The National Wedding Show

So how about you arrange a fun filled girly day out with your mum and your brides maids, you may even find just what you’re looking for, from florists to that wedding dress.

In the US the average cost of a ceremony has fallen for the first time in 10 years, and wedding planners are offering worried and desperate brides tips on how to cut their wedding bill, but still have the wedding they have always dreamed of.

However here is the UK the credit crunch is leading to’ record numbers of young couples getting married’ say the Daily Mail , and it is said to be that a lot of people are looking for security in a time of of financial uncertainty.  Some wedding venues are said to have had a ’70% increase in business over the last year’!

This may be so for wedding venues, but what about other wedding vendors out there, brides are are turning more and more to DIY or cheaper alternative method seven getting friends and family to help out to save money.

I would be very interested to here from some wedding vendors out there on how you feel the has the recession affected the Wedding Industry? Especially you and your businesses.

• Looking for potential wedding suppliers.
• Contributing to the wedding budget.
• Putting together the family guest list, and helping with trimming the guest list if needed.
• Finding the perfect outfit and arranging suit hire if necessary.
• Walking you down the aisle
• Giving a simple speech, thanking everyone for coming, proposing a toast and introducing the groom to say a few words.
• Traveling to the ceremony you.
• Standing in the receiving line if there is one.
• Sitting at the top table with the bride and groom, at the reception.

The role of the mother of the bride can consist of the following tasks.

• Looking for potential wedding suppliers.
• Contributing to the wedding budget (if you want help from your parents).
• Putting together the family guest list.
• Shopping for the wedding dress and accessories.
• Shopping for her own outfit.
• Being there as a shoulder to cry on.
• Helping to write out and post wedding invitations.
• Help to keep track of the guest list.
• Traveling to the ceremony with the bridesmaids.
• Standing in the receiving line if there is one.
• Sitting at the top table with the bride and groom, at the reception.

Your Mother doesn’t have to do all these jobs, sit down with her and discuss which jobs you are both happy for her to do!

Here are the main duties of the Best Man:

• Arranging the stag do, which should take place at least two weeks before the wedding!

• Making sure that the groom arrives at the venue on time!
• Stand by the groom during the ceremony, and giving him support.
• Taking care of the rings up until the point where they are need in the ceremony.
• Making sure all the ushers look respectable and know what they are doing.
• Giving the best man speech at the reception.
• Making sure all guests are enjoying themselves, and no feels left out.
• Making sure hire cars arrive on time, to and from the venue (if required).  The Best Man will need to communicate with the groom to keep up to date on transport arrangements.
• Returning any hire suits worn by themselves, the groom and the ushers, the day after the wedding.
• A task to be shared with the chief bridesmaid, is taking care of presents brought by guests, and making sure they are all taken home at the end of the day.

The role of the best man is a big responsibility but the most important job role is to be there for the groom and give him as much support as needed.

Specific duties will include:

• Helping with any tasks that need doing, for example,  putting together wedding favours, or helping to decorate the wedding venue.
• Helping to organise the hen night.
• Being there with the bride when wedding dress and bridesmaid dress shopping.
• Helping the bride and any younger bridesmaids to get ready the morning of the wedding.
• At the wedding reception, making sure all guests are comfortable and has someone to talk to.
• Walking down the aisle in front of the bride.
• Taking care of younger bridesmaids if they need amusing.
• keeping the dancing going if the dance floor empties at any point.

As you can see the bridesmaids duties are simple, but they must want to get involved and help out when needed. But remember, be realistic when it comes to their tasks and how much time you need them to put in, as they also have their own things to carry on with.

Averell

Here are the main duties that the bride will carry out:

• Supporting the bride at all times, through all the ups and downs and to be there as a shoulder to cry on.
• Be there for any wedding preparation as the bride requires; to help put together favours, help make cookies or cupcakes, write invitations and make guests aware of the gift list.
• Be there as a shopping partner when bridal wear shopping, that includes the brides wedding  well as bridesmaids dresses.
• Make sure that all the bridesmaids are prepared and have everything organised for the big day.
• Take care of arranging the hen do, making sure all transport and accommodation are sorted, as well make sure that everything has been paid for by attendees.
• Helping brides getting ready on the morning of the wedding.
• Walking down the aisle in front of the bride.
• Giving a reading at the ceremony if required.
• Sitting at the top table throughout the reception.
• Helping the best man take care of any gifts left by guests.

As you can see the chief bridesmaid has a lot to take care of; but the most important thing is that she there as support for the bride.

Hi Everyone

We all know that weddings are expensive and depending on the type of wedding and choices that you make, the average wedding in the UK costs £15,000 – £20,000.  you may be fortunate enough for money to be know object , but for most of us, we need to set a limit on how much we can financially afford.

The following table should help you prepare and set a reasonable budget.  Remember these are average prices, and prices will vary depending which vendors you use.

So how do you get started? There are no standard qualifications out there to become a wedding planner, however bride and grooms are increasingly looking out for some kind of training and certification to prove that you are right for the job.

There are a number of companies out there that offer their own courses and certified qualifications. To find out more on how to be a wedding planner and types of courses available to you please visit the BIWPP website.

In my opinion it is best to get yourself on a course to get the best possible information, and to be more appealing to potential clients. However there are other ways to get the experience you need. Apply for administration roles with a wedding planning company or in fact any events company, getting your foot in the door and learning whilst already in the environment will be beneficial. Offer to arrange events no matter what type of event, for family and friend, any experience would be useful. Apply to help out at local events that may happen on a yearly basis or volunteer for local charities, this is not only great experience but allows you to gain great references.

Becoming a Wedding Planner is an exciting and fulfilling job, however it is also a very demanding and sometimes stressful job. Imagine you already are a wedding planner, the bride and groom are expecting a perfectly planned wonderful day but only a few days before the wedding the entertainment pulls out or the flowers and cake haven’t arrived on time! What would you do?

Wedding Planners need to be very organised and able to multi- task, you may have hundreds of different things to get done in a short period of time, so you need to be able to plan ahead. It is important to keep track of meeting with vendors and the bride and groom and keep records of all agreements and decisions made at the meetings.

Coping well under pressure is an essential part of being a wedding planner having the ability to think on your feet and deal with any last minute changes or emergencies in a calm and effective way.

Are you creative? Being able to deal with of the problems in a creative way would definitely be of an advantage. Also as a wedding planner you will need to create different types of weddings, such as budget weddings, themed weddings and also weddings of different religions. You will need to accommodate to the bride and grooms wants and needs as well as make each wedding unique.

As you will be dealing with a lot of different people your ability to communicate and to listen needs to be excellent! You will be dealing with lots of different people on a daily basis, so getting along with vendors, the bride and groom and their family members is vital not only to you but to your clients, as this will allow you to give them the best possible service.

I hope this information is of use to everyone looking to become a wedding planner, if I think of any other tips for you I will post them or if you have any questions you would like answered, please don’t be afraid to comment!

Averell

As I’m sure your all quite aware the wedding industry is not a cheap one, made up of a number of small sectors, which all in all cost the average couple between £15,000 and £20,000. Over the next few weeks I will be discussing ways of sticking to your budget as well as keeping the budget down, I will cover ideas for weddings on a budget, and ideas for more extravagant weddings.

Right as I just mentioned the wedding industry is made up of different sectors, all of which are used by all brides or at least the majority

• Bridal wear
• Florists
• Photographers
• Videographers
• Caterers
• Venues
• Wedding Favours/Bridesmaid Gifts
• Invitations
• Wedding Planners

All these sectors will be discussed further in the next few weeks along with dos and don’t when making your decisions.

Averell