It's good to be different...

In January 2021 I decided to take the plunge into the world of wedding planning. Thanks to Covid I had lost my job, but I’d actually spent the previous 9 months on furlough researching and working with some incredible wedding suppliers and unknowingly laying the groundwork for a really promising career! Plus I’ve done tonnes of wedding and event planning before, so why not?!

So I started to do a little bit of research. What kinds of services are other wedding planners offering? Would this form the basis of what I would need to do too? Or were there any gaps in the market that I thought I could fit into?

I wasn’t sure about what I saw.
Clearly this is working for a lot of people, and I guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But to me it didn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

If I were a bride-to-be, and I was googling “wedding planners”, I’d land on a fancy-looking website of a planner or co-ordinator and it would fill me with joy and excitement. I’d have a little read of the services they offered and no doubt it would look promising. So I’d take a look at their packages…

This is where they’d lose me.

The first option would be to have them come and run my wedding for me on the day. That makes sense - I may well want someone to do that and, as it looks like this is the cheapest offering they have, I’d certainly give it some thought. But, actually, I didn’t come here looking for that! I wanted someone to help me plan the thing. I’m confused, I’ve never planned a wedding before, I don’t know where to find the suppliers I need. So who is going to help me with that?! So far it looks like I’m paying around £500 for a wedding planner who isn’t doing any of the planning…

There is probably an option for them to do the day stuff and also give me some pointers in the build up, but this wouldn’t be very thorough. To get the real good wedding planning stuff, I have to plump for the priciest package. This bothers me for two reasons - number one, I’m now shelling out somewhere between £1200-1500; number two, I’ve now not just got the wedding planner but I have them running the rest of it for me whether I like it or not.

Why can’t I just have someone do the bits that I actually need?

Well, that’s where I come in.

​The offerings we have are a little different. They cover all of the same bases, but you can build them up to suit you. Just want the initial support in finding suppliers? Done. Just need help in the run up to the big day? Done. Just want someone to oversee the event? Done. Or put them together until it covers all the bits you feel you need.

Whereas I felt most people focused on the final day (or at least that’s how it seemed), I have a huge focus on those first few months of your engagement - giving thought to what you might want, finding inspo, figuring out what style or theme you'd like. And then, of course, helping you find the right suppliers to achieve your dream day.
I’ve spent the last few years working hard to research suppliers within our local area and have been studying away so that I now know who is out there and what they can offer. So that means I’m in a great position to put you in touch with the right people for your wedding. And if there isn’t anything that takes your fancy… well, you know how much I enjoy finding these things, so you can send me off to look for some more!

The next stage is to help you in the months leading up to your wedding with any of the "wedmin" bits that you don't understand. Then, finally, to be there to support you on the day if you feel that you should need it. I’ve managed thousands of weddings and events over the years, so you can feel that you’re in safe hands. I’ve been involved in dressing venues, serving plates of food, organising the logistics of getting everyone in and out - so there isn’t a part of the day I’ll shy away from!

The same applies for any of your other events or occasions. If you need a full end-to-end service, then we can provide just that! But if you just need a few recommendations for suppliers or party pieces, we’ll simply source those for you. And if you do want us there on the day, you only have to ask!

What this all means is that you don’t need anyone hanging around where they aren’t wanted! And it also can save you money, because you’re only selecting the services you really need (although we guarantee not to break the bank anyway). But if you do feel you need a full support package, we’ll be there for you every step of the way.

Because we have such great relationships with our suppliers, we’ve become super passionate about small businesses - especially after seeing the way they’ve handled the Covid crisis. So we have a few other offerings too…

First of all, we’re happy to help source you gifts, items, or supplies from some beautiful small businesses. If you need birthday presents, Valentines gifts, homeware or party pieces and you want to support a lovely small business (which, you know, you should!) let us know and we will point you in the direction of some of our faves. You can read about our Seeking Service here, and you can read more about why small business is so important to us on our previous blog post: here.

We also have our Subscription Service which you can find out more about here. We give you the chance to support some lovely little businesses by receiving some of their fabulous products on a monthly or quarterly basis - loads of lovely treats, lots to feel good about!

Cherry Tree Candle Co.

LA Illustrations

Flo's at Fifty Four

I’ve put a lot of time and thought into working out what I can offer - what plays to my strengths, what gives you what you need and what will work for EVERYONE. Please do feel free to have a look around our website! You can read more about our wedding & event planning services here, or our Seeking Service here, and there is also a contact form on the bottom of both pages so that you can request our full Introductory Guide and let us know if there’s anything specific you’d like us to help you find.

Happy planning!