Tips on surviving the wedding or party night if you are the planner

I was just putting together some tips for a press release on surviving a wedding or party if you are the planner so thought I would share them with you: 

If possible, get plenty of sleep the night before

Wear flat, comfortable shoes and take a change of shoes; a new pair will relive your feet from the pains the first pair gave you!

Plan plan plan –Put in the work before the event to ensure a stress free evening:

1. Use reliable suppliers who you have worked with before and who are fully briefed on what is expected of them. You can then trust them to get on with their jobs without being constantly checked and chased
2. Put together a detailed schedule of who is doing what and when and share with everyone before the event, as well as printing copies for all on the night
3. Have all required contact details to hand or saved on your phone so you don’t have to start hunting for them when an emergency occurs
4. Know your venue – you don’t want to spend the evening getting lost or asking for directions. A site visit beforehand is a must if the venue is unfamiliar to you

Remember to eat, drink and rest when you can

Don’t try to do everything yourself – delegate to those you can trust

If you are working at a large venue, radio communications will save you a lot of running around & telephone bills if you need to speak to colleagues or suppliers quickly

Don’t forget to feed your suppliers: Bands, toastmasters, bar staff etc all work better if they are fed and happy

Never drink on the job. If the client insists, stick to one glass to be polite but loose it as soon as she is not looking.

Plan the links between important moments of the night. A toastmaster or best man will come in handy to introduce entertainment / cutting of the cake / call to dinner etc

Put together an SOS kit containing anything you can think of that you might need; first aid kit, safety pins, bottles of water, speech cards etc. It will be an ever growing but invaluable tool for sorting any emergency that might come up 

Thank you note

It's always nice to receive a thank you note from brides so here is an extract from a recent bride's card following her wedding at Ashdown Park. Esc weddings were enlisted 3 weeks before the wedding to coordinate all last minute details and bring the day together. 

" Thank you so much for taking the strain off me in those last few weeks before the wedding and making sure that everything ran smoothly on the day!!

Thanks to you I was able to relax and enjoy the day knowing that if we had forgotten something - you hadn't!"

Photo courtesy of Ashdown Park. Wedding photos to be posted soon....

Wedding Themes

I was honoured to be asked to give my advice as the Expert Wedding Planner in this month's Hot Topic feature in Your Surrey Magazine. Here are my tips on theming your wedding: 
                                                                     

Q My fiancé and I love live music, and attend all sorts of different gigs and festivals. We want to incorporate this into our wedding theme – is there anything you can suggest?

Sian Says: Why not create your own festival? If you are able to hold your wedding in a marquee you are already half way there. Use straw bails as outdoor seating and bunting as decoration. Wildflowers, daisies and sunflowers will give a rustic, jolly feel.

Food could be outdoors, maybe with a choice of stalls from hog roasts to fish and chip vans and old fashioned ice cream carts.

Drinks can be cider, cloudy lemonade and wine in tin baths filled with ice for embellishment. 

Entertainment will be key at a festival / gig themed wedding. Maybe have a tribute of your favourite band for the evening dancing and ask any musical friends to play throughout the afternoon. This can be a great way of saving costs and also adding a personal touch.

Jam jars with tea lights inside, lamp oil torches, glow sticks and Chinese lanterns can be used as lights to decorate in the dusk/evening.  Perhaps try incorporating wellies, wristbands or lanyards in to enhance the theme further.

Your invites will be the first idea the guests get of your plans, so maybe look at making handmade invites on recycled paper or even sending ‘tickets’ to your ‘weddingfest’

Q I've heard wedding themes are all the rage nowadays, but I haven't got a clue where to start. We don't have a particular theme we want to follow, but I'd love something a bit different. Can you give me any inspiration?

Sian Says: A wedding theme does not have to be anything wild, wacky or unusual. It can be something as simple as a style or colour that is used throughout the elements of the day to tie them all together. Think about your own personal style and colour pallet. Are you bright and vibrant, earthy and natural, or maybe you prefer things pink and sparkly (though make sure your spouse is happy to go along with this choice!)

You may want to think about the season in which you are getting married. It will influence your choice of flowers, venue, dress and food, and can be incorporated into your invites, stationary, décor and entertainment.

Perhaps think about places that you have visited that have been special to you or you have particularly enjoyed.

If you want something a bit more unusual, think about hobbies or interests that you and your partner share. Maybe you are both keen film buffs and would like an old fashioned Hollywood style, or you both love scuba diving and want an underwater theme! 

Make yourself a scrap book containing any wedding photos and ideas that you like. This will also help when meeting suppliers so they can get an idea of your style. If using a wedding planner, ask them for ideas and suggestions of past themes that have worked, or maybe once they get to know you, they will be able to work out the perfect theme for you.

Rock the Frock Sessions

When Wedding Photographer Samantha Jones www.samanthajonesphotography.co.uk was looking for brides for a post-wedding photo sessions, I jumped at the chance and  together a group of previous brides who were prepared to Rock their Frocks! I chose The Sculpture Park www.thesculpturepark.com as it is an ideal venue for unusual photos. Experienced make-up artist Rebecca Clark www.rebeccaclarkmakeup.co.uk made sure everyone looked their best and was also one of the brides getting back into their dresses. We were joined by another wonderful photographer also names Samantha Jones! www.samjonesphotography.co.uk

Rock the Frock sessions are an opportunity for a bride to wear her beautiful wedding gown again and spend an afternoon being photographed in a relaxed manner, striking poses that there won’t have been time for on the wedding day. The photos will be a superb and treasured keepsake.

10 ‘Must-ask’ questions when visiting your potential wedding venues

When visiting potential wedding venues there are many aspects you need to look into to ensure it is the right venue for you. The first two and most obvious are ‘is there a date available that works for me’ and ‘is the venue in the right area’. You may need to be flexible in these areas if you have a certain date or particular venue in mind but if your answer is yes to these two, then you are well on your way.

However, before you get carried away, be sure to ask the following questions to ensure there are no unwanted surprises in store for you:

1. Are you licensed for civil ceremonies? Not all wedding venues hold a licence so you may need to hold the wedding elsewhere then move everyone to the venue for the reception
2. What are your minimum and maximum numbers? Make sure the reception room has enough space for all your guests. You also don’t want a room to be too big if you are holding an intimate wedding as the guests will ‘rattle around’. A venue may have a minimum number of guests required or there may be a charge if your numbers are lower than this.
3. Where are the photo opportunities? The venue will suggest the best places for your location photographs or there may be beautiful areas hidden away that you want to utilise for unusual wedding photos. Taking your wedding photographer along to the venue is a great way to plan what works best for you.
4. Is furniture provided? Ask if tables, chairs & linen are provided within your hire charge and check them to see if they suit your theme / colours. If not you may need to hire them in, which could incur a hefty cost which you need to allow for in your budget.
5. Do you have the option of a DJ or band if you prefer?  Some venues do not allow a band due to the noise levels or can not fit one in so  worth checking, especially if you have your heart set on a meatloaf tribute band
6. Do they allow outside suppliers? Many venues have in-house caterers who cater for all the venue’s weddings. There may also be affiliate suppliers who you have to use in certain areas, particularly with florists, DJs and photographers so worth checking early if you have already chosen particular people/companies you want to work with. 
7. Are there any other restrictions? As well as noise restrictions, some wedding venues do not allow naked flames, so no candelabras or even tea lights and many can not allow fireworks due to neighbour and proximity of animals.
8. Are there any other rooms you can use? For old or very young guests, you may want to consider having a children’s room or a chill-out room where the quieter guests can have a cup of tea and a sit-down when the disco becomes a touch over-whelming.
9. What time does the bar close / does everyone need to be out by a certain time? If you are expecting to party till dawn you will want to make sure this is possible as many venues close the bar at 11pm with all guests off the premises by midnight.
10. How many bedrooms are on site and if needed are there local hotels & taxi firms? At many venues you are able to take all the bedrooms which is the perfect way to extend the celebrations with everyone in the same place for the morning after. For guests who cant stay on site you will want to check there are plenty of hotel options nearby, ranging in prices. You may also want to lay on a mini bus or cars for the end of the night, or contact a local taxi firm to have on stand by to take guests back to their hotels

Being an experienced wedding planner with expert knowledge and experience with venues, our services can save you a lot of time on your venue search. Going to several venues and checking all these points can be very time consuming as well as confusing as they can all merge into one. Please contact us on hello@esc-weddings.co.uk if you have any questions. 

Wedding Wet Weather Contingency Plans

As we all know the British Summer can be somewhat unreliable to say the least. If you have an outdoor wedding reception planned, it is imperative you also have an indoor retreat at your wedding venue where you can escape the extremities and keep your guests from shivering in their sling-backs and getting soaked in their suits.

However, there are items you could hire for your wedding that will keep the light shower or slightly chilly Southerly breeze at bay and allow your guest to continue quaffing the bubbly and munching on canapés in the great outdoors.

Outdoor heaters to keep Aunty Flo from freezing

Beautiful brollies can add to the glam and make wonderful props in photos:

Wedding photo thanks to www.samanthajonesphotography.co.uk

Pop-up Gazebos to huddle under and escape a passing shower, or how about a beautiful Raj Tent:

Esc Wedding’s sister company; Esc Events www.esc-events.co.uk specialises in providing these items and many more and ensure your champagne reception is not a wet wash out. They can also help with Valet Parking, Mini buses, Coach transport, Bridal Cars, Garden Furniture, Security, Flambeaux, Radio Hire and other event support services.

Shopping for THE dress

Wedding Dress Shopping

I had the pleasure on accompanying one of my most adorable brides shopping for THE wedding dress in London recently. We visited a few boutiques and were treated to reasonable service, enjoyed a champagne lunch and were chauffeur driven around London – well it is such an important day after all! All was very pleasant until we arrived at Phillipa Lepley in Fulham Road www.phillipalepley.com and that is when the real afternoon began.

Phillipa Lepley’s bridal gowns are exquisite, the service impeccable and my bride was made to feel like the first and most important woman to enter their shop. The sales assistant was wonderful and even the coffee cups were interesting!  There was a huge range of prices of gowns with one gorgeous sample going for a little as £600 and our favourite being a trifle more costly at £12,000, but worth every penny!

We enjoyed a fabulous 90 minute appointment, which flew by, and tried on at least 15 beautiful gowns. Our favourite was ‘Daisy’ which was adorned by the cutest white flower. Unfortunately there are no photos yet available of Daisy keep your eyes pealed or go and try it for yourself. 

Photo from www.phillipalepley.com