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My lovely Mummy has agreed to share her endless wisdom on the blog today. Make sure to click here if you are interested in seeing how she can help you even further.
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How long have you been planning weddings?
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I have been involved with weddings since 1979 – initially (as a hotelier) providing the venue, the accommodation and catering. Over the year as the Manager and Event Planner for the hotel I took on board providing so much more and assisting in the finer details and planning of weddings.
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Do you remember the first wedding that you planned?
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No not professionally – but I planned my own on the 31st August 1979 right down to the last detail.
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Which was your favourite wedding to plan?
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My favourite of all was Kate and Gavin Cordwell-Smith – 31st March 2001. It was amazing – we changed the foyer of the function suite into a dreamy silk lined white marquee and in the main function room we created a black marquee with hundreds of twinkling lights in the ceiling – it was a fairytale! Chair covers were not widely used then so we had 250 ivory covers made with gold sashes, golden candelabras with gorgeous flowers, fabulous food and entertainment … it was a superb event and a very happy occasion.
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You recently planned my wedding – did you enjoy the planning process and the day itself?
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I had the time of my life and thoroughly enjoyed the planning. I suppose it was easier for me as I have lots of contacts in the North of England and know all the quality suppliers/entertainers having witnessed some 3500 + weddings in my professional life time. I have only one daughter and wanted you to have the very best and we did just that. As for the day itself it was fabulous – such a wonderfully happy day which passed off beautifully and far too quickly – there is not one part of it I would change from start to finish.
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Tell me a bit about your own wedding day…
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My own wedding took place in Edinburgh in a Registry Office, then afterwards we had a sumptuous banquet (7 courses) for immediate family (16 people) in the hotel where my husband and I (Robin) met and worked – me a front office manager and he was food and beverage manager. Since then we have worked in the hotel business together for 31 years. The evening party was for 150 in another Edinburgh hotel with a typical Scottish sandwich buffet, and after that we honeymooned in Cornwall staying with relatives in twin beds!
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What value can having a wedding planner add to your wedding day?
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The value is in the experience and also the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. A good planner will take away the stress, listen to what the Bride & Groom want then develop their plans with fresh ideas/tips and successes from other events. A good wedding planner will have the resources to hand and will be able to guide the Bride & Groom through all factors – start to finish – that ensure a memorable trouble free and successful day.
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What would be your top 5 tips for any bride planning her own wedding?
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Explore ideas. Enjoy the process. Keep calm. Have a budget. Take advice from experts.
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How important is having a budget from the outset? What is the average cost of a wedding in 2010? How much should a bride and groom put aside for contingency?
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Budget is of course very important as you can’t spend what you haven’t got! The cost of weddings varies so much depending on the type of occasion you want. I would say that the average wedding is for approximately 100 people and that the cost of this will average (North East prices) £15,000 – £20,000. However, it can cost a lot less or a lot more. Your contingency should be 15%.
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Any areas where it is easy to save money?
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Making your own invites… table plans… menus… table decorations…
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Buying a cake from Marks & Spencer or Waitrose and dressing it up.
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Serving the cake as dessert (although some hotels don’t like this).
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Having a late wedding with a good canapé reception and then a late supper/ buffet rather than a daytime meal & evening buffet.
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Have a fancy dress wedding – avoids the cost of suits and dresses!
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What 3 items/ services do you think are worth splurging on?
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For me – flowers, as I adore them! Good food and wines. Great music and entertainment from the Church/service right to the very end.
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What one bit of advice would you give to Kate Middleton if you were planning the royal wedding?
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Be yourself and enjoy the day – it’s over far too quickly.
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What celebrity wedding would you love to plan, past or present?
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Without a doubt Simon Cowell’s.
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Is there any room for the groom in the wedding planning process?
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Of course there is – it is his day too – these days the Grooms are very actively involved you only have to go to a Wedding Fair to witness that it is a very “couple” thing .
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Is hiring a wedding planner worth the money?
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Yes, if you find experience with fresh ideas and that special ability to guide you seamlessly through what can be a “wedding minefield”.
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Any really memorable weddings for whatever reason, good or bad – tell us about a few…
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Helen and Michael Roseberry (20 years ago). Helen was the Chairman’s daughter – being hoteliers it had to be fabulous and it was from start to finish! Helen had her drinks reception with Champagne, oysters and a Philarmonic Orchestra in the Ballroom of the Hotel, then moved out via a silk lined walkway to a grand marquee. It was February and it snowed heavily in the week preceding her wedding – outside the marquee there were mountains of snow where we had cleared the lawns to erect the marquee. Inside the marquee we hung Crystal Chandeliers and the whole day was a glittering success.
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Bad ? The wedding that was called off at the 11th hour – the Friday night before a Saturday wedding the Groom to be decided not to make the journey from France and called the whole thing off… we had a hotel full of guests and the reception had already been set … very sad.
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What is the strangest request you have had?
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A mock wedding ceremony for part of the wedding video… the Bride and Groom walked up the aisle together (looking beautiful) – you saw this from behind – when they turned to each other they were “wedding ghouls”… very strange but it did work in the video!
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What is the most popular current wedding "trend" that you have seen. Do you like it?
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I can honestly say that every wedding is different and that there is so much available that it is very achievable to make your wedding special and individual. Recent trends I have seen include candy buffets; vintage; themed weddings such as “Halloween”, “medieval banquets”, “tropical”; interesting wedding transport from Beetles to old buses and a whole host of colour schemes: apple green, mauve, lilac, hot pink, slate grey, gold, coral, red, violet purple, mocha, navy, emerald, bright orange and yellow. We recently did a wedding that was hot pink and bright orange which worked fabulously!
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Brides Up North Wedding Planning Services is affiliated with Brides Up North
Contact Brides Up North for more details.
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