CELEBRATING GLASGOW AND ITS SCOTTISH-ASIAN HERITAGE

CELEBRATING GLASGOW AND ITS SCOTTISH-ASIAN HERITAGE

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

CELEBRATING GLASGOW AND ITS SCOTTISH-ASIAN HERITAGE

Following my last two styled photoshoots CLICK HERE & CLICK HERE, a new collaboration of award-winning Scottish wedding suppliers has come together to shake things up with a culturally diverse styled photoshoot celebrating the much-loved and celebrated industrial past of Glasgow in August 2022.

 

This project was born from a desire to showcase an exciting and vibrant amalgamation of Scottish and Asian heritage in the UK wedding scene.

 

How amazing is the vibrancy of this set, right? If you love it just as much as we do, give us 💛 in the comments.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

PLANNING

Derek Dunlop Photography and I have been working on this project since Spring this year and since then we’ve invited a portfolio of the best in the industry to elevate our vision.

 

At the last opportunity, I also pulled out my handfasting cord and we shot a few scenes featuring a Humanist Ceremony too.

 

Massive thanks go to my husband George from Edinburgh Wedding Directory for stepping in on the day to help us with the setup and the dressing of the kilts.

 

Which Behind The Scenes photo is your favourite 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6? Comment with the image number to let us know.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

PHOTOGRAPHY

Derek Dunlop Photography is a talented and charismatic photographer who specialises in wedding, editorial and personal branding photography.

 

Derek launched in 2018 and his photography featured in many printed and online publications including cover page photography. It was thanks to Derek’s connection that we connected with our models.

 

What’s the most important to you in wedding photography? Let us know in the comments below.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

VENUE

In order to set the scene, the newest and hottest city wedding venue in Glasgow was selected – Haberdashery Glasgow fully developed and directed by friend duo Afton Ferguson & Nikki Fairfull. The venue was once a ladies’ tailor which operated for over 50 years in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.

 

The scene was set and we moved around the venue as we tried to best capture each of the looks – from the beginning we wanted to work with a rustic venue and Haberdashery thanks to Dawn Stafford from Your Scottish Wedding magazine recommendation was the choice!

 

DM me “VENUE” if you’re unsure of your venue vision and would like some help venue hunting.

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

HAIR & MAKEUP

For hair and makeup, we were inspired by beautifully matching makeup and free flowing or pinned up hair styles. It was very important for us to ensure that hair and makeup connected closely with the looks presented.

 

We think that the fabulous team of two Sadias: makeup artist – Sadia Rashid and hair stylist – Sadia Chaudhry are absolute perfectionists and created the most amazing finishes.

 

The design of the looks has also been enhanced with henna application from incredibly talented Terij Kaur.

 

Sadia Rashid – Makeup Artist commented: “I am still in awe from the shoot we did – I was really impressed with everyone’s work and organisation, everyone gave their best. I can’t wait for us to reveal the final look!”

 

What’s your preferred look free-flowing hair or pinned up do? Let us know in the comments below.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

DRESSES

The looks have been inspired by Asia’s rich reds and vibrant blues, sage greens and dusky greys, complemented with matching jewellery, individually designed hair styling and makeup to highlight each individual design.

 

Dresses have been supplied by Glasgow’s Anjali’s Boutique and made an outstanding impact on fulfilling our vision.

 

Which dress is your favourite? Comment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 in the comments below to vote for your favourite look.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

KILTS

Following my consultation with Anjali, I connected with the team at 8 Yards to tie the dresses with perfectly matching or balancing kilts.

 

The team jumped at the opportunity and decided to showcase some of their most contemporary collections and WOW how well they matched what we had planned already.

 

The fresh and exciting finishing touches in shoes, waistcoats, sporrans or even kilt hose really elevated the final looks.

 

Are you a kilt or suit enthusiast? Let us know in the comments below.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

STYLING

The venue has been dressed in matching tones, highlighting the industrial richness of the space. The styling of tables, arches and ceremony was carefully curated by multi-award-winning Heather Spurling McGowan from Make Believe Events who once dined personally with George Clooney for her work in the wedding industry.

 

Would you want to see Heather in action? Make sure to follow her at Make Believe Events.

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

FLORISTRY

Sustainable and paper-based floristry including two bouquets, two buttonholes and two arch arrangements was designed especially for this photoshoot by Shona Rogerson from Papercut Posies.

 

How important is sustainability in your wedding planning? DM me “SUSTAINABILITY” if you’d like to get some ideas on some sustainable wedding solutions.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

MODELS

We’ve also been very lucky to work with two social media influencers and models – Ehab Ali & Taylor McTaggart who perfectly fitted in with the vibe that we had set out for this styled photoshoot.

 

Taylor McTaggart – Model & Social Media Influencer: “It was an absolute pleasure working with everyone and I hope to work with everyone again soon!”

 

Give us 💛 in the comments if you agree they’ve done a brilliant job best showcasing our vision!

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Have you felt inspired by this blog and would like us to focus on something else in the future - DM me with your ideas and visions today and we’ll add them to our focus list for 2023.
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If you’ve found this styled photoshoot useful? Give this blog a share to spread the word and give us more reasons to create more inspirational content for your upcoming wedding!

The Wedding Guru Oskar

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7766012164

Email: oskar@theweddingguruoskar.co.uk

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theweddingguru_oskar

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheWeddingGuruOskar

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@theweddingguru_oskar

CLEVER ABOUT WEDDING BUDGET with BBC Radio Scotland

CLEVER ABOUT WEDDING BUDGET with BBC Radio Scotland

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Recently, I’ve been talking “Clever About Cash” with BBC Scotland hosts Eileen Adamson & Kim McAllister!

Interestingly, I am often being asked why couples might consider a Wedding Planner when undertaking one of the first and biggest financial projects of their life involving many moving elements and opinions.

Apart from the obvious benefits of having an expert full of first-hand knowledge and experience at your disposal, we’re also often called ‘budget warriors’ and if you choose to work with a wedding planner, we will not only ensure you stay within your budget, but also ensure your £££ work that little bit harder for you.

Additionally, considering the network of industry connections, we have the ability to negotiate preferential rates for your benefit, which often means you recover some or even all of your costs and have your ‘best wedding friend’ by your side every step of the way.

Would you consider a Wedding Planner to help you manage your wedding budget? Let me know in the comments below.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

If we haven’t met before – My name is Oskar and I’m The Wedding Guru Oskar. ⁠
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I’ve been involved in the wedding industry since 2009!⁠
After 13+ years in the industry, I have run, delivered and planned over 600 weddings in my career and received 5 industry awards for excellence in my work.⁠
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Nowadays, I plan weddings in Scotland - the UK, conduct legally binding Humanist ceremonies, consult and coach wedding businesses internationally and in my spare time, I blog about all things weddings and feature as an industry speaker.⁠
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Most recently, I also partner with my husband George behind Edinburgh Wedding Directory - simply because we’re married to the job too! :)⁠
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So if you’d like to find out more, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date with my latest news and tips.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

Ahead of my interview for the BBC, I made sure to prepare a few notes on how you can be clever about your wedding spend and here are a few of them you might want to consider before you start your budget planning.⁠
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Firstly, are you set on a date, or would you consider flexibility - if this was to have a big impact on your venue hire cost? Expectedly, we’re experiencing high volumes of weddings in 2022, but this also means that you’re more likely than ever before to get invites for out-of-summer season or even mid-week dates and this can have a significant impact on wedding cost, so maybe it pays to be flexible – see what I did there?⁠
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Did you know that if you were to consider a winter date, that isn’t Christmas or New Year and falls mid-week, you might save more than half of venue cost in comparison with a Saturday in July – how attractive does that sound, let me know in the comments?

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

Weddings are becoming a lot more intimate celebrations – so would you consider downsizing your party? With an average wedding seat costing upwards of £200, would you be willing to treat everyone on your guest list to a meal of this cost otherwise? ⁠
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If it’s your family who are contributing to the cost of the wedding and calling some shots on the guestlist, you might want to be considerate of their involvement too, yet if you’re feeling frustrated or decision-making becoming too hijacked – relate to their feelings and express why you would prefer to make some of the decisions yourself.⁠
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Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

You also don’t want to fall a victim to additional costs – it’s great if you can pull off a beautiful DIY wedding, but consider all elements carefully and if you’re new to the concept, ask for advice from the experts or somebody who has planned a fully DIY wedding before (but focus on facts – rather than opinions) as you don’t want to fall into a trap of additional hire costs, licenses, facilities such as running water, catering, sufficient electricity facilities, WCs, staging, delivery charges, fire safety, VAT, etc.⁠
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How worried are you about additional costs when planning for a wedding? Let me know in the comments below.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

Ensure you understand each offer and can easily compare them, especially when it comes to the venue and catering (statistically the biggest price items in your budget) – dry hire and all-inclusive offers can have a big impact on your wedding budget. This is especially true if you’re hiring a venue on exclusive use basis – you will need to be mindful that exclusive-use venues carry a higher cost to run, so if price-tag is important to you, you might want to consider hotels and all-inclusive packages.⁠
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Would you know how to compare all venue offers? Message me in the Chat Box today and I can send you a link to one of my templates.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

If you’ve gotten engaged around the summer holidays or the festive break – look out for the upcoming wedding fairs, exhibitions, and open days. Don’t undervalue the benefits of these events – not only can you brainstorm so many different ideas and options in one place and on the same day, price check and compare. You can also take your entourage on a creative wedding day out with you, which is lots of fun in itself! Most importantly, you can save yourself a lot on special deals, offers and discounts that are carefully prepared by exhibiting suppliers, especially for this occasion! ⁠
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Are you booked to attend any upcoming promotional wedding events? Give me “YES” in the comments below.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

If you’re lucky to have a dedicated team of venue experts, make the most of their connections – just like us wedding planners, we all establish relationships which can benefit you with specially negotiated rates to feature on the venue’s or planner’s recommended suppliers list and you’ll have the peace of mind that the supplier knows the venue well and you can trust they’ll deliver quality service!⁠
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Would you like to receive “My Recommended Suppliers List”? Chat Box message me today!

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Catering can also have a big impact on your wedding spend – so would you consider alternative and creative catering or set menu option? Worry not, whatever option you go for all your guests with dietary requirements must be catered in accordance with the latest legislation, for as long as your caterer is notified in advance. You might have also noticed already that there are often additional charges for choice menus, additionally three-course plated dining might not fit your celebration – would you consider a variety of artisan caterers, vans and grazing stations? If you consider your options carefully, your per guest spend might decrease accordingly – something worth considering and discussing with your venue as they might have their own safety policies in place.

Which would you go for? Comment below:
A. Plated set (one option) menu
B. Plated choice menu
C. Alternative => BBQ / Buffet / Grazing station

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

According to Forbes pre-loved wedding dress searches online have increased by 103% since March of this year and this is where a lot of your savings could happen too, but be careful before purchasing, because you do not want to spend as much in alterations as you’ve saved by purchasing a second-hand dress. This trend is also becoming a lot more popular amongst celebrities - Princess Beatrice wore a vintage dress on loan from the Queen’s collection for her wedding in 2020 and Carrie Symonds opted for a dress from My Wardrobe HQ where you can rent dresses from as little at £25 – now, how’s that for a saving? And how sustainable is this slow-fashion too?⁠
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Give me ❤️ if you love the idea of pre-loved wedding fashion in the comments below.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

Finally, my favourite topic – wedding floristry! There’s so much you can do about your choice of wedding flowers that can impact your pocket! Firstly, seasonal flowers are always a lot more effective, and you get more for your money, so be careful before you hit those Pinterest boards full of Spring flowers for your Autumn wedding! Secondly, silk flowers have exploded here in the UK and they are better quality than ever before. Not only that – you can avoid unwanted allergies at your wedding and be more suitable by hiring, and this is likely to save you a few pennies too. Or simply be creative – some artificial to provide a structure, with fresh flowers filling it up to add value, now that’s an impressive use of your budget!⁠
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Which is your personal favourite? Comment below:⁠
A. Fresh flowers⁠
B. Silk flowers⁠
C. Mixed fresh and silk for the impact

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

All in all, my biggest piece of advice is that booking things sooner rather than later could also be a solution for avoiding the current price increases. And please be careful – if what you’re looking for seems too cheap to be true, it probably is! Ensure you work with recommended and reputable suppliers only, check them out online, their reviews and track record and use a credit card for payments where possible for additional safety cover.⁠
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Did you find my advice videos useful? Give this blog a share to spread the word and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

The Wedding Guru Oskar

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7766012164

Email: oskar@theweddingguruoskar.co.uk

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theweddingguru_oskar

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheWeddingGuruOskar

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@theweddingguru_oskar

HOW TO AVOID WW3 WHEN CONSIDERING FAMILY POLITICS AT YOUR WEDDING?

HOW TO AVOID WW3 WHEN CONSIDERING FAMILY POLITICS AT YOUR WEDDING?

10 MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Recently, I have been asked by Claire Muir – Feature Writer at Your Scottish Wedding to answer some of the most commonly asked questions by couples when it comes to managing family politics while wedding planning. 

In today’s blog, you’ll learn the best ways to navigate your way around some of the most challenging situations while wedding planning. My recommendations in this blog are solutions based on over 600 weddings I have planned, run and delivered in the past 13+ years. 

If you want to find out more, you’ll need to keep on scrolling…

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

If we haven’t met before - I’m Oskar and I’ve been involved in the wedding industry since 2009!

After 13+ years in the industry, I have run, delivered and planned over 600 weddings in my career and received 5 industry awards for excellence in my work.

Nowadays, I plan weddings in Scotland, the UK, conduct legally-binding Humanist ceremonies, consult and coach wedding businesses internationally and in my spare time, I blog about all things weddings and feature as an industry speaker.

Most recently, I also partner with my husband George behind Edinburgh Wedding Directory - simply because we’re married to the job too! :)

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

1.     Paying for the wedding – how do I navigate this when my parents are apart e.g. I’m not close to my dad but he’s still paying, and my mum isn’t happy about it?

• Not delving too much into the psychology of human relationships, some people simply show their appreciation and love through gifts and this could be what’s happening here.

• Secondly, weddings aren’t cheap - let’s be honest about it and if Dad wants to make this generous gesture and the couple is willing to accept it and appreciate it, then why not!

• My advice here would be not to bicker with Mum, but rather arrange for a heart-to-heart conversation and explain your motivations and reasons. Open up and allow your Mum in on your plan and explain what her support would mean to you, if that doesn’t work, put her in your shoes - how did it make her feel when she planned her wedding and others were pushing ideas, traditions and guilt on her - very quickly you should see the change of tone and all she will care about is that you’re happy and your day is just perfect for you.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

2.     Stationery – what are the options for wording invitations if it’s a non-traditional family situation to avoid unwanted attendees?

• Addressing each and every individual invitation directly to the invited person is one of the options

• Arranging a seating plan in a way that conflicting members of the family don’t come into contact unnecessarily, same applies to ceremony seating - this might need to be arranged and sign posted on the allocated seats - ideally for everyone so that you’re not singling anyone out and upsetting them

• Using electronic RSVP services which limit responses to one per submission and personalised links is another way of avoiding unwanted attendees or plus ones you can’t have or want to have at your wedding

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

3.     Stepmother issues

• I love my mum and my stepmother but they don’t see eye-to-eye. Is it possible to include both in the dress shopping process?

  • Why not arrange two dress shopping trips and make a day out of it to treat them both - the last thing you want is for their conflict or mood to affect your experience

• I have a rather flamboyant stepmother and I’m worried about her upstaging my lovely mum’s outfit on the big day. How can I get around this without offending?

  • Why don’t you take them shopping and outline what design and colour theme you’re hoping for - the more expectations you can outline to them, the fewer chances of upsetting them or feeling disappointed yourself you will have

  • If shopping together or on two separate trips is not an option - why don’t you make suggestions to them both or ask them what they have considered wearing and give them your honest feedback of how it ties in the overall design of your special day

• The morning prep – I’m closer with my stepmother but feel I should have my mum get ready with me. What’s the answer?

  • No matter what - you do not want to remember your wedding for the things you haven’t done and feel disappointed or guilty. Why don’t you allocate roles for both Mums that you know they can fulfil together or separately and you know they would feel appreciated and make your experience more enjoyable

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

4.     The ceremony

• Who walks in and out with whom?

  • You don’t need to stick to tradition if you don’t feel like it’s you!

  • There are so many elements to ceremonies, especially in Scotland where you can get married as and where you want to so that you can involve all or just some of your family members in many symbolic elements, so choose wisely what you believe they can best contribute to.

  • Would Dad be more comfortable with setting up drinking from quaich, Mum walk you down the aisle, Stepmom doing a reading, Stepdad handing over the rings - really the choice and creativity is yours to have here

• Our family split means there are effectively three sides… But only two sides in the room to sit on! How do we arrange seating to keep it conflict-free?

  • Why not have two aisles? My husband and I had our Mums walking us down the aisle simultaneously, but I’ve had the Groom walking in with his Mum and the Bride walking in with her Dad before - honestly, you don’t need to be traditional :)

  • Alternatively, you can allocate seats for the first few rows so that you know they won’t cause issues

• My dad will be attending the wedding but I don’t want him to walk me down the aisle. How do I break it to him, and who should I choose instead? Or could I walk alone?

  • I think what you need to do first is make a decision about how the processional entrance will look like and who, if anyone at all will be walking with you down the aisle

  • Then, when you’ve made that choice, explain your motivations behind this choice to your Dad

  • Over the years, I’ve had Grooms awaiting their Brides at the bottom of the aisle to walk in together, I’ve had Brides walking down alone with an entourage ahead of them, and I’ve also had both parents walking the Bride or the couple’s children walking with their Mum - don’t feel pressured into this decision as it is an emotional element of the ceremony and you want to feel like you’re getting the right support for you

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

5.     Photographs – how best can we keep things under control during the formal photos whilst still getting the family shots I’ve dreamed of?

• Do your homework and prepare a detailed shoot list and allocate responsible people to help you organise them on the day - remember, this is not the photographer’s job as they will not know your family and the politics!

• If you want to keep conflicting families separated - choose different locations for each group you want photos taken with

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

6.     Table plans – how do I make it work?!

• Not just the issue of mum and dad potentially both being on the top table, what about their partners?

  • Having them host tables at the front of the top table can be fun especially if they all get on

  • If there is a clear conflict - you might want to ask both sides about their expectations and how your plan would make them feel - it’s all about compromise here

• What if one has a partner and the other doesn’t?

  • Consult the other side on how the seating of the partner would make them feel

  • Having them at opposite ends of the table could also be a solution

• And what about family members invested in this conflict – how can I keep the regular tables fight-free?

  • This comes down to the art of arranging the tables in your room

  • It will take quite a bit of moving and shaking things up to ensure it works and while you’re keeping the wedding war-zone-free, you’re not upsetting anyone by putting them in the back end corner

  • Do it visually - ask venue for a sample table plan, use colour coded post-it tabs and group guests by colours and then start placing tabs around the tables on the sample floor plan to see how it flows - having it visually in front of you, can make it a lot easier - do you remember Monica’s flags table plan from Friends? This is a simplified version :)

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

7.     Speeches with split families – what’s the etiquette and to what extent does it depend on my personal preference? Is it more important to go with what I want – or to not offend those who are potentially funding the wedding?

• If you’ve got certain family members involved in financing the wedding, be conscious and mindful of their involvement, you don’t want to upset them

• Traditionally, it’s three speeches of up to 8 minutes each - Father of Bride, Groom, Best Man

• Speaking from experience - the fewer speeches, the better - so that’s something that might help you in justifying your decision, you do not want your speeches to go on for longer than 30 minutes in total

• Some people are more comfortable with public speaking, so there’s no point in forcing your shy Dad to do a speech just because. Your Dad might be more comfortable with walking you down the aisle and Stepdad with a speech

• Alternatively, if the parents’ situation is too complicated - why not ask your sibling to do ‘the family’ part?

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

8.     Any words of wisdom and advice that I can give to my warring family members as a ‘gentle warning’ to behave themselves ahead of the big day? Or should I be laying the law more seriously?

• If you strongly foresee things easily getting out of hand at the wedding, you might want to consider hiring security to help you handle the situation and make your family aware of it

• If taking such serious measures isn’t on the cards - ensure to allocate ‘conflict mediators’ in advance so that you’re not being pulled into uncomfortable situations on your wedding day

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

9.     What about me – any advice on staying calm when I’m conscious that World War 3 could break out at any minute?

• The more planning, open and honest conversations and precautionary measures you can put in place in advance of the wedding the better

• Having a solid plan will make you feel more prepared and aware, and therefore worry and stress about it all less

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

10.     How to communicate a children-free wedding?

• Let your guests know from the get-go – on your Save the Dates so that your guests can make arrangements

• Be clear and consistent if only family children are coming

• Explain budget or space limitations

• If for any reason you receive an RSVP with children on it, don’t react on emotion, relax and phone them, over the phone conversations will deflate the emotions

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Have you found this wedding planning blog useful? If you have why not check out more of my wedding planning blogs today => https://theweddingguruoskar.co.uk/wedding-planner/read-me-blog and check out my Instagram and Facebook for the latest trends and news regularly.

 

The Wedding Guru Oskar

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7766012164

Email: oskar@theweddingguruoskar.co.uk

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12 Things Wedding Planners Can Do For You

Working with a diverse portfolio of clients from around the world including Myanmar, Peru, USA, Germany and Australia this year allowed me to create unique and personalised wedding visions for my wedding planning couples. Although some of these plans have now moved to 2021 and 2022, my wedding planning service is all about producing tailored joyful and inspirational celebrations.

 If you’re considering getting help with your wedding planning and you’re unsure whether to get professional support, in the next few paragraphs I will be revealing to you the 12 Things a Professional Wedding Planner could do for you, so stayed tuned in…

1.      SAVING TIME

If project planning isn’t one of your strengths, a Wedding Planner can save you between 200-300 hours of wedding planning.

 Very often the misconception about Wedding Planners is that we’re an extravagant expense, where in fact by using a Professional Wedding Planner you get your time back to concentrate on the things you enjoy the most – have I mentioned that we can take a lot of the stress away with our service too?

 How much value do you put on your spare time? Can you afford giving up 200-300 hours for wedding planning? Let me know in the comment box below.

2.      CREATING A PLAN

Wedding Planning involves juggling both smaller and bigger projects as part of the overall wedding plan.

Wedding Planners create personalised timelines for your wedding and ensure everything happens seamlessly. All the while arranging all those necessary appointments, fittings and consultations on your behalf and keeping your wedmin on track. That way you enjoy the fun part only.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have all those appointments organised for you and taken care of? Give me ❤️ in the comment box below if you agree.

3.      CREATING AND MANAGING A BUDGET

It is often part of our service to create a realistic wedding budget and ensuring it is met – having worked in the wedding industry for years and with hundreds of vendors and suppliers, we understand the market that we’re in daily and we can easily navigate through estimates for you.

We can also easily understand what it takes to turn your dream wedding day vision into reality, while providing your accurate guidance.

Do you know how many couples stick to their wedding budget? Up to 20% of couples struggle to keep their wedding budget on track. Does this surprise you? Give me a YES or NO in the comment box below.

4.      SAVING MONEY AND MAXIMISING YOUR BUDGET

Reverting to the previous point about wedding budgets, we can truly maximise your budget and save where you might not have anticipated. This is where we can guide you and make recommendations in allocating resources based on your priorities.

Imagine sourcing your decorations for your ceremony and a separate set for your reception – is this the best way to use your resources? Maybe it is, but it is our job to understand your budget and help you make clever decisions on what’s truly important to you.

Are you maximising your budget and making the best decisions?

5.      SOURCING YOUR VENUE

Having worked for clusters of venues in my career including city center hotels, mansion houses, country estates and marquee venues, in addition to having a vast network of venue contacts from my time working for an international wedding venue directory in Scotland, I can easily identify venues that are best suited to your requirements.

Additionally, there are so many ways in which you can maximise your wedding budget when considering wedding venues. I’ve recently saved one of my couples the cost of my part-wedding planning package by choosing their venue based on their set criteria, while having my support along their exciting wedding planning journey.

What is / was the most important aspect to you when considering wedding venues? Let me know in the comment box below.

6.      SOURCING AND NEGOTIATING WITH SUPPLIERS

Wedding Planners have got a very unique ability to source and negotiate with vendors and suppliers based on the fact that we’re well connected and work with suppliers we know will provide you with the best products and services.

You could almost say that booking suppliers through your Wedding Planner gives you a guarantee of quality, as we don’t easily give our personal recommendations. Because of this loyal relationship with our industry partners we’ve got the bargaining power for you.

Can you believe that a Wedding Planner can save you on average up to 20% of your wedding budget spend using trade deals? Give me 🌟 in the comments below if you’d be happy with this saving?

7.      LIAISING WITH ALL SUPPLIERS AND VENUE ON YOUR BEHALF

When you choose to work on your wedding plans with a Professional Wedding Planner, we will liaise with your venue and suppliers on the smallest of details by becoming your one and only point of contact for the entire wedding planning journey and be the main person who takes care of all wedmin for you.

Doesn’t that sound amazing? Give me YES in the comment box below if you’d love to have wedmin all taken care of for you.

8.      CONDUCTING THE BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Your Wedding Planner could be your ‘fixer’ and as previously mentioned we draw from an extensive network of connections and years of experience and research.

The chances are that when we recommend a supplier or venue to you, we’ve worked with them before on a wedding or a project, and if we haven’t, they always come with the highest recommendation from those partners we already work with. Either way, we ensure we vet all suppliers before making our recommendations and provide you with our own set of pointers and observations, making decision making a lot easier.

How much time on average does it take to plan your wedding including all the research?

A.     100 hours?

B.     200-300 hours?

C.      500 hours?

Let me know in the comment box below.

9.      HELPING YOU STYLE

Many couples often have a few ideas aided by our experience we put these ideas into a cohesive and stylish vision for your special day.

Working with the best of the best in the industry we come up with moodboards that will perfectly highlight your personal and unique aspirations for your desired wedding day.

Would it be easier for you to have your wedding vision drawn out for you?

10.      ORGANISING YOUR GUESTLIST

Guestlist management is often part of the full wedding planning package and this is the element which probably takes the most of your wedding planning admin time.

As wedding planners we can take care of all your RSVPs, organizing them cohesively into tables with all requirements clearly noted.

Additionally, we can be that one point of contact that can take the stress of responding to all FAQs on your behalf and updating your wedding day website.

Anyone who finds this part most challenging give me YES in the comment box below.

11.      RUNNING THE SHOW

With On The Day Coordination Package we can ensure that all those months of wedding planning come together – call us Master of Ceremonies, Conductors or On the Day Coordinators, our job is make sure that the entire focus is on the two of you and that we make it happen for you.

This includes managing suppliers, setup, organising the flow of the day, handling any on-the-day emergencies all the while soothing nerves and providing a helping hand.

This service is particularly popular with our full and part wedding planning packages or with couples booking dry hire venues or venues.

Would it not be amazing to have a professional making your dream wedding vision happen behind the scenes for you? Let me know your thoughts in the comment box below.

12.      GIVING YOU SUPPORT AND ADVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST

Finally, the most important element of working with a wedding planner is relying on a person who is available at a time that works for you, for us this is not a regular 9-5 job, this is passion and this is commitment to you and your guests.

We are there to advocate for you, while offering sound and objective advice, and we never get bored talking about weddings… has this given you a better idea on the benefits of working with a Professional Wedding Planner for your most important day?

Feel free to share your worries, concerns or questions in the comment box below or privately email them to me. I’d love to help with things small and big – I’d love to make things easier for you!

Effective ways to plan your wedding guest list - by The Wedding Guru Oskar!

EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING GUEST LIST

In response to one of the most recent requests on how to plan your guest list, I decided to come up with my own outlook on how you can best tackle this daunting for many task.

In the following paragraphs I am sharing with you my top tips on planning a guest list.

As always, feel free to share your own opinions in the comments below as we all might have different and just as useful approaches.

START EARLY

For those of you that already know me and follow me for a while – you might be right – it’s to START it EARLY!

I don’t believe any of you would want to start wedding planning without knowing who your wedding guests are.

Additionally, having this list started before you’ve even approached any suppliers or venues can become very useful for many reasons including budgeting, venue and supplier’s suitability, catering etc., etc.

The reality is with most things in wedding planning that the more work you do early, the easier things will get closer to your wedding day and ultimately, knowing your guest list inside out, will help you design your wedding day better.

Have you started your wedding planning with a guest list first?

THE SPLIT

The next thing I would focus on in planning your guest list is to divvy up the split between yourselves and your family, especially if your parents or family are supporting your wedding efforts financially.

It might also be important to discuss this element early, so that you understand the scale of your wedding, set the expectations of numbers each person can invite and only consider those venues, suppliers and caterers that can accommodate for your numbers.

I’ve been there! Many families want to invite all those important to them guests, however, the reality of budgets, venue capacities and catering can be a lot different, this is why, it is important to ensure you’ve all agreed on your split early on, in order to avoid disappointment further down the line.

Do you find conversations with the family about your wedding a little overwhelming? I’ve been there too! Everyone has their opinion, right? But, is everyone right? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

LIST A & LIST B

My next tip for managing your guest list is to have two wedding guests lists… and you might think – why do I need two guest lists? Allow me to explain the logic behind this for you…

LIST A will include all those guests that are a must at your wedding, and therefore you might want to send those invitations early.

LIST B on the other hand, is for those guests that you might really want to invite to the wedding, but due to budget constraints or venue capacity limitation you physically cannot. This is also why, you might want to send your LIST A invitations early, so that should you receive any declined RSVPs from this list, you might want to start inviting your guests in the order of importance from your LIST B without upsetting anyone.

What do you think of this idea? Let me know in the comments below.

POLITE RESPONSE

 This next tip might come in very handy as you are meeting people who you haven’t invited to your wedding and they have “expected” an invitation.

This might come up in conversations as you attend other family, work or friend’s events in the lead up to your special day – after all, everyone will know you’re getting married.

It is important to have a polite response why you’ve been unable to invite them, and you don’t want to upset them.

Should they challenge you with this question, make them feel like you really wanted to invite them, but you simply couldn’t. Making them feel like you were cutting them out, might not go down as well…

How about: “We really wanted to celebrate with absolutely everyone – wouldn’t that be fun? It is because of our venue limitations; we’ve had to keep things smaller than we initially wanted and we’ve just fallen in love with the place!”

Would you have any other suggestions? Share them in the comments below.

CHILDREN

 Including or not including children to your wedding is always a hot topic and I can understand why you might be having this dilemma.

The reality is that you don’t have to have children at your wedding, but you must make this decision very early on and make it crystal clear if you’ve decided not to have children at your wedding.

Some couples advise of this in Save the Date cards, meaning that families can make early arrangements for childcare and this does not come to them as a surprise if your invitations are only sent out a few months before your wedding date.

If you decide to invite children to attend your wedding, your next task will be to figure out how you’re going to keep them amazed, entertained and occupied – simply catering for them will not do the trick I’m afraid!

EVENING GUESTS

Guest list planning might also involve considering evening reception guests for some couples.

Once again, this will very much depend on your budgets and venue capacities, so you might want to make this decision quite early on.

Most of the time those invitations are reserved for your work collages or plus ones if you’re limited in capacity for your daytime celebrations.

Would you consider inviting evening guests to your wedding? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

TABLE PLANNING

The next step you would like to make in planning your guest list is to arrange it into tables.

To help you with that, you might want to ask for a sample room layout from your venue, so that you know where the tables go and in what order you want to seat your guests from your top table – if you are having one.

There are many table planning services out there, including My Scotland Wedding who can help you with that, easily and effectively.

The reasons behind doing it earlier rather than at the point of RSVPs deadline is that within the last month prior to your wedding, you’ll have many confirmations to make and your pre-organised table plan which will only need small adjustments at that point, will be one less thing you’ll need to worry about.

Statistically, your numbers will only change by up to 10% at the point of your RSVPs, so it makes sense to get yourself organised early.

More importantly, I’ve heard many couples saying that table planning is a time-consuming task and you don’t want to leave it to the last minute. It’s not about physically adding guests to tables (because that’d be easy) and more about making sure that your tables work in terms of capacity, table dynamics, family politics, etc.

Would you rather plan your tables early, or would you choose to wait until you get your RSVPs? Let me know in the comments below.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

When planning your guest list you will also need to consider your guests dietary and special requirements.

The reason why I haven’t only used dietary requirements is that your guests might have other requirements that it is important to 1) acknowledge and 2) accommodate for within your venue or setup.

All caterers nowadays can cater for all dietary requirements, so don’t worry about communicating those to them and they will ensure you guests are well looked after.

RSVP SUBMISSIONS

My next tip on planning for your guest list relates mostly to online RSVP software, although can also relate to paper RSVPs too.

There are many RSVP management software providers out there these days, however, what is often forgotten about (and I’ve seen this many times), they are not always set to one response per submission, meaning that you might end up with a one submission for the entire family and then you’re left which checking who that “vegetarian guest” is in this and many other submissions… make sure you check the setting in advance of sending out the link to your guests.

This can also apply to paper RSVPs and the best way to avoid this happening, is to send out individually named RSVPs. This also reinstates exactly who has been invited to the wedding – remember the tip about not inviting children or not, this could work as a reminder.

Have you heard of multiple RSVP submissions per form before? Let me know in the comments below.

MENU

Another thing you might want to consider adding to your guest list plan is to send out your menu or the link to it in your invitation.

This will avoid guests changing their mind on the day of the wedding if you have opted for a set menu and will allow them to select the alternative option suitable for dietary requirements – this makes things a lot more organised in advance of your special day.

Additionally, this is particularly important if you’re planning for a choice menu – again one submission per form is critical here too!

Would you add anything else to your invitations to ensure everyone is catered and accommodated for? Let me know in the comments below.

DEADLINE

Setting a deadline for your invitations for 2-1 months before your wedding, will give you more time to organise them clearly.

This deadline will also give you the time for chasing late responses and organising your table plan before you need to focus on the final confirmations for your wedding in the last few weeks before the big date.

Would you agree with this deadline?

UPDATES

Your next step after receiving your RSVPs would be to update your tables plan.

If you have been organised as previously advised in my latest posts, you should have your guests provisionally added to tables already.

This should mean small alterations rather than starting from scratch and from a long large list of guests and taking into consideration all other aspects of good table planning.

If you would like to find out more about how to manage your wedding planning time more effectively, follow this link for my FREE 3 step guide.

CHANGES

Finally, if you have followed my guest list planning tips lately, you will already know that I like a no-hassle approach for my couples and therefore my last tip for you is not to discuss or share your final table plan with anyone in the lead up to your big day!

This will prevent from last minute headaches caused by guests “politely requesting” to be seated elsewhere because of XYZ reasons.

These last-minute changes are the last thing you need when you’re finalising everything else for your special day and you’ve already worked so hard in making sure you’ve considered everyone by this point.

Now, it’s time for you to enjoy your special day and see your guests having a great time! You’ve done a cracking job! Well done! Now, go and enjoy it all!

Useful things to be aware of when planning for a wedding in Scotland!

Useful things to be aware of when planning for a wedding in Scotland!

Scottish weddings in particular, might be slightly different to other traditions you might be aware of, especially when you’re planning a destination wedding in Scotland – this might also be useful for our English friends beyond Hadrian’s wall who plan to get married in Scotland.

Wedding Day Schedule

Unlike in some other parts of the world, it is considered unlucky in Scotland for the couple to see one another before the official wedding ceremony so if you’re used to first look photos, this might come to you as a surprise that here, we start with separately taken preparations photos and official couple photos post-ceremony. This is why, traditionally ceremonies in Scotland start between 12 noon and 2pm, although a professional wedding planner can tailor a wedding day schedule specifically to your desired outcomes.

Ceremonies

You might be surprised that neither civil nor religious ceremonies are the most popular forms of legal marriage registration here… that’s right! Scotland, unlike England (although we’re all in the UK) is one of those very few places in the world where Humanist and Independent ceremonies take over the traditional forms of legal marriage registration, the reason for that is that couples have a lot more freedom and can personalise their ceremony a lot more when choosing a Humanist or Independent Celebrant to conduct their legal ceremony. And, it is the celebrant that carries the license, that is why in Scotland you can marry at the top of a hill, outdoors, indoors or in a family backyard – how could you not love this level of flexibility and freedom, right?

Gratuity

It is not as popularly considered at weddings as it is in other parts of the world and if you do decide to offer gratuity to your suppliers or venue in the UK, it is considered a very generous thank you gesture for an excellent service you’ve received. Remember that in the UK, minimum wages and unit prices are regulated that is why some services or products might seem more expensive than in other parts of the world.

Wedding world language

WOW, this is indeed a very exciting topic! For us in the UK, phrases such as Wedding Breakfast, Drinks Reception, Canapes, etc. are so obvious nowadays, however, they might not be as obvious for those couples who are starting to learn about our traditions, so let me bring to you a few of those phrases and their alternatives:

Wedding Breakfast - named as this for it is the first meal for a married couple, it is in fact - a Wedding Meal

Drinks Reception – otherwise known as the Cocktail Hour, this one take place post-ceremony when guests are entertained with canapes and drinks, giving the couple time for professional photography and venue the time to turn things round or complete the final setup touches

Buttonhole – otherwise known as Boutonniere, often floral decorative piece worn by men on their left lapel

Canapes – also known as Hors d’oeuvres, often taster sized savory or sweet refreshments served during the Drinks Reception

Starter / Main Course – might be also referred to as Appetisers / Entree

Chief Bridesmaid – often referred to as Maid (single) or Matron (married) of Honor, the most important person in Bride’s line of Wedding Party, normally assisting the Bride and standing right beside her during the ceremony

Open Bar – term a lot more popular in the Americas, as alcohol sales in the UK are a lot more restricted and regulated with venue licenses, minimum unit pricing and alcohol measures. In the UK, this might be referred to as an Account Bar, where couple pre-pays or pre-orders additional drinks for the guests to enjoy through the wedding day in accordance with the above-mentioned regulations

Additional charges

Some venues and vendors in the UK might charge an additional security deposit which is to cover any damages, normally refundable, but it is important you are aware of this so you’re not surprised last minute that you’ve got to have this amount put aside in addition to your final payments

Additionally, some venues and vendors might or might not include taxes such as VAT in their quotes – so make sure you always ask the question as standard VAT in the UK is 20%, which again could affect your wedding budget especially if this relates to venue hire or catering

Seasonality

In the UK, we’re both, blessed and coursed by the weather conditions, but you would always want to have a bad weather Plan B in place, no matter if your wedding takes place in June, July or December, January – I in fact got married in January and had a lot nicer day for my wedding then that of the first two weeks of June this year.

Additionally, you might want to consider the benefits of daylight – once again we’re blessed with it in the summer and cursed with it in the winter. Because of the far north location of Scotland (similar to that of Norway) we can enjoy up to 18 hours of sun in the summer months and as little as 6 hours of sun light in the middle of the winter, so this is particularly important when considering venues and locations for your wedding photography – also important to consider this in your wedding day schedule.

Things NOT to miss for your wedding ceremony!

Did you like the post-lockdown trends I have explored for you in my last blog?

I have now decided to focus on something more practical and share with you my advice about the most important element of your wedding - your ceremony.⁠

There'd be no wedding without it, so I'd like to give it some much deserved attention in the coming days, so stay tuned in and watch out for my tips rolling in day by day for you.⁠

LOCATION

Firstly, let's focus on the location...⁠

You might think that this is a personal choice and an obvious element to consider first, but why?⁠

Venue ceremony licences believe it or not vary across the UK and for instance, in England your desired and dreamt about venue might not be licensed to host your legal ceremony.⁠

Some venues might also charge you an additional ceremony fee and in some cases holding ceremony and reception in the same or different venue might offer you some benefits, such as an option to re-purpose your decorations or reallocate your budget towards other elements of your wedding.⁠

Finally, if you're dreaming of an outdoors ceremony - have you considered what your contingency is on a wet day?⁠ Have you given much in-depth thought to your ceremony location?⁠

CEREMONY OFFICIANT

Ceremony officiant is another area of your wedding ceremony you will need to focus on.⁠

Dependent on your wedding destination you might be able to consider an independent or religious ceremony which are legally binding, however, there are destination in which you might need to do marriage registration separate from your religious or independent ceremony.⁠

Moreover, civil ceremonies are traditionally a lot shorter and less personalised, so you might need to think if this option is for you. Normally, you will also not get to choose your civil Registrar and will only meet him/her on the day of your wedding.⁠

If you choose to have an independent, humanist or religious ceremony, you'll have a lot more choice and say in the format of your ceremony, however, you must remember that their availability might be limited so I highly recommend aligning your plans with their availability and booking them as one of the first ones.⁠

Did you expect to have to give so much consideration to your ceremony?⁠

MARRIAGE LEGALITIES AND REQUIREMENTS

Legal parts of your ceremony are particularly important if you're planning for a destination wedding.⁠

There might be certain local regulations that you will need to fulfil in order to carry out a legally binding ceremony registration, so it is worth contacting your designated Registration Office at your destination to find out more details.⁠

Some couples choose to obtain legal registration on their home ground before travelling for their symbolic ceremony at a foreign destination to avoid any legal complications.⁠

Remember that no matter the destination or location of your ceremony, you will be required to give notice of your intend to marry, this notice period vary dependent on local laws and regulations.⁠

All in all, you want to ensure that you do everything required of you to have a legally binding marriage.⁠

How do you feel about the rules and regulations on marriage? Let me know in the comments below.⁠

CEREMONY MUSIC

Ceremony music is incredibly important to consider early on, especially if you'd like your ceremony to be accompanied by a live music from a harpist, string quarter, pianist, Piper... you name it - they get booked up years in advance too.⁠

Music at ceremonies is often used to fill those important gaps, such as marriage schedule signing, group photographs or simply accompanying hymns or readings.⁠

This is why you might want to consider what music pieces you'd like for your ceremony, when they are to be played and how they will be played, from the beginning of your wedding planning journey.⁠

If you're choosing pre-recorded music for your ceremony, ensure you've got the appropriate equipment for this and that you've got a reliable person briefed on how to work your device and your playlists.⁠

Have you given much through to your ceremony music? Let me know in the comments below.⁠

CEREMONY READINGS

What are your thoughts on readings and hymns at wedding ceremonies?⁠

With humanist ceremonies becoming the most popular in Scotland, personalised readings and hymns are highly encouraged.⁠

Couples aren't only limited to a small selection of readings at it happens with civil or religious ceremonies, they can in fact pick and choose their preferred items for this.⁠

Two years ago at our wedding, we've incorporated "A Red, Red Rose" by the Scottish poet Robert Burn.⁠

What poem or reading comes to your mind first when thinking of your wedding ceremony? Have you got any favourites?⁠

CEREMONY SCRIPT AND VOWS

Ceremony script and wedding vows writing has become a lot more popular in recent years and with more independent and humanist ceremonies taking place around the world, you can now not only personalise your vows, but also write your entire ceremony script with the help of your celebrant - something that Tim Maguire - Humanist Celebrant shared with you on a few occasions now in my online wedding fayres and instagram take overs.⁠

Would you like your ceremony script and vows to be personal and written by you and about you?⁠

This is definitely something you could now consider in humanist and independent ceremonies.⁠

CEREMONY DECORATING

Ceremony decorating is another topic I wanted to touch upon with you, especially from a logistical stand point.⁠

Some venues might offer early setup and some might not be able to do so. This is why it is important to ensure you check your venues' setup capabilities in advance of committing to logistically challenging setup arrangements.⁠

Additionally, it is important to check with your venue about any other limitations such as height, wall decorating, fixtures etc. to avoid disappointment.⁠

Finally, you can definitely see you wedding budget stretch further if you decide to re-purpose your ceremony decorations - you will also need to consider the logistics of that. Will your venue be able to do so or will you need your florist to stay longer for the turnaround?⁠

CEREMONY SEATING AND PROCESSION ORDER

Have you considered your ceremony seating and processional arrangements?⁠

Will you be offering your guests formal or informal seating and if it is formal who will be responsible to ensure this happens correctly?⁠

The same questions relates to Bridal processions:⁠

- will you be going in first or last?⁠

- will your Bridesmaids be entering with ushers or alone?⁠

- will your Mum be seated by Best Man?⁠

- will you be having flower girls and page boys?⁠

- what will be the order of procession?⁠

Have you given much thought to this and did you know there was so much choice? Let me know in the comments below.⁠

TRANSPORTATION

I often ask couples how their guests are arriving to the ceremony, because, there's so much to consider for it.⁠

If your ceremony and reception take place across two different venues - how will your guests move between them?⁠ .

If your venue is in the city centre, the question falls on distance from the nearest airport, train station and supply of car parking spaces.⁠

You would also want to ensure that your guests don't arrive to the venue too early or two late and vice versa that you don't arrive to the venue too early or too late.⁠

I remember once in my career having Bride and her entourage 30 minutes in advance of the ceremony - I sent them on "a city sightseeing tour" until all the guests were seated 😁⁠

Finally, always consider your travel arrangements, timings and distance if you're arriving to the venue in a car from a longer distance on the day of your wedding.⁠

WEDDING GIFTS AND CARDS

One element of the ceremony is often forgotten about by wedding couples - gifts and cards.⁠

Although wedding lists are particularly popular for weddings these days, your guests might still decide to bring along a symbolic congratulations card or a personalised gift along to the wedding.⁠

The question is - what happens with these? Who will look after them and how will they be safely stored?⁠

I highly recommend a safe deposit space or facility and to allocate one responsible Usher or wedding party member to help you look after these on the day of your wedding.⁠

How did you find my ceremony tips in this blog post? Have you found them useful? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or simply comment YES!

THANK YOU for attending our Online Wedding Fayre!

A massive thank you to all of you that have attended our ONLINE WEDDING FAYRE yesterday lunch time!

We had a great day filled with a line up of award winning wedding experts sharing their wedding tips and hints in Facebook Lives, giving couples the opportunity to ask questions and interact with our speakers just like you would have at a wedding exhibition.

If you have missed this one-off event, worry not!

THERE'S STILL TIME FOR YOU TO JOIN OUR GROUP AND WATCH ALL THE VIDEO ON #REPEAT

Are you still planning for wedding day photography, ceremony scripts, what to consider when buying your wedding dress or how to impress your guests with breath-taking florals and your first dance?

The feedback below speaks for itself so weather you're feeling confident with your wedding plans or not, you'll want to grab a pen and notebook as these experts share some of their biggest secrets in these video sessions.

Should you have any questions, comment #REPEAT + your  question and our experts will come back to you with the answer.

With warmest regards,
Oskar.

With Oskar, you know you're in the most capable hands! He's professional, warm, super organised and diligent - nothing was too much trouble for him and he knows the wedding industry inside out!

Michelle, The Bride

What to do during this downtime if my wedding got postponed?

What to do during this downtime if my wedding got postponed?

OK, so there's been quite a few wedding postponements, that's the reality.⁠

I now see many couples on numerous Facebook groups and forums asking what they could do during this downtime?!?⁠

In the below paragraphs, I would like to bring to you some of my ideas on how you can fill this time productively!⁠

Firstly, I'm thinking... why shouldn't you throw a video call party on Zoom or Skype on the original date of your wedding with your friends and family?

Go on, you deserve it! You've worked very hard towards this date, so have a bit of a moment to cheer and have fun!⁠

I'm sure many of your guests would love this as I'm sure many of them have supported you during this challenging time too!

Now is the best time to raise a glass, unwind and celebrate!⁠

My tip number 2 is to plan your seating plan.⁠

Having got married myself two years ago, I can appreciate how time consuming and demanding it is to plan your wedding seating arrangements.⁠

Why not start now? I know, you don't have your RSVPs yet, but it's a lot easier to make small amendments closer to the time than start from scratch, right?⁠

This is one element of wedding planning that I see couples struggling with most, especially when leaving it until you get your RSVPs back and starting it one month before the wedding when there's so much else to finalise too.⁠

You know my favourite saying: "Plan ahead!"⁠

My tip 3 is to perfect your wedding vows, speeches or even updating your entire ceremony script!⁠

When working full time and wedding planning did you not feel like you've not had much time for this?⁠

Now is the perfect time for you to sit down together or separately to ensure that you're putting into words exactly the message you want heard on your special day.⁠

You might want to practise your speech, record it and time it, so that you know it's perfect for when the day you need to deliver it comes.⁠

Have you considered to put some more time for your written or spoken elements of your wedding? Let me know in the comments below.⁠

My tip 4 on using the current downtime productively is to research your suppliers' and venue's social media.⁠

Just like you, the entire wedding industry will have some extra time on our hands now to feed our social media with creative ideas, so why not to follow your suppliers and venues online if you've still got to finalise a few bits and bobs.⁠

Who knows you might come across something tried by your venue or supplier that you've never though of and could add to your special day.⁠

Are you currently following all your suppliers and venue on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook?

Finally, you could use this extra time to practise or learn your first dance.⁠

Wouldn't it be amazing to impress all your guests with the dancing skills they never knew you had?⁠

There's plenty options how you could do this in the comfort of your own living room, however, if you're looking for some professional help, feel free to contact me for my recommendations.

Have you found my top 5 tips on productively using your downtime useful?⁠

LIKE and SHARE this post if you have and let me know any of your questions or feedback in the comments below.⁠

WEDDING COUPLES - we, your wedding suppliers DON'T STOP!

WEDDING COUPLES!!!⁠

Although new measures have now been introduced by our Government, we, as your wedding suppliers DON'T STOP!⁠

I promise to be working tirelessly to help you with your wedding planning virtually over the coming months, as I know many of you will be working from home and looking for hints and tips on your special day.⁠

As you can see my website has already received a little face lift with a new and refreshed look, so feel free to check it out when you've got a minute!⁠

In my latest highlights/stories on Facebook and Instagram, I have announced that since we're unable to meet in person over the coming months I will be putting together Facebook Lives for you featuring my "Guide to Effective Wedding Planning" talk, so that we can meet virtually and continue your wedding planning journey!⁠

I was due to present my Guide at five wedding shows and open days in the next two months, which have now been postponed to the end of the year, so I thought I could come to your living-rooms, home-offices virtually with my top wedding planning tips and hints and answer your questions as if we met at one of these events.⁠

Let me know in the comments below or send me a DM with your preference of when you'd like me to host my first of a series of Facebook Lives?⁠

Is your wedding affected by Coronavirus??? Worry not! I CAN HELP!

Are you worried your destination wedding could be impacted by Coronavirus?

It is expected that weddings that involve international travel will be affected first. Additionally, shipments of wedding items such as outfits, welcome bags, favours and memorabilia might be also affected.

No matter the challenge, there’s always a solution, so don’t let the panic set in! I want to keep this blog post positive by proposing some value solutions for your consideration.

Is your wedding to be in the affected area?

There are two solutions here really, postpone your date or consider hosting your wedding in your home country. For those clients of mine who choose to bring their wedding back to the UK or Scotland, I can secure locally sourced and recommended suppliers to ensure you’re covered under all circumstances.

Are you unable to move your wedding?

In case of any cancellations, understand all policies involved and if you’re booking travel, ensure you opt in for flexible cancellation terms. It is also highly recommended to obtain fully comprehensive travel insurance for all of your travels during the Coronavirus outbreak.

If your guests will also be travelling to your wedding, plan for smaller numbers, just in case, to avoid disappointment.

Are you beginning to shop for a wedding dress or awaiting its shipment?

I highly recommend working with your local dress designers or even consider purchasing your dress off-the-rack if your wedding is only under three months away. This is to avoid disappointment, and ensure that you don’t set your heart on a dress that may not be ready on time. You can always ask for local alterations to ensure you love your selected dress.

The same applies to any accessories you might have ordered or considered to order from China – under the current circumstances you might want to consider shopping locally or be creative with what’s available in the shops just now.

Are you only a few weeks away from your special day? Worry not!

It’s OK to plan for everything to go on as it is, but remember to stay informed and ensure you seek regular updates from your vendors.

It is also highly beneficial to keep your wedding website updated for your guests, so you can avoid numerous questions from your family and friends.

You might also consider streaming the most important parts of your wedding to your elderly and vulnerable guests.

Are you just starting to plan your wedding?

Plan ahead – you will have learnt that these are my favourite words! Don’t leave the big decision to the last minute, but most of all don’t panic! Weddings are normally planned for at least one to two years in advance, so if you’re making your plans for a wedding in 2021 or even further away, you shouldn’t worry. Make sure you check your cancellation policies and don’t underappreciate the value of wedding insurance!

If your destination wedding is being impacted by Coronavirus and you don’t know how to combat your challenges – I can help you! If you were to consider to move your wedding back home, I can take care of all the important arrangements including sourcing locally recommend suppliers to ensure we can bring your dream wedding vision to life in the UK!

Venue Wedding Coordinator vs. Independent Wedding Planner

Over the past three weeks I was asked to present my Guide to Effective Wedding Planning talk at wedding open days, wedding fair and wedding showcases throughout Scotland.

At the end of these presentations, I was often asked by couples: "What is a Wedding Planner?" and "How does your role differ from their Venue Coordinator?"⁠⠀
⁠⠀
In few pointers below, I would like to bring to you the differences between my past venue roles and my current independent wedding planning role.⁠

I want to reassure you upfront that Venue Coordinators and Wedding Planners complement themselves in their efforts and can truly work together on creating the most magical day for you and your guests!

Firstly, let’s begin with a little bit about my background. I've been a Venue Coordinator for many years and at times I used to look after over 100 weddings each year across up to three venues.⁠⠀

Let's put this into perspective, many Venue Coordinators do an amazing job, win national awards for their excellent work and provide the best service possible, just like I did! Nevertheless, I'm sure a lot of you will agree that over 100 weddings each year is a lot!⁠⠀

My aim as an Independent Wedding Planner is to focus on 10 very special wedding celebrations per year and truly provide a top class service to each and every one of my couples! That's less than one wedding per month - can you see the benefits to that?⁠⠀

Another interesting factual difference is wedding suppliers relationship.⁠⠀

As a Venue Coordinator, I booked suppliers included in our packages such as Piper, Toastmaster, Linen Company, however, for all other requests I would have had my Recommended Suppliers List for couples to approach separately.⁠⠀

Now, that I work with couples directly, I can take care of all admin related to booking your wedding suppliers. Not only will I negotiate your rates (preferential trade rates, often in turn covering my fee), but I can also liaise and book those suppliers for you, without the need for you to worry about anything - removing the stress factor completely!⁠⠀

This is the area couples feel most overwhelmed by majority of the time, with managing multiple contacts and communication streams at the same time and ensuing everyone is all on the same page.⁠⠀

How do you feel about managing your time, multiple contacts and all relevant information effectively? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.⁠⠀

My final thought on the subject of Venue Coordinators vs. Independent Wedding Planners is the convenience and availability factor.⁠⠀

It was always difficult for me to detach myself from the most important day for my wedding couples, on my days off and holidays.⁠⠀

This was very clear when returning to the office from my days off or holidays and my inbox and voicemail were bursting.⁠⠀

It is a difficult balance for Venue Coordinators working when wedding couples are at work, and off duty when their couples plan their weddings.⁠⠀

I find this as the biggest advantage now that I can be available for my wedding couples at the most convenient times for them, online or at the most suitable appointment location to them, being unrestricted by venue walls.⁠⠀

All in all, Venue Wedding Coordinator and Independent Wedding Planner roles vary and at the same time complement one another very much! Irrespective of the roles, it is everyone’s passion in this industry to provide the best dream wedding experience possible to all happy couples.

Let me know in the comments below how helpful you’ve found this blog and feel free to book my FREE 15 Minutes Discovery Call to discuss how I could help you make your dream wedding vision a perfect reality!