ESC Weddings @ 45 Millbank

ESC Weddings is delighted to announce the launch of a range of brand new Wedding Packages at the exquisite Wedding venue 45 Millbank in Westminster, London.

Located just steps from Tate Britain with sweeping views across the River Thames; 45 Millbank is a beautiful and historic event location, blending Edwardian classic with Chelsea’s eclectic modern twist. The restored Edwardian interior provides visitors with a stunning and memorable Grade II listed backdrop for events in the heart of iconic Westminster.

Outside 45 Millbank

As one of their preferred suppliers, the team at ESC Weddings has been working in close partnership with the venue to design and create a selection of packages to outline the various levels of support available to couples who have chosen this Edwardian venue for their special day. The team at ESC Weddings believe that every Wedding should epitomise a couple’s character, cultural background, value, heritage and passions; and our role is to deliver a Wedding day bespoke to a couples individual needs.

Eleanor Bradfield, Wedding Planner (left) and Clare Wickens, Director (right)

 

Whether it’s a traditional ‘Classic’ Wedding you dream of, or a smaller ‘Intimate’ gathering to celebrate with a select few of your closest friends and family, our hand-crafted packages range from simple, elegant affairs to luxurious celebrations and all the trimmings which include:

·         The Classic Package

·         The Grace Package

·         The Majestic Package

·         The Quintessential Package

·         The Intimate Package

45 Millbank's Banquetting Hall set-up for a beautiful Ceremony

Clare Wickens, Director of ESC Weddings says “In our experience, many couples are under the impression that once they have chosen the venue, most of the hard work is done and are then suddenly overwhelmed with all the ‘nitty gritty’ details that need finalising before their big day.

With all the information available online, it can be hard to know who to approach and who you can rely on to support you in the run up to your Wedding. The suppliers we have used to put together the packages at 45 Millbank come from our own personal ‘Black Book’ of tried and tested industry professionals who we know will not only deliver fantastic results, but will carefully listen to what you want on your special day.

We are delighted to be working in close partnership with 45 Millbank and are looking forward to creating many special memories for couples who are lucky enough to have the beautiful venue host their Wedding Day.”

The Ornamental Garden at 45 Millbank is an idyllic location for a drinks reception on your special day

Licensed for both civil ceremonies and civil partnerships, 45 Millbank offers one of the most unforgettable wedding locations in town. Boasting three prestigious function rooms, a grand staircase, a charming secluded Garden and a beautiful courtyard entrance paved with York stone an authentic Henry Moore sculpture; 45 Millbank is one of London’s most charming event venues and the perfect setting for a romantic and stylish Wedding Day.

Henry Moore Courtyard at 45 Millbank

For more information about the Wedding Packages at 45 Millbank, or for information about ESC Weddings, please contact Eleanor Bradfield on 01252 795507 or alternatively, please contact Eleanor via email on eleanor@esc-weddings.co.uk .

Visit our websites:

www.esc-event.co.uk/weddings               www.45millbank.com

Pssst…! We’re on Facebook and Twitter too!

 

ESC Weddings

 

@escweddings

April Showers

In 2012 the UK saw the wettest summer since records began, and almost four months into 2013 we have already seen the coldest Easter for more than 50 years; so with outdoor Weddings becoming increasingly more popular amongst us ever optimistic Brits, we thought now might be an appropriate time to start planning for when the heavens decide your perfect day isn’t going to be quite so perfect.

photo courtesy of www.bridalblogspot.com

If you haven’t already, choose a venue that has an outdoor area and an indoor space nearby. This will automatically reduce your stress levels in the run up to the big day, most venues who host outdoor weddings will be used to having to jump ship at the last minute and will know exactly what to do.

photo courtesy of www.bijouweddingvenues.co.uk

The hardest part about implementing weather contingency plans is…DECIDING TO DO IT. Trust us, the longer you leave it to make the decision, the more stressed both you and guests will become. An hour before the ceremony, make a decision and stick to it!

 photo courtesy of www.itsyourpartyevents.blogspot.com

If you haven’t hired a wedding planner, make sure you have assigned a bridesmaid, family member or friend to have the job of informing everybody about the new location, including the guests! It’s a good idea to have signs drawn up ahead of the day showing guests where to go if the plans have changed, these can be popped up in a matter of seconds and will eliminate about one hundred phone calls being made. Social media is another good way of getting the message out quickly, and cheaply.

If you have opted for a venue that doesn’t have a nearby indoor space and are going for a marquee option, hire another smaller marquee which you can set up with sofas and a bar area which can be used as overflow for guests who want to ‘mosey around’ rather than stay on the dance floor. And don’t worry, it won’t go to waste….plenty of your guests will be grateful for somewhere to go and ‘rest their eyes’ towards the latter part of the evening, or maybe even earlier for senior members of the family.

photo courtesy of www.westcountrymarquees.co.uk

A fun way of making light of the situation is to hire in umbrellas in your theme colour, or in lots of different colours. This will not only make the photos a little less drab but will also make sure your special day still looks pretty and like it was part of the big plan.

photo courtesy of www.thebigweddingsite.com

Fans of tea lights need not worry, battery operated tea lights give exactly the same effect and you don’t need to worry about them blowing out or, even worse, burning something. If you can, stretch your budget to incorporate some lighting production costs as this will go a long way to brightening up any grey skies.

Heaters are a must. Whether it is thirty or thirteen degrees, this is the UK and, unfortunately, by 8pm your guests will inevitably be shivering, especially the smokers amongst the group. Scatter them around both inside and outside the marquee and it will help avoid draining out a particular area of the party.

Of course you will not need any of these plans as it IS NOT going to rain on your day, but just in case, we hope these little hints helped. Good luck!

Will you marry me…?

So, hands up who got engaged over Christmas?!

Carrie Underwood showing off her engagement ring

Christmas is a very popular time for proposals. Men welcome the opportunity to conceal their intentions in a well-chosen gift, containing that surprise engagement ring. Or the romance of log fires, cosying up with your loved ones and spending time off work together inspires them to pop the all important question, ready for a fresh and exciting start to the New Year.

So, once you have got over the initial shock of the proposal, no doubt your brain is swimming with ideas and questions for planning your big day. The biggest one being where to start! Here are some questions to ask yourself and help kick-start the planning:

WHERE do you want to get married?

Do you have a specific venue you have always dreamed of? Or are you keen to be married close to home, or abroad? Start looking at venues now as they can get booked up 1 or even 2 years in advance. This should be your priority in the early days as many other factors will depend on your location and venue size i.e. hiring local suppliers and number of guests you can invite.

If you have the space, you can also look at holding your celebrations in a marquee which can give you a lot more flexibility with dates, size and timings.

esc weddings marquee

WHEN do you want to get married?

Are you a summer girl who has always dreamed of a strapless, slashed leg wedding gown and an outdoor ceremony (with a British wet-weather contingency plan? – sorry!)

Or does an indoor occasion with roaring fires and winter-themed decorations appeal to you.

Bear in mind that marrying out of season (Oct – April) or mid-week can bring some fantastic savings as venues and suppliers have more free time and are willing to drop their prices to secure your business.

www.josevillablog.com

www.weddingchicks.com

       

HOW do you want your day to look?

Do you have a favourite colour or style you want to focus your wedding around? This gives you something to build around and all your suppliers, decorations and attire to work towards.

Vintage lace theme www.rosieparsons.com

  Rustic wedding www.indulgy.com







                                                                               

WHO do you want at your day?

Will you have bridesmaids? Adults or children, or both? Choose your bridal party wisely. You want a reliable team who you can trust and who will help you, not push their ideas on you or let you down.

Once you know how many guests your venue allows it is time to put together your guest list. You will likely have a set number allowed for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, then another group you can invite for the evening. Check and double check your list with you partner and both sets of parents as you don’t want to leave anyone out. Equally, remember this is YOUR day and if you don’t want to invite certain people, you don’t have to! If you feel you still have to, just invite them to the evening as this will cost you less

Gorgeous Bridal party from www.lovemydress.net

HOW?

Work out your budget and how you will pay for the day. Will your parents contribute? Or do you plan to save up and pay yourself? What can you afford? You may be surprised at the cost of everything once you get started so try not to expect too much for your money or you could be disappointed. You don’t want to end up in debt, not a good start to married life. Sometimes, small, intimate weddings can be more meaningful and heartfelt than the larger, extravagant affairs. Also look at DIY ideas and pulling in favours from talented friends and family to save money. Generally people will be all too pleased and willing to help contribute to your big day.

AND REMEMBER…

You are planning the happiest and most important day of your life. Make sure you enjoy the process as (hopefully) this will be the only time you do it! If organising is not your thing and you find the whole task daunting, enlist the help of a wedding planner. The time and stress that you will save will easily out weight the extra cost. And with planners having the best contacts and ideas in the industry, you will very likely end up saving money in the long run and they can secure discounts and eliminate money and time wastage. This may sound biased but it is true! 

#W.I.N.E 2012

Here at Esc Weddings we were delighted to receive this fantastic video montage of our Wedding industry Networking Evening #W.I.N.E by the amazing wedding videographers From the Hip

From the Hip produce timeless, contemporary wedding films with a creative edge - discretely captured, beautifully edited. They managed to capture the electric atmosphere created by a room full of inspiring wedding professionals. We expect all wedding suppliers will know at least one person in this film:

Featured Suppliers

Fun Wedding Photos provides a fun, fancy dress photo shoot at weddings and events in the south of England. They bring a full mobile studio, photographer and hundreds of fun fancy dress props. They have recently added a green screen backdrop and the latest software, so that they can superimpose the guests into one of many exotic, exciting or special locations, to produce hilarious and visually stunning pictures of wedding guests having fun. Props and back drops can be tailored to match any event theme.

Their clients hire them because Fun Wedding Photos is great entertainment for guests and the results are hilarious images which provide great mementoes. Many couples have found that this is a great filler between day time and evening celebrations. Their "Memories package" add on provides a guest book filled with pictures of your guests matched up with their individual messages - a wonderful memory of the people, including those who will not have been in the formal pictures, that shared your special day.

Matt Young has been operating Fun wedding photos since 2010. As a photographer, and having seen photo booths, he believed he could provide a superior experience for guests. Instead of a few people being cramped into a small photo booth, they have a photography area that can accommodate up to 15 people at a time. Instead of small square basic photos, Fun Wedding Photos produces pictures of a quality that can be printed up to A3 size and provide hundreds of high quality props. The business has grown with many guests loving the Fun Wedding Photos experience so much that they lead to further bookings. 

www.funweddingphotos.co.uk

Featured Suppliers

The Cocktail Service is an event bar and cocktail consultancy, with offices in London and Oxford, which operates nationwide. We are specialists in the drink sector offering bartender hire, full event bar services and consultancy. We are not just another mobile cocktail bar, The Cocktail Service takes events and consultancy to the next level, using the highest quality equipment, working alongside the UK’s greatest bartenders, mixing the finest drinks and delivering ambitious and market-leading event mixology.

Our bespoke service covers the length and breadth of the UK and has led the way at product launches, corporate parties, internationally-renowned public events, festivals, weddings, private parties...the list is endless.  www.thecocktailservice.co.uk

Wedding Industry Networking Evening #W.I.N.E

On Tuesday 9th October we were thrilled to have hosted the 2^nd Wedding Industry Network Evening organised by our team at esc weddings.

Held at 45 Millbank (beautiful lesser known venue on the banks of the Thames) we mingled with suppliers of the Wedding Industry.

We have been lucky enough to work with some of the finest suppliers in the industry and saw an opportunity for bringing together these companies to pool their experiences and contacts.

Very often some of these suppliers are small businesses, one man bands who expressed a real desire to have the opportunity to access a larger ‘community’ of businesses like theirs.

February 2011 saw the first of the Wedding Industry Networking Evenings held at Kingston’s, Warren House. The event was hosted with the express purpose of meeting other suppliers as passionate about the wedding industry as we are.

It was a great success and led us to plan a follow up event this year.

Last night we were delighted to welcome Damian Bailey, organiser of the The Wedding Industry Awards who spoke about setting up the awards, now in their 2^nd year and why they felt the industry needed recognising in this way.

Last night’s event was planned to encourage further networking amongst suppliers and to showcase a few of these companies.

Caper and Berry served a selection of delicious canapés; the beef lollipops with chilli jam were divine as were the decadent chocolate mousses served in mini kiln jars.

Starlight Design worked their magic with lighting and production to show 45 Millbank in all it’s glory. 

Lavender Green created table centres for each season around the room – the Spring bouquets of fresias were gorgeous.

The Cocktail Service whipped up a mean Mango Bellini as well as an amazing Marmalade Vodka – yummy!!

Gary Heasman photographed the evening and From the Hip captured the atmosphere on video which we will be posting soon so stay tuned! 

Fun Wedding Photos injected a large dose of humour with their hilarious props and photo studio. See all the night's pictures on their Facebook page 

Prantl Stationery produced the beautiful interactive invite as well as the very useful and beautiful name badges. We must thank them for their patience and huge effort for getting last minute guests on the list at the eleventh hour, and personally delivering them to the venue with just minutes to spare 

Topiary House supplied an array of attractive potted trees which brought the outdoors indoor and made the room look even more attractive. We are glad Duncan and his Luton made the trip from Chorleywood.

Brides & Beauty were tasked with the difficult job of making Sian & Lucy from esc weddings look beautiful (only joking girls) as well as the venue's lovely Gemma. Once made-up, they were ready to meet their public. 

Allens Hire very generously donated cloths, chairs, cutlery & crockery for the occasion while Chocolat A Toi and Ananya Cards contributed chocolates and bookmarks to take home.  

Plans are already under way for the next Networking Evening.

But for now it was lovely to see so many familiar as well as new faces mingling, enjoying the lovely surrounding, delicious canapés and great company.

The wedding Industry is a specialist market place and it was nice to chat with like minded people who know very well why these most special of events are both such a challenge and so rewarding!

So thanks to everyone for your support in coming along, we hope you made lasting working relationships and we look forward to seeing you at the next one!!