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Le Trousseau – The Love Letter

Posted on February 20, 2012

I stumbled across Le Trousseau, the luxury wedding accessories boutique, at the end of 2010 and have been eyeing up their adorable accessories ever since. When I bought up the last of their etched hurricane vases for use at a client’s wedding this summer I was asked whether I would be interested in becoming their resident wedding planner and industry expert. This would entail giving planning and trends advice in their newsletter, The Love Letter.  It took me all of about a millisecond to say yes!

For my first piece, I gave the following tips on where to start when planning a wedding:

1. Let’s talk money
It may not be the most exciting of topics but you really need to work out what you can afford to spend. Setting your budget early on will help keep you focused.

2. Location, location
Having a rough geographic area in mind will help you narrow down your venue search. If the ceremony and reception are to be held in different places, try to keep them within a 30-minute drive of each other.

3. It’s a date!
Think about the time of year you would like to marry and then try to keep a window of dates open. The more flexible you are, the more options you will have in terms of booking a venue and your team of suppliers.

4. The guest list
You may find that your budget or venue dictates the number of guests you can invite. If you need to trim your guest numbers, consider creating an A and a B list.

5. Choose your dream team
Try and establish your priority areas and then set about researching the suppliers within your price bracket. Remember that good suppliers get booked up well in advance.

Finally, if it all gets too much, think about hiring a wedding planner to help!

To read more of my top tips, sign up to The Love Letter here.

An Unexpected Proposal

Posted on February 14, 2012

Now maybe this is something that a wedding planner shouldn’t really admit to but neither my husband or I buy into Valentine’s Day in a big way. The most we do is put our work down for an evening (believe me that is a real luxury for us), open a bottle of bubbly and spend a little time with each other. Before I get into this story any further, one thing you need to know about my husband is that he loves surprises. His worst nightmare is doing something because he feels he has to and he hates me handing over a list of what I would like for my birthday or Christmas (what can I say, planners love lists!). So you can imagine my surprise four years ago, when my husband chose to propose to me on Valentine’s Day. Don’t get me wrong, a proposal wasn’t entirely unexpected as we had been looking at rings but I just didn’t expect for him to do it on a day set aside for love. In fact, with both of us being a little crazy about skiing, I would have put large sums of money on him proposing to me at the top of a snowy mountain on the ski holiday we had planned that Easter. So why did he propose on Valentine’s Day? His simple answer was that choosing the 14th February would be the biggest surprise of all.  And despite spending a couple of days away at the lovely Lakeside Hotel on Lake Windermere (I probably should have clocked something, right?), he really did surprise me.

Four years later he continues to surprise me, today with his bravery in handing me Nigella Lawson’s book ‘How to be a Domestic Godess’.  I guess he’s trying to tell me something…

Hampshire & Dorset Wedding Magazine – Ask the Expert

Posted on December 28, 2011

As a wedding planner, I have built up a comprehensive database of recommended venues across Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon. When I received a call from the Features Editor at Your Hampshire and Dorset Wedding Magazine asking me to recommend venues suitable for a reader’s Broadway/West End Musical themed wedding, I was more than happy to help. Read on to find out which venues made my shortlist.

We’d like to theme our wedding around Broadway and West End musicals, so there will be a big band and lots of dancing. What type of venues do you think would suit our celebrations? Can you recommend a few in the region?

Big bands are generally made up of between 10 and 25 musicians typically playing instruments such as trombones, trumpets and saxophones along with a rhythm section of guitar, bass and drums.  Consequently, you will need to make sure your venue can accommodate a band of this size and that they do not have any restrictions on sound levels.

Considering that the big band became popular in the 1930s, you may wish to choose a venue synonymous with this era.  The Cumberland Hotel in Bournemouth is a purpose-built Art Deco hotel dating back to the1930s. With its stunning free-span dome, staging, dance floor and dedicated sound system, it would be an ideal choice for a big band wedding.  The open-air Singing Theatre at the Larmer Tree Gardens (situated on the Wiltshire/Dorset border) would also make a spectacular backdrop for this type of wedding.  Home to the Larmer Tree Festival, it is perfect for a musical extravaganza.

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You can read this and other questions on page 67 in the November/December issue (out now). If there is anything you would like to ask me, email it to suzanne@rsvpwedding.co.uk and I will post your questions with answers here on our blog.

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 23, 2011

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I love this time of year and am very excited about hosting Christmas for the first time. We’ve finally got a dining room large enough to seat my whole family (I’m one of five children) and I’ve spent the last couple of weeks making bunting, stockings, beaded tree decorations and a wreath all in preparation. Now the cottage looks lovely, it’s time to turn my thoughts to the dinner!

Whatever you’re doing, I hope you have a lovely time. You won’t have received a Christmas card from us this year as we have decided to donate money instead to Friends of Ray of Hope, a charity with a special place in our hearts.

Happy Christmas x

Photo credit:
Christmas Wreath: Anna Sawin via Style Me Pretty

Perfect Wedding – Wedding SOS!

Posted on November 1, 2011

With the clocks going back, it’s time to turn our attention to the winter wedding season.  Weddings at this time of year are definitely on the rise with a number of brides wanting to create a winter wonderland theme.  Here’s a recent question I answered for a Perfect Wedding reader on this subject:

I’m having a winter wedding and would love to have a winter wonderland theme. How can I do this without being tacky?

Forget the snow machines and go for a colour palette of silvers and ice whites with a dusting of pale blue or dusky pink accessories.  You’ll create a magical winter wonderland that’s chic rather than cheap-looking.  Or for a simple touch of elegance, add fairy lights and twinkling candles to your venue.  The dancing shadows and reflections on glass will add to the romance of your theme.

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You can read this and other questions on page 200 in the October issue. If there is anything you would like to ask me, email it to suzanne@rsvpwedding.co.uk and I will post your questions with answers here on our blog.

Wedding Stationery – Cardlab

Posted on October 28, 2011

This morning, I received a lovely box of sample stationery from Cardlab, a company which I am working with for a wedding next year. I love the simple elegance of their designs as well as the luxury feel of the paper in your hands.

All of their invitations are printed using a vintage letterpress. They also have a range of co-ordinating items such as order of service booklets, menus and table plans. Best of all, the design details (card, ink, ribbon and eyelet colour; typestyles; motifs and dividers) can all be customised to suit your wedding theme.

Visit Cardlab for more information.

The Luxury Wedding Show – Part Three

Posted on October 25, 2011

The Luxury Wedding Show was really in a class of its own and there has been so much to report back on (read part one and two here and here).  I couldn’t do a write up on the show without mentioning the following though…

My favourite stand at the show was that of William Clarke Flowers. I just love how they transformed their show space into a glorious garden scene. If they can do this to a stand at a show, there will be no limit to their creativity at a wedding.

I have been following Le Papillon Patisserie on Twitter for some time now and was especially looking forward to seeing their cakes in person. Neil Thornton specialises in fine French Patisserie and both his croquembouche and gateaux towers are truly a work of art. Having sampled the sponge cakes at the show, I can honestly say that they taste as good as they look.

On the stationery front, there were a lot of great designers to choose from. The following seating plan, however, really caught my eye.  Lisa at Dragonfly Couture Stationery created it for her own wedding.

This last picture if the work of the incredibly talented Paul Antonio Scribe. If you want to make an incredible first impression, I would highly recommend you investing in the services of a calligrapher for your wedding stationery.

The Luxury Wedding Show – Dorset Wedding Specialists

Posted on October 24, 2011

In Part Two of today’s post, I would like to introduce you to some high end wedding suppliers who were flying the flag for Dorset at The Luxury Wedding Show.

First up is Gorgeous Film Productions. Based in Lilliput, near Sandbanks in Poole, Gorgeous Films create beautiful, bespoke wedding DVDs for clients wanting a contemporary and creative treatment for their film. Watch an example of their exceptional work below:

Just down the road from Gorgeous Productions is Sandbanks Luxury Events, a unique company providing two day exclusive experiences ideal for pre or post wedding celebrations. Sailing, golf, watersports, riding and shooting are just some of the activities on offer.

Finally, but by no means least, Honeybells Tent Hire offers a boutique camping experience as an alternative to traditional wedding accommodation.  They set up the tents, furnish them with comfortable beds, bed linen, bunting, lanterns, bedside tables, rugs and solar lighting and then pack it all away at the end of the celebration. In addition to their tents, Honeybells also hire a Vintage Sweetie cart packed with jars of pick ‘n’ mix sweets, scoops, vintage tongs and candy stripe paper bags.

The Luxury Wedding Show – Fashion Focus

Posted on October 24, 2011

Having heard that big names like Amanda Wakeley, Pierre Hermé Paris, Temperley London and Vivienne Westwood would be gracing the stands at The Luxury Wedding Show, I knew this was an event I did not want to miss. I therefore headed to the Saatchi Gallery in London on Saturday to meet some of the 100+ exhibitors.

Part One – Fashion Focus

A particular highlight of the day was The Catwalk Show which offered an interesting insight into the trends for 2012.  Favourites of mine included the two striking ball gown silhouettes below (Left: Gisele by Vera Wang, Right: Vivienne by Marchesa).

I also loved these floaty numbers by Delphine Manivet and Suzie Turner.

Suzie Turner’s 17,000 goose feather dress managed to turn heads off the catwalk. Lined with silk taffeta and French Chantilly lace, it took over 800 hours to produce. I am sure you will agree that it was worth every hour.

Also worthy of mention is dress designer Claire Mischevani. Claire adds detachable extras such as top skirts, lace overlays, sleeves and accessories to her designs so that brides can change their look during the day.

It was great to see some newer but equally talented wedding specialists holding their own amongst the bigger names. My favourite find was Maids to Measure who officially launched their boutique bridesmaid service at the show. The lovely ladies at Maids to Measure design bespoke, made to measure bridesmaid dresses for just £195.

Check back later on today to read Part Two of The Luxury Wedding Show.

Hampshire & Dorset Wedding Magazine – Ask the Expert

Posted on October 15, 2011

In the September/October issue of Your Hampshire and Dorset Wedding Magazine, I was asked to answer a question on Floral Accents.  With wedding flowers accounting on average for around 10% of the total wedding spend, it is really important to choose a florist who is right for you…

We are planning a vintage-themed wedding next spring, so we want our celebrations to be surrounded by beautiful blooms. We run a business, which requires us to travel abroad frequently. What is the best way for us to ensure that our floral decor is in good hands?

Select your florist carefully.  Ask for recommendations for florists from family members, recently married friends and other wedding suppliers such as your photographer or caterer.  Then set aside time to look at their websites or visit their shops, checking that they have experience with the vintage look you are after.

Narrow your selection to two to three florists and set up a consultation with each.  Before the meeting, think about flowers and fragrances you like, and have an idea of how much you can afford to spend. Take along pictures of your venue and dress as well as other ideas you may have for styling your day.

During the consultation review the florists’ portfolios.  Are they experienced?  Do they seem knowledgeable?  Do they understand your vision and inspire you with ideas of their own?  Do they seem excited by your wedding?  Following the meeting, you should receive a proposal, including a detailed breakdown of the flowers and their costs.  Once you have received them, choose the florist which best suits you.

If you don’t feel that you have the time to do this, consider hiring a wedding planner.  They will have built up good links with reputable florists and will know who to recommend.  They will also be able to liaise with them in your absence.

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You can read this and other questions on page 54 in the September/October issue (out now). If there is anything you would like to ask me, email it to suzanne@rsvpwedding.co.uk and I will post your questions with answers here on our blog.