It has been announced that Denise Van Outen is due to marry her boyfriend Lee Mead later this year. The couple met when working on the TV show ‘Any Dream Will Do’ in 2007. Although the couple now live in Kent both are from Essex so I wonder if they will come ‘back home’ to help celebrate their union together? There are an array of gorgeous venues to choose from in Essex, Leez Priory, Gosfield Hall, Boreham House, Parklands to name but a few. With both having a love of musicals the wedding could have an entertainment feel to it.
Archive for January, 2009
Denise Van Outen to marry
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Pretty and girly
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009Recently I was sent the details of a wonderful new website with design products and stationery. My favourites are below; I especially love the delicate umbrella for a bride to hold on a hot day – assuming we get some hot days this year of course!
To view the other products available go to www.butterfliesanddaisies.com
The meaning of love…
Monday, January 26th, 2009
Meaning of love
Going through my weddings of 2008 it was lovely to reminisce about past clients personalities and what I enjoyed most about working with them. I especially enjoyed seeing the ceremony pictures, at the end of the day it is about 2 people declaring their love in front of friends and family, its about becoming husband and wife. As a wedding planner it can be easy to get carried away with the little details, worrying about colouring co-ordinating and sourcing unique products so looking through my weddings of 2008 reminded me why I love my job immensely. It’s the look that crosses their faces when they see each other for the first time at the ceremony that brings goose bumps to my arms.
For some event planners they enter the industry because they ‘love organising‘ or are ‘brimming with creativity‘, for me I realise ‘I love people‘, they fascinate me. Meeting clients friends and family is invigorating as you see similar personality traits, I feel privileged to have the trust of my clients at such a personal time in their lives.
There is one photo that to me highlights the meaning of love and marriage which is of Tom & Melanie’s wedding in August 2008. I love the anticipation of Tom’s face as Melanie is walking down the aisle. The photography was provided on the day by http://www.lloyddobbie.com who is always a joy to work with.
p.s. You will see more of Melanie as she will be the new ‘bride of 2009′ for my marketing materials. My designers are busy working on implementing Melanie into my design so once ready I will announce properly.
Beat the credit crunch and entertain at home
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009Unless you have buried your head in the sand recently you can’t fail to notice the impending ‘recession’ is loaming. So it is quite likely that many of us will decide to entertain at home more frequently rather then spending excess money at restaurants. So how can you ensure your dinner party is a touch above the rest? Yes of course you want the food to be good but let me ask you – of all the recent parties or dinner parties you have been to, what do you remember? Was it the food & drink you were served or the atmosphere & little touches?
Top tips for entertaining at home:
- Make a guest list.
Ask as many friends/family as you can accommodate to a sit-down dinner. Mix your social circle to make it interesting for all those attending to stimulate conversations. - Send invitations. Everyone loves to receive a printed invitation so aim to send out about 6 weeks before the proposed date (if possible). Print on nice paper, perhaps wrap in tissue paper before putting in the envelope, you want guests to be excited from the outset.
- Theme. Decide which theme you want to go for and devise the menu & design around this.
- Food & Drink. Think about what food to serve and ask your local wine merchant which wine best suits your evening. If you do not want to cook yourself perhaps ask every guest to bring a dish? Or if budget allows hire a local chef & waitress to really take the pressure of you.
- Music – unless you can afford some live musicians I suggest on soft jazz or rat pack for during dinner then whatever music suits your guest demographics after dinner.
- Lighting really changes the mood of an evening, my favourite ideas are:
- Line your pathway with lanterns
- Position fairy lights round any bushes, trees or large plants in the front garden
- Have a scented candle in the hallway to greet guests as they arrive ( my current favourite is Cassis from The White company)
- Light your fireplace or put church candles inside it
- In the living room have various candle holders positioned on furniture
- If guests see your garden, then hang lanterns with ribbon from your trees
- On your table have some little candle holders amongst the flowers or consider hiring a candelabra instead for a dramatic effect.
Are you becoming a Bridezilla?
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009I’m sure you’ve all heard the term ‘bridezilla’ and perhaps even see the US programme by the same name http://www.wetv.com/bridezillas/index.html . I think the reason why some brides get a little overwhelmed with their planning is that they want it to be perfect and cannot understand why everyone else does have the same fixation on ribbon colours as she does! So I thought it might be prudent to write some tips on how to keep your bridezilla moment down to a minimum!
Firstly how do you know if you are becoming a bridezilla? Well symptoms include bouts of selfishness, controlling behaviour, mood swings and compulsive meticulousness……….. gosh sounds like I’m describing my Son J
- Delegate - There are probably several people you know who would love to help you in some aspect of your wedding. Remember, there are minor tasks that others are capable of carrying out. They can be trusted! If your work commitments leave you with precious little time to plan and arrange a wedding, call in the professionals. Wedding planners do the job for a living and will ease your worries without taking over.
- Keep your perspective - While there is no doubt that your wedding day is an incredibly important day in your life, it is just one day. Your future happiness does not depend on your wedding alone and a perfect wedding day does not guarantee a perfect marriage.
- Details aren’t everything - While there is no denying that a beautifully designed and co-ordinated wedding will look stunning and wow your guests, don’t let it become a source of anxiety. If your bridesmaids don’t have matching shades of eye shadow or the tassels on the order of service are a tint darker than you envisaged, does it really matter?
- There is a groom as well! - Discuss with your fiancé what he would like to be involved in and establish his responsibilities. This enables you both to know where you are in terms of the planning process from the onset.
- Things can go wrong - Even the most meticulous planning won’t prevent a freak thunderstorm from happening or a traffic accident delaying suppliers and guests. Realise that there are things beyond your control and when situations arise, accept them with grace and humour.
Above all enjoy the planning, if it all gets too much consider hiring a planner, to find one in your area visit http://www.ukawp.com/
The price of ‘wedding’ versus ‘party’
Monday, January 19th, 2009I was sent this clip a long time ago, it amuses me so much I do pop onto You Tube every now again to watch it so now I have the blog I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
Playing at planning
Friday, January 16th, 2009I was very amused to see Nintendo have released a new game called ‘Imagine Wedding Planner‘. I admit I do like to unwind by playing my DS but I’m not sure I’d want to play weddings in my spare time, sudoko is more my thing!. I wonder if this will bring me an influx of letters from little girls wanting to be planners? I particularly like this review from celebrity planner Sasha Souza on her blog http://sparkliatti.com/
Emerald Ball
Thursday, January 15th, 2009In October I was contacted by Katie from the NSPC Colchester Business Group http://www.colchesternspccbusinessgroup.org.uk/The-Emerald-Ball/ . A stilt walker had let her down at the last minute for a photo shoot. Although I couldn’t’ get a stilt walker on time I was able to find a fire breather. The end photos looked amazing.
I then worked with the Committee on the design and bought in many of my fabulous suppliers who gave their time to this wonderful charity. The end result was stunning. The venue was the new Colchester United Community Stadium. Dream Occasions has decided to join the NSPCC Colchester Business Group and help them with their fundraising in 2009.
The Psyche of a wedding planner
Monday, January 12th, 2009How long have you been in business?
Since the end of 2002. I launched not really knowing what I was doing, learning on the job. Thank god the industry is different now with so many courses available for people wanting to become wedding planners.
If you weren’t an event planner what would you be doing?
That’s a difficult one, as a little girl I wanted to be an air hostess ( I joke that little girls now dream of becoming a wedding planner so perhaps I do have the perfect job?). I love organising people, I love researching yes I do like being the ‘boss’ so possibly I would be a celebrity PA or running a lifestyle/concierge business?
Have you ever had a bridezilla? Are you afraid you might get one?
I originally saw this question on the fabulous blog of fabulexe and not only did the question appeal to me but her answer did as well. http://fabu-luxe.com/blog/q-a-with-terrica/. So have I had a bridezilla, yes I’ve had a few and in fact it seems to be more each year so possibly a sign of the industry as a whole? No I’m not afraid of one, like Terrica I have 2 loud, boisterous boys aged 6 ½ and 4, if I can keep them in order a bride is a piece of cake! Seriously though, I always ask my brides to trust me, I appreciate its stressful for brides especially when there are family confrontations so I remain calm, don’t take it personally and resolve their worries whenever I can. And if I can’t, well then I just tell them to calm down and their request is impossible!
What’s your perfect wedding?
I have to admit I love the countryside especially Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. I love marquees, many of my colleagues think I’m mad as they can be a logistical nightmare but I think marquees can be stunning. I love the blank canvas, I love being in control and not dealing with difficult venues. I also adore rustic barns, you getting the theme? Yes I love flowers, bunting, candles, teacups, pearls and frankly all things pretty!