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

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

The Fennes Estate

On Sunday I attended The Fennes Estate open day. On my last post I gave you a quick overview of the venue, but what is hard to picture is attached to this gorgeous house are two fabulous pavillions. One has a nighclub area, brilliant if you are having a DJ in the evening. The bar is in the same room, which is always better and this is attached to the main house and where you would also hold your civil ceremony of you choose to have one.
 The second pavillion can seat up to 360 people for your wedding breakfast, or can be used for the evening reception if you are having a live band.  If you are looking for an exclusive venue, which is your home for the day then take a look around The Fennes. They also have great deals if you are happy to get married mid week and the staff are great.

My colleague Ian and I

The larger pavillion

The smaller of the two pavillions

The walkway from the main house

The Library