Create My Wedding Blog

We have the opportunity to catch up with Lisa from Wonderful Weddings to discover how planning her own wedding 3 times led to Lisa becoming a Wedding Planner…….

1. When did you start becoming a wedding planner and what made you start?

I have been planning weddings and events for a year or so now. I have only gone public with the advertising of my hand-in-hand businesses in the past 2 months and the response has been so overwhelming.

I got engaged in July 2010 and started planning a wedding. Since then, we have moved our date so many times that I have planned a medum sized wedding, a huge wedding and a very small, rushed wedding. I found that there were so many wedding ideas and types out there and I simply couldn’t have them all. I started looking through wedding magazines, websites, chatting to people and found I had a real passion for weddings and the spark in conversation it creates, the smiles when talking and dreaming about your big day and the general love for creativity everyone all of a sudden can develop for their own wedding day. I then inject that same passion, creativity, love for weddings adn pure excitement in to every wedding I am involved with and can now bring experience, knowledge and a great range of recommended suppliers along which, coupled with me amazingly low prices, means every couple’s dreams can be a reality without an astonishing price tag!

2. What’s the most unusual thing that you have had to organise for a wedding?

So far I have never had to do anything shocking, YET! There are always amazing and shocking things done at weddings all over the globe! A common, yet unusual, thing happening with weddings nowadays is the fancy dress element! So many couples are going for halloween themed or star wars themed or, as one bride I have spoken to over the last few months said her husband-to-be had genuinely suggested – a Harry Potter themed wedding! I would say she quite rightly turned him down however it could be fun to organise and attend that whopper of a day! Yes, there are many unusual weddings happening nowadays but at least they are unique, fun, creative and different! They’ll certainly not be forgotten.

3. We love what you have said about the amount of time it takes to organise a wedding. How many hours do you have to put into arranging a wedding?

My time in organising a wedding completely varies! Some couples will come to me with an exact list of where and what they want and that takes less time as there is no run about between businesses, suppliers and venues. Some couples will come to me with no idea what they weant and that takes longer as there are a lot of emails, phone calls, meetings and visits to arrange and attend. It also depends if the wedding is going to be 3 months or 3 years off – 3 years takes less planning initially and more stuff towards the end but is so gradual and easy going for me that I do not feel it is a lot of work yet 3 months is a lot of last minute running about which many couples would struggle to manage themselves as it is very stressful and difficult – especially if there is a limited budget. I cannot give a figure of hours per wedding as it is completely dependent on the couple, their date, their budget, their requirements, their wishes and the general “runabout” needed between suppliers and venues.

4. What part of organising weddings do you enjoy the most?

My favourite bit about weddings and the organising is that initial meeting or chat with clients! There are so many ideas flying about the table and so much passion for dreams in that first, initial meet where there is generally no stress linked to the situation and nothing but happiness and prospects! It’s an amazing feeling

5. Whats the greatest benefit of having a Wedding Planner?

A wedding planner brings a peace of mind. It’s like having an assistant with you throughout the planning and on the day to ensure it runs smoothly but how you want. I am specifically aimed at making people’s dreams come true! There is no point working hard, saving up and dreaming about your perfect wedding day if you want to settle! I want to help people do it right but still not make them pay a fortune for my services and in turn, I’ll work hard to get the best deals for my clients. Planning a wedding takes so much time – you have the thinking about it, the ideas, the reading of weddnig magazines, the internet searches, the reading of blogs and stories from past brides/grooms, the budgetting, the guest list, the venue sourcing, the dress to find, all the suppliers related and so much more! Having someone come to you saying “I have found X, Y, Z offering … at £,£,£…” makes things so much easier not only to choose from but to help whittle down the chioces in to creible or not. I can ensure only reputable suppliers are recommended and that everything is done as best as possible and I do not charge a fortune to do this for you.

6. What is the most important thing to think about when choosing a wedding planner?

It is important to think about what you want from your day. What sort of timescale, budget and guest list sizings are you thinking about and how important it is to you to have everything right and perfect down to the last piece of glitter from your wedding day dreams! I know that hearing “wedding Planner” automatically makes people think expensive and an unneccesary expense, however if you are willing to pay that little bit out for a wedding planner, you will in turn get great prices, great deals, a professional on hand with any questions, a sounding board for stresses, as well as a lot of the stress and worry extracted from the planning of your day allowing you to relax with your soon to be husband/wife and enjoy the run up to married life! Is it really worth arguments, stress, worry and anxiety before the wedding day just because you are unaware of the benefits of wedding planning and the money you could potentially save rather than spend? Sadly, too many couples get engaged and don’t make it to their wedding day because they split over the planning of the wedding – family politics, dreams, beliefs, stress, bridezilla syndrome – these are all big factors in to the equation when considering whether you will plan your wedding yourself. Letting me help can save you money and generally make you happier in the long run and prevents any hiccups or upsets along the way!

7. What do you think of our site www.createmywedding.com ?

CreateMyWedding.com is a brilliant site with a fab idea! I love to see businesses help one another, businesses pulled together and an advertising structure and strategy that works without a horrific price tag! It’s not fair to expect businesses to pay huge price tags for advertising to get them more possible clients as that will generally, in turn, lead to higher prices! Your site creates the perfect opportunity for couples to browse local suppliers without being hit with high prices due to advertising expenditure!

One of the difficult parts of preparing a wedding here in the UK is planning for the weather! Recent years have taught us that we can’t quite trust the “Barbeque Summers” and “mild winters” that we are promised!

Trying to prepare for one type of weather is hard enough, but following the recent warm sunny weather with thunderous downpours we thought we would share 5 tips on how to prepare for this unpredictable weather.

1. Be prepared for the unpredictable!

As you plan your wedding always be asking the “what if weather” question to everyone. For example ask the venue…. “what if its raining/sunshine/snowing” or ask the photographer ….”where will you take pictures should it be raining cats and dogs”  This way you can relax on the big day knowing that everyone else has already thought of how to deal with the unexpected.

2. The Big Brolly

Whether its a borrowed golf umbrella or purpose brought brolly make sure that if there is any sign of rain you know that someone has a Brolly at hand, ready to save you from the elements! Make sure its a good size umbrella though to cover your dress as much as possible should you have to.

3. Wonderful Wellies

If a downpour is looking likely then why not get some wellies! Its an unusual and quirky idea that makes a great memory!

4.Marquee Knowledge

If you are having a marquee as part of the wedding then make sure someone knows how to easily lift up the sides to allow some air in when its warm and quickly drop the sides down to block out the downpour

5. ENJOY

If you are prepared then you can laugh at the crazy weather knowing that you and the guests are comfortable and dry whatever the weather throws at you.

It is our great pleasure at CreateMyWedding.com to introduce to you the Amazing Wedding and Event Planner Alison Tinlin of Plans and Presents. We spoke to owner Alison to find out a bit more about her company and she shares some valuable tips on how to make your Special Wedding Day Unique!

Making your Wedding Unique

What has to be remembered right at the start is that everyone’s Wedding is unique.
Of course there will be small similarities in the courses that you take, but the one fundamental fact is that there is only one you, and that makes your Wedding completely unique.

A wedding represents a new beginning for the bride and groom, a “birth” of their new life together.
But to truly celebrate the future, it is important to remember the past, and those that have influenced our lives in some special way.

So I find that a good way to do this is to  involve those that are special to you.

From a personal point of view, we dedicated two of the dances at our wedding to my husband’s mum who had passed a few years earlier.
She loved Jennifer Rush’s “The Power of Love” and Chris De Burgh’s “Lady in Red” and though it was hard for him, and my sister in law, it made his mum a big part of our day.

Aside from dedicating a song or dance to a loved one, you can consider : -

A special framed photograph either of those that have passed but who you want to remember , or Wedding Photos of your parents and Granparents representing a family tree of sorts.

You can remembering  your loved one in a speech

You can light a candle in memorial, or light a Unity candle.
An incredibly beautiful way of involving your Guests is to give them all a candle and as you walk back up the aisle, light the candle of the first in the pew and they in turn can light everyone elses, this means that everyone can share in the light of your love.

You can choose charity pins for favours [ ie. Cancer Research pins, British Heart Foundation pin] or suggest a charity donation instead of gifts to your guests.
This tends to be an incredibly personal act as there have been many of us touched in this way.

You can incorporate the person’s favourite flowers in your bouquet or wedding flowers,  and/or  leaving your bouquet on the grave of the loved one that has passed.
Or something that is becoming increasingly more popular in recent times is the Heirloom bouquet where you can use jewellery of brooches of a family member to make up a lasting reminder that will never fade or wilt.

Also wearing a piece of jewellery that was special to the person, can make them feel much closer to you on the day like a  string of pearls or some diamond earrings, or the Groom can wear a pocket watch.

We find that if we choose to pay tribute to those that have passed, then those moments spent remembering will be some of the fondest of the day.
We know that our loved ones are with us in spirit, but remembering them on one of the most important days of our lives is a very poignant way to say “Thank You” for helping make us the people we are.

Make a slideshow, of both of you growing up, and progress through your childhood, how you met and your relationship up till now. Or have a table st up with photos and memorabelia of these same stages.

Leave a glass jar instead of a Guest Book with some paper and some pens. Get your guests to write you little notes of goodwill, or to share their favourite memories of you.

Make sure your wedding has the hallmarks of you. Don’t be tied down by other peoples expectations, and your thoughts on the conventional way of doing things. Show your true spirit, your interests and properly share the essence of you.
This may mean your ideas being a bit out there but expressing what you want whether that be a midsummer nights dream in a woodland clearing, a beach wedding or the whackiness of Sci Fi, do it your way.

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