This afternoon we are pleased to introduce you to one of our newer wedding planner members, Pretty Please Events. Over to you Holly…..

How did it all start?

Becoming a wedding planner has been a dream of mine since I was maybe as young as seven!

I have this vivid memory of planning one of the ‘pretend weddings’ kids do during lunchtimes finding a boy in class to play the vicar, exploring the area of the playground with the best light, making flowers out of paper. It was clearly a seed planted early!

I started planning fundraising events when I was in secondary school with friends, but it wasn’t until my final year of university that I made a conscious decision to make my dream a reality and start my own business. I offered my services for free for a few years, to get a portfolio together. Then when I had enough confidence in my work, I started Pretty, Please Events.

Do you have a favourite venue?

I absolutely love Searcy’s Gherkin! I’ve visited a lot when doing venue searches, but I haven’t been lucky enough to plan a wedding there yet. The top floor venue space is a completely glass dome and you get an amazing 360 degree view of the City. It’s a fantastically modern space and I can’t wait to find the right couple for it!

How would clients describe you?

I would say that we always go the extra mile, and I’m always pleased when I see that feedback from our couples reflects that! Flexible, friendly, passionate and creative are always words that come up again and again.

Wedding planner/s you admire?

I’ve always followed the work of Mark Niemierko with much admiration, though he is very much on the high end of the luxury market of weddings! All his events are put together with such style, class and creativity. I’m always looking for ways to capture that look, without the luxury price tag.

How do you unwind?

My favourite place in the whole world is the cinema. I studied film and television as an undergraduate, so it’s still my obsession. Doesn’t really matter what the film is just pass me the popcorn and let the lights go down! It’s also a great way to get style ideas for weddings…

What themes are you working on for 2014?

I’m looking at the Pantone Spring 2014 fashion colour report right now. Their “season of colourful equilibrium” is pairing soft pastels with vivid brights for a modern twist on Spring. It’s fun and daring for 2014 weddings!

What trends are you seeing?

Couples have been throwing out the rule book for years now and it’s only on the increase. Whether it’s the timing of the day, what food they will serve, or even what to wear it’s all changing.

Everything is customisable these days and weddings are getting to be no different. Themes are getting more and more common, from alpine ski to full on Alice in Wonderland, couples are putting their stamp on their day no two weddings will be the same.

What is your signature dish?

My husband is the chef in our household, so when I am allowed control of the kitchen I’ll often make a lasagne from scratch - I make a cracking Bechamel sauce!

Whose celebrity wedding (dead or alive) would you love to design?

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had an amazing wedding planned by Martha Stewart that I am obsessed with. It was on a gorgeous plantation in South Carolina where The Notebook was filmed, and really captured a rustic, laid back charm. That would be my dream wedding to design! But obviously Martha beat me to it.

Is the job as glamorous as you thought?

It’s probably not as glamorous as other people might think. I really love all the behind the scenes admin that goes into planning a wedding I’m a not-so-closeted spreadsheet lover. My love of wedding planning didn’t come from some glamorous idea of cake tasting and dress fluffing, I knew what I was getting into very early on!

What is your vice?

Chocolate! My husband travels to Switzerland a lot for work, so he obviously brings back a lot of Toblerone…