On the 2^nd & 3^rd of March the UKAWP held their 4^th annual seminar. As training director WPE is my ‘baby’ thus I spent many hours organising speakers & getting partners on board to create the perfect mix of business vs industry specific topics. Each year WPE is getting bigger and more exciting though with 31 delegates we are still not at the level of the U.S conferences which attract hundreds of planners from across the world. Maybe one day we can hold WPE in the Cayman Islands instead of London!

I headed to London on the 1^st March with my wonderful co-director Sandy Moretta so we could start stuffing the swag bags and work with 51 Buckingham Gate on the room set up. We were lucky this year to have so many fab suppliers on board for the bags.

We had cake (GC Couture) cake pops (NOTHS) bottle openers (iBarco) scented candles & massagers (51BG) magazines (brides & your London Wedding) greeting cards (cutture) cookies (the cake house) and of course chocolate (artisan du chocolat)

After a wonderful breakfast on the 2^nd we made our way to the seminar room to greet Simon & Victoria from Euphoric Flowers and James from Wedding Creative who were our WPE partners. Between them they created a sparkly blue backdrop for the stage & a pedestal of flowers inc. some wonderful blossom. On each table Euphoric had provided small cubes of plants as we didn’t want anything high, it was a conference after all! We then placed some cute lasercut butterflies & schedule provided by Cutture into the displays.

When delegates arrived they were given a delegate folder before enjoying some tea & pastries prior to the seminar starting. It was so nice seeing friends and colleagues from all over the UK, with many WPE is the only chance we get to see each other like Andrea from Cheshire and Nikki from Yorkshire. In fact I did have to keep telling the ‘Northern planners’ to behave during the seminar as they were rather enthusiastic!

Over the 2 days we had 11 speakers, too many to summarise here, but I did enjoy…..

Lloyd Dobbie – who explained post processing and what a difference it can make to the end image. It was fascinating seeing the difference of before & after shots. I till can’t understand why he can’t make me look like Angelina Jolie when he takes my picture but that’s another story altogether!

Jules Cardozo-Marsh – explained the key things to remember when hiring a make up artist but also gave us some great tips on makeup for us personally as wedding planners. And the best bet? She decided I’d be her muse for the demonstration.

TT Tents – Andrew was very enthusiastic with his presentation, when I saw the number of slides I did think how will he cover it all but we were able to whizz through. His presentation style was very entertaining and I know the planners learnt a lot from him.

IBarco – I use Debbie for many of my marquee and barn functions and I have a lot of respect for her. I think we all enjoyed the Thunder toffee vodka shot at the end of day 1. Some planners more then others!

Ellie Sanderson Boutique – Ellie runs 2 wonderful bridal boutiques (wish one was in Essex) and she explained abut trends she is seeing for dresses and accessories. She split us into teams and asked each team to create a different look , my team had to dress the model as if the wedding was in a Helsinki Cathedral. We had fun building the look and didn’t agree with the judge’s low scores (I think Ellie agreed with us though!)

Whitney Wing Drake – I have been liaising with Whitney for a joint Dream Occasions and Wish Wonder Dream project, and was delighted when she agreed to present at WPE. It was fascinating hearing about trends in the U.S but also the different services offered to brides.

 Photo Credit – Lloyd Dobbie

The UKAWP Directors are very excited to be the only wedding industry partner for the RSVP Event Showcase to be held in Islington, on 19^th and 20^th April.

RSVP is celebrating 10 years as the UK’s most innovative and creative event dedicated to the corporate hospitality, entertainment, party and special events industry. 

London’s event showcase will draw on the creative talents of the UK’s leading event suppliers and will inspire guests by revealing events in action, exhibitors’ new ideas, and provide a rare chance to see, hear and taste the latest industry trends. 

Wedding Planning Survey Results In

The UKAWP has undertaken a large online survey in which we asked wedding planners all about the size and type of the weddings they plan. Results are now in and will be announced during our seminar session on 20^th.

Come and meet us

Please come along and see us at Stand E4 in the venues zone. We will be presenting on 20^th – you can join in and ask your questions in our panel discussion afterwards. Even those questions which we don’t have time to answer during the session will be answered either immediately afterwards in RSVP’s ‘Speakers Corner’ or by email after the event.

We know that, like us, many of you are already annual RSVP attendees, but if you have never been along to the show, do give it a go. You can register here.

We are very excited here at the UKAWP because our first bridal event (The Wedding Sanctuary) is literally just days away.  Ticket sales have been phenomenal proving that there was a need for something unique in the wedding world. It’s not too late to purchase your ticket by going online to the booking form , single tickets are £10 or bring a friend for £15.

Practical Information

The event is on Sunday 20th March split into 2 sessions, 11am-1pm and 2-4pm. Please select either the morning or the afternoon session. This is so that we can ensure every guest has a great experience and benefits from lots of personal attention. Guest numbers are limited for each session .

After the show why not pop along to the magnificent One Marylebone for a spot of afternoon tea at The Luella’s Boudoir Wedding Fair. With lots more fabulous suppliers to see and a fashion show showcasing the latest wedding dress, accessories and bridesmaids dress designs, this is the perfect opportunity to solve all your wedding dilemmas in one day. Combined tickets to both events are available at special discounted rates of £20 (single) and £30 (double).

You will find me on the day in the ceremony room where the talks will take palce, do come and say hello.

Last week the UKAWP held a workshop with Euphoric Flowers on how to make a last minute buttonhole, corsage and bouquet. As a wedding planner you have to be prepared for the worst including making  a last minute buttonhole or bouquet. We had such a fun evening and competition was fierce to be ‘teachers pet’ but Simon and Victoria were not showing any favouritism!  I’ve only had to make one emergency bridesmaid bouquet before a few years ago and even though it looked good, with the additional training from Euphoric I know it’ll be even better next time….

Photo Credit – Lloyd Dobbie

As a director for the UKAWP I am very excited about one of our upcoming seminars for wedding planners, back for its 3rd year WPE aims to empower wedding planners and motivate them for the busy and quiet times. This year as well as being behind the scenes to help organise the event I am delighted to announce I will also be a speaker. I will be presenting on the Friday afternoon and hope to help the attendees understand the complexities involved with marquee functions. Each speaker has completed a Q&A for the UKAWP blog but I thought you might be interested as well, so keep reading for my answers!

What’s your USP?

I specialise in marquee events in East Anglia and have become well known for using a twist on ‘Country English’ functions.

What’s your signature dish (personality or food)? 

A big pot of hot chili – perfect for minimal effort at parties, strange thing for a party planner to say I know!

How would your clients describe you?

Clients always comment on how calm I am both in the planning process and on the day itself, they have said this in turn helps them stay calm!

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

There have been a few! I remember one controlling groom a few years ago was incredibly rude to me and suppliers we were meeting that day. The final straw was when he questioned every suggestion I made. I decided to cancel the contract as I won’t work with anyone who deems it acceptable to talk down to me or disregard any advice that they are paying me for. I agree with Siobhan that you need to set boundaries from the start; if you answer your mobile from clients at 11pm then they will feel this is acceptable for future calls.

If you could plan/ be involved in a celebrity wedding (alive or dead) whose would it be?

I would love to plan a wedding for any member of Take That, I’m not fussy! I think they would be a lot of fun to work with, I’d have no trouble finding a good evening band + lets face it looking at them (any of them) during planning meetings would be a joy J     

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

One of my biggest achievements was recognizing the need for an alliance of wedding planners in the UK. I am so proud of what the UKAWP has done over the years, the dedication of my fellow directors and the enthusiasm of our members.

Whenever I have a large marquee event with 30+ suppliers I feel proud that everyone arrives on time and the schedule go according to plan – at the end of the evening I breath a huge sigh of relief because with marquees you never know what ‘could happen’! I hope to cover some of these scenarios at WPE….

What is your vice? 

Reading far too many Romance Novels – just as well I work in the industry for romance!

Describe yourself in 3 words

Professional, loyal, imaginative (I have too many ideas floating around sometimes)

Name one blog you follow religiously

Oh gosh, only one that is difficult. Can I cheat and say I love reading www.kerrymorgan.com/photoblog & www.lloyddobbie.com/blog to have a peak at their recent weddings + www.stylemepretty.com to see what those creative US brides are doing AND www.lovemydress.net  to see what creative brides in the UK are doing.