‘An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.’
Winston Churchill
The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners - The leading industry body for the UK Wedding Planning Market | Promoting professionalism in Wedding Planning
The leading industry body for the UK Wedding Planning Market | Promoting professionalism in Wedding Planning
Archive for May, 2011
Pocket Positive
Monday, May 30th, 2011
Styling photo shoots
Thursday, May 26th, 2011Today I am delighted to introduce one of our fabulous UKAWP member planners, Stacey-Marie Chalk of Cherry Topped Bespoke Weddings, who shares below some tips and insight into co-ordinating and styling photo shoots. Over to you Stacey-Marie ….
As a new/ relatively new wedding planning business you might be trying to think of ways you can fill out your portfolio and experience to show and talk about with prospective clients. One way that you can add to your portfolio and experience is by coordinating and styling photo shoots. Photo shoots provide you with the experience of working with a venue and different wedding suppliers who you could recommend to your future clients. It also provides you with some images to use on your website/ blog and also in your portfolio to show potential couples.
I have experienced a couple of photo shoots, two quite different ones, both of which provided me with various learning points and also opportunities to meet and network with different wedding suppliers. Here is a little overview of them both…
Bridal Photo Shoot
The first was a bridal shoot, which took place last year when I was asked by Jo from Lovehair, a wedding hair styling and makeup artist company, if I would like to coordinate a bridal photo shoot for them. We went for styles that would be reminiscent of bygone eras.
Cake Collection Photo Shoot
The second photo shoot took place this year and was for Janet Mohapi-Banks Sculptural Cake Design, whose cakes we had as part of the bridal shoot. Janet asked me to style a photo shoot of her 2011 wedding cake collection. Each cake design has its own personality and were treated as individual ‘subjects’.
Sourcing suppliers
My role in both photo shoots was slightly different, but generally the coordination and styling aspects are skills which we use in planning a client wedding. Selecting the dresses with Jo, sourcing and coordinating with the venue, cake designer, floral designer and prop supplier for the bridal shoot gave me insight into identifying suitable styles, venue and suppliers to meet the design aspirations.
Inspiration boards
Bringing together inspiration boards which are then shared with all suppliers involved is an important part of the photo shoot process. This ensures, firstly that the ‘client’ is happy with your interpretation of the style they are imagining, and secondly so that all suppliers are aware of the design intentions so that all elements complement each other when they are brought together. We do this with wedding clients when discussing their wedding style and design, which we also communicate to relevant wedding suppliers so that they can understand and be involved with the look and feel of the client wedding. Below are some inspiration boards and final photos from the cake collection shoot.
On the day coordination
The execution and coordination on the day is similar to that of a wedding day in that you need some sort of order and timescales to work to. The bridal shoot was my first experience and it was quite a challenge to fit in 5 models and 6 dresses within 4 hours, so I would advise not having so many models and dresses, or alternatively have more time. The cake collection shoot took 6.5 hours to photograph 8 cakes both with styling and without styling. It is amazing how long it takes to get everything perfect, straight, free from any stray ‘bits’ and without any obvious ‘gaps’.
Benefits
Photo shoots take time to coordinate and style, time which you are providing free of charge, just as all the other suppliers involved are. The day of the shoot requires intense concentration, just like a client wedding day, but it is all very rewarding when you see the final result! It is an exciting moment when you get to see the images (a bit nerve wracking too!). As well as the beautiful images, you have found some new lovely and helpful suppliers along your way, experienced working with them and developed some good relationships. You have also experienced bringing together design and style ideas, amending it if required to meet client requirements and then executing it on the day. It is also good fun and a great to get the creative juices flowing! Suppliers will also have enjoyed the experience and maybe taken it as an opportunity to try something new out, plus they will have use of the images for marketing purposes, with the agreement and correct crediting of the photographer. The venue could have an album for showing clients, as we did with the bridal shoot. There is also the opportunity to spread the word through blogs. The cake collection shoot proved very popular on various wedding blogs, which has been wonderful exposure for all suppliers involved!
Should you wish to, you can view more images from the bridal photo shoot and the cake collection shoot.
If you have any questions just give me a call or pop me an email.
Supplier Credits:
Lovehair Bridal Photo Shoot at Botleys Mansion - images courtesy of Captive Photography, with dresses supplied by Amante, flowers provided by Wild About, cakes designed by Janet Mohapi-Banks and props supplied by the Vintage Tea House.
Janet Mohapi-Banks Sculptural Cake Design Cake Collection Photo Shoot and Behind the Scenes - images courtesy of Sugar and Spice Photography, flowers provided by Woods Florist and stationery provided by Ivy Ellen.
Inspiration Board Credits:
Forget-Me-Not - Blue favour bag, yellow ribbons and yellow floral table setting from Martha Stewart; Forget Me Not sign from Not on the Highstreet; Forget-me-not flowers from Flickr and blue bon bons by The Retro Tuck Shop
Addison - Table setting, bouquet, buttonhole, dress detail, drink and napkin from Martha Stewart; Floral pattern fabric “Meadow” by Clarke & Clarke from Illusion Interiors; Dotty material from Simply Living; Wedding ring cushion from lyubove.
Bubbles - Button bouquet from Flickr; table setting, drinks and floral bouquet from I Take You; sweet favours and books from Martha Stewart.
Poll on the use of wedding planners
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011Today we thought we’d share with you the results of a recent poll on the website of You and Your Wedding which was conducted with the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners in mind.
The poll was conducted at the start of February 2011 and there were 239 responders.
Would you use a wedding planner?
- No, I want to do it all myself
- 55.23%
- No, I don’t think we can afford it
- 33.89%
- Yes, I want help with the whole event
- 3.77%
- Maybe, for help with some of the plans
- 3.77%
- Yes, I don’t have to time to do it myself
- 3.35%
So looking positively at this, almost 11% of brides will consider having the help of a planner. Whilst we’d all like that percentage to be higher, it’s a step in the right direction. And let’s face it, with 231,490 weddings going on per year (figure from Office for National Statistics in 2009) , that’s a potential audience of 23,149 weddings. Through our research and activity at UKAWP, we believe that there are no more than 200 committed and professional wedding planning companies operating across the UK, so sharing that out amongst them all, that’s 115 weddings each. A great deal more than most wedding planners can handle annually. Encouraging don’t you think?
Scams
Friday, May 20th, 2011The scammers have been a little quiet recently, but here is one a number of us received. New planners in particular, do be careful not to mistake these fraudsters for real clients. If in doubt, have a look at our scam section here for further examples.
Good day,
My name is Robert Packer,i am a drilling Engineer by profession.My lovely
daughter found her heartthrob late last year, and they are going to wed on
the 16th of July 2011. For the love i have for my daughter,i have decided to
carter for the wedding as a surprise package for her and her fiance.
I want you to handle the wedding arrangements on their behalf as my would-be
in law is a citizen of your country and as a result, he wants the wedding in
his country.kindly get back to me with any of the following services which
you can provide as regards the wedding arrangements,
.Wedding Gown for bride
.Gowns for Bride’s maids
.Wedding cakes and decorations
.Tuxedo Suits for the groom and best man
.location for the wedding and reception.
.Transportation for both the bride and the groom
.Shoes and accessories for both
Also include other services you can render which are not mentioned above.
the wedding Budget is at the range of ($70,000.00) for now. It could be
reviewed to be increased or reduced latter depending on the outcome of the
arrangements process.
Kindly email me with details on the whole processes,and your deposit so i
can send you my credit card details for proceeds.also advise on the services
you can provide as regards the wedding arrangements.please note that all
estimates and calculations should be based on the quoted budget. I expect
your prompt response.
Regards,
Robert Packer.
mail2robertpk@yahoo.ie
What kind of planner are you?
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011It might seem an obvious question and the answer could well be, I’m a wedding planner, what other kind?
Of course, we all have the same job title but “wedding planner” can mean so many different things and, with over 8 years in the industry and being in the fortunate position of training so many new entrants to the sector, I see so many individuals with a totally different approach to planning. And it’s what makes our field so special, dynamic and forward thinking.
My big thing is the organiser versus creative. I talk about this a lot on our UKAWP training courses, as we go through the mix of business and logistical topics. Many students worry that they aren’t as creative as some of the planners they see (or blogs that they follow) and others have bags of design ideas but worry about how they will stay motivated when self employed and organise to get everything done. Of course none of us are perfect and we all have our strengths and then our not so good bits. As a wedding planner we need to know a lot about an incredible range of topics (anyone who’s done our Step by Step training course will tell you that) yet not be an expert in any of them. In the same way we can’t all be fabulously creative and innovating at every turn, nor organised in an OCD-like manner - I say play to your strengths.
And you should find that your client base selects you on your strengths. If you are genuine in what you put out there marketing wise you will get back by way of clients what you specialise in and generally like best. It’s really important to keep your branding and image consistent and reflective of you; so if you’re an organiser type of wedding planner, there is no need to absolutely fill your blog with mood boards every week; that probably isn’t your thing; you’d be better off imparting your knowledge in budgeting or timetable planning or similar. On the other hand, if you’re passionate about styling and design and really want to push that side of things, then this is a fabulous way to show your talents and we know some very successful wedding planners who have built their profile from zero to hero on the basis of sharing their passion.
My forte definitely lies in carefully managing a project, being super organised, working to sometimes tight timeframes, with logistical issues and often with clients from overseas or those who are incredibly time short; I help them with their wedding look and design but for many of them, that is the slightly less important factor, than getting everyone there, laying on a great fun party, and keeping themselves sane in the process! For another wedding planner, a big part of their work will be about the styling and design and the focus of their efforts will go in that direction. And that’s also why we don’t always get every job; couples are often very perceptive and will just “get a feel” for who will suit them best.
So keep on being you, whatever you is great at.
Pocket Positive
Monday, May 16th, 2011Creators are joyful and positive. Creators look at ‘what is’ and ‘what can be’ instead of ‘what is not’. Instead of excluding possibilities, creators include all possibilities, both real and imagined. They choose to interpret their own world and do not rely upon the interpretations of others. And most importantly, creators are creative because they believe they are creative.
Michael Michalko
Book Review - Thinkertoys
Friday, May 13th, 2011I have recently been dipping in and out of a fabulous book called Thinker Toys by Michael Michalko.
The author describes his book as ‘a handbook of creative-thinking techniques’ which I would say is a good summary.
Michael introduces his book with a warning - he asks the reader to consider whether they are what he describes as ‘kittens’ or ‘monkeys’: the former crying for help when facing challenges, whilst those monkeys amongst us want lots of ideas to improve our businesses, and indeed personal, lives.
The book takes you through the differences between left and right brain activities and breaks tactics into linear and intuitive thinker toys, giving each a memorable name.
Much as I like to think of myself, well at least in Michael’s terminology, as a monkey, I know I am not alone in having what he would probably describe as kitten moments (often at 4am). Opening a new section of this book and immersing myself has really made me reconsider how I approach certain things in both business and life, and has also helped my lifelong insomnia!
So, if you are looking for something to help your creativity, but don’t have the time or desire to digest a whole tome at once, why not give this book a go?
Your Life Script Needs Changing!
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011Those of you who have been subscribers to our blog for some time will be familiar with Ray Hutchin of Cloud 9 - our highly inspirational business coach. Today Ray talks about what he describes as our ‘Life Script’. Read on…..
Following presenting at WPE’11 last month I thought I’d follow up one of the presentations that I did with a reminder and a bit more detail on the Life Script that I spoke about. As I am sure you will notice we have made some improvements to our model.
So what actually makes us make the decisions that we do, there is a theory that we all have a life script that has been formulated over the years. Everything that we hear, learn etc from our parents, teachers, peers and friends all have a big impact on us and more so in our earlier years. This forms our beliefs and values and helps decide the decisions we make, so to make changes and get different results we need to make changes and break away from our life script.
So therefore there is a pattern to what we do, we are pre-programmed, if you like, so we tend to continue to do the same things as we always have done and to also stay in our comfort zone. If we want to get different results we therefore need to do things differently, change our habits and get out of our comfort zone.
So as coaches, we belief there are certain things that a success person will do and work on to break away from their current life script and do things differently. So here they are:-
Life Script (areas to work on)
L Love what you do or Love why you are doing it
I Increase your Knowledge & Understanding
F Focus on your Goals and Your Team
E E=MC² - Energy (motivation) = Mindset * Confidence²
S Self Discipline to do the required Activity
C Communication Skills
R Review - every week, month and quarter
I Inspire others with Great Leadership
P Plan & Perseverance
T Take Ownership, Responsibility & be Accountable
We think this is self explanatory, as if these areas are worked on (and to be honest most people do not work on improving these areas) then you will add new skill and an improved mindset and change your life script and do things in a better way.
If you have any questions or are not sure about any part of it, please drop us an email and we will be happy to explain in more detail. Just to let you know our first book, based in the LIFE SCRIPT, is well underway and will be out later this year.
As I mentioned at WPE’11 our website has now been launched please take a look and let us know what you think www.cloud9businessspecialists.co.uk
All current workshops and dates are on the website and our new Mastermind Group dates and details will be added very soon. Remember to ask for your UKAWP discount of £50 on any of our workshops.
Until next time here’s to more success and continued work on your life script!
Member focus: Cranberry Blue
Monday, May 9th, 2011Today I’m delighted to introduce Melanie from Cranberry Blue Wedding & Events who is one of our associate members based in Islington, London. Although Melanie joined the UKAWP in November 2010, she has been organising events for 4 years’.
Why did you become a wedding planner?
I originally started my career working for the high-end fashion designer Roland Mouret and got my first taste for event planning, as I was involved in his catwalk show for London Fashion Week. I then moved onto work as a Fashion Buyer for a number of years, but became increasingly involved and passionate about the event side of things. My transition into weddings came after I attended several weddings that were disorganised and I felt strongly that I could utilise my skills and experience to create beautiful and seamless weddings. I organised my first wedding in 2007 and then formally set up my business - ‘Cranberry Blue Weddings & Events’ just over a year and a half ago, which I’m pleased to say is going from strength to strength.
What’s your USP?
Having trained and worked in fashion for many years I am able to spot new trends, but I also understand how to adapt them to suit individual tastes. Being creative and a perfectionist means I have a natural eye for design and detail, with the ability to turn ideas into a practical reality. I am also very down-to-earth and personable, which I hope makes people feel automatically at ease.
What’s your signature dish?
That’s a tough one as my husband actually does most of the cooking! I would probably have to say though I do a pretty mean Thai green curry and also a classic lasagne with lots of red wine and a crisp green salad.
Do you have a favourite venue?
That is also a tough question as there are so many amazing venues; however Eynsham Hall in Oxfordshire is definitely one of them. It is a grand country house that has beautiful grounds and the long drive up to it provides fantastic views of this breath taking building. The interiors are a fabulous mix of old and new and the ‘gun room’ bar has even won a prestigious design award for its interior.
How would your clients describe you?
I have been described as creative, super organised, down to earth, and a perfectionist with a sense of humour.
Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?
I have been very lucky so far as all of my clients have been lovely. If I had to pick one however I would say that I did work with a bride who was incredibly indecisive (which is a bride’s prerogative I know), but ideas and colour schemes would change on a weekly basis right up until about 2 weeks before the big day. This was quite challenging as it meant a lot of last minute sourcing and managing suppliers. However, I was able to re-assure the bride that the decisions she had made and the design concept we had developed would look fantastic, and she needed to trust in me and my experience that everything would come together and look amazing. Needless to say it did and she was actually speechless when she saw it altogether because she was so happy.
If you could plan a celebrity wedding (alive or dead) whose would it be?
William and Kate’s without a doubt as it was a defining moment in history where the whole world watched their every move. It was classic but beautiful with touches of their personalities. For completely different reasons I would also love to plan Lady Gaga’s wedding, as hers would be extravagantly quirky and a lot of fun. She would probably have several outfit changes and you could let you imagination run wild with the reception décor.
Is the job as glamorous as you thought?
I never had any illusions that this job would be glamorous and what goes on behind the scenes, is proof of that! Although it may not be glamorous it is certainly creative, exciting and very rewarding.
Which wedding planner’s work do you respect/admire and why?
I really admire the work of Mark Niemierko as he is so well known in the industry. The weddings he arranges are at the highest level of the market and his business has grown so much that he now attracts celebrity couples.
What’s your biggest achievement since launching?
Organising a wedding in Austin, Texas in the States last year.
What’s your vice
Cheese and red wine - you can’t beat a cheese board with a glass of Merlot! Also, my shoe obsession, I just can’t help myself and have been known to buy the same show in several different colours!
Do please view their website for details on their services.
Wedding Dress Disasters - What to Do
Friday, May 6th, 2011Yesterday evening two of our lovely members, Kay & Lee Carey of Heading Up The Aisle and Andri Benson of Always Andri Wedding Design presented a very practical workshop for wedding planners looking at what can go wrong with regard to attire, and how best to fix it.
We learned how to avoid bustles breaking, how to lace a corset and even how to tie a cravat, thanks to Lee, who modelled it so elegantly.
Kay and Andri went to great lengths to explain to planners how best to advise their clients in terms of choosing a dress, alterations, how to avoid unnecessary costs and what to carry in that essential emergency kit.
Many thanks to Kay, Lee and Andri for their hard work and openness in helping us all build our confidence in this sometimes tricky area of wedding planning.
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Welcome to the UKAWP Blog. The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners was founded in order to promote professionalism in wedding planning. We aim to do this through training, mentoring, membership, business tools and importantly our Code of Ethics to which all members adhere. To find out more about us please visit our main site
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The UKAWP Directors are delighted to be part of the judging panel for the Wedding Industry Awards 2012.
