How a wedding planner can help you - part 2

Welcome to the series of posts explaining how a wedding planner can help you organise your special day!

Today I'll be talking about the first and simplest way in which a wedding planner can help: consultation.

You can use a consultation for at least two reasons:

• ask for information about specific tasks on organising your wedding
  
• help you decide which wedding planner to choose, if you think you need one's help

However, no matter the scope of the consultation, there should always be a period at the beginning of the meeting when the planner asks you about your wedding plans, vision and preferences. A good wedding planner will not start giving advice without knowing what you're looking for.

Most wedding planners offer free consultations. Others may give a free consultation if you want to hire them for full co-ordination, but charge for giving specific advice on a certain topic.

I know what you may be thinking: but there are so many directories and free advice on planning ... why should I pay someone to tell me what I can read for free????
Well, it is true that you can find a lot for free, but it is also true that these are general pieces of advice. Asking a planner gives you access to a piece of information that is tailored to your needs. And sometimes, all you need is an objective from-the-outside opinion to motivate you and sparkle that briliant idea on how to ...

I strongly believe that a good piece of advice never does harm, so don't be afraid to ask for one :)

Delicate flower bouquet

I really like this bouquet. It's not because I made it (blowing my horns now :P ), but I do think it is lively, delicate and to some extent also stylish.

I made it for the fayre I went to on Sunday and I used carnations bought from Flowers of Worcester and roses from the Co-op.

It can lighten up a room or can be a lovely part of a table centrepiece with only around 4GBP plus some time invested in actually tying the flowers together.

How a wedding planner can help you - part 1

Yesterday I was at a wedding fayre in Malvern. It was the first event of this type where I took part as exhibitor and I was really excited about it.

But since it's July, I wasn't really expecting too many attendants. Nevertheless, 70 bridges enjoyed spending a couple of hours looking through what was on display.

However, I was also surprised by the fact that most people think a wedding planner can only organise the wedding from start to end and nothing more.

Don't get me wrong, we do love organising a wedding entirely. It creates a special bound with the couple as we're with them all the way through the big day. However, wedding planners can also help you in other ways, like:

• sourcing suppliers
• creating a design for the decoration of the venue
• choosing a theme for the wedding
• doing the RSVP for your wedding
• management of the wedding day
• simple consultation

In the following Mondays I will describe these activities one by one, and hopefully show that wedding planners are not only for the rich and famous. A wedding planner can help you in more ways you can think of ;)

So stay tuned for our Monday posts :)

Wedding fair at The Abbey Hotel in Malvern on 19th July

White Lilies Events will be exhibiting at the wedding fayre organised by "I Will" Wedding Magazine on the 19th July at the Abbey Hotel in Malvern.
The fair will be featuring many local wedding suppliers, so it will be a great opportunity to get lots of ideas for your wedding. The Abbey Hotel itself is a lovely venue ...

Come and see us, share your wedding plans, get personalised tips for your special day, register for a free consultation and enter our special draw to win a free management of the wedding day package.

Hope to see you there!

Alina :)

Celebrate your love!

Today I was at a wedding fayre and on the flyer I took from one photographer, mb photography, I found a list of milestones for your wedding:

1st - paper
2nd - cotton
3rd - leather
4th - flowers/silk
5th - wood
6th - sugar/iron
7th - wool/copper
8th - bronze
9th - pottery
10th - tin
15th - crystal
20th - china
25th - silver
30th - pearl
35th - coral
40th - ruby
45th - sapphire
50th - gold
55th - emerald
60th - diamond

In a world so concerned on paying the bills and meeting targets and deadlines at work, you can easily forget why you love your partner or how much you love each other.

Whether it is a lavish party organised by an event co-ordinator or just a romantic dinner between the two of you,
take a moment to celebrate your love!

Venue tips: the quality of service

The idea of writing this next tip was generated by the attendance to a breakfast networking event.

The venue was absolutely gorgeous, the surroundings breathtaking. To be honest, I also enjoyed the breakfast served. However, on the way back, the friend accompanying me confessed that she was really disappointed with the service. She is a vegetarian, and by the time she was served, all the others had already finished their breakfast.

Certainly, you want to make sure you find the ideal location for your big day. However, you should also pay attention to the details of the service provided on the wedding day. Whether the catering is provided by the venue or by an external catering company, do make sure you discuss how the service will be provided, not only the menu or how beautiful the area is.

Here are some tips:

• ask where the food is prepared and how long it takes to be brought at the table. This is most important if you're serving hot food. You do not want the dishes to arrive cold at your guests' table. Having to carry the dishes through long corridors until they reach the guests won't help too much.
  
• ask how many waiting staff they will hire for the day. The number of your guests will influence the number of waiting staff needed. Five waiting staff will under no circumstance be sufficient for a 100-guest function. Another important factor is the type of meals you decide to go for. A buffet will undoubtly require less staff than a seated meal.
  
• think also of the possible dietary requirements your guests have. If you have any vegetarian guests, like my friend was, how will they be served? Will they be served after all the others have been? When will their meal be prepared: the same time as the normal menu or after everything else is finished?

Paying attention to these small details will allow your guests enjoy the day as much as you do :)

Happy planning,
Alina :)

White Lilies Events on Twitter

White Lilies Events is also on Twitter.

You can follow us at http://twitter.com/LiliesEvents.
Take a look at who's following us or who we're following ... Maybe you can find some useful ideas from there, too ;)

Alina :)

Seaside themed wedding

Summer is here and most of us contemplate the idea of spending some days at the seaside. But why not bringing the sea at your wedding?

Here are some ideas on how to define your seaside inspired wedding theme:

1. Decorating the venue
Simply using a blue and white colour scheme can give you endless possibilities. Just take a look at the lovely board belowYou can also incorporate sea inspired elements, like stars and sea shells. A bowl with sand, a candle and little seashells can be a perfect table centrepiece.
2. Catering
Simple dishes like fish and chips can be delicious and integrate perfectly with your theme.
Canapes are another solution. These look really tasty ....
And how about some cocktails that match your blue and white colours ... You can even come up with a cocktail especially designed for the two of you!
3. Cake
No wedding is complete without a cake.
You can choose a classic cake or a more modern one formed of cupcakes which can be given to guests as favours. And you can still have the pleasure of cutting your cake with a first layer of proper cake ;)

Or you can be bold with colours and shapes. Here are two interesting examples ....

Hope these little ideas are of help ...

Wish you a great week,
Alina :)

Photos credits:
Decoration items: www.polyvore.com; www.sandiegoweddingblog.com
Canapes: www.magnumevents.eu
Cocktails: www.cocktailtimes.com
Cakes: www.sweetfiscakes.com; www.sedonaweddingcakes.com; www.squido.com; www.mariannecreativecakes.com.au

Welcome to White Lilies Events' Blog!

A warm welcome to our blog!

We aim to present little pieces of advice and ideas that we hope will be useful. And also give you a glimpse of how we, at White Lilies Events, can help you. :)

The blog will soon be followed by a website presenting our services. In the meanwhile, keep an eye on our posts.

See you soon,
Alina :)