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!

Top Tip - Bride to be at a wedding fayre

The wedding fayre season is now in full swing with at least four or five being held in each area every week. If you are currently planning your wedding in Essex or London and you are going off to wedding fayres then a supplier gave me a great tip. Get some labels printed with your name and contact details on in advance. You can do these on the computer or order some on line, they are fairly inexpensive, so that when you chat with suppliers and you need to give them your details you don't have to keep either writing them down all the time or forever repeating yourself. Just give them a sticker!

Top Tip - Recommended Suppliers

Today's top tip is about recommended suppliers. When you have decided on your venue more often than not they will give you a brochure or leaflet with all of their recommended suppliers on. Just be warned that some of these suppliers may have paid to be on that list or in that brochure and the venue might not really know their work at all.
If you are using the venue's coordinator and not hiring an Essex wedding planner, then ask them about the one's that you are interested in. Find out about how they work, the quality and if they are professional and nice to workwith.  If you are hiring a wedding planner in London then that's a job that they can do for you. Making sure their work really is recommended by the venue.

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.

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