Monday 27 February 2012

WPE 12

Later this week I will be attending the UKAWP wedding planning excellence seminar. Over two days trading wedding planners get together to brush up on the many skills required to make an excellent wedding planner.
The UKAWP was founded with one purpose to promote professionalism in wedding planning. Lets face it there are no qualifications to becoming a wedding planner and anyone can do it if they want. As the industry is not regulated when you are looking to hire a wedding planner to help you be careful where you look.
The best way is by recommendation, the next best way is to look to see if they were trained or are members of the UKAWP. These are professional planners who are abide by a strict code of practice:

CODE OF BUSINESS PRACTICE
I agree to:
Respond to enquiries within 48 hours
Respect client confidentiality
Disclose any suppliers I have a vested interest in
Pass discounts and/or commission onto clients
Ensure my Public Liability insurance is up to date
Never give client details to any third party not involved with the wedding
Respect copyright from fellow wedding professionals
Represent each client fairly and honestly
Use legally sound business contracts with clients
 

You can rest assured, that by hiring a wedding planner is Essex or anywhere else for that matter if they have the UKAWP logo then you are hiring a professional who takes their work and your wedding seriously.
I am very much looking forward to catching up with my fellow planners and learning a few new things

www.ukawp.com

Monday 20 February 2012

Heart FM Wedding Show - Part 2

On the Sunday at the Brentwood Centre, Essex wedding band, One Foot in the Groove provided the live music in the marquee. Throughout the day they played some party songs to get all the couples in the mood. This very versatile Essex wedding band were also able to play some lovely background jazz and swing, perfect for a drinks reception or wedding breakfast.
In the main arena you could find everything from cakes to gorgeous dresses,  photo booths to flowers. It really was wedding world.





I must say a big thank you to John at Vicarge Marquees, Richard at Fuud Ltd and Paul from MD Entertainments for allowing myself and the band to perform in the marquee over a very busy weekend.
www.fuudoutsidecaterers.co.uk
www.vicaragemarquees.co.uk
www.mdentertainments.co.uk

Saturday 18 February 2012

Heart FM Wedding Show - Part 1

 www.unforgettable-musicduo.co.uk
www.groovemusicmanagement.co.uk 







 


This weekend sees one of the biggest wedding fayres in the South East. A massive show with some of the top suppliers across Essex. A great place to go to to meet suppliers and get ideas for your big day. Here are a few pictures from one of the marquees, supplied by the fabulous Vicarage Marquees. catering from Fuud Ltd and entertainment from Unforgettable, saxophone/vocal duo from Groove Music Management.

Thursday 16 February 2012

Wedding Fayres - good or bad?

Its the time of the year when every weekend you can go to a wedding fayre or open day. Are these really worth your time? Absolutley yes if you choose carefully. This weekend the biggest wedding show in Essex takes place at The Brentwood Centre. Its the annual Heart Fm show, now in its 25th year!
Its a big show with everything you could possibly need for your wedding and more. The suppliers that are exhibiting have had to make a substantial investment in themselves and their business to get the exposure. These are serious suppliers, I know quite a few of them personally and can vouch for their work.
Open days are also great, as often the venue will have hand picked some suppliers to come along and exhibit. These will be people they have worked with before and whose work they know. Be more wary of smaller wedding shows, it seems every events company is organising them these days and some of them aren't organised particularly well. I know as I've wasted hard earned money advertising at them.
Do your research into who's organising and the calibre of suppliers that will be there. That way you don't waste every weekend trawling around wedding fayres.
If you're free on Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th of February come along to the Brentwood Centre. This is one fayre you shouldn't miss. Come and say hello, I'll be in the marquee area and will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have when it comes to planning your big day.

Monday 6 February 2012

Snow. What impact can the weather have on your wedding?

On Saturday, I had my music hat on as the Essex wedding band that I manage, One Foot in the Groove headed up to Milton Hill House in Abingdon, Oxfordshire for the wedding of Colin and Emma. We knew that snow was on the way, but obviously that wasn't going to stop us making the gig, and everyone did, and on time. The journey home wasn't great but we all made it back safely, thank goodness.

What happens if it snows on your wedding day? Whilst its very romantic, it can cause problems. If you are planning a winter wedding book local suppliers. For example don't book a photographer that lives 80 miles away. In the run up to the day when you know that snow is expected, make sure all of your guests have one contact number of a reliable guest, so that they can keep in touch should the weather hold them up. Ask your church or registra if they have any weddings scheduled after you, that way if things run a little late it won't be a problem, they will be able to wait for any late arrivals before the ceremony starts.

If it does snow prior to the big day, just double check with suppliers that everything is OK. If you've booked professionals they will be well prepared for bad weather. Its worth having a back up music source, should your band or DJ have a problem getting to you. Get an ipod with plenty of music, make sure it also has your first dance. The problem with DJ's/bands, is that they will often be arriving later in the day when the weather may have deteriated and the band could be arriving in a number of vehicles. I know of a band who couldn't get to a wedding because the snow was so bad. The couple had no music at all on their wedding day.

You can't of course cancel your wedding if the weather takes a turn for the worse but when planning a winter wedding there are a few things you can do to make it less stressful.  I always say to brides you can make the perfect wedding plans, but you can't plan what the weather might do. Just be prepared for it.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Hedingham Castle, Essex

Today I went to meet one of my couples at their venue, Hedingham Castle. As a musician I have played in the marquee before but I never got the chance to see the famous keep, where the civil ceremony will take place. I got totally lost absorbing all of the history of the place that I completely forgot to take any pictures!! (note to self, on the wedding day take pictures) If you have always thought about marrying in a castle then this could be for you.

Taken from the website: Hedingham Castle's Norman keep, 110 feet high, was built c.1140 by Aubrey de Vere and is still owned by one of his descendants, Jason Lindsay and his wife Demetra. There are four floors to explore, including a magnificent banquting hall spanned by a remarkable 28 foot arch, one of the largest Norman arches in England. A good view of this splendid room can be obtained from the Minstrels' Gallery, built within the thickness of the 12 foot walls. Castle weddings in medieval surroundings. For those wishing to get married in a Castle, it is now possible to have a romantic candlelit Civil Ceremony in the Banqueting Hall.

Small receptions can be held in the elegant rooms of the Georgian house which is a beautiful location for Wedding Receptions and is also perfect for delightful, intimate winter weddings. For larger parties or those requiring dancing, there is a marquee on the private Tulip Lawn. Drinks can be served on the terrace which has beautiful views over the lake.

Do have a look at the website, but if you want to be a princess for the day then this is it.

www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk