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WPE ‘11 - what happened?

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

On the 4th & 5th March we held our 3rd annual seminar for wedding planners, WPE 11. I think all attendees would agree this was the best yet. We listened to feedback from 2010 and made some key changes including having a central London location and the flexibility of attending just 1 day.

There are so many reasons why we love holding this event:

  1. Meeting fabulous speakers who are willing and enthusiastic about passing on their knowledge to you the planner. Some of this year’s speakers travelled great distances to attend and were delighted with the intelligent questions asked by the planners, no-one was shy on the day!
  2. Catching up with colleagues we communicate with over email and Twitter, some who live across the breadth of the UK. We love exchanging the joys & tribulations of being a planner, the highlight of which is the Friday night dinner which always ends in some outrageous behaviour!
  3. But mostly we feel proud of the planners that take time out of their week to attend WPE and expand their knowledge. The planners who attend WPE are serious about the growth and sustainability of their wedding planning careers - we delight in seeing their growth, year after year.

Testimonials

“Focusing on business aspects was really helpful, with wedding planning bits popped in to break it up, allowed me to focus really well” Helen Carter

“Can’t wait to get started putting everything I’ve learnt into place” Kathryn Kirkpatrick

“Good to keep the 60% business, 40% wedding speakers ratio” Isabel Smith

“I feel really motivated following the sessions and am excited about transferring these new skills into my business.” Lisa Sabin

“I have lots of ideas now, lots of useful tips & tools - now to make the most of them!” Stacey Marie-Chalk

We already have some fabulous ideas for WPE ‘12 and can’t wait to start working on them. If you missed WPE this year we hope you can join us next year.

Speakers

We couldn’t hold WPE without the dedication of our speakers so would like to say a special Thank you to:

Cloud 9 - for his motivational advice and tips, there are not many men who would brave a room full of creative women!

Siobhan Craven-Robins - even though Siobhan is one of the most established planners in the UK she still takes time out of her schedule to pass on tips to newer planners.

Sternberg Clarke - for showing how with some imagination it is possible to creative truly unique entertainment for clients.

Diamond Insurance - for showing us how serious the issue of insurance is, public liability isn’t enough when running a business.

Bellissimo Weddings - one of our members and a former solicitor, Melanie gave some very straightforward legal advice which was incredibly informative.

Dream Occasions - one of our directors Bernadette passed on some tips on how to plan a proficient marquee wedding

Options - despite a technical hitch they gave a great demonstration on how different table designs can be.

Enthuse Marketing - the lovely Tamsin is always welcome at WPE with her easy to understand marketing & branding advice.

Distinctly Digital - we all knew SEO was important but Tom showed us some ways to improve SEO for our businesses.

Wise Productions - we got to meet the team behind Wise and understand how lighting can transform a venue.

Love my Dress - the wonderfully inspiring Annabel talked to us about the history of Love my Dress and why blogs are vital for the wedding industry.

Alicja Gilroy - the superintendent registrar from Oxfordshire was incredibly informative with her presentation and happily answered questions that our planners were asking.

Zoe Clark Cakes - talked to us about scenarios to avoid when choosing the design for a client cake.

Mustn’t Forget

Lloyd Dobbie for taking some wonderful images throughout the 2 days.

The 8 Dutch planners who attended on Saturday as part of their educational trip to the UK, they belong to an organisation called BWPN and we hope this is the start of a new relationship with them

10:11 Carlton House Terrace and Food Show Ltd for the wonderful dinner on the 4th March

Euphoric Flowers for providing the flowers at the dinner, unexpected but much loved!

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Posted in UKAWP News, WPE 11 | 3 Comments »

Speaker Focus: Options London

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

Oh my goodness WPE is literally days away, I can hardly contain my excitement! We hope to do some blogging during WPE but until then let me introduce you to Hannah Walter from Options London, Hannah will be presenting to the planners on Friday at 4:45pm. Options is a fabulous linen and design company in London and they will talk about how to ensure your tables don’t let the design down. Do visit their website and look at the endless table design ideas as well as their hire catalogue.

What’s your USP?

Options provides a mixture and quality and diversity for every event.

What’s your signature dish?

A good beef wellington never fails

Do you have a favourite restaurant?

Mien Tai in Clapham Junction, a tiny Vietnamese with great service and food to match

How would your clients describe you?

Friendly and helpful (I hope!)

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

Every day! You just have to keep a cool head and never let them know that you’re struggling…

What is your vice?

Spending my lunch break planning my own wedding in minute detail. (I’m not even engaged)

Describe yourself in 3 words

Cheerful, motivated and good-natured.

Name one blog you follow religiously

Garance Doré (I was lucky enough to meet her at London fashion week, starstruck doesn’t describe it) and the Academy of Culinary Arts

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Posted in Becoming a Planner, Speaker Focus | No Comments »

International wedding planners

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Today we continue our series featuring international wedding planners. We are delighted that Annelies and many of her Dutch wedding planning colleagues are joining us at WPE 11 on Saturday 5th March. It will be wonderful to compare notes with them. For a little taster read on:

Annelies van der Gulik, runs wedding planning company Trouwgemak in the Netherlands. As one of the founders of the Dutch Association of Wedding Planners in the Netherlands, Annelies has organised a study trip to London this March. She answers the questions partly from her own point of few, partly for all the Dutch wedding planners.

Why did you become a wedding planner?

About 7-8 years ago there were hardly any wedding planners in the Netherlands, maybe 2 or 3. Dutch couples just love to plan the whole wedding themselves, they still do! But more and more, we found out that working couples didn’t have the time to do it all themselves. Now, we have around 80 wedding planners in the Netherlands who just love being part of this special day!

What’s your USP? (Unique Selling Point)

Being able to totally understand and translate the wishes of the couple and not putting my own mark on the wedding. It is their wedding day, not mine….

What’s your signature dish?

We Dutch are very traditional and we love family gatherings. In wintertime, we have “Boerenkool met worst”, which is cabbage, and I just love having the whole family over for dinner. But we Dutch also love Italian, French, Spanish and Chinese food…..we eat everything! As long as we can be together and have friends over or go out for dinner, you won’t hear us.

Do you have a favourite venue?

O yes, I personally love everything in and around Amsterdam. We have beautiful hotels here and little tiny restaurants. Have the guests on a lovely salon boat tour through the canals and then have dinner in one of those beautiful spots. Especially if the couple have foreign guests, this is a very popular wedding. I also love the little castles we have all through the Netherlands where it is cosy and classy. That combination works perfectly for Dutch couples.

How would your clients describe you?

Nice question!! They would describe me as very calm, very relaxed, happy, energetic and sincere. Which is really funny to me sometimes, because I can be very stressed about something, but apparently, nobody notices…..My vendors love doing weddings with me because we have so much fun together on wedding days!

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

The American shows on television where they have bridezillas, we unfortunately have them here as well…. And I have now dealt with a bridezilla but also a true groomzilla. I must say it was horrible and I was really sucked into the situation, didn’t know how to escape anymore. Looking back on it, I have learned so much about myself and how in the future, I could deal with someone differently. I can look back and appreciate what has happened because it has made me a stronger person. I cannot believe that I am writing this down, because it really, really was horrible at the time!!!

If you could plan a celebrity wedding (alive or dead) whose would it be?

Nice one….let me see. I would love to do the wedding of a really nice and kind and human celebrity!! I think it is all about personality and the way you are treated by your couple. I will do anything, really anything for them, as long as I am treated with respect. So……Prince Alexander and Princess Maxima would be lovely to do!!! It will be such a challenge to create a wedding that will be timeless.

Is the job as glamorous as you thought?

No, not at all! It is hard work being a entrepreneur and above that, being a wedding planner. Here in the Netherlands, we all have our own small offices, being alone all the time. Of course you have meetings with your couples and vendors, but at the end, you’re alone. And that makes it hard sometimes. But when a beautiful bouquet of flowers is delivered saying “Annelies, you really did it, you are the best, thank you!!”, that makes it all worthwhile!

Which wedding planner’s work do you respect/admire and why

It depends. When I see a wedding planner being successful with one of the beautiful weddings she organizes, I am proud that she is one of my “colleagues”. When I hear a story about someone dealing with a bridezilla, I am proud again. You cannot do this job in the Netherlands without being happy about other planners’ achievements, you won’t survive. The country is just too small…..

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

That in six years time, my business has grown to be one of the best wedding planner companies in the Netherlands and that I have become a role model for other planners. I am very proud about that and that is why I have decided to focus more on training and coaching other wedding planners. That way, in a few years time, we will be even better in our profession than today and it will be very common for couples to actually hire a wedding planner. You just cannot do without!

What is your vice?

Haha, that will be those romantic movies: Notting Hill, Four weddings and a funeral, Sense and Sensibility……I really cry watching those…..I know, it’s silly, but I can really relax and have a moment to myself in watching romantic movies!

What do you expect from your visit to the UK?

We are really looking forward to seeing some beautiful locations and learning more about the London style of weddings. How are weddings in comparison to our weddings? Once we understand that, we might be able to expand our businesses in encouraging couples who want to have a UK wedding.

But above all, we are really looking forward to meeting our colleagues in the UK! We can probably learn a lot from each other and we are looking forward to the seminar and being part of the UK Alliance for a day!

Thank you Annelies, we are looking forward to meeting you!

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WPE Speaker Focus: Zoe Clark

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Today we introduce the lovely Zoe Clark who runs Zoe Clark Cakes. Zoe will be presenting at WPE 11 and sharing her inside knowledge of ‘all things wedding cake’. Yum!

What’s your USP?

Great attention to detail without being over-complicated

What’s your signature dish (personality or food)?

Lasagne

Do you have a favourite restaurant?

Caffe Latte- a lovely little Italian restaurant in Melbourne.

How would your clients describe you?

Easy-going but professional

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

Writing 3 books and opening a shop

What is your vice?

Eat more cake, drink lots of wine

Describe yourself in 3 words

Perfectionist, busy, creative

Name one blog you follow religiously

Style me pretty- I love all the mood boards.

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Can’t attend WPE…..so join us for dinner instead!

Friday, February 18th, 2011

We are delighted to announce the dinner location for WPE ‘11. We have partnered with 10:11 Carlton Terrace and superb caterers Foodshow Even if you are unable to make WPE we hope you can join us for drinks and dinner on Friday 4th March from 7pm with dinner scheduled for 8pm. The evening is priced at £40 and only open to wedding planners. To book please go to our booking form .

The directors recently attended an opening at 10:11 Carlton Terrace and were astounded at the opulence of this gorgeous London Venue and the food served by Foodshow was truly scrumptious. We sincerely hope you can join us for this once in a lifetime opportunity to dine at one of our former prime minister’s residences.

About our partners

The former residence of Prime Minister William Gladstone sits at the very heart of the capital, overlooking St James’s Park, Whitehall and the Mall, which runs between Admiralty Arch and Buckingham Palace. It has been described as one of London’s finest Georgian treasures, ranking among ‘the greatest terrace houses ever built in Britain’.

Following a £2.5 million redevelopment, the British Academy opened the doors of No. 11 on 20 January 2011 to reveal a space like no other.

The classical Nash architecture includes the opulent plasterwork of the Music Room, a grand Regency staircase flanked by torchere candelabras (like others in Buckingham Palace), and a state-of-the-art auditorium.

Owner, Andrew Gosling leads by example and is supported by an enthusiastic team who are committed to absolute attention to detail for each and every event. They go to great lengths to ensure they cater for the individual tastes of their clients.

Photo Credit:

Claudine Hartzel & Colin Streater

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WPE Speaker Focus: Ray Hutchin

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Introducing Ray Hutchin of Cloud 9 who will be one of our speakers at WPE 11 in March. Ray has been a regular contributor and firm favourite at this annual event and we very much look forward to him sharing his business coaching insight with us this year…..

What’s your USP?

Truly putting our clients first, I feel so many companies say they do and actually believe they do, but I believe they don’t. We make all our business decisions based on our Vision Statement, which includes “putting our clients’ needs first” even if it mean we will make no fee or receive a reduced fee.

What’s your signature dish (personality or food)?

Bread & Butter Pudding

Do you have a favourite restaurant?

Haven’t got one - I have three - Belgro Centraal, London, Equilibrium at Fawsly Hall and Scarletta’s in Nerja, Spain

How would your clients describe you?

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Guru are amongst some of the flattering names I have been called, also one client calls me Coach - that always makes me feel good.

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

Yes, I sacked them. Because it wasn’t benefitting them or me and was the right thing to do for both of us.

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

Setting up my new business coaching company now I have left a franchise and coaching team. As now with my partner we can put our stamp on the business and do it the way we believe it should be done (as we are both very passionate about our business)

What is your vice?

Chicken & Chips

Describe yourself in 3 words

Down to earth

Name one blog you follow religiously

UKAWP (seriously)

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Sales meeting tips

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Today we hear from Ray Hutchin of Cloud 9 with some practical tips on holding the perfect sales meeting or consultation with potential new clients. Over to you Ray:

Now I don’t claim to be an expert on Sales Meetings for Wedding Planners, however I believe the best way to learn and change something for the better is to get a better understanding and to do that, what better way than asking yourself some questions.

So here are some questions to ask yourself about your sales meetings and it may just help you, to find a way to get better results:-

1) Where do you hold you Sales Meetings and do you know where you get the best conversion rates?

2) When you know where you get the best results ask yourself, why do you get the best results where you do?

3) How do you deal with distractions during the meeting if any?

4) Do you help them to buy or do you sell?

5) Do you know the benefits from buying from you, over your competitors (your USP and guarantee)

6) Do you have a purpose statement script (to frame up the meeting and therefore stay in control of the meeting)?

7) Do you know your 10 biggest objections (and have all the answers off pat)

8) Are you comfortable with your close and do you spot buying signals?

9) When was the last time you read a book or attended a sales workshop?

10) Do you have a complete and up to date sales pack with you at the meeting?

11) How many times have you spoken to, emailed, and phoned the prospect before the meeting to build rapport?

12) Do you always get permission at the end of the meeting to contact them again if they haven’t made a decision?

To gain even more insight into the Sales Process book today for Wedding Planning Excellence where I will be presenting on the Sales Process on Saturday morning.

Cloud9 run regular half day and day workshops, covering all aspects of business and as well as offering a money back guarantee, also UKAWP has negotiated a £50 discount for its members on each workshop. For more details please email sam@cloud9businessspecialists.co.uk or visit our website which will be launched later this month.

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Posted in Business Development, Life as a Planner, Training, WPE 11 | No Comments »

WPE Speaker Focus: David Wise

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Today I am very pleased to introduce you to David Wise of WISE Productions who will be presenting at WPE 11 in March. We love to find out a bit more about our speakers and share this with delegates…

What’s your signature dish (personality or food)?

Kids: Dad’s pasta sauce (tomatoes, chorizo)

Taller kids: cassoulet

Do you have a favourite restaurant?

Normally the one I am in right now (it’s the company I’m with that makes my day). The best dining experience I have ever had was at Catalina, Rose Bay Sydney.

How would your clients describe you?

Safe pair of hands, helpful

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

On reflection my favourite clients are the professionally challenging - the ones who want the bar raised, new creative ideas, better value for the Bride and Groom.

What has been your most memorable wedding that you have worked on?

Three will always have a place:-

Marquee in Suffolk - amazing love and happiness

The Orangery - the sense of fun and warmth, everyone smiled ALL THE TIME

Marquee in Sussex - many years ago, the first time I felt that lighting makes an amazing difference.

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

Weathering three recessions without making redundancies.

What is your vice?

The West Wing

Describe yourself in 5 words

Tall, loyal, short attention span

What are you reading?

Julian Barnes

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WPE Speaker Focus: Bernadette Chapman

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

This speaker for WPE needs very little introduction as of course she our colleague here at the UKAWP Bernadette Chapman. However today I would like to introduce Bernadette in her role as Director of Dream Occasions where she plans and manages beautiful weddings and specializes in marquee receptions…

What’s your USP?

I specialise in marquee events in East Anglia and have become well known for using a twist on ‘Country English’ functions.

What’s your signature dish (personality or food)?

A big pot of hot chili - perfect for minimal effort at parties, strange thing for a party planner to say I know!

How would your clients describe you?

Clients always comment on how calm I am both in the planning process and on the day itself, they have said this in turn helps them stay calm!

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

There have been a few! I remember one controlling groom a few years ago was incredibly rude to me and suppliers we were meeting that day. The final straw was when he questioned every suggestion I made. I decided to cancel the contract as I won’t work with anyone who deems it acceptable to talk down to me or disregard any advice that they are paying me for. I agree with Siobhan that you need to set boundaries from the start; if you answer your mobile from clients at 11pm then they will feel this is acceptable for future calls.

If you could plan/ be involved in a celebrity wedding (alive or dead) whose would it be?

I would love to plan a wedding for any member of Take That, I’m not fussy! I think they would be a lot of fun to work with, I’d have no trouble finding a good evening band + lets face it looking at them (any of them) during planning meetings would be a joy J

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

One of my biggest achievements was recognizing the need for an alliance of wedding planners in the UK. I am so proud of what the UKAWP has done over the years, the dedication of my fellow directors and the enthusiasm of our members.

Whenever I have a large marquee event with 30+ suppliers I feel proud that everyone arrives on time and the schedule go according to plan - at the end of the evening I breath a huge sigh of relief because with marquees you never know what ‘could happen’! I hope to cover some of these scenarios at WPE….

What is your vice?

Reading far too many Romance Novels - just as well I work in the industry for romance!

Describe yourself in 3 words

Professional, loyal, imaginative (I have too many ideas floating around sometimes)

Name one blog you follow religiously

Oh gosh, only one that is difficult. Can I cheat and say I love reading www.kerrymorgan.com/photoblog & www.lloyddobbie.com/blog to have a peak at their recent weddings + www.stylemepretty.com to see what those creative US brides are doing AND www.lovemydress.net to see what creative brides in the UK are doing.

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WPE Speaker Focus: Melanie Kiani

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Following on in our series of introductions to WPE 11 speakers, I am very pleased to introduce one of our UKAWP members, Melanie Kiani of Bellissimo Events, who will be drawing on her previous career to present the legal issues surrounding weddings……….

melanie-kiani

What’s your USP?

Giving my clients the highest possible level of service and attention to detail in everything that I do with an experienced legal brain thrown in to ensure all the legal considerations of any wedding or event is covered.

What’s your signature dish?

I am a big foodie so I have lots of dishes I love cooking for friends and family - whatever I do I just love having the house full of people enjoying themselves and eating my homemade food and drinking plenty of good wine. Savoury is definitely my thing but I do also made a mean chocolate brownie.

Do you have a favourite restaurant?

Depends on what food I am in the mood for but a nice meal out with my husband or friends has to be The Guildhall Tavern, Poole Quay - wonderful fish with an ice cold bottle of Muscadet and they always look after you and remember what you like.

How would your clients describe you?

I am honoured to say that my clients say that I am one of the my organized and efficient people they have ever met and really enjoy having me on board and working with me which is hugely satisfying. Having had a 12 year career in the law leading up to starting my business which is now in its third year certainly helped develop those skills. I am a “details” person so I am always looking for the detail in everything. That’s very important to me and I like to think that my clients notice that and like that about me.

Have you ever had a challenging client and how did you deal with it?

All clients are challenging in their own way as each wedding or event you plan and each couple you deal with is completely different and may require different skills. I find that good communication with my clients from the outset to establish what they can expect from me and what I can do for them is a great way to get the relationship off on the right food. There will always be challenges along the way but I thrive on dealing with those and turning around any difficult situations. Good people skills is essential for this job.

What’s your biggest achievement since launching?

You have to look back quite often to see where you were in the beginning and where you are now to remind yourself of the achievements in launching a business from nothing - during hard economic times which some people would say is crazy! Going into profit in year three is an achievement and I was pleased to be asked to present the last series of Three Grand Weddings due to be shown on Wedding TV during 2011. However, most of all I feel a huge sense of achievement with the weddings and events that we have helped to plan and co-ordinate and the lovely comments we get as feedback afterwards and knowing that our clients have had the day they wanted and your involvement has made a big difference. Seeing the photographs or videos and receiving those thank yous afterwards is very satisfying and at a lot of weddings since launching we have had special “thank yous” and mentions during wedding speeches which is a real honour to be included at such an important part of the proceedings.

What is your vice?

Wine, cheese and bread - all the things I shouldn’t have! Plus anything for the kitchen and shoes!

Describe yourself in 3 words

Organised, hard-working and efficient

Name one blog you follow religiously

Ok hands up - I have lots of great blogs on my reader account but I am not great at religiously following them! I try to concentrate more on keeping my own up to date and spending time on my Twitter and Facebook pages and when I get a free hour or so I have a hunt to see whats new and whats around. I do prefer bridal magazines to keep in touch - old fashioned kind of girl in some ways!

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