Summer 2008 £2.75
For planners, organisers and other specialist intermediaries
Planners condemn claims By Mary Ferguson WEDDING planners have condemned the results of a survey that claim couples are cancelling their big days because of the credit crunch – saying there is no threat to business. Free ads website Gumtree conducted research that showed one in ten British couples are scrapping their wedding plans because of money worries, while a third are being forced to slash their budgets and marry on the cheap. And 18 per cent of engaged couples questioned said it was ‘impossible’ to have the wedding they really want in the current economic climate. Sam Ketterer of Absolute Perfection rubbished the survey results. He said: “Why does it always have to be doom and gloom for wedding planners? Gumtree is a free ads directory – what do they know about weddings? “More than a quarter of a million weddings will take place over the next year with an estimated average spend of £15-20K. The market out there is enormous.” Katie Denner runs Wedding By Design and believes the wedding
industry is better protected in the current economic climate than some. “A wedding is the last area a couple would want to cut costs because it is such a special event. Naturally, if the financial climate worsens, it might be that rather than scale back wedding expenses, people might defer a wedding until a later date – but so far nothing I have seen indicates that this is yet happening." Nearly half of the couples who responded to the survey said they have been forced to cap their wedding budget at £5000. The areas they were most likely to cut back on were photographers and drinks, prioritising the dress and honeymoon. Candice Benson of the Association of Bridal Consultants added: “Brides will continue to get married, money or not; job or not. “Planners should not look to lower their fee, after all as true professionals we are worth what we charge – probably even more.” I Are you worried? Send your comments to Mary Ferguson at mf@whpl.net or call 01226 734712.
Couples ask guests to pay on website
Germaine Giles and Amanda Sherlock have officially launched their new wedding planning business with a glittering party in London – complete with giant cake. Giles Sherlock Event Design are determined to take the industry by storm and will be sharing their progress with Wedding Professional. For more about the company, Page 10
PENNY-PINCHING couples are swallowing their pride and asking their guests to pay for their wedding through a website. Youbuymywedding.com claims to help happy couples to beat the banks by getting their guests to share the costs of the big day and avoid starting married life in debt. The website’s concept is to get the guests to pay for the wedding by making financial pledges online in advance of the event. Every aspect of the wedding – from flowers and rings to reception drinks and even the dress – is included on a couple’s personalised wedding page, where guests can add a donation instead of buying another toaster. Each time a guest makes a pledge, an SMS text alerts the couple, who can check their wedding fund balance at any time and make withdrawals as a bank transfer or cheque. Founder Liz Quant said: “Of the 250,000 weddings which take place in England & Wales each year, 41 per cent of couples will use credit cards and 15 per cent will take out a loan to cover the costs of their special day.”
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weddingprofessionalnews Inside ... Why bride Jamelia didn’t mind getting the blues ... Page 21 Celebrity chef is a real catch for hotel in Brighton Page 7
Eco-friendly
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Vintage weddings
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Virtual wedding
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Contacts EDITORIAL Andrew Harrod – group editor – 01226 734639 ah@whpl.net
Gift list specialist Wrapit teamed up with the cream of the UK’s wedding industry to create the wedding event of the north – The Wrapit Wedding Party at Rudding Park in Harrogate. The party welcomed 100 brides-to-be to an elegant afternoon tea party, with expert advice from London wedding planners Smith and Niemierko and celebrity cake designer Peggy Porschen. Leeds-based couture designer, Anita Massarella, gave an exclusive preview
of her latest bridal collections in a glamorous ‘salon’ style fashion show, accompanied by music from The Event Music Company. Each guest enjoyed high tea, with cakes from Peggy Porschen and champagne from Rocco Venezia, at tables individually styled with French porcelain from Haviland Limoges and flowers by Caine. At the end of the afternoon there was a chance for the guests to ‘meet the experts’ and ask their own questions.
Nicola Hyde – news editor – 01226 734459 nl@whpl.net Mary Ferguson – editor – 01226 734712 mf@whpl.net
PRODUCTION Judith Halkerston – group deputy editor – 01226 734458 jhalkerston@whpl.net Kyle Wilkinson – designer – 01226 734711 kw@whpl.net
Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin’s Italian wedding was organised by Manchester-based Revellers World Events. The footballing star and his new wife reportedly spent £3m on the event, coordinated by Julie Perry and Yvonne Dixon.
Will they go crackers over cheese wedding cake? THE world’s only Stilton cheese wedding cake has been produced by cheese-makers in Leicestershire.
Secretary of the SCMA, Nigel White said: “The Stilton cheese wedding cake is an absolutely bespoke creation.
Available in multi-tiers of blue Stilton and white Stilton blended with blueberry or apricots, manufacturers say the cake is expected to be a massive hit with this year’s wedding season as an alternative to the ‘traditional’ varieties on offer at most receptions.
“With only one dairy currently offering this variation, there is literally nothing else like it in the world. “This cake is truly exceptional and will act as a talking point and a fitting centrepiece at any wedding celebration.”
ADVERTISING Tony Barry – sales and marketing director tb@whpl.net Kizzy Mugridge – assistant manager – 01226 734710 kam@whpl.net Danielle Hornby – sales executive – 01226 734707 dlh@whpl.net
CIRCULATION Kelly Tarff 01226 734695 kt@whpl.net Fax: 01226 734477 www.weddingprofessional.co.uk
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weddingprofessionalnews
Planner-to-be can find the perfect proposal By Mary Ferguson A COMPANY designed to plan the perfect proposal has been set up by an imaginative wedding plannerto-be. Katie Gill has launched Mr and Mrs Fancy Pants to help men pop the question with minimum fuss and maximum excitement – for just £45. She said: “Our first client proposed to his girlfriend during a picnic in early May. An apparent roving busker came over during lunch singing a song about the couple. “We also cater for gay couples who wish to propose, sometimes providing some of the most flamboyant proposals we’ve seen to date. “We once organised for a gentleman to come pirouetting along his street followed by a troupe of ballet dancers, to fall into the arms of his ballet-
loving boyfriend and pop the question.” Katie, who is based in London, also works in communications but has always wanted to be a wedding planner. She is hoping soon to start offering a full planning package to her proposers, once Mr and Mrs Fancy Pants is fully off the ground. “I’ve thought about weddings ever since I was a little girl and when I get engaged I want it to be fabulous too. “Although we offer the service to everyone, I find that gay couples generally don’t need any help as they tend to be very creative anyway.” She added: “A lot of straight men however are confused about how to go about proposing – especially as getting down on one knee in a restaurant has become such a cliché.”
Katie Gill
Black is the new white ... BLACK is the new white when it comes to wedding trends, according to a London events company who are using the colour more and more in their designs. Damian Clarkson, managing director of Red Snapper Events said black is starting to be embraced by couples. He said: “For many years black has often been frowned upon at traditional weddings but it now appears to be finding a new role for itself accompanying hot pink or a traditional white in wedding colour themes. Black dresses for bridesmaids or brides are becoming more popular, and the classic combination of black and white is seen to be weaving its way into wedding fashions.”
Red Snapper – who specialise in catering – have developed menu items reflecting these themes and trends. They include fruit wedding cake with shots of black icing, squid ink risotto canapés, the use of black carrots to accompany main courses and adding midnight marble effects to conventional white meringues served with cream and passion fruit compote. Damian added: “The most creative weddings link the food to the general theme of the wedding. Many people think this wouldn’t be possible for a black wedding, but there are so many dark coloured foods available and the contrasts on the plate can look great.”
Award-winning photo duo Trevor and Faye Yerbury are planning to run their next wedding shoot workshops out on the street. In what is believed to be the first ‘streetwise’ seminar of its kind in the UK, ‘Shoot in the City’ is a series of two day-long photo-sessions using professional models in city centre locations across the UK and Europe. Trevor said: “The programme is inspired by the success of ‘Sex and the City’. We’ve seen enough machine gun reportage wedding photography – now let’s get some style and fashion back into wedding photography.”
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weddingprofessionalnews
New chapter for gay wedding planners By Mary Ferguson GAY wedding planners Gino and Mike Meriano have written a book on civil partnerships and are launching their wedding planning company in Arizona. The Pink Weddings founders were approached by publishers New Holland Publishing, and the book will be published at the end of the year – to coincide with the third year anniversary of the legalisation of civil partnerships. Gino told Wedding Professional: “We found there was nothing in the marketplace that provides factual information and ideas in an accessible way. “We were approached by the publishers to do a project and after a meeting we came up with the book. I’m still writing it but we are aiming to get it published by the end of this year. “It’s a good time to write it because civil
partnerships have been legal for three years so we can see how the market has settled during that time. We estimate that there are 1,000 civil partnerships a month in the UK now.” The book talks about the pair’s own experience of getting married and is aimed at both couples and the industry – so people know what to expect from civil partnerships. Its publication will come at a busy time for the pair, who are launching Pink Weddings in Arizona next year. Gino added: “We want to bring the concept of UK civil partnerships to the States and although we will be working throughout America, Arizona will be our base. “Despite being in the south, people are very accepting of gay couples and we have been looking at the area for a while.” A UK couple have become the first to tie the knot on the summit of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Glasgowbased Stephen Tierney and Claire Tullan dressed in safety suits and used a secure ring device to marry 134 metres above Sydney’s harbour. Claire said: “The views from the summit of the bridge were unforgettable. the bridge is the perfect location for a wedding and it’s a day I will never forget.” The groom’s sister, her boyfriend, and the groom’s cousin flew to Sydney to surprise the couple.
By Kate Pickles A bride and groom were not telling porkies when they revealed their unconventional wedding cake – made entirely of pork pies. Daz and Lisa Humsley from Barnsley had not even told relatives they were serving the sausage snack at their wedding reception. The landlady of the pub that hosted the reception said: “Daz is pork pie barmy. He’s obsessed with pork pies and Daddy’s Sauce so that's what they had. “I have never seen a cake like it, everybody was commenting on it. It felt funny handing out pork pie for wedding cake. The guests were all laughing when I gave it to them.” The four-tier, 26lb cake took four staff members three hours to bake and cost just £65.
Gino (left) and Mike.
Picture: Alessandro Albert
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New rules are unveiled for choice of church By Nicola Hyde
Couple barter their way to a wedding day to remember
NEW rules that allow couples to marry in a church of their choice will come into effect from October. The Church of England Marriage Measure will enable couples to tie the knot in any church where they have family or a special connection, even if they don’t live there. Existing law establishes a right for a couple to marry in the Church of England in the parish church where one or both of them live, whether they are baptised or not, and whether they are churchgoers are not. To marry in any other parish requires a special license or six months of regular attendance followed by entry on the local church electoral roll. But new laws, initiated by the Church of England and now approved by Parliament, will add to this right of residency. There are 16,000 Church of England churches in the UK. The Rt. Rev Nigel Stock, Bishop of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich helped steer the new measure. He said: “Once the new Measure comes into effect I really do hope that we will be welcoming many more people for marriage in Church. It is already our privilege to celebrate the weddings of 57,000 couples every year and of course, welcome their guests to the occasion. “Research does show that many more people would like to marry in church than actually do. I hope that this new law will make it much easier for clergy to say “yes” to couples when they first enquire.” Gemma Johnson and Dan Scott
A CASH-STRAPPED couple tied the knot in front of millions of viewers after the mother of the bride put them forward for a ‘bartered wedding’ on BBC’s The One Show. Gemma Johnson and Dan Scott got married at Ringwood Hall Hotel in Chesterfield, working at the venue to offset the wedding costs. Dan put his plumbing services to good use in a new development to convert former servant quarters into luxury guest accommodation and Gemma worked with the housekeeping staff to contribute to the costs of their wedding reception. The couple also worked with other suppliers for photography, bridal wear, and rings and Dan reduced the wedding costs further by contracting his cousin to install new lighting at the church. Rona Cosh, general manager at Ringwood Hall, said: “Dan and Gemma were able to take advantage of our midweek rates for weddings and late availability concessions but they’ve still had to work really hard to pay towards their wedding reception costs. “I’m sure they are relieved it’s all over and they can settle into married life.”
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weddingprofessionalnews
‘Wedding stashers’ save up By Mary Ferguson AN increasing number of single women are saving for a celeb-style wedding – with an expert wedding planner towards the top of their list. Research by Norwich Union claims women are putting cash aside for a big budget wedding fit for the pages of OK! – despite not being engaged. Branded ‘wedding stashers’, 46 per cent of women polled said a designer dress was the most important thing to splash out on, 43 per cent prioritised a long-haul honeymoon, and 27 per cent were saving to shell out on a wedding planner. According to the poll, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s Italian castle wedding is the celebrity bash most single women aspire to. More than four in five women told researchers that extravagant celebrity nuptials set the bar to spend big on a wedding, but nine in ten claim the old tradition of the bride’s parents footing the
bill is dead. Wedding planner Zoe Lingard, said: “Girls today know exactly what they want, down to the last detail, and have usually pored over magazine spreads – of the WAGs weddings in particular – so I’m not surprised that saving starts early. “Most brides though don’t have a footballer’s or Hollywood budget so, even with their stashes, many will start married life with great memories of their wedding – and the debt to show for it.” A quarter of women said they’d get a second job just to get their dream day, whilst 45 per cent will happily borrow from friends and family to make the sums add up. Almost half plan to blow their life savings on getting hitched, while 14 per cent will turn to credit cards and one in three will take out a loan. A quarter of women in Bristol would sell a family heirloom to pay for their nuptials whilst one in three women from Leeds plan to re-mortgage their own home.
New career’s a frill for Karen A FORMER nursery nurse has swapped nappies for nuptials and set up as a wedding planner in Stoke-OnTrent. Karen Milward has launched Frills Events to organise weddings and private parties in Stoke and surrounding counties. She said: “I’ve always taken care of the fine details of friends and family’s weddings and celebrations and have a flair for design and organisation. “I plan to work with all kinds of budgets but will vary how I charge – you can’t take a chunk as a percentage out of a low budget, so it will really depend on the couple.” Karen’s first client is a bride-to-be who entered a raffle on her stand at a local wedding fair. As her prize, she will organise her big day for free, in the hope of generating business by word of mouth.
Karen – who is a member of the Staffordshire Wedding Circle – added: “There are a few wedding shops in the area but no-one that offers a 24-hour service like I do. “The hardest part of setting up as a wedding planner has been getting the marketing right, but I’m excited about the rest of the year.”
Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli is serving up receptions to remember at a new hotel in Brighton. The 80-room myhotel has a wedding licence and features interior design by leading New York designer Karim Rashid. Aldo is in charge of catering, tailoring authentic Italian food to different tastes and budgets. Aldo Zilli (left) is pictured with myhotel founder Andy Thrasyvoulou.
Wayne’s wedding beats royal affair THE British public would rather have attended Wayne Rooney’s wedding than go to Prince William’s, according to research. Orange’s Celebrity Channel conducted a survey that revealed 27 per cent would rather have been guests at the footballer’s
wedding to Colleen McLoughlin than watch William tie the knot with Kate Middleton. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s big day came top of the poll of weddings we would most like to attend – securing over a third of the votes.
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Warning over ‘cavalier’ snappers ENGAGED couples have been warned to do their research before investing in a wedding photographer,to avoid being stung by ‘cavalier’ snappers who take the money and run. Consumer website www.reviewcentre.com is encouraging people to do their homework and not simply rely on recommendations. They say they have seen a rise in cases of photographers fulfilling their role on the day and then failing to produce the long-awaited album of memories which brides and grooms are so desperate to see. Paul Nadin, managing director of the website said: “Although in the minority, these rogue traders take advantage of the emotional dimension of the event by selling a dream to happy couples, calling in a hefty deposit and then not coming up with the goods. "It's all too easy to get caught up in the dream, and forget to check references and credibility as you would do with any other expensive purchase."
‘I-do re-do’ bid to raise charity cash By Mary Ferguson
Honeymoon adventures LOVED-UP Brits are shunning traditional two-week beach honeymoons in favour of an activity-based adventure with their partners, according to new research. More than 2,000 British honeymooners took part in the survey commissioned by teletextholidays.co.uk. Results showed that over four in five honeymooners did not take a traditional foreign beach holiday, choosing instead to stay in the UK, take a city break, adventure holiday or cruise. Over half of those surveyed – 58 per cent – agreed that they consider the traditional two-week holidays to beach resorts old fashioned. A similar number – 56 per cent– revealed that the thought of having nothing to do and being surrounded by tables of other couples filled them with dread. According to the survey, the average honeymoon in 2008 cost £2,580.
Julia Boggio
WEDDING photographer Julia Boggio is hosting a charity wedding ball, inviting 300 couples to squeeze back into their big day dresses and suits. ‘The Big I-do Re-do’ takes place at the ANdAZ Hotel in London, and will raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK. Julia, who appeared on TV shows all over the world last year after a video of her and her husband performing a routine from Dirty Dancing appeared on YouTube – said: “Earlier this year Patrick Swayze, the star of Dirty Dancing, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which inspired me to plan this event. “I was planning an event to promote post-wedding photo shoots when the idea of turning it into a charity wedding ball came to me. “So many women tell me how they’d love the opportunity to wear their dresses again and this event will let them do that, as well
as raising vital funds for charity.” The event is open to everyone, not just brides and grooms. Same sex couples, bridesmaids and mothers of the bride are all welcome. “We’re asking couples across the country to sell items from their wedding that other couples about to get married would be able to use. “On eBay, they can choose to donate anywhere from ten to 100 per cent of the proceeds to The Big I-do Re-do and we are also asking suppliers to get involved.” Guests will arrive on a purple carpet and can renew their wedding vows in the Chapel of Love, as well as enjoying a burlesque show in a Masonic Temple – unearthed when the hotel was undergoing renovations.
Coronation Street stars Tina O’Brien and Ryan Thomas were special guests at the launch of a new bridal boutique in Cheshire. The real-life lovebirds joined local It-girl models at Timeless Bride, opened by proprietor and bridal stylist Michelle Hinds. A catwalk showcased the designs on offer, against a backdrop of a marquee lit with starlights. Michelle said: ‘’The launch event was such a success. There was a real buzz to the evening and I now can’t wait to welcome brides to the boutique for their personal consultations.”
Ronnie seeks elf service ROLLING Stones star Ronnie Wood has reportedly asked his wedding planner to find a band of dwarfs to perform at his daughter’s wedding. He wants them to dress as elves and play pranks on guests at the reception – jumping out of bushes and stealing
women’s hats. Leah Wood will marry TV producer Jack Macdonald later this summer, and rumours suggest the wedding theme will be based around the Shakespeare character Puck – a cheeky sprite from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
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weddingprofessionalnews
Amanda Sherlock and Germaine Giles have just launched Giles Sherlock Event Design. In the first of a regular feature following their progress, Amanda describes how they set up as wedding planners – and the importance of arriving with a bang.
Friends think outside the box in new venture GERMAINE and I knew that starting a new business in the wedding and events industry was never going to be easy, however we knew we would be capable of becoming a success story. In such a competitive market, we knew we would have our work cut out for us if we were to make an impression in such a creative and accomplished industry. However we maintain the same rules today as we had on the day we made the decision to start Giles Sherlock Event Design; to be ourselves, always think outside of the box and let our unique skills and flair as wedding and event organisers shine through. We haven’t looked back since. The company was born out of a friendship that Germaine and I formed whilst working together on her
wedding in June 2007, but the idea to start our own wedding and events company only came about after I had returned from travelling in the USA in January 2008. The last few months have indeed been extremely exciting for us and although we have been tested at times, both emotionally and physically, the hard work has been worth it to see Giles Sherlock Event Design received in to the industry so well. The journey for us began with designing and writing our website – our key marketing tool into which we have poured our hearts. I have been working in the UK wedding industry for many years now for other people, but not working as an independent co-ordinator meant that I did not have any photographs of the weddings and events that I had
designed and planned in the past. So the first step was to organise a photo shoot to illustrate some of our ideas to our prospective clients. We approached a very good friend and colleague of ours, the enormously talented Sim Canetty-Clarke, who had photographed Germaine and her husband’s wedding. We had a full day of Sim’s time and we had no intention of wasting a second. Our website, we hope, is testament to the hard work that went on that day. The shoot took place at the stylish Hempel Hotel, one of our preferred venues in London. We had the support of some of the most amazing suppliers in the industry who helped us with everything from flowers to the beautiful bride’s dress.
Left: Amanda Sherlock Picture: Sim CanettyClarke And right: scenes from the launch party.
Arriving in style ... THE next step was to do what we do best; plan a chic soiree to celebrate our arrival in the industry. We wanted the Giles Sherlock Event Design launch party to scream style and panache, so together we designed fabulous invitations in colours of deep bronze and black with hand written addresses in gold calligraphy, and spread the word that the party was to take place in April at The Hempel. On the night, Germaine and I dressed to match the colours of our invitations – it’s all in the detail. We served Veuve Clicquot to our guests who had come from as far away
as the United States and Asia and ceremoniously cut an very sexy cake by cake designer Peggy Porschen. Guests feasted on delicious canapés and freshly cut sushi made to order at our very own live sushi station. Café del Mar played in the background as we all enjoyed the festivities including the magical genius Jamie Raven, who wowed and thrilled our guests with his amazing illusions. We received the most wonderful feedback from our guests, and at the end of the night, Giles Sherlock Event Design had well and truly arrived.
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weddingprofessionalnews In a special feature for Wedding Professional, celebrity wedding planner Kathryn Lloyd opens her diary and talks us through a week in her world.
A week in the life of Kathryn Friday 18th April It's my birthday – but with a wedding tomorrow there is no time for a lie in. My first call of the day is from the bride for tomorrow's wedding – and they have changed their minds one final time and decided to do the speeches before dinner instead of after. They have also had some last-minute table plan changes, so my organised day has been turned on its head. I get table plans reprinted at short notice and the running orders are redone with new timings. These then have to go out to all the suppliers involved in that part of the night, including the caterers, photographer, and DJ. I spend the rest of the day doing a call around to confirm everyone is alright for the next day and packing our kit, the menus, place-cards, table numbers, ribbon, aisle runner – and everything else. At the end of the day, the girls in my team bring in bubbly for my birthday and Charlotte and Jay from stationers Chartula Studio – who also have an office in our building – come up to join us for some
Helping the men get ready at the wedding champers. Then it is off for a romantic dinner out with my husband, but no time for leisurely preparations – I'm in, changed and out the door in 20 minutes. Saturday 19th April An early start to try and fit in as much as possible before heading off to the wedding, being held at the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square in central London. The couple have legally married at Marylebone registry office and are having the humanist blessing ceremony and reception with their guests at the Wallace Collection, the first ceremony to be held there. Wedding Magazine is there to capture the set up and transformation of the Wallace Collection Cafe to a romantic wedding setting.
venue. This afternoon Sim Canetty-Clarke, one of our top photographers, is coming in to take some new photos of the team and the results are great. At 6pm we pack up all the linen and props for tomorrow’s shoot and finish at 8pm – time for a glass of wine.
The setting is fabulous and everything goes off perfectly. The bride and groom leave at 1am, so by the time we clear everything we crawl into a cab and are home around 2.15am. Sunday 20th April A day off, so brunch with friends and then a lovely quite afternoon at home whilst my husband heads off to the BAFTAS. Monday 21st April Post wedding administration. Time to sort out the paper trail and put the file in order, unpack the kit and arrange collection of the left over wine. Then it’s on to the inevitable pile of admin that awaits after a few frantic prewedding days. Invoices to go out, bills to be paid, schedules to be checked, quotes to be chased and design ideas to be tweaked for presentation. We also have a photographer coming in to show us his work. It is really important to keep up with what and who is out there so we can offer our clients the very best ideas and suppliers. I arrive home exhausted after the weekend. Tuesday 22nd April At 8am I have a new business meeting at Claridges – a great way to start the day. I always prefer early morning meetings as it keeps the rest of your day free for anything unusual that might pop up. Today we have our MAC support company coming in to upgrade us all to Tiger (the latest operating system) and to set up the new back up system which means all our laptops are constantly wirelessly backing up to a main storage drive in the office. This backs up not only all our files, images and email on each laptop but our central supplier and venues files and all our software too. In our business where written confirmations and contracts are essential, you cannot afford to lose all your data. This takes most of the day as they move between laptops and systems - but it is a great chance to catch up on all my reading and new design books from the USA. Wednesday 23rd April Back to the grind and the new software is great – I’m already discovering some new handy features.We've come up with some fabulous concepts for a clients stationery so I'm popping down to see Chartula to see what's possible. We spend over an hour hashing out designs and end up with some
Charlotte from Chartula and Kathryn talk invitations wonderful ideas and mock ups for the client. I have a shoot with Mich Turner of The Little Venice Cake Company for her new book tomorrow so I send out all the confirmations and directions to the team and reconfirm all the timings with the
Kathryn and Mitch
Thursday 24th April I’m on the road with one of the girls by 7.30am, heading to Wiltshire for The Little Venice Cake Company photoshoot. Mich has kindly asked me to get involved with her latest book – Couture Wedding Cakes – and style some of the shots. We have a fabulous but frantic day shooting nine different cakes! TUFF are there providing us with some gorgeous flowers, I think we brought half of Jones's linen with us, some gorgeous jewellery from Andrew Prince and props from all over. A full-on day but with some great results. At 6.30pm we are back in the car and heading back to London trying to make an 8pm dinner, then I fall into bed at midnight. Friday 25th April A fabulous hamper arrives on my desk with a note of thanks from the bride and groom for a wonderful wedding day last Saturday. What a great end to the week.
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weddingprofessionaleco friendly One of the couples the website helped out went the Couples lining up to whole hog when it came to going green. Susan explains. opt for green weddings Claire gets SUSAN Dunlop has been running an eco-friendly wedding website with husband Allan for 18 months, advising couples and professionals about how to go green. Now receiving 200,000 hits a month, www.ecofriendlyweddings.co.uk has grown in line with the number of people interested in doing their bit on their big day. Susan said: “I’ve had my own green wedding stationery company for six years and it all led from there really. The growth of the website has exceeded our expectations and it shows how people are becoming more conscious of the environment. People incorporate this into their weddings partly because it’s fashionable, but mainly because they genuinely care.” Susan said that as they do so many weddings, planners can have an impact on the environment – so should make their clients aware of the options. She added: “Of course they shouldn’t push their couples into doing anything they don’t want to do, but they should point out the simple ways to make their day kinder to the environment.”
Susan’s simple tips
I Make sure the cake uses organic ingredients – most cake makers are happy to do this these days. I It’s easy to find recycled, fair trade stationery, so the wedding is green from the very beginning.
eco-friendly
Susan and Allan on their own wedding day I A number of businesses now use organic and eco-friendly silk in their dresses. We also support wearing a secondhand gown – but realise that’s not for everybody. I Don’t forget the drinks when you look for eco-friendly catering – all the wine and champagne can be UK-based.
“WHEN Claire and Dafydd Rees were planning their wedding in 2007, they were astounded by the national average cost, both in terms of money and the environment. “Held within the Pembrokeshire National Park region, the environmental impact of their wedding was especially important to them. “The stationery was all handmade using recycled card and paper and they decided against favours as they thought them unnecessary. They also decided against having a gift list, as they quite simply didn’t need anything. “When it came to arranging the flowers, Claire enquired at several flower shops to see if they could source some locally grown flowers. “Unfortunately, this request proved quite difficult to fulfil at the time and eventually her friends came to the rescue by hand tying a bouquet from flowers grown in local gardens. “The venue, at a friend’s farm, was decorated with more locally grown flowers as well as pieces of driftwood, shells and whatever else could be found in the locality. “Claire walked down the aisle in a secondhand dress and tiara and after the ceremony, guests showered the couple with biodegradable confetti. “Most of the catering, arranged by
Guest accommodation friends and family, incorporated locally produced and organic products, including a fabulous Pembrokeshire hog roast. “Dafydd and his friends were also able to contribute to the meal in an unusual way – they went fishing for his stag do and, after smoking the fish at home, their prize catches were included in the wedding feast. They also used compostable plates and cutlery and placed recycling bins around the venue. “The wine bottles were decorated with handmade labels and instead of buying in bottled water, they used the natural Welsh water from the taps. “150 of the guests were even able to stay overnight, in a collection of yurts, tipi style tents and their own camper vans or tents.”
Molly and some of her food
Catering firm serving up an organic option WEDDING planners and caterers Blue Strawberry have launched an organic weddings service, in response to demand from eco-conscious couples. The company helps organise the whole wedding creating menus using fresh organic food sourced locally where possible, advising on custom made invitations printed on recycled card, printing menus on paper with pressed petals, creating place cards using ideas such as local pebbles or leaves and suggesting seasonal flowers specially grown for the occasion from organic growers. Owner Molly Ronan said: “In terms of
the organic food we use, we source our dairy products from Dorset, our organic meat from Scotland and the South of England and tap into local growers for our fruit and vegetables. “In this way, we are able to reduce food miles as well as serve guests the freshest and most delicious organic ingredients available.” As part of the whole eco-friendly wedding service, Blue Strawberry also organises the recycling of leftover food, either by approaching a local organic farmer or by pre-arrangement to a local charity, as well as liaising with local councils to provide recycling bins.
weddingprofessionaleco friendly Eco-friendly wedding planner Rosie Ames is founder of GreenUnion, a wedding website that advises couples how to go green on their big day. She said: “We don’t expect anyone to be perfectly green. And we certainly don’t expect people to compromise on quality or design. But we do believe doing one good thing is better than doing nothing, especially on such a happy occasion.”
Charity shop dress takes top prize A CONTEMPORARY wedding dress made from a deconstructed charity shop purchase took top prize at an ethical awards ceremony for sustainable fashion. The winning creation at Ethic 08 was by design team 'The Urbanites', who used a secondhand wedding dress they'd found in an Islington charity shop as the basis for their entry.
The dress was then decorated with screen-printed information on recycling, as well as pearls also sourced in a charity shop. Judges included Kate Carter from The Guardian, Jenny White founder of Eco-Boudoir, Sital Punja founder of Sari UK and creative director of the Fashion and Textile Museum, David Reeson.
A London venue has launched a green wedding package for couples who want to tread lightly down the aisle. The Footprint package from RSA House in Westminster uses fair trade wines, sustainably sourced ingredients, recycles waste and reduces energy consumption. Guests are encouraged to use public transport and couples can even have a tree planted in their name as part of the RSA trees initiative. Amanda Mellett, private events manager, said: “We are confident that we are one of the first venues to address this issue with a bespoke ethical wedding package designed to offer our clients environmentally aware choices at an affordable price.”
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weddingprofessionalWest Country weddiing awards
Samm Riley, left, set up and hosted the award ceremony.
Awards recognise West Country talent By Mary Ferguson THE inaugural West Country Wedding Awards saw 42 finalists come together, with 16 named as best in the South West. Set up and hosted by wedding planner Samm Riley, the ceremony took place at Plymouth Gin Distillery, which has recently gained a wedding licence. Samm, who runs Wedding Matters, said: “The awards were introduced to create an industry commensurate with our soaring wedding destination status. Wedding tourism in the West Country is still on the up, despite the Office of National Statistics showing evidence that weddings in other regions are in decline.” After this year’s success, Samm is now looking for ways to improve for next year’s
awards – which open for entrants this month. “I am overwhelmed at the support we’ve had for these awards, the entrants have been so complimentary whilst sponsors have been generous and supportive. “It is fantastic that there are people in this part of the world who champion local development and give back to the community purely because they can.” She added: “Whilst providing recognition to those who go all out to make special wedding days, it promotes and creates better business practices. “This is essential if we are to keep attracting those discerning couples from outside the region who have larger wedding budgets and expectations to match.”
weddingprofessionalWest Country wedding awards
The winners Best Wedding Venue Devon Northcote Manor, Umberleigh Best Wedding Venue Cornwall Boscundle Manor, St Austell Best Marquee Provider Aussie Marquees, Truro Best Wedding Photographer Melanie Barnfield, Plymouth Best Wedding Videographer Otter Valley Video, Ottery St Mary Best Floral Designer Designer Wedding Flowers, Truro Best Wedding Hair and Beauty Craig Chapman Hair Design, Launceston Best Wedding Transport Bon Voyage Classic Cars, Lostwithiel
Best Finishing Touches South West Chair Covers, Plymouth Best Cake Maker Cake Box, Umberleigh Best Bridal Outfitter Blue Orchid Gowns, Torpoint Best Bridal Accessories Sarah Drew Tiaras, St Austell Best Caterer Good Food Catering Company, Tintagel Best Wedding Stationery Ottery Press, Tavistock Best Entertainment Kernow Entertainments, Truro Best New Business Rock Chicken Artistes Entertainment Agency, Plymouth
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weddingprofessionalvintage weddings
As more couples look to the past for stylish celebrations, the vintage wedding market is booming. In a special feature for Wedding Professional, Nicola Hyde investigates.
Paparazzi gives flash of Hollywood glamour FOR old-school Hollywood glamour, couples can hire vintage paparazzi to snap guests as they arrive at the wedding or mingle during the reception. Ian Adcock and Rob Sim, – former comedy cabaret and street performers – set up The Digital Paparazzi in 1999 and covered 189 events last year. Ian said: “Normally for weddings we're just there for the evening do. We get
pictures of all the guests arriving, then move in amongst them until we feel we have enough pictures, which takes up to two hours. “We differ from the official photographer by being entertaining and taking fun snaps of all the guests – not the usual dull posed pictures. And all pictures are accessible online, free of charge, within a few hours.”
Victoria Moy
Vintage trend is just Victoria’s cup of tea A FAMILY heirloom antique tea set proved to be a winning business idea for one woman to cash in on the vintage wedding trend. Devon-based Victoria Moy was given a large collection of crockery from her mum and kept up the collection, visiting antique fairs and auctions. But, two years ago, she decided to turn her hobby into a business and launched The English Tea Party, renting out the sets to brides interested in vintage or country chic wedding theming. She said: “They are so beautiful and I just couldn’t bear the idea of them sitting in boxes gathering dust. People come to see them and are so scared of using them in case they break anything – but I would rather they be enjoyed and used than sitting in a loft.” She started off with a collection of around 60 cups and saucers but it has grown to include everything ranging from 1920s cloths and lace to glass candelabras, a tea pot dating back to the 1800s, picnic hampers and even vintage birdcages for decoration. She said: “It doesn’t really matter if I haven’t got the whole matching sets of things, people like to mix and match as that all adds to the charm. “I think the reason people like it is that it’s so flexible, they can chose what they want, and it looks so much better than just having plain white. “A few chips here and there don’t matter, we used the slightly chipped ones as centre pieces for floral arrangements. And what we have even found is a bride’s grandparents may have some vintage crockery that they can add in with ours on the day. “It works out very well as it means a lot to the bride and the grandparents feel like they have contributed to the day.” So far this year, Victoria has 26 weddings booked – mainly throughout the
The English Tea Party rents out tea sets for weddings.
Summer months – but is looking forward to a Winter wedding so she can use her vintage-themed festive crockery. She added: “Vintage is in at the moment. A lot of people like this idea of vintage country living, and they like the little touches of lace and trimmings.”
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weddingprofessionalvintage weddings Tiffany Grant was planning her own Art Deco vintage-themed wedding when she noticed a gap in the market. She set up Grant-Riley Weddings and is now offering vintage planning services for retro brides. Nicola Hyde reports.
Tiffany moved forward by looking back ...
An ice-cream tricycle inspired by the 1930’s is now available to cool down guests at summer vintage weddings. Launched by the people behind The Original Chocolate Fountain, the tricycle serves 140 different ice creams and sorbets, including cocktail sorbets and ‘spicecreams’ containing chilli.
TIFFANY Grant worked for a prestigious events company in London, organising VIP and celebrity parties, when she first began organising her own vintage wedding. She had settled on a 1930s theme and realised that other vintage-loving brides might like some inspiration. She said: “My wedding is all about the silver screen. My dress is very fitted, made of crepe satin which my mother is making for me. It’s going to be very glamourous, incorporating peacock feathers and hydrangeas as they give a big impact.” She offers planning services for weddings themed between the 1920s and 1960s, taking inspiration from old photographs, classic films, antique fabrics, popular flowers and styles of the time, fashion and food. She added: “I saw a real niche market for a vintage planner. Designers and suppliers are really going to town producing vintage in their own way and I felt there ought to be someone to help bring it all together. “Brides and grooms are starting to look for a home grown, bespoke approach during their planning and a vintage theme allows for that and creates a real nostalgic romance. “There is something very comforting about a well produced vintage wedding where the whole family get involved to do their bit.”
Tiffany said during her first year she has teamed up with several suppliers to create valuable alliances for her clientele. She added: “I never expected to have such an interest from those who had been in the industry a lot longer than me and it really does prove that vintage is well and truly here to stay. “I believe I was meant to be born sometime in the early 1920s and been a 40s bride, living through the period of war and rationing. “This era fills me with a real excitement, especially how everybody pulled together for the war effort. “However, where weddings are concerned the 1930s is my real love. There is a real silver screen glamour that was emulated in the brides’ dresses with the ever-popular bias cut, and depression glassware and crystal candelabra look wonderful as centrepieces and reflect the clean lines of Art Deco style.” Tiffany’s interest in vintage stemmed from childhood – her mother is a collector of Victorian paraphernalia and her grandmother is a genealogist. She said: “As a child, I would go fishing for broken pieces of china in the river near our home and collect them. Quite a strange pastime for a ten year old, but I loved any objects that had a bit of history behind them and I still do.”
Retro takes slice of market A FLEDGLING cake business has reported a 50 per cent boom in orders for vintage themed cakes. Zoe Clarke, pictured left, of Zoe Clarke Cakes, only launched her business in January but already has 55 bookings – and more than half of these are for retro cakes. She said: “An lot of them have some element of vintage theming, whether it be stripes, bows, vintage broaches. One of my most popular cakes is a dusky rose spotted vintage cake.” Zoe’s biggest interest comes around art deco black and white trimmings or pipings which pick out
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the pattern of vintage lace. Zoe, who was a pastry chef in Australia before setting up her business, said: “I had always baked for fun but then I came back to the UK I got a full time job working for a cake company – I hadn’t even iced a cake before that. “I loved it and it totally suits me as I had always been interested in ceramics, painting, art. I can take inspiration from a anything – it could be the wedding dress, the shoes. I even had one with a bridesmaid’s dress which was pale green with lace on top that I copied onto the cake.”
A 1930s look appeals to many brides
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weddingprofessionalvirtual wedding
Internet solution to wedding favours with a difference By Giuseppe Trerotoli, managing director of The Favour Gallery WE decided to create The Favour Gallery following the search for wedding favours for our own wedding in 2002. The majority of couples spend a great deal of time planning and organising what is one of the most important days of their life and we started two years prior to our big day. Beautiful flowers were ordered, wonderful food tasted, a bespoke gown created and fabulous venue hired. We then reached the “Wedding Favours” section of our “to do” list. Amongst all the planned sophistication came the endless choice of mass produced favours. We wanted something really unique. It was whilst we were in Italy that
we discovered the luxury favours you can now exclusively buy on-line in the UK. Our favours are made by hand in a mountain town two hours outside Rome. They are elegant and sophisticated, and wedding guests will be delighted to see something beautiful harbouring sweet Italian almonds or mouthwatering chocolate dragees. The Favour Gallery is the only company with a contract to import these beautiful favours and sell them on the internet. All brides want something different and original for their big day – we believe we have found the answer. We received so many compliments on our wedding day that we have now decided to allow brides living in the UK into our wedding favour secret. Whenever we visit friends there is always
The Favour Gallery website one of our favours on display in their home. We have over 150 different favour designs on-line and these are then
available in many different colours giving a choice of over 1,500 favours for brides-tobe to choose from.
Entertainment business hits high note with award win PROFESSIONAL wedding and functional entertainment business 5CATFish are still basking in the glow of winning the Entertainment section of the Wrapit Awards earlier this year. The business – a five-piece band and DJ – offers a complete entertainment solution for any wedding or function, ranging from the lavish to the intimate. Andy Lewis, founder member and keyboard player said: “Winning the Wrapit award has offered some legitimacy to an often-overlooked part of the wedding plan. “As there are literally thousands of bands who claim to play weddings, people think they are spoilt for choice when in fact the entertainment is as important as
anything else in terms of the day running smoothly. “Therefore making the right choice in entertainment can be the ‘make-or-break’ factor for the reception.” 5CATFish are looking at the long-term view for their business and with this in mind, are exhibiting at the National Wedding Show in Birmingham for the third year running in October. Andy added: “Our decision to offer an entire solution including a live band and DJ including an onsite pre-event meeting where we discuss details of the day in advance, the fact that we tailor our sets to customers’ preferences and really strive to offer complete peace-of-mind has certainly made the difference to our clients.”
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weddingprofessionalvirtual wedding
Company led by design and driven by desire for fashion By Vesna Brock, managing partner at Peach Cocktail PEACH Cocktail was formed in 2002 with a vision to create a company that was like no other within the world of stationery. It was to be led by design and driven by a desire to express today’s fashion through designer and fine stationery. It was to be given a name befitting its modern approach but with a real meaning and after many hours of discussion and various suggestions the name of ‘Peach Cocktail’ was finally chosen. The word ‘Peach’ meaning ‘anything of special excellence’ and the word ‘Cocktail’ meaning ‘a mixture of’ seemed to capture our vision exactly. With many years of experience within the stationery sector of the printing industry, this new company would become
a new member of a group specialising in decorative and commercial print solutions, where we could express our talents, skills and ideas in our own original way. Since this point in time we have gradually grown and developed the business based on the original vision. We are passionately committed to creating original designs of exceptional quality and each design idea is thoroughly evaluated whilst going through many stages of development. Only when we are really happy with the finishes achieved and the quality of the materials chosen, is the design finally released for collection status. We offer a professional service, making full use of the combined skills that our designers and production staff have developed over the years. All our stationery is produced under one roof where we have complete control from design to dispatch.
Andrew John with the picture which was displayed at the Getty Image Gallery
Photographer Andrew’s image nets exhibition success WEDDING photographer Andrew John enjoyed his time in the limelight earlier this year, when one of his celebrity images was featured in an exhibition. His photograph of footballer Michael
Owen’s wedding appeared in Hello magazine, and was displayed at London’s Getty Image Gallery to celebrate the magazine’s 20th anniversary.
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weddingprofessionalvirtual wedding
Mary Jane keeps it simple Florist Mary Jane Vaughan believes arranging flowers is like Italian cooking. She said: “Choose the very best ingredients, and do the minimum to them. Let the flowers speak for themselves and use simple glass vases to show them off. The uncluttered look of today’s design is perfect for flowers.” Recently, Mary Jane has been creating a relaxed look by Pop star Jamelia recently married footballer Darren Byfield
Jamelia gets the blues ... LONDON-BASED Euphoric Flowers designed the floristry for pop star Jamelia’s wedding to footballer Darren Byfield. Simon Nickell and Victoria Taberer-Bond created a bouquet of blue roses for the bride, wrist corsages for the bridesmaids, buttonholes for the men and striking table centre pieces for the reception. Simon said the midnight blue theme continued into the marquee, with coloured carpets, draping and silver chairs around the tables. He said: “At the centre of each table, mounds of blue hydrangea sat low on square mirror plates with white birch twigs sticking out to give height. It looked amazing and it was a really fantastic day
that we were honoured to be a part of.” The wedding took place over the same weekend as Wayne Rooney’s at Eastlands Estate in West Sussex, and Euphoric Flowers were recommended to the couple by in-house wedding planner Holly Offord. Simon added: “The first thing Jamelia asked me when we sat down to discuss the flowers was whether I could get blue roses. “So we dyed white roses and contrary to media reports, the colours had nothing to do with Darren’s team Millwall Football Club – she just liked the colour.” Jamelia spent her hen weekend in a Birmingham strip club dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz.
grouping vases on a table or on a plinth – sometimes using the same flower throughout, but at unusual angles – or simply making strong groups of one type of flower per vase. She added: “It’s all about impact, and an element of surprise and even amusement never goes amiss. “My upside down tulips in a vase are always a hit because they make customers smile.”
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weddingprofessionalletters
Watching Editor’s comment with interest Summer is in full swing and it’s a busy time of year for wedding planners – who are working hard to make lots of couples very happy. To coordinate with the seasons, we will now be published four times a year, with an e-newsletter to keep you up to date in-between, and we still want to hear your news and views. Let’s hope that by the time the next issue is out, last summer’s floods will be forgotten and there will be many happy – and sunny – memories of what is hopefully a successful season for everyone. But despite the sunshine, the black cloud of the worsening economy is hanging over the heads of many businesses, with the wedding industry included. We would love to know whether you are worried about couples tightening their purse strings, or if you think media coverage is simply making things worse by scaring people into penny pinching. If you have any comments about this, or anything else, please e-mail Mary Ferguson at mf@whpl.net or call 01226 734712. I Look out for a new publication from the people behind Wedding Professional – ‘Inspiration’ – keeping you up to date with everything from the world of party planning and events. We’d love you to get involved with that too.
Bernadette Chapman, UK Alliance Of Wedding Planners The UKAWP read with interest the piece in Wedding Professional on 'Simplyweddings'. On the surface it seems a good idea but can it work? In our opinion its unlikely it will make a mark on the industry, in fact we suspect most of the ‘brides’ will end up being new planners trying to research the industry. Wedding planning isn't a profession whereby you can gain clients simply by providing a quote online unless of course it’s wedding day management or partial planning. Any successful planner will tell you a meeting needs to take place where we can discuss the couple’s wedding in detail – this can take up to two hours – and, from this a proposal is produced outlining the services we can provide and the appropriate charge, whether fixed fee or on a percentage basis. Brides also rarely choose a planner over cost; it is personality and competence every time – not whether you were the cheapest of the bunch. The UKAWP wish SimplyWeddings well and will watch with interest.
Hafsa Patel, Hasfa Weddings I want to share my experience of setting up as a wedding planner because I feel that everyone should know that no matter where they are located, people will want their services – even without big budgets. I qualified last summer and was
Hafsa Patel overwhelmed by the response I got from my Lancashire brides. I offered my services to the local brides and went through the actual cost of their dream weddings and it was amazing to see what perception these brides had in their minds of a dream wedding. They feel they can only have a lavish wedding if they spend a fortune. This is where the wedding planner comes in and helps keep the cost down but creates the big day they want. I have planned several weddings since I qualified and I have to say that it is a great pleasure to give these brides their dream wedding by helping them keep the costs low.
Amy Balcomb, Wedding Day PA I was interested to read your article on hoax wedding enquiries, as I have been receiving various similar emails. Some weeks can be very quiet with these, others come through nearly every day, but I have never replied or phoned them. The most recent was from someone claiming to be the managing director of a wildlife institute in Scotland, with a budget of £20,000. It asked if I worked for commission, what insurance I held, and whether I took credit card payments. Needless to say, it’s frightening how some newly established, perhaps naïve planners, could be taken in by these emails.
The importance of business mentoring and networking in the wedding planning industry By Sandy Moretta, membership director of UKAWP I AM a great believer in mentoring and networking systems within any industry and any organisation. When embarking on a career in marketing many years ago, I was eternally grateful for the help and guidance I received from more experienced colleagues, either formally or informally, and I was happy and proud to be able to mentor others as I became more senior. Many wedding planners work, initially at least, alone, and often from home or a solitary office. So to have a mentor within the industry is invaluable – someone who has been in your shoes and can offer advice, sympathy and encouragement from a position of experience and knowledge. Since setting up my own wedding planning business some years ago, I have truly discovered the value of networking – not my artificial experience of the eighties, but a sense of real support, referral and exchange of best practice.
There are many women in this business and, with no disrespect to my male colleagues, in my experience, women are natural networkers. For me there are two main types of networking. The first is amongst ourselves, together with our fellow planners. I also find networking amongst a range of occupations very useful. I regularly attend networking lunch meetings in my local area, again building a supportive group of business owners but also ensuring as many people as possible have my business cards and gain an understanding of what I do and what I am looking to achieve. We never know who knows who and I have discovered some excellent suppliers and even potential bookings via this means. Mentoring and networking are fundamental, particularly in a business which can be isolating and is still highly seasonal, therefore leaving some of us wondering about our choice of work in winter.
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