ceremony

Top Reasons to Hire A Wedding Planner

I’ve had the pleasure of being a wedding planner for over 15 years. I adore what I do and have been lucky enough to work the so many truly wonderful couples over the years as well as picking up some really special awards for my work along the way.

But no matter who I’ve worked with, be it an international couple wanting to get married in Ireland, to a big traditional family wedding in a country house, to a special blessing on a cliff top, to celebrities like Brian O’Driscoll and Amy Huberman, the one thing they all share is love and wanting to have their big day to be just as they dreamt it to be.

And that’s where a wedding planner like me comes in!

Think of me as a fairy godmother, who flies in and waves her magic wand to make your dreams come true. A good wedding planner can assist with as much or as little of your day as you wish and simply take all the stress out of your planning, leaving you to just show up and enjoy the best day of your life.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you wish to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning and décor, but for now here’s four top reasons why you should hire a wedding planner.

 

Less Stress More Fun

Planning your wedding, should not be stressful!  It should be full of excitement and be enjoyable. However, it is common for couples to get overwhelmed during their wedding planning and it’s not hard to understand why. A wedding is a huge event in their lives, it’s going to be something they will have dreamt about for ages, so naturally they’ll want it to go off without a hitch. That said, most couples have full time jobs and busy lives and wedding planning can be something they just do not have time for, or they feel it’s getting too much to take on themselves. If that happens, my advice is to stop. Take a breath, call me and let me take care of all the stressful parts of the planning so you can concentrate on enjoying the run up to the day

 

 

Brainstorming

Another really important aspect of talking with a wedding planner is for ideas! We’re busting with inspiration! We’re fonts of creativity and are packed with helpful ideas. We know all the latest wedding trends that are in vogue and how to bring them to life. We’ve got years of hands on experience and can help you come up with some superb suggestions you hadn’t even considered, to make your wedding day look stunning.

 

Budget and Logistics

A wedding planner can both help you keep to your budget and can bring ideas to life! It can be all very well to have lofty ideas for how you want your wedding to look, but it can be hard to make it happen. A good wedding planner has the logistical knowhow and contacts to make your wish list a reality, while at the same time negotiating better rates with suppliers without a ballooning budget.

 

Totally Customisable

There are plenty of myths floating around about wedding planners. One of them is that couples can lose control or have to hand over every aspect to a wedding planner. Not true. In fact, my services are completely customisable. I can assist with as much or as little of your wedding plans as you wish. I can even help with on-the-day co-ordination too. The bottom line is, it’s always your day and I’m here to help bring your vision to life.

 

 

Ultra Violet Pantone Colour of the Year

Ultra violet is the Pantone colour of the year for 2018 and it is truly stunning. Vivid, bright and eye-catching this is a colour you can really use to make your wedding pop. While it can be tempting to go all out, it does have the potential to overwhelm the look of your wedding, so when using it, use it carefully.

For example, think about using it for you bridesmaid dresses as a stunning counterpoint to your dress, but then don’t go for all out purple décor in your venue, instead add subtle pops here and there. Or use shades of ultra violet and purple instead of one big splash of colour.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you wish to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning and décor.

 

Flowers

Go for a few perfectly placed vivid ultra violet blooms interspersed with hits of blush and lots of greenery for a really on trend take that will look superb against the white or creams of the brides dress. Don’t forget things like Hydrangeas and of course Lavender. Be sure to match the buttonholes to the gent’s suits as say a light navy or blue might clash with the ultra violet. Experiment with succulents or even purple sprouting broccoli in your bouquets which look fantastic in purple shades with a hit of green.

 

 

Attire

Bridesmaids dresses in this vivid ultra violet shade provide a stunning contrast against the brides dress and will look incredible in the photos. If that seems a little OTT, then why not think about having the brides shoes in ultra violet for a pop of unexpected colour? Add a purple sash to your flower girls dresses. For the men, you could add some ultra violet ties, or even socks for another unexpected dash of colour.

 

Table and Room Décor

For a big hit of colour consider ultra violet table cloths. If that sounds a little too much then try napkins or glassware as a great focal point. Purple candles, florals and low level boxes filled with lavender or succulents will look stunning. Why not get DIY and paint some mason jars and fill with florals in shades of purple. Use purple coloured lighting in the room to set a stunning scene too and string purple pompoms or paper lanterns around the venue or over the dancefloor.

 

 

Food and Drink

Why not create some bespoke purple cocktails and lemonades for guests on arrival instead of traditional bubbles? Little touches like macaroons work so well in this colour palette too. When it comes to the main cake, the ever popular geode style cake trend was made for a hit of ultra violet! Think purple ombre buttercream finishes as well as tiers dressed with marbling and offset with vivid hits of full on purple.

 

Images via pinterest 

How To Have An Unplugged Wedding

While technology is undoubtedly a wonderful thing and often a fantastic addition to your wedding day, there is also a move toward what could be described as an ‘unplugged wedding.’  Think of it as the polar opposite of the techy wedding without hashtags, social media and photo sharing.

There’s certainly pros and cons to this sort of wedding and indeed it may sound a little draconian to some, but it can give the day a much more private feel and you’ll have control over your photos, plus it will allow your guests the chance to actually enjoy the day rather than watching it from behind their phone screen as they take snaps.

Of course, you can always have a hybrid of both, where you might decide to have the ceremony as ‘unplugged,’ and the reception as a selfie friendly zone.

If you’d like to chat about this or any aspect of your wedding day planning or décor, then please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

 

Pros of an Unplugged Wedding

  • The ethos of an unplugged wedding is twofold. Firstly, you want your guests to disconnect from their technology which rules most of our lives on a daily basis and instead just enjoy the day to the full. Essentially you want them to switch off and not see the day through a phone screen.
  • The second major driver of this type of wedding is that you have much more control over what images are shared on social media. You may have waited a very long time for your wedding day and accordingly you want to make sure you are the one who gets to share the first snap of you and your new husband or wife and not some dodgy picture from a guests smartphone.
  • Also let’s not forget, couples fork out quite a bit for professional photographers, so why not really let them capture the day instead of having your well-meaning guests get in the way of the official photographer who is trying to get those all-important shots.

 

 

Cons of an Unplugged Wedding

  • The most obvious hurdle for an unplugged wedding is letting the guests know your wishes. So be clear from the off. Mention it in your invites, your order of service or have signage at the church or ceremony entrance. Or enlist a member of the bridal party to let the guests know about your wishes.
  • While an unplugged wedding is great in theory, it can also mean you miss some spontaneous shots which only guests can capture, as no matter how good your photographer is, they cannot be everywhere at once. Also once you photographer has left, often it’s the guests pictures which capture the evening time fun, so if you are enforcing your unplugged theme for the entire wedding, you’ll miss out on these pics.
  • Some guests might feel a little peeved about not being able to take pictures for themselves at the wedding day. Let’s not forget, most have taken time out to get themselves dolled up for your big day and would like to be able to take a few shots. A good way around this is to have a photobooth at the reception so the guests can have pictures from the day

 

What About A Hybrid Strategy?   

  • As you can see, there are pros and cons to having an unplugged wedding and sometimes it’s best to employ a sort of hybrid strategy. Why not have your ceremony as a tech-free zone, which will allow your guests to actually be in the moment and enjoy this very special time, rather than watching it from behind their screens. It also means you’ve got full control over your ceremony images.
  • Then after the ceremony, you could lift the tech ban and indeed encourage your guests to get snap happy and upload their best selfies and shots from the day with a hashtag. That way you’re going to get the best of both worlds and not miss out on some potentially great guest’s pics.