Styling your Hertfordshire wedding

I love looking at all of the pretty things that you can hire and buy that will give your wedding both the wow factor and also it's identity. I am of the firm belief that your wedding should reflect you as a couple. I have been looking at rustic styling ideas and a client of mine who is having her wedding in Buckinghamshire. Looking for lovely things is a real perk of the job

rustic wedding hire

Bella eventi

wedding concept ideas

Heather and Wood

Rustic wedding hire

I have tried to credit all photos used. If I have missed your, please let me know

Essex wedding photographer - Bassett Photography

Over the coming weeks I have decided to feature some of the wonderful wedding suppliers in Essex. This is my home county, by adoption, and I love it. Having worked with my wedding band in Essex, One Foot in the Groove over the last ten years I have come across and worked with some fabulous local suppliers.
All of these people are experts in their field and they run their own small business to provide the lovely brides in Essex the best possible service on their wedding day.
We start this week with wedding photographer in Essex, Bassett Photography run by David Bland. I asked David to write me a bit about his business and what he gives his clients. Here's what he said

"Around 20 times each year, I spend most of my day in the company of a couple on the most treasured day of their life.  I enjoy capturing images that document the story of this day, and preserve the memories of love that surround them.

 I then create a unique bespoke picture book that recalls the details of the couple's special day and tells the story of the celebration with family and friends, from the bridal preparations through to the first dance as husband and wife.

This book will become part of their family, and an heirloom to be shared and enjoyed many times over the years. It will become a precious record of happy times with which to reminisce. Future children born into the family will look at this book to see an image of a relation who was at this important day, the special dress that Mummy wore and how happy Daddy was to have such a beautiful bride. 

I am David Bland and I am an experienced Wedding Photographer who enjoys telling stories through beautiful images.  If you would like me to capture your special day and tell your story with our bespoke albums, I can be contacted through my website www.bassettphoto.com. "

Bassett Photography

Essex wedding photographer

Bassett Photography

Bassett Photography

Bassett Photography Essex

wedding photographer Essex

wedding photographer Essex

Bassett Photography

Bassett Photography

wedding photographer Essex

Bassett Photography

Wedding photgrapher Essex

Company Rebrand

I'm very excited as EC Wedding Design is having a complete rebrand to reflect the style of both the weddings I plan and the clients I work with. I have also decided to work under my own name, Louise Perry as I feel that with over ten years experience working in the wedding industry my name gave my couples total confidence in what I do. Afterall when you hire me to plan any aspect of your wedding, you are hiring me.

Top Tip - An easy way to save a lot of money.

You want the wedding of your dreams but the budget is tight. Fear not, get a wedding planner in Essex to help you put together a realistic budget and to advise you on where you can save money.

A good way to cut out a cost is don't have an evening buffet, what no food for the evening guests? Not exactly,  sit down later to the wedding breakfast and then you won't have to provide any further food. I'm not be mean, just read on.

I think having the meal in the evening is lovely especially when the days are slightly shorter than they are now. By aiming to sit down at say 6pm you will roughly finish the formalities by 8.30pm with dancing starting at 9pm, so there is no need to provide an evening buffet, which is often not eaten anyway.

What you do have to do is be quite strict with your guest list as the likely hood is there won't be any evening guests, or if you really want to invite friends and family in the evening, invite them to join you for drinks to celebrate your marriage. If the invitation say's from 9pm for drinks its quite clear that there won't be any food.

The problem is with evening buffets at venues is they will expect you to order food for 80% of the total day guests plus up to £20 per head for any extra evening guests. This can soon add up, but thinking carefully about timings you can still have the day you dreamed of and keep to yout budget.

Happy planning

Official photos of Jo and Dave's rewal of vows and 40th birthday party

Last month I had the pleasure of planning a special celebration at Redbrick Barn in Rochford for Jo and Dave who wanted to surprise their family by renewing their wedding vows and celebrating their 40th birthday's.
The couple originally married ten years ago in Gretna Green when Jo was expecting their first child. She wanted to be married before Lily arrived and so the two of them headed to Gretna Green using two people they hadn't met before as their witnesses. Ten happy years later, and another addition to the family, Harry, they decided to have the wedding that they had always dreamed of and so I was bought in to help them bring together this very special celebration.
A big thank you to the suppliers that made the day possible, Richard and the team at Fuud Ltd, John and the boys at Vicarage Marquee's, Helen and Olly at Redbrick Barn and Garrett from Inverve photography. Here are some of the official shots.

Top Tip - Who to Invite

Over the next few weeks I'm going to post some tips to help you with your wedding planning. Just little things that can make a big difference to your day and help eleviate any unnecessary planning stress

Top Tip - who to invite

Its always difficult deciding who you both want to invite to your wedding, sit down with your partner and get him to write down all the people he would like to invite and you do the same. Match up your lists and the people that appear on both are definates. Then look at the others together, remember if you aren't paying for the wedding you may have to invite some people that might not be high on your list, but discuss this with relatives. What you do want on your wedding day is to look around the room and be surrounded by the people who you want to share your big day with.

Redbrick Barn

On Saturday I had the pleasure of organsing the 40th birthday party and renewal of vows of Dave and Jo at Redbrick Barn in Rochford. I'm delighted to say the event went off pretty much without a hitch, apart from the car collecting the bride getting lost on route to picking her up. Should we really be relying on sat nav's so much??
Anyway apart from that and she was only 5 minutes late which is very fashionable! the rest of the day/evening was great. Here is a sneak peek at some of the photos, there'll be more to come. A big thank you my wonderful suppliers, Vicarage Marquees, Fuud Ltd, Inverve and Tom Walker

A Preview of Prested Hall

In my capacity as a wedding planner in Essex, I have had the pleasure of planning a couple of fabulous weddings at the very lovely Prested Hall. Both weddings fell in the Summer and fortunately the weather was on our side with both of them.
Prested Hall is an intimate venue but not too small and it does have the advantage of a marquee within the grounds for the wedding breakfast if you have a lot of guests. The lovely thing about the venue in my opinion is that apart from it being yours for the day, it feels very much like a large house, with a lounge and library, an orangery and bar area and there are rooms upstairs for guests to stay.
The gardens and the gazebo are beautiful and if the weather is nice, make a perfect setting for the wedding ceremony and drinks reception.
I have sampled the food on several occasions and its great and the staff are also very helpful. If you want an exclusive venue for less than 120 guests then you check out Prested Hall

The gazebo ready for the ceremony

The ceremony with toastmaster - Glen Mayes

The cake

Inside the marquee

The marquee ready for the wedding breakfast

One Foot in the Groove playing for the drinks reception

The orangery and the evening reception

Hedingham Castle, Essex

Next month I am planning the music for a wedding at the fabulous Hedingham Castle. A few weeks back I went to have a planning meeting with my clients and to see the castle for the very first time. The castle is the oldest Norman Keep in England, and its here that the ceremony will take place.

The drinks reception takes place within the house or out on the terrace, weather permitting and the wedding breakfast is held in a marquee at the back of the main house. It really is a venue for a princess. My clients are having a saxophone/vocal duo for both the ceremony and the wedding breakfast. They have booked Essex duo, Unforgettable www.unforgettable-musicduo.co.uk to provide this.

Its such fun when you spend time with couples giving them ideas for the music for their big day, often they don't realise that when you book professional musicians to play, pretty much anything goes!

WPE12

Last week I attended the annual Wedding Planning Excellence seminar organised by UKAWP.  This fabulous event is organised by the only body within the UK that actively promotes professionalism in wedding planning.
Over the two days there are several guests speakers on everything from understanding marquees, to designing cocktails, plus of course information on all important business skills that relate to running your own wedding planning business.
It was great to catch up with my fellow planners, some of whom have been in business many years and run exceptionally sucessful businesses and those planners who are just starting out.

A couple of the planners learning the art of cocktail making

Planners at 51 Buckingham Gate

Ray Huchin of Cloud9

Tamsin Fox-Davies

Tamsin Fox-Davies

Cocktail making

When you are looking to hire a wedding planner in Essex, or anywhere else for that matter do have a look at www.ukawp.co.uk. You will find some invaluable advice and tips and if you do want a bit of help then there is a list of all of the members of the alliance.