Congratulations! You have had your proposal and full wedding planning is now upon you yay! Here is a round-up of my best-read blogs that will help you through the highs and lows of planning your wedding.
Benefits of having a wedding day coordinator manage your wedding
If you think this isn't for you then please think again, it is an invaluable service to have a wedding planner who can ensure your wedding day runs smoothly. You can avoid any issues on the day from arising by hiring a wedding planner to step in and coordinate the last 8 weeks of your wedding, talk through the timings with you, ask what help you need on the day, and review the services that will be provided by your contracted wedding suppliers. Then 4 weeks before your wedding, your planner will carry out one venue visit together with you to run through what they need to do on the wedding day, collect your supplier's contact information from you, and regularly liaise with them up to the wedding day, and also create a timeline and wedding day schedule to share with you, your suppliers and the venue. Your wedding planner can also help you with the table set up and laying out small props at the ceremony and reception venues. Your planner will be able to remain calm and organised carrying out all these tasks while you get ready and be with your loved ones.
On the day your wedding planner will be available for a minimum of 10- 12 hours, be the main point of contact for guests, continue liaising with your wedding suppliers, and provide guest and timeline management. Ideally, they will also bring 1-2 assistants to oversee the set-up and check all is in place, coordinating all the suppliers, the ceremony, reception, and if pack down is needed after the wedding that too! This is a job for a professional and not your friends and family whom you will want just relaxing and enjoying your wedding day with you.
Having a wedding planner to coordinate the last couple of months of your wedding planning and manage your wedding day helps you save time as you focus on your day-to-day life, and helps prevent any stress and worry from spoiling your final planning weeks and wedding day. As your special day gets closer panic, worry, and stress can kick in, and having help in the last couple of months and on the day will reduce the stress and overwhelm, as your wedding planner will take that worry from you allowing you to relax and enjoy your wedding. A wedding planner is experienced in dealing with last-minute issues, and unexpected changes and managing any crises that may arise. And you won't have to worry, you can be reassured that everything will run as smoothly as you planned it, so you can get on with enjoying your wedding day with your loved ones. Who doesn't want that?!
Image of two brides sitting in peacock chairs in a beautiful woodland setting surrounded by lanterns, pampas grasses, and florals with a wedding planner/stylist arranging the décor.
Image credits: Photographer www.louisegoodey.com, Venue www.browningbros.co.uk, Concept, Planner & Styling www.twobecomeoneweddingplanner.co.uk Wedding Dresses www.indiebridelondon.co.uk Cinematographer www.joshuaandrewpotter.com, Florist www.thenaturalflorist.org, Humanist Celebrant www.jamiewalkercelebrant.com, Props www.facebook.com/harrisoneventshire, & www.dollysvintageteaparty.co.uk, Bridal Headpieces rachelchaprunne.etsy.com,
Hairstylist www.clarelouisehair.wedding, Makeup Stylist www.facebook.com/glitterprizm, Pampas www.kanda-co.com, & www.thepinktoucan.com
2. Planning a boho wedding
When planning your wedding you may want to choose a style of décor that represents you as a couple and sets the tone for the day. If a boho rustic or boho luxe wedding is for you then please read on. With boho weddings, the secret is the more unconventional the better. When choosing your wedding venue think about what works with the rustic boho or boho luxe style, so typically a rustic boho wedding would be a barn, a field, or a tipi, but think outside the box and you could have your ceremony with a celebrant reading your vows in front of your loved ones, as is the trend for weddings this year, a celebrant can help you write your wedding vows which adds a personal touch. Celebrant-led wedding ceremonies can be in a beautiful church ruin, a field, a back garden, or on the beach. If the setting requires that you formalise your wedding vows in a registry office first, you can then move on to a celebrant-led wedding ceremony and reception in the setting of your choice from the examples mentioned here. However, with laws for outdoor weddings having been relaxed in 2021, there are now more venue choices for marrying outdoors.
A boho luxe wedding could be held in a manor house or orangery, think high ceilings and big windows that look out onto pristine lawns or acres of beautiful green woodland, an ornate hotel function room, or a luxury marquee. Whether you choose an outdoor or indoor wedding ceremony, you can make the setting pop with vivid colours of seasonal florals on your wedding arch, tables, and cake table, then add the dreamy romance of boho décor by decorating with pampas, macramé, vintage glassware, vintage furniture, neon signs, hay bales, fairy lights, vintage rugs, pumpkins, lanterns, stoneware, candles, dried flowers, wedding triangle backdrops or other wooden arches, you can tie loose satin draping from a tree. You can wear a flowy vintage wedding dress with a flower crown, headpiece or fedora hat. Hire a live band instead of a DJ. Boho weddings are for the free-spirited romantics who want something different, less formal and want to inject their personalities into their special day.
Image of a bride and groom standing on a vintage rug with wedding celebrant in front of a boho triangle wedding arch with beautiful florals in a lovely outdoor wedding venue by a lake.
Image Credits: Photographer www.sonderlustphoto.com, Venue www.brickwallfarm.co.uk, Concept, Planner & Styling www.twobecomeoneweddingplanner.co.uk, Video Creator www.chrisjeromejames.com, Florist www.helensheardfloraldesigns.co.uk, Florist Assistant www.uraha.florist,
Furniture & Prop Hire www.thelittleweddingwarehouse.com, Tipi & Ceremony Arch www.coasttocoasttipis.com, Wedding Dress www.poppyperspective.com, Wedding Jewellery & Hair Accessories www.sarahrobertslondon.co.uk, Cake Designer www.littlepeonycakes.com, Table Props, Vessels & Table Styling www.louloueventdesign.com, Wedding Stationery www.heartedesigns.com, Hair & Makeup Artist www.hairbymichellesmith.co.uk, Wedding Celebrant www.ceremoniesbyruth.co.uk, Tableware Hire www.baileyevents.co.uk, Horse Box Bar www.ginfinity.biz, Vintage Car www.vdubrides.co.uk
3. Wedding Venue Coordinator vs Wedding Planner
There is a real difference between the two. At your chosen venue, the person showing you around their lovely setting informs you that they can help you plan your wedding with their in-house wedding venue coordinator. But did you know that a wedding venue coordinator can only help you with anything that is connected to their wedding venue? They work for the venue and not for you, it is an important relationship to forge and they are of great value to you for your wedding day, but they only work to the limits of what the venue can provide for you and all that is associated with their venue, and this is their responsibility.
A wedding planner/coordinator who runs their own wedding planning business will be working for you the couple and will oversee all aspects of the wedding planning process with you, help with your budget, find you a great team of wedding suppliers who have worked with the style of wedding you envisage, help with venue searches if the full planning service is required. Visit the venue with you, help plan all the stages of your wedding that you have booked your planner to undertake leading up to the wedding day and be present at the wedding ceremony and reception from start to finish, who on the day will be liaising with your chosen suppliers, help style and decorate the tables and the ceremony and reception areas, coordinate and manage the wedding day by also creating a wedding day timeline and schedules to share with you and your booked suppliers, which helps ensure all is set up and delivered as planned with pack down at the end of the day if you choose that added service.
A wedding planner/coordinator will solve any issues that arise on the wedding day with the venue, and your suppliers and assist family members if needed.
If you are happy to plan most of your wedding but you want an extra pair of eyes on the logistics of the day, hiring a wedding coordinator to plan the last couple of months of your wedding which includes managing the wedding day itself is a great choice to make. Don't rely on family and friends, they will want to relax and be with you on your special day and not have to stress about whether your booked items and suppliers are going to show up to decorate your venue. Your wedding planner will have liaised with all your suppliers leading up to the wedding day to ensure all is delivered and runs smoothly on your wedding day.
Image of bride and groom in a barn wedding ceremony with streamer arch and wedding chairs with faux rug décor and up the aisle.
Image credits: Photographer www.sonderlustphoto.com, Venue www.oaktreebarnweddings.com, Concept, Planner & Styling www.twobecomeoneweddingplanner.co.uk, Video Creator www.chrisjeromejames.com, Florist @thelittleflowershopltd, Props & Styling www.theproplibrary.co.uk, Wedding Celebrant www.trueblueceremonies.co.uk, Wedding Dresses www.indiebridelondon.co.uk , Wedding Stationery www.heartedesigns.com, Wedding Cake www.allshapesandslices.co.uk, Hair & Makeup www.idobridalservices.co.uk, Cowboy Boots & Hat www.melbelle.co.uk, Neon Sign www.bayweddingprops.co.uk