Last Friday I was setting up a marquee for a client’s 25^th wedding anniversary party. The day before is when all the installations happen like generator, toilets, bar, furniture & final details for the marquee. When teaching the step by step course via the UKAWP we talk about your ‘DREAM TEAM’ and that as a planner you are only as good as your team. After all this is what a client is paying you for , anyone can find a bar, toilet or marquee etc. But are they any good? Will they work together to ensure everything is perfect?

At one stage I stood back and watched while the generator company shouted a greeting to the toilet company, (despite them being competitors) they told me they often help each other out if booked that weekend. Which reminded me of how successful planners network and help each other esp. those members of the UKAWP.

Then the marquee company arrived and joked with both the generator & toilet company, the generator needed a little heave up a slope so everyone pitched in. Everyone knew each other and had worked together in the past. There was mutual respect, hard work and professionalism.

The bar company is fantastic, the time they put into building their bar & stocking is astounding. And that evening the band I had booked is one I have been using for years so again I knew the evening was going to be fantastic!

So to summarise, although anyone can plan an event on their own, I truly believe it is a planner that ensures a client has the best team possible to make their event a success.

A recent client in June sent me a letter of thanks for her party saying ” you finalised the whole event with excellent furniture, a fantastic bar and absolutely brilliant band. I would never have found these companies searching the internet. I also appreciated the other details: garden lighting, printing, jazz band and flowers etc. It was fantastic, thank you so much” Sally Tinney

I hope to bring you images from this event very soon…..

13th DECEMBER UPDATE

Please note that Chloe & Eddie have requested that their personal pictures remain private and as such have been removed, the ceremony post has now been deleted.

Recently I showed you the ceremony images from the wedding of Chloe and Eddie , I am now delighted to show you some of the highlights from their reception. Chloe and Eddie decided to hold the reception at Eddie’s former home in Brentwood, the current location of the family business. The gardens are vast and hold  some amazing views across London to  canary wharf. I worked very closely with Chloe throughout the 7 months planning the wedding. Chloe explained that they wanted a very modern and contemporary wedding with little fuss, they wanted their guests to be looked after all day with food, drink and entertainment. We hired Mahood Marquees after seeing one of their weddings, we chose a white lining for the interior, white carpet, white dance floor and white linen. This ensured the modern feel to the wedding with no-one confusing it with a country fete design! Entertainment was a big part of the day with no less then 10 entertainment elements throughout the whole day (solo singer, organist, jazz band, pianist, evening band, mixologists, video diary, twist & pulse, DJ Spoony, fireworks). I think guests were left wondering what surprises were next. One of the highlights was surprising Eddie with Twist & Pulse half way through the first dance, his reaction was fantastic, I also loved that Eddie got up to sing with the band followed by his Father, Barry .

Entertainment: Jazz band, pianist, evening band, mixologists, video diary, twist & pulse, DJ Spoony, fireworks

Other Suppliers: Flowers, Caterers, Marquee, Lighting & AV, video, Photographer, stationery

This morning when opening my post I was delighted to find a CD from Alan Walter who photographed the wedding of one of my September clients, Chloe & Eddie . The shots are beautiful and I cannot wait to upload them and share with you but until then I thought you might like a teaser …..

13th DECEMBER UPDATE

Please note that Chloe & Eddie have requested that their personal pictures remain private and as such have been removed.

The marquee was very contemporary and pure white, not a smidgen of ivory in sight!

Photo credit: Alan Walter Photography

Q. We are having 200 guests for a marquee wedding, we did this to keep it more relaxed but I’m now wondering if we will need some formality and order on the day?

I have co-ordinated a lot of marquee weddings and highly advise you either have a co-ordinator or toastmaster or ideally both! A marquee does not have a dedicated person to ensure the whole event is running smoothly, in short there is no-one to take control. To explain the difference a co-ordinator will decorate your venue, manage the suppliers, manage the schedule and make announcements when requested. A toastmaster tends to dress in formal wear and instantly is recognisable by guests as a person of authority. They can arrange your receiving line, announce your guests, introduce the speakers etc.

In June I organised a 10th anniversary party for Fenella and Andy, we decided on a Rat Pack – New York theme. The party was held in their home in Essex. It was a pleasure working with Fenella and her family and on the day everyone had a lot of fun.

The food was provided by Magpie Catering who produced some wonderful bowl food and mini puddings, the lemon tarts were very popular!

We used a lot of stock from Dream Occasions Hire in the garden and marquee.

The entertainment was provided by Dean Ager who has a ratpack act and provided a disco in the evening.

Credit

Thanks to Nick Kontou for the wonderful photography, look out for some more of his work in a nautical party we organised in July.

Credits:Fruity Delights – Intimate Weddings Love seeds – Martha StewartSweetie Jars – Doily Days

Are you one of the fortunate people to have an event at home or at least in the grounds of someone that cares about you? Congratulations on having the opportunity to create an event truly personal and individual. But has the initial excitement now paved way for disorder and distress? If so you’re not alone, home weddings are DIFFICULT. It’s a much greater challenge than a hotel or venue because you have to organise everything from scratch, with no professional to guide you along the way. Over the last 7 years I have organised many home events and have become known as an expert amongst planners and clients alike. Personally I love them, yes its hard work but the results are worth it.

• Be imaginative with the design, if your theme is butterflies then why not have a butterfly lining? Try crescent moon for custom made linings.
• Think about the carpet colour and seat pads carefully, they should match your wedding theme and colours, not clash, if in doubt go neutral.
• Lighting is key for weddings now so ask your marquee company about up-lighters or spot lights on tables from above, this creates a very powerful effect. Candelabras look amazing when night begins to fall. In the garden place garden lanterns on trees and in flower beds to make a feature of them, if the weather is nice hopefully guests will be spending time outside.
• Arrange the layout so minimal disruption is causes when moving furniture. Trying to remove a long top table form the dance floor when evening guests have arrives is not much fun. I advise avoiding having tables on the dance floor unless absolutely necessary.
• Speak with your florist about creating a high impact display, small low arrangements just get lost in the ceiling height. A combination of high/low arrangements works best
• Ask to see the marquee chairs before agreeing to hire them, some hire chairs should have been taken out of service years ago. Ask for spares so you can only place out the good ones, have someone on site to take delivery of the chairs and quality check them.
• If there is one thing that can break a theme it is rough and starched linen. Speak with your planner or caterer about hiring in some designer linen, there is a range of colours and styles you can get. Ensure the cloths are to the floor and make a feature from the napkins; no I’m not talking dancing swans! You can fold the napkins so they have a pocket in which favours or a rose can be placed or if you are very creative fold it so it resembles a tie.
• For a dramatic feature hire some topiary trees , statues or beautiful bird cages overflowing with flowers . Place them behind the top table and flagging the entrance
• Try raising the dance floor and have steps leading up to it. Line alternative pots of flowers with up-lighters to light the dance floor from below.
• Many people now have big displays on the marquee poles (if traditional marquee) but why not ask your florists to create a palm tree or willow tree with twigs and blooms? In other words if you don’t have a tree as a feature within the marquee, make one instead!
• Ask the marquee company to separate the band/DJ area with a curtain then can be easily draped to one side. There is nothing worse then seeing a brides hard work spoilt by obtrusive speakers and drum sets behind the top table.

Photo Credit: Kerry MorganServices: For help with your marquee wedding why not view our website to see how we can help you

Are you one of the fortunate people to have an event at home or at least in the grounds of someone that cares about you? Congratulations on having the opportunity to create an event truly personal and individual. But has the initial excitement now paved way for disorder and distress? If so you’re not alone, home weddings are DIFFICULT. It’s a much greater challenge than a hotel or venue because you have to organise everything from scratch, with no professional to guide you along the way. Over the last 7 years I have organised many home events and have become known as an expert amongst planners and clients alike. Personally I love them, yes its hard work but the results are worth it. So every Monday I will be passing on some of my top tip.
Like with all suppliers meet at least 2 caterers before making a decision on who to use. When comparing quotations check whether it includes:

• • Staff for the wedding breakfast, drink reception, bar, wine serving & clearing
  • Cutlery, crockery and glassware
  • All cooking equipment & refrigeration trailers
• I also advise asking whether their staff is agency or regular waitresses they have worked with frequently. This can make a big difference on the day.
• Check with your caterers what size catering tent they need to service your wedding proficiently
• Ensure your caterers have access to fresh water, this can be simply an extendable hose into the catering tent
• Ask your caterer how many staff they need to cater for your wedding in a timely manner, this is not an area to save costs on. As a guide for a plated service you need 1 waitress/waiter per 10 guests.
• Reiterate to the caterers that all wastage, including water from the urn should be taken off site and disposed of, otherwise you may be looking at a hefty bill for damage to the lawn

Photo credit: Nick KontouServices: If you need help planning your marquee event view our main website for more information on how we can help you.

Are you one of the fortunate people to have an event at home or at least in the grounds of someone that cares about you? If so this new series is for you. Over the last 7 years I have organised many marquee events and have become known as an expert amongst planners and clients alike. Personally I love them, yes its HARD work but the results are worth it. So every Monday I will be passing on some of my top tips.

PLANNER - seriously think about having a planner to assist with the planning or at least project manage the wedding day for you. Venues have banqueting managers to deal with problems but you will have no-one. A planner can decorate the venue, take delivery of goods plus manage the day itself so if any challenges occur they are dealt with in a professional manner leaving you to relax and party. I cover the East Anglia region but for reputable planners in your area view the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners.

If you need help with your marquee event then visit our website for details on the services we offer.Photo Credit: Lloyd Dobbie

I was recently contacted by Weddington Boots regarding their yes, ivory wellies for use at weddings. I thought they were great and useful for my brides having marquees in the countryside – JUST IN CASE.