When I tell people that I am a luxury wedding planner and have worked in events my whole career they always respond with a few of the same statements – ‘that must be lovely’, ‘have you worked with anyone famous’, ‘have any events or weddings gone really wrong’, so I decided to include some stories in this week’s blog and create the tales of a luxury wedding planner.
Having been in the wedding and events industry for 11+ years I have many memories of clients, performers and guests behaving wonderfully and some behaving badly! As the professional that I am I would not dream of repeating such details, but I will share with you some memories and feelings I had running such amazing moments.
‘Have you worked with anyone famous’
I’ll start with this one as its an easy one. Over the years I have had the pleasure of working for many famous faces from the royal family including Princes Charles, William & Harry to national treasures such as Sir David Attenborough, David Dimbleby and David Beckham. I have worked with great speakers such as ex Vice President of the US – Al Gore and amazing performers such as Sir Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding and a 90s classic for me – Usher. A couple of experiences with ‘famous’ people that stand out for me would probably have to be Seasick Steve (who was so down to earth) and the Rizzlekicks (who had such boundless energy it was infectious).
No matter who is attending or taking part the process is still the same. You still must plan, schedule, organise in the same way, you still have to manage suppliers and staff. You still must work efficiently, professionally and with great customer service, as you would planning a luxury wedding. The one difference is there is normally a lot more security and sometimes an entourage that you wouldn’t ordinarily have.
‘Have any events or weddings gone really wrong’
I have had a fair few first aid incidences (one of which was actually me falling down the stairs during Tom Fletcher’s speech – but I was fine, no one noticed as I was ever the professional and screamed inside only)! I have had menus catching light that I have spotted with my eagle eyes and put out promptly. I have had a wedding bus driver refusing to drive guests without extra payment (which despite having already been settled by the couple in advance, I paid to get guests moving and dealt with the office on the Monday to get the money back). There are so many elements of a wedding or event that can go wrong, but if you have planned properly and you have a good team of suppliers (and a great events / wedding planner of course) then they can be solved without guests or clients even knowing!
‘That must be lovely’
Being a luxury wedding planner really is lovely! The average wedding takes over 300 hours to plan and there are some long days (often in heels), but there is nothing quite like hearing the gasp of your couple and their guests as they take in the view of their dressed wedding venue. There is nothing like hearing the laughter and happy tears from guests listening to speeches (which makes me tear up every time).
For me personally (as I love music and I love a good dance) there is nothing that can replicate the feeling you get watching everyone dance the night away, the feeling of the bass vibrating in your chest, the sound of glasses clinking and the tired but truly happy feeling you feel within you.
You cannot buy it – if you could I would pay!
If you would like to know more about my services or discuss how I can help you then please contact me, we can have a chat and go from there.