Wedding Reception IdeasPosted by Kim Rix on June 30th, 2010

Dear Bride and Groom,

You will find that most of your time will be taken up thinking about your wedding reception. Although the ceremony is obviously the most important part of your day, the reception takes up the longest and most sociable part of your day (and night!).

Your reception can be simple and elegant, extravagant, exciting or intimate and calm. It really depends on what you want from it. The reception is likely to reflect a lot of your personality as a couple and this is what your guests will buy into and enjoy. The main thing is that your guests are well entertained and have a great time with you.

The Setting

The first thing you want to think about is where you want to be for your wedding reception. If you would like grand elegance then you might want to have a look at some of the National Trust properties that interest you. A good number have large banqueting halls, equipped with the most magnificent art, fittings and decorations. Some may even provide staff and scene settings in keeping of the period of the venue. There are plenty of privately owned stately homes and gardens that cater for weddings.

If you are looking for something a little different then you could look into hiring a yacht, getting exclusive use of your favourite restaurant, bar or even nightclub.

If you have a particular interest eg. Art, music or theatre then you can look into getting exclusive use of a favourite gallery, theatre or venue. You would be surprised at how many would be interested and accommodating.

The Entertainment

This might be dictated by your wedding venue a little. For example, if you choose a theatre venue, then you could have a small interesting performance followed by live music. In a stately home you might want a string quartet or traditional music for the meal and then a 5 or 6 piece band for some late night dancing.

But what can you offer apart from music? How about a wandering magician? One or two can be available to demonstrate and wow your guests with impressive table magic – don’t worry no clowning or balloon creatures!!

Give your guests something to take home by asking a caricaturist to draw guests on each table at their request. It’s a great conversation starter!

If you have any gardens available then you could look at hiring a croquet set, jenga set or chess set for your guests to play with – you will be surprised at how keen your guests will be to get involved, and again its great for getting people talking!

Kind regards,

Kim Rix

Your London Wedding Planner

Freeing up YOUR time and delivering the personal service

The Importance of the Wedding Checklist and TimelinePosted by Kim Rix on March 3rd, 2010

Dear Bride and Groom,

So, how soon is it until your big day? Years? Months? DAYS!?

Do you know everything that you have to get done before then? And when it has to be done by?

Even if you feel like you are in control and on top of everything, I can promise you that the closer you get to your wedding, the more likely you are to drop the ball and miss something. There is a lot to consider, a lot to book and a lot to check.

I had an awful call one time from a bride who had suddenly realised they had forgotten to submit the Marriage Notice Forms to the registrar in time and were now in danger of not being able to be married at all! You would be surprised how often this does happen. 

This is why I cannot stress to you enough the important of creating (and sticking to!) a checklist and timeline for all aspects of your wedding. You can create this as far in advance as possible and just amend as you go. It also means if you have friends and family helping, they can have copies and make sure they are fulfilling their tasks in time, and support you in anything that you need. And that might just be a gentle reminder about setting an appointment or paying a second instalment etc.

How you create, or where you create your checklist is up to you! You might want to make an excel spreadsheet, perhaps you are happy logging tasks into your computer calendar or maybe it’s a paper diary, but you need something!

When you are putting in your tasks you want to work backwards from your wedding date (and even give yourself an extra week in there for breathing room). There are plenty of resources, calendars and advice available in books or online that can prompt you for things you might want to add. And don’t forget that friends or parents that have been through this have plenty of advice to give you – and you should listen to it too!

Kind regards,

Kim Rix

Your London Wedding Planner

Delivering the personal service

Matchmaking The Bride To The VendorsPosted by Kim Rix on February 24th, 2010

Dear Bride and Groom,

Have you ever had that experience when you are engaging someone to carry out some work for you – whether its fitting a bathroom, servicing your car or excavating your garden – that you have a ‘feeling’ you are not going to get on with them?

That is not you being picky. That’s just your common sense kicking in highlighting that in some way your personalities clash. It could be something small and it may not affect the job at all, but you hesitate nonetheless. I’m not necessarily talking about trust here, but about the way you can communicate.

When you are engaging someone to provide a product or service for your wedding I think it’s important that your personalities match. Why? Because you are probably going to have to speak to them a lot – and during some times when you are fairly stressed out!

I would always advise my brides (or grooms) to ‘interview’ at least 3 different vendors before making a decision. A simple conversation can be enough and usually your gut instinct will tell you who you should work with.

Let me give you an example.

I was working with a fairly successful, strong-willed and organized bride about 6 months ago. We were visiting a number of florists that day and I had picked 2 for the morning that I thought she might like.

The first florist was a local vendor, fairly new to the area having just branched out on her own, but very experienced in wedding flowers. She talked through all the ideas with the bride, explained different options and showed examples. She then talked through how she would sketch out designs and send email them to her for approval so they could discuss changes without having to see each other face to face. Everything was very detailed, clear and the florist seemed totally in control.

The second florist, also a local vendor, but more established with a number of awards under her belt was much more informal. She asked about colours and flower types, took an address and said she’d be happy to send on a quote. She offered a few books to look at and point out anything that the bride liked. The whole encounter was very informal, chatty and pleasant.

Can you guess which florist my bride chose? Of course, the first! Although she thought the second florist seemed great she realized that her laid back personality would just send her into a panic. She felt the first had a reassuring business-like quality that she could relate to.

Don’t worry about judging people. They completely understand! And remember its just as hard for them to do their job if your personalities are clashing!

Kind regards,

Kim Rix

Your London Wedding Planner

Luxury Weddings in London, South East and the UK