
only 10 minutes away, and I didn’t have time to find my umbrella – but
I did manage to get some staff and myself organised to get the coach moved
in time so that the bride could sweep in unhindered for her big entrance.
Mistakes
As
a wedding planner I have been involved in many weddings and as a result
you become very good at spotting where a problem could arise and being
able to be proactive to avoid it. I always carry an ‘emergency kit’
which has come to resemble Mary Poppins’ carpet bag as it is full of
just-in-case items. These range from practical things like tissues,
hairspray, grips, confetti, scissors and blu-tack through to the unusual -
insect repellent, sun cream, pop socks, needle and thread. The advantage
of having a planner there on the day is that they can go off and sort out
the problem without the couple being worried about it and in many cases I
have dealt with something and they have never known!
The
vital thing that brides must do is keep an organised file divided into the
different suppliers. Keep magazine cut-outs, colour swatches and business
cards for people you meet. Once you have narrowed it down to a florist,
photographer etc. make a separate list of all their contact details, write
down what you have discussed at meetings, what the cost is going to be,
how much deposit you have paid and when the balance is due.
When
choosing suppliers make sure you ask them for recommendations from other
couples so you know they are reliable. Check if they have included VAT in
their quotes sometimes they don’t. If it has been assumed that you know,
it can come as a nasty surprise when you get the invoice.
ALWAYS
make sure you get full contact details for your chosen suppliers and that
they have yours or the venue’s. Make a list and take it with you to the
wedding in case there is a problem. Make sure you contact everyone two
weeks before the wedding to double-check the booking and arrangements.
Make
sure you keep an eye on your budget and you are not overspending on the
extra frills. Think to yourself, ‘do I really need this?’ If so can
you find it cheaper somewhere else or can you make it yourself? It is more
important to enjoy your day and have the people you care about around you
to celebrate rather than spending £30 on table confetti. It is really
difficult to keep a reign on spending as it can be easy to think with
emotion rather than practicalities, but you have to or you will start
married life in debt.
If
you have a theme to the wedding try not to let it take over. Clever
touches to pull everything together have far more impact – less is more!
The
week of the wedding try and think of every eventuality and make sure you
have a back up plan, for example if you are using a CD for ceremony music
make two copies in case one doesn’t work. If you are marrying in a
remote Scottish castle and are using a portable stereo make sure you take
plenty of extra batteries in case you cannot plug it in or there is an
unforeseen problem with the electrics.
Conclusion
Few
people have had to organise an event as big as a wedding until it’s
their turn. Even the smallest wedding needs planning and organisation. I
have drawn on my own experience and expertise in arranging weddings and I
hope brides find it useful.
|
