The not so easy task of choosing a supplier
How do you choose a supplier for your wedding or event?
Whether you are getting married or hosting an event, one of the first questions you will put on social media will be along the lines of ‘can anyone recommend a good photographer/cake maker/band’ etc. Queue the influx of messages with conflicting information and over 50 suggestions of who you should use. Then your best friend messages recommending the amazing photographer she used for her wedding. You double check the pictures and yes, they are out of this world and they come into budget (winning!) so if your best friend likes them and the pictures are wonderful, they must be good, right? No.
Whichever supplier you are using, they come with their own personality, style, vibe and attitude, much like yourself. I cannot stress how important it is for you to see eye to eye with your supplier. You are going to be spending a lot of money with them, and in some cases, time. If you don’t really gel, how do you expect them to have the same visions as you? The same goes in reversal, a good supplier will ensure they get to know you prior to agreeing to taking on any work, after all, they want to provide you with the best possible standard that reflects their style and if they don’t feel they can offer you that, will gladly refer you onto another supplier who they feel can deliver what you envisage.
If you have booked a venue where they provide you with a list of their recommended suppliers (regardless of whether you can ONLY use these suppliers or not) make sure you do your own research. Some suppliers will have paid to be part of the preferred suppliers list and actually the venue does not know much about them, simply that they have attended a number of times there. Of course this is not the same for all venues which is why I say, do your research first.
Using a wedding or events planner means we will have worked with our recommended suppliers over and over and over, we will have tested their integrity, attitude, reliability, standards, feedback, the works! The same as they will have done with us.
One thing I promise at Amae Weddings & Events is that if I recommend a supplier to work with, I would trust them with my own wedding or event. You are in safe hands.
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You don't NEED a Wedding/Event Planner
but how does a wedding or event planner organise your event?
You are absolutely right, you certainly don’t NEED a planner, thousands of people plan their wedding or event without a hitch, but… what I’m going to talk you about is why you should WANT a planner; your time is precious
I’m going to give you a scenario; when I was younger and I wanted to book a holiday, I’d go into a local Travel Agents and they would do it all for me (or I’d check Teletext holidays!) it was easy, they knew what they were doing, they’d even been to some of the locations I wanted to visit and were able to give first hand information on the location - perfect! They even made sure I got the best price and stuck to my budget. Then in came the DIY holiday packages, now don’t get me wrong, these are amazing, I love sitting there for hours and hours planning my own holiday, researching where to go and what to do, where to avoid and for some reason, I always like to research what the locals wear (don’t ask!)
But… this all comes at a cost, my precious time, my money, my patience, sometimes even my sanity. The worst thing is, I’ve travelled to some places and then discovered when I got home that someone I know had already visited and could have recommended the BEST restaurant on the island (that I ironically did not visit!).
My point is this, anyone with organisational skills can plan a wedding or event but wouldn’t you feel so much more comfortable hiring a professional who has unlimited experience managing weddings and events and can recommend the best ways to run the celebration, minus the stress. After all, we’ve experienced the hiccups, the power cuts, the suppliers not turning up, the family arguments… and luckily for you, we know exactly how to handle them.
“If I cry at my wedding it’s because I’m overjoyed that the planning is finally over”
Planners are extremely useful if you are planning a last minute wedding or event, trying to fit it all in is just too much and actually, not everyone is good at planning or event wants to plan their own event. There are also times when there are family conflicts and the thought of making decisions with fear of backlash is just daunting. Hiring a planner gives you the ability to ‘pass the buck’ - we don’t mind having difficult conversations with family/friends if we know something is important to you.
Bringing a planner in from the very start of your planning process means you get to work closely with them, they will get to know you and they will get to know what you like and don’t like. We are all extremely busy people and it is very difficult setting time aside to plan your wedding or event to perfection, the reality is you won’t understand how much time, effort and money goes into planning an event, especially if this is your first time, that is why I am here to support you. Make sure you check my amazing testimonials!
Regularly working with the best suppliers in the area means I am able to negotiate on costs for you, so if I am able to save you money, I will - this could then be put towards the costs of my services.
Specifically your wedding day should exude peace, love, calm and romance (oh and lots of FUN!), just don’t take the risk of things going wrong, get in touch for a FREE consultation and I can get to know you better and understand your vision and goals, I can’t wait! Let’s get planning!
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Goodbye 2019, it's been emotional
What are the 2020 wedding trends?
Wow! What a year 2019 has been… the biggest (and proudest) change saw me leave my career in Wedding Venue Management and embark on my own setting up Amae Weddings & Events (pronounced am-may). What a fun rollercoaster I am on and I cannot even tell you how excited I am, I can’t wait to work with couples under my own business name, there’s going to be a lot more flexibility with what we can achieve working with a variety of venues and suppliers. The biggest thing I want to bring to couples weddings is a sense of fun, I want to make each day unforgettable but it will always be done with huge smiles on our faces
2019 has without doubt been my favourite year to date, I feel so lucky to have done the things I’ve done this year…
It started with me meeting my great Nephew, what a cutie he is! I hate seeing him grow up through pictures and facetime but as he is in Wales, it’s difficult to get home often. Maybe I’ll get a chance to organise a Welsh Wedding or event and then I can pop home!
I love a concert and have seen my fair share but my favourites this year have been Boyz ll Men and Backstreet Boys (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!)
Richard and I took a trip to Lake Garda for his birthday, if you have not been, I suggest you pop it on your list, it’s breathtaking there and unlike any holiday I’ve been on before
I organised Richards parents 50th Wedding Anniversary party, it made a nice change from organising weddings in that I was able to see the happiness and love for one another 50 years down the line (so cute!)
Then came the big 40 (shhhh), I was so so so lucky to get to travel to Mauritius at the start of November, then at the end, a surprise trip to NYC - literally the luckiest girl alive! My birthday was definitely one to remember and I have taken a tonne of memories away from 2019 - best year EVER!
So, what else happened in 2019 and which celebs tied the knot?
2019 expected to see wedding couples choosing a more boho chic style, there was a huge uptake of people wishing to be more eco-friendly and conscientious with the choices made for their big days - a great step forward in my opinion!
2019 saw a huge number of weddings, to name but a few - Jennifer Lawrence & Cooke Maroney, Zoë Kravitz and Karl Glusman, Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling, Sabrina Dhowre Elba and Idris Elba, Marc Jacobs and Charly Defrancesco,
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner and singer/actor Joe Jonas married in May at a surprise Vegas wedding at the infamous The Little White Chapel, only a select few were invited including his brothers and their wives. So to ensure everyone could celebrate, they didn’t stop there and they held another party at a lavish chateau in the South of France at the end of June and opted for chic white flower décor with glass encased candles (I LOVE candles!) to create a gorgeous backdrop to their nuptials.
June saw the Californian wedding of Avengers star Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger (yes, Arnie’s daughter), they married on a 500 acre ranch surrounded by tonnes of greenery, it was an intimate affair with all the food sourced locally for the Wedding Breakfast. Katherine wore a stunning traditional lace Armani dress with a beautiful long train, however Katherine changed into yet another elegant ivory dress for the evening - and why not! Lots of brides change in the evening to something less restrictive when busting out some dance moves!
My personal favourite however, in August, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) married his sweetheart Lauren Hashian in an intimate ceremony in Hawaii, both wore white for this stunning celebration of their marriage. Their goal was for complete privacy and everything they had on the day was created by hand by the wedding staff or family only - what a perfect and relaxed day it looked too!
Sneaking in right at the end of the year, Hilary Duff married Matthew Koma in yet another low key wedding in their backyard in LA. Wearing the unmistakable Jenny Packham, Hilary looked absolutely stunning in her ivory, custom made dress. Hilary stated she felt ‘Really comfortable’ and that it was ‘everything I’ve dreamed of’ - that’s what it’s all about right?
With 2020 literally just around the corner, what can we expect to see with forecasted wedding trends? Believe it or not, the more traditional wedding trends are quickly being thrown out of the window, things like receiving lines, bouquet throws and even cutting of the cake are reported as ‘so last year’. So what is it being replaced with? This is the beauty of it, couples can do what they like and put their own touch on traditions (if they want to of course), let me give you an example; I was Wedding Planner for a couple who didn’t want to stick to traditions of cake cutting (they didn’t even have a cake!) and so one of my suggestions was that they plant a seed in a pot after the ceremony and the plan was to plant it in their back garden and watch it grow over the years in their family home. Not only is this highly eco-friendly, it steps away from the alternatives of balloon / lantern / dove releases etc which are not great for the environment or animal welfare in my opinion.
Other 2020 trends are seeing things like statement veils, sustainable weddings from things like vintage rings, flowers, dresses, the list goes on. It’s great to have so many contacts in the wedding industry and I would love to organise an eco-friendly/vegan wedding.
On the subject of Veils, I spoke to the wonderful Heather from Sash and Veil, a local artisan veil maker, she has a store in London and also one here in lovely Colchester - her items are just out of this world so make sure you check her out! She said:
“The trend for individuality in bridal wear continues to gain momentum into the new decade and is carried though into the bride’s choice of accessories, including the veil. I have noticed an increase in demand for bespoke veils across this year and this will continue with brides more keen to bring their individuality into their look. Embroidered initials, special dates and meaningful quotations have all found their way onto wedding veils I will be making for 2020. In terms of silhouette, the soft draping boho veil will share the aisle with more structured 1980s-inspired designs and our appetite for sustainability and conscious choices will mean brides will increasingly look at upcycling heirloom veils, reworking an existing veil to make it their own.”
So what now? Well with the website launched I have received a few enquiries for 2020 weddings, couples are considering the 2020 Panatone colour - classic blue 19-4052. Often confused for representing the cold, classic blue offers a timeless and calm vibe. It fits in well with so many other colours and shades that it’s adaptability is proving to be extremely popular heading into the New Year. What colours are you choosing in 2020?
Finally, whatever you are up to tonight, have an absolutely amazing night, stay safe and have fun! See you in 2020.
Goodbye 2019, it’s been emotional!
Contact Hayley