There are I believe quite a few misconceptions about what professional and independent Wedding Planners and Coordinators do and don’t do.

We are your wedding resource, best friend, personal assistant, advisor, organizer, creative directors and sometimes mother figure –for those of us who are (just a bit) older. We will help you budget, manage, brainstorm, keep you on track with a timeline and make your wedding day exclusively personal. Not a cookie cutter program or style.

Now, most venues and hotels have an onsite coordinator or someone who is assigned to your wedding and you may see companies who supply decor calling themselves event planners. Please don’t confuse us! They work on behalf of their own company/hotel/venue and are concerned with the sales there. And while they are helpful (I hope I was!), we as professional planners are there for you. We work for you  in organizing all aspects of your wedding. Ask your chair cover company to recommend a reading for your service or advice on invitation etiquette and see the look you get. I am certainly not knocking these people. I have a great respect and need for them and have many on my books providing stunning services, but professional wedding planners and coordinators are a source of information and knowledge with experience and a well needed sense of calm. We have ideas and contacts and will help you save time, money and stress when planning your wedding.

Bridesmaids, mothers and friends are great for wanting to help but don’t you want to spend quality time with them in days leading up to your wedding and enjoy the party on the day? And don’t they?

We will take care of all of the details that you want us to so you and your bridal party can relax and enjoy the day and not be worried about setting things up on the morning of the wedding, or the cake not being there at noon.

There are also things that we are not. We are not going to take over your wedding. We want as much input as you want to give us to fulfill your vision. We are not pretentious. You have never planned a wedding before so why wouldn’t you have someone help you? We are not expensive and your budget will be the same with or without me because I can advise how much to spend where, find the best fit of vendors for you in price and style and negotiate the best price for you.

I tend to be quite passionate about what I do so can babble on but I wanted to keep this short and to the point so if you would like to read more about why you should hire a Wedding Planner and what we can do for you here are a few good articles. And of course you can contact me with any questions or thoughts you may have. I love talking weddings so would love to hear from you!

Annie Byrne

Aislinn Events

http://aislinnevents.com

http://aislinnevents.com/blog

Now this may not be every girl’s dream dress but it got me thinking……..

‘What does make a wedding green?’

Two years ago couple Russell Geake and Alexia Muskett tied the knot with a environmentally friendly theme. Along with energy saving lightbulbs as wedding favours and wooden wedding rings the couple implemented things that were not only green but cost effective.

With the average wedding costing over £20,000 having a ‘green’ wedding these day might not just be about lowering that carbon footprint but saving a bob or two.

How can I have a low carbon (and cheaper) Wedding ?

1. Don’t fly! Yes the Maldives is lovely, but what’s wrong with a little  cottage in the Lake District for your honeymoon? Or if you prefer a romantic getaway in Paris hop on the Euro Star and book a few nights at the Hidden Hotel. Just opened this year, The Hidden Hotel was built with the idea of “Respect and Love for the environment” in mind. This boutique hotel has attempted to employ only the purest materials in their most natural state. It blends linen with slate, wood, marble, stone, glass and handmade ceramic materials. The Hidden Hotel also features organic, eco-friendly, ethical and contemporary inspirations in a diverse, sophisticated and well-balanced combination.  This does sound like an advert but my wife and I stayed there earlier this year and it was lovely!
2. DIY Weddings – there’s some great websites to help you along the way www.cheap-wedding-success.co.uk and www.weddingdiy.co.uk are just a couple giving great tips.
3. Keep it small. (As a man) I like to think of a wedding as the biggest round you’re ever going to ‘get in.’ Close friends and family aside, are those other 100 or so guests going to return the favour/round?
4. Keep the venue central to your guests. Being a Londoner who got married in Scotland I know how difficult the logistics (and politics) can be. Saying that, Wembley wan’t rebuilt in Birmingham after all was it?
5. Try and keep the ceremony and reception close if not in the same venue. There’s nothing worse than directing 200 or so guests across 50 miles of the British countryside! Failing that hire a bus or two.
6. Local and seasonal food and drink. Makes sense and I’m sure Gordon Ramsey would approve.
7. Email your invites. Start a Facebook group or even build your own website! Free and (fairly) easy! You can start your own social netwrk for free at www.ning.com.
8. Beg, steal and borrow wedding paraphernalia from friends and family……. Something borrowed… something blue and borrowed ….. something new (to you)……
9. Get married in the Spring. Longer days mean more natural light and less power needs. Venues are of course a little cheaper outside of the Summer months.
10. Why not take it a step further and get married outside. Be wary of the British climate though! Marquees are great for receptions even though a friend a mine who did this at his wedding described it as a bit of a false economy!
11. Choose a green venue. The RSA House is ideally located just off the Strand with excellent public transport links so it is easy to encourage guests to leave their cars at home. The RSA is also licensed to host civil ceremonies so by having your ceremony & reception in the same venue, your guests do not have to make any additional travel arrangements. They recycle around 75% of all waste and use low energy light bulbs in all of their offices. Of course their are plenty of venues like this so why not ask what environmental and ethical policies your venue has in place.
12. Skip the limo and go for the horse and carriage. Well this might not be a cheaper option and horses produce more than their fair share of methane but it has all the best of intentions!
13. Grow your own flowers. Whilst you might not have the skills to properly arrange them I’m sure a good natured florist would oblige for a small fee. You could of course go full on eco friendly and make the flowers from plastic bags.
14. Collect and dry fallen spring blossom to use as confetti. I’m sure even the strictest venue would loosen their ‘no confetti’ rules for this.
15. Dedicate a tree as a wedding favour. The Woodland Trust has planted more than eleven million trees, creating new native woodland throughout the UK.
16. Go organic. The Chocolate Organic Cake Company in Bristol were the first cake maker in the Uk to gain Soil Association certification. They also offer discounts for people who do a valuable job in the community, yet receive a relatively low wage.
17. Visit charity shops for your wedding outfits. Ethical Weddings has listings of shops with dedicated bridal departments.
18. Make your own dress. Just like our friends at Mondial Assistance ………..