When should I book you?
As early as you can! I want to be able to make the whole wedding planning experience as smooth and easy for you as possible. Having me on board right from the start will mean you have expert guidance when it comes to selecting your venue (one of the most important and sometimes the trickiest parts of the whole process), sourcing those key first suppliers and battling any bouts of that ‘just engaged’ overwhelm.
I understand that not all couples decide they want or need a planner’s services until further down the line, and if this is the case then I am of course happy to put together bespoke packages that will better suit your requirements.
My venue already has an events coordinator. What can you do for me that they can’t?
That’s a great question, and one that I think causes confusion fairly regularly. The fact is that a venue coordinator and a wedding planner are two entirely different jobs. For a venue coordinator, the elements of the day that concern them centre solely around the venue and the logistics that are related to it. They’re an ambassador for the venue, rather than for you, and it’s their job to get involved with every wedding that takes place at that venue, regardless of size or style.
A wedding planner is your advocate. It’s my job to design, curate and keep track of every single element of your day to make sure it’s truly reflective of who you are and your own distinctive style, but also that it runs completely smoothly. Most planners take on a limited number of weddings per year. I choose to work with a select number of couples for my full The Works package, to make sure I can really dig deep and get to know you. Building that personal connection with every couple I work with makes for a more fun and enjoyable planning experience for you, and a more personal and bespoke wedding design concept.
Can you explain how your fees work?
For The Works (my full wedding planning and design package) I charge a percentage of your total budget (between 12-15%). The percentage calculation is based on the complexity of the wedding event and an estimation of how much time I will be putting in, both in the run up to, and at, the event itself. It factors in how many days I’ll need to be on site, and the number of suppliers with whom I’ll be liaising. For example, a wedding involving a marquee setup will often demand a 15% fee compared to a couple who have already found and booked a bricks and mortar venue for their wedding. Regardless of your total budget, my minimum fee for ‘The Works’ full planning and design package is £5000.
I do offer other packages for couples on a tighter budget. The Creative package is targeted at the initial stages of your planning, to help you get focused on your vision and provide you with a bespoke design concept and a list of suggested suppliers who will be able to bring it to life for you, but no further planning beyond this stage. The fee for this package will range from £1800 – 2500, depending on the size and scope of your plans.
My The Day package is focused on the final few weeks and the day itself, to provide support with final planning and logistics, on-the-day setup and styling and managing suppliers, and investment for this package starts at £750, with a more accurate fee being provided once we’ve had an initial consultation.
How many meetings should we expect to have with you during the planning process?
Each couple I work with has different preferences when it comes to communication, and I am very happy to be flexible and work around you. Some people prefer keeping everything on email, with perhaps a couple of in-person meetings at their venue. Others like to have weekly phone calls to check in on the status of what is going on and others want to have as much face-to-face time as they can fit in. I also regularly have Skype/Facetime catch-ups with my couples from further afield, so it is really down to you.
In terms of face-to-face meetings, this will depend on your location and how feasible it is for us to meet in this way. The Works package offers unlimited phone and email communication, so don’t worry – we’ll be in touch regularly!
I’ve found some suppliers I love, are you happy to work with them even though you haven’t before?
Absolutely. When it comes to your supplier team, the decision about who you book is always yours. My connections in the industry and design and planning experience mean I’m able to offer recommendations that will be a good fit for your wedding style, budget and location, but if you have specific suppliers you’ve found and fallen in love with then I am more than happy to work with them.
I’m totally stuck for inspiration and don’t know where to start. Where do we go from here?
The first thing to do is not to worry! It can be incredibly overwhelming when you first get engaged as there are just so many choices out there and it can be difficult to know what will work well together, and what will work well for you.
My biggest piece of advice would be to take it slowly and start building up a layered picture of what you like and what you don’t. Start following brands, suppliers, venues that you really love and see if they share anything that resonates with you. Think about you as a couple: your lives, your home, your travels, your favourite things – all of these will influence and impact upon the choices you make for your wedding day. Are there places you have visited that have a special memory for you? Do you have belongings that are of significance, even an item of clothing that you just adore the colour or texture of? Perhaps there’s a perfume that transports you back to a specific place or time? Keeping your eyes open and being open to inspiration from all kinds of sources will help you to get truly creative with your wedding planning, and if you’re still feeling stuck, then call in the cavalry and let me help you plan a wedding with understated wow!
If you feel that you still have questions that have not been answered above, please get in touch and I will do my best to answer.
