Sometimes when I first start working with a couple they have already found their photographer, personally I like to help a couple find a photographer as it’s something I feel that is so important to the day. When I met with Dani and Rob for the first time I didn’t have to worry  as they told me they were about to book the rather amazing Joanna Brown, which I was over the moon about. It was a joy to work with Joanna and her assistant Lisa Jane on the wedding, and they both kept me sain on what was a ridiculously hot day in October (remember that heat wave we had at the beginning of October?…not the best weather to be setting up in a Tipi!) You can see Joanna’s take on the day with more photos HERE

Dani and rob booked me 9 months before their wedding day for my On The Day Co-ordination package They wanted to make sure that neither them or their families had anything to worry about on the day and the running of the wedding was looked after by a professional. They were married on 1^st October 2011 at Christ Church, Bryn-y-Maen. With the reception at Pentrehobyn Hall, Mold  with 105 guests, It took just under a year to  plan the wedding.

Personally the wedding was a great one, the sun shone, it was a stunning venue, Dani and Rob looked amazing, a really great wedding to end the season with. As well as Joanna I’d like to give a massive shout out to Cath Skates who is by far the best catering company I have ever worked with. I have never seen an opertaion like it…..the kitchen was out of this world, the staff were spot on and the food…OMG I die! and a personal thank you to Cath herself who kept me topped up with canapes for a good 2 hours!

Dani and Rob describe their day as  ‘Quite simply the best day of our lives’

How they met
We met on a sunny photo shoot for the Ford Transit in Benidorm Spain(!) which Dani’s advertising agency commissioned. Rob was the assistant to the photographer at the time. That was 5 ½ years ago now.

The proposal
Under the guise of my 30^th birthday, Rob planned a surprise trip for the two of us to Venice. I had no idea where we were going until we got to the airport! After we arrived, we took a private water taxi into the city to the amazingly luxurious Danieli hotel. We spent the day wandering around the streets, looking at the sights and then went for a fabulous meal where we feasted on Osso Buco, homemade pasta and lots of red wine! As another little surprise, Rob had booked tickets to a Vivaldi concert at the Gran Teatro La Fenice which was outstanding. When we got back to the hotel that night, he dropped down on one knee with the most fabulous ring I’ve ever seen and asked me to be his wife. I said yes, cried my eyes out and then
we both jumped up and down on the bed like two little kids. It was so wonderful.

Venue
4 generations of Rob’s family were married at the church and it has played host to numerous other important family occasions, we couldn’t imagine our marriage taking place anywhere else than that wonderful church on the hill with the view of the sea.

The Dress
The dress was called Enero from Rosa Clara which was purchased at Miss Bush Bridal in Ripley, Surrey.
The shoes were from Miu Miu. My hair clip was made from a vintage brooch which I bought from Magpie Vintage. My diamond necklace was a present from Rob on the day.

The suit and bridesmaids
The suit was from Moss Bross, all the guys wore the same. The bridesmaid dresses were from Coast and the shoes from Kurt Geiger.

Theme
Sort of… I knew I wanted to have a black sash on my dress pretty early on so we used that as a theme for bridal party’s outfits. Then it filtered down into other elements like the seat covers for the tent. Other than that, I liked a more rustic, natural feel for the tepee, flowers etc. I guess I just sort of muddled stuff together and hoped it would turn out ok. Thankfully it did!

Food
Cath Skates and her team did our food. She was absolutely amazing!
MAINS: Extra aged Welsh black beef fillet marinated in bay, garlic, black peppercorns and olive oil, grilled rosy pink and served on slate trays with a rosemary aioli
CHOICE OF SIDES:Lemony roasted potatoes with rosemary, Roast butternut squash with chilli and thyme, California Caesar salad with sourdough, croutons and shaved reggiano, Salmon marinated in maple, chilli and soy cooked on planks of cedar wood with a ginger and wasabi aioli
CHOICE OF SIDES: Wild rice salad with shitake and ginger Green bean, edamame and sugar snap peas with a mirin, sesame and coriander vinaigrette
DESSERTS: Stacks of triple chocolate brownies with custard, Piles of gooey meringue nests, Spiced apples, quince, blackberries and pears, Vanilla-scented Chantilly cream

Entertainment
The Funky Doctors – an amazing band from Cheshire who came highly recommended

Flowers
My  bouquet was made up of cream anenomes with black centers which came from a local supplier. The rest of the flowers were provided by the fabulous Charlie Ryrie from The Real
Cut Flower Garden

Decoration
Little details like a wishing line, photographs of past family weddings, rattan hearts, fairy lights, candle lanterns.

Special moments
For me when I walked up the aisle with my dad. Seeing everyone’s smiling faces and Rob welling up at the end of the aisle was magical. I loved Rob’s speech, it was so heartfelt and sincere, it had me in tears. I also was so pleased I plucked up the courage to sing ‘Make you feel my love’ by Bob Dylan to Rob even though I had a stonking cold!

Biggest surprise
Rob and his best man and ushers serenading me with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – a song that I chose for Rob to sing at karaoke when we were on the shoot in Benidorm. They wore wigs and everything! It was brilliant.

Boho Planning Details

What planning service did you book from me?
On the day co-ordination

What made you decide that you wanted to book a planner?
To take the stress out of the day for not only me but for my family too.

What do you feel were the biggest benefits of having a planner involved with your wedding?
You brought your calm & expertise to the proceedings, you just knew what needed to be done and when.  You reassured me and my mum. You were so helpful with making sure all the finishing touches were done and made sure everything ran smoothly and punctually on the day, from liaising with suppliers to bringing your personal touches like the gifts sign to the table. It was a pleasure having you as part of the day.

Supplier Shout Outs:
Photographer – www.browns-photography.co.uk
Venue – www.pentrehobyn.co.uk
Tipi – www.papakata.co.uk
Catering – www.cscatering.webeden.co.uk
Band – www.thefunkydoctors.co.uk
Flowers – www.cutflowergarden.co.uk
Make up & hair – rikkicaseymakeup@hotmail.co.uk
Co-ordination – www.bohoweddingsandevents.com

Fore more information on Joanna’s work go to:
www.browns-photography.co.uk
joannabrownphotography.com
Joanna on FACEBOOK
Joanna on TWITTER
joanna@browns-photography.co.uk
07825 512567

So here you have the wedding of Jo and Matt who got married on 29th April (yes the day of the royal wedding) at Wentbridge House in West Yorkshire. They booked me for my on the day co-ordination service along with a photography search, and they were more than delighted with Jon from S6 Photography who I found for them!

The day itself was very relaxed and chilled out, with a ceremony at 4pm and then drinks, canapes and speeches along with some live music outside on the lawn along with some April sunshine! evening food along with more guests was served at 8pm and that’s when the party really started!

I know Jo and Matt through on of my oldest and best friends Becky, so it was lovely to be involved in their day, Becky was one of the wedding guests along with her two children and Husband Bertie, so it was great to break away from wedding duties every now and again and spend some time with them. I must say a thank you to Jo for letting me go into the Bridal suite before she got to the hotel to watch the royal wedding on her TV, I  did get to see part of the ceremony but missed the rest as my planning duties took over! I still havn’t watched the whole thing even though it’s been sky + for months!

Full names
Matthew Long & Jo Shannon

Date of wedding
29th April 2011

How did you meet and how long have you been together?
Met through work & got together around 8 years ago

What planning service did you book from me?
Photographer search (money well spent!) & on the day coordination

What made you decide that you wanted to book a planner?
Because I am a complete control freak & wanted to ensure that I could relax & enjoy the day with someone else dealing with any problems that might have cropped up!

Location of the wedding
Wentbridge House, Wentbridge, West Yorkshire

What made you decide to get married where you did?
Beautiful location, very positive with the slightly less traditional day that we wanted

How many guests?
68 for the afternoon plus 6 children, & an additional 54 for the evening celebrations

Who was your dress by
Suzanne Neville (Maiden)

And the shoes, accessories etc
Shoes = purple suede platforms by Nine West, jewelled hair band = Minelli by Halo & Co (via Bridal Boutique), diamante bangle = Swarovski Crystal Hinged Bangle from Boutique Accessories by Harriet, diamante earrings from my mum, 4 x diamante hair pins = Bridal Boutique

And the suit
Matthew’s suit (3 piece with purple lining & personalised with our wedding date) was made by Master Tailor UK

Did you have a theme or colour scheme?
Relaxed theme but with purple as the underlying colour scheme

How would you sum up your day?
Amazing – so good I wanted to do it again the next day & still want to!

Did you have any personal touches? Or things that you did yourself?
Nothing particular – personal touches = the tea towel invitations, buttonhole for our brother-in-law Tony who died last year – this sat on the ceremony table in memory of him, the children (Evie, Zachary, James (nephew) & William (nephew) were all given beautiful soft bunny rabbits from the White Company as a gift, each with a purple ribbon bow tie (light grey for the boys to match their suits & white for Evie)

What were your special moments or highlights?
Seeing all our guests & Matthew as I walked on to the ceremony room, walking out of the ceremony as husband & wife, our first dance

Is there anything you would do differently?
Nothing significant – all was as good as we could have imagined

What advice would you give any other couples?
Relax & go with the flow – take time out now & again to take note of what’s around you, it’s so easy to miss things on the day

What was your biggest surprise of the day?
That I didn’t cry during the ceremony!

What was the best bit about having me involved with your wedding?
That although you handled the day coordination for me, you double checked it was how I wanted it to be to ensure it was as good as I had imagined – ideal for me.

The suppliers involved in the day:
Venue: Wentbridge House – www.wentbridgehouse.co.uk
Dress: Bridal Boutique, Leeds – www.bridalboutiqueleeds.com
Accessories: Accessories by Harriet – www.boutiqueaccessoriesbyharriet.co.uk
Suit: Master Tailor UK – www.mastertailoruk.com
Photographer: S6 Photography – www.s6photography.co.uk
Flowers: Rosa Rugosa – www.roserugosa.co.uk
Chair Covers: Chair Covers – www.elegantevents.org.uk
Wedding Cake: www.finecheesesltd.co.uk
Band: The Cherie Gears Band – www.gsounds.co.uk
Make-up: Ivy Clara Make-up – www.ivyclara.co.uk

For more information about Jon’s photography services go to:
www.s6photography.co.uk
s6photography.co.uk/blog
takemyphoto@s6photography.co.uk
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
01142340295

So todays fabulous Photo is by my good friend Jon at S6 Photography As you will know I may be Jon’s biggest fan! I love featuring his work on the blog and as a Sheffield Photographer and a Sheffield wedding planner we get to work with each other quite a bit!

This Fabulous Photo means a lot to me because it’s a wedding that I worked on! It’s the first wedding I did this year for Jo and Matt who got married at Wentbridge House in West Yorkshire on 29th April, the day of the royal wedding! they booked me for On the day Cordination as well as a Photography search (and I found them Jon!) I haven’t blogged the wedding myself yet as it’s being published in a regional magazine, but you can see the whole wedding on Jon’s blog HERE.
This was the last picture Jon took of the night, I remember him, Jo and Matt walking off as I was getting in my car to go home saying ‘I’m just going to see if we can do anything under this tree as I think the light could be kinda cool’ (or something along those lines) well cool it is! Once again Jon ceates magic!!  

For more information about Jon’s photography services go to:
www.s6photography.co.uk
s6photography.co.uk/blog
takemyphoto@s6photography.co.uk
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
01142340295

I am writing this post because every time I work at a wedding I always get people come up to me and say……’You haven’t stopped all day’, or ‘I never knew you did so much’ or ‘is that really your job to be doing that’…or words to that effect!

I touched on this subject previously in my post ‘what does a wedding planner actually do?’ so today I thought I would focus on what seems to be one of the most popular services I offer ‘on the day co-ordination’

On the day co-ordination is booked either on its own, or as part of the partial planning or full planning option. It basically means that I will be there on the day of your wedding or event for an average of 12 hours (generally from 10am – 10pm) to stage manage your day. Here is an introduction of on the day Co-ordination from my website (HERE)

I generally find I have 3 sorts of brides book me for this service.

1) The DIY bride who’s getting married in a village hall or a marquee. The sort of bride who has done a lot of the wedding herself, who has hired a less traditional venue for her wedding that doesn’t come with an onsite co-ordinator, she wants to know her day will be looked after, and set up to her vision she has been planning for the last however months. For this sort for wedding it is important to have a central figure to manage the day, to co-ordinate with the many suppliers (and sometimes friends acting as suppliers.) To make sure that everything runs on time and to keep the flow of the day moving.

2) The organised bride, this can be at a DIY venue or at a more traditional venue with a wedding co-ordinator. I find that these sorts of brides are super organised, verging on control freaks (in a good way of course) that have been planning their big day for normally 2 years. They have files, and list coming out of their ears and their main far is that they will not be in control on their big day, so they hire me in to take over that control. A lot of the time my role is secondary as they have done so much of the prep beforehand, BUT what matters to them is that they have the reassurance that their day has someone as detail oriented as them looking after and managing it for them.

3) The bride that has booked me for partial or full planning. When you book me for partial planning, full planning or the rescue remedy they have been working with me for months sometimes years, for this reason I know their wedding inside out. I know exactly what style they are going for, I know their suppliers as it is me that has booked them, I know exactly what they want that day to be as I have been working on it with them for months. In some instances it has been me that has made most of the decisions, come up with all the little styling ideas so who better to over sea the day for them?

But for all of these weddings, I am there on hand to set up their venues for them, make sure they get to the church on time, liaise with all of their suppliers, as well as act as a shepherd, herding guests from one place to another with minimal fuss and as subtly as possible.

So that is the basics of what I do, but what about all the other bits and bobs that you may be surprised to hear I do?
Now let me tell you this is my list, there may be other planners out there who say ‘we don’t do that’ well this is just me, a lot of the time I do stuff that isn’t in my job description, but I’m not one for standing on ceremony, if a job needs doing I’ll do it. My aim is to make sure that day goes without a hitch and I will do anything and everything in my power to make that happen.

So here is a list of some of things I have done so far on an on the day co-ordination.

• Light tea lights – this is something I do A LOT!!
• Open and pour champagne – another thing I do A LOT
• Set up the wedding venue
• Arrange flowers for centre pieces
• Cut up wedding cake (I know have a little kit I take with me especially for this)
• Clear away glasses
• Clear ash trays
• Take children to the toilet
• Play with children brush up after guest when food gets spilt
• Rub food stains out of carpet
• Brush up
• Keeps flow of the day going
• Clear cardboard boxes away
• Find extra serving dishes from thin air
• Wipe down the sinks in the toilets
• Make sure the toilets are tidy at all times
• Light more tea lights
• Change room over between day and evening reception
• Lift and carry tables and chairs
• Work the PA system
• Play DJ
• Put on the CDs for the wedding ceremony
• Escort guest from one place to another
• Get bride into her dress
• Get bride into her shoes
• Get bride into her car
• Put on grooms button hole
• Serve food
• Waitress
• Clear tables
• Safety pin wedding dress when the zip breaks
• Play hairdresser when the bride’s curls come out
• Pay suppliers (I can often be found with many envelops of money on me)
• Pick up last minute supplies
• Run last minute errands
• Set up the wish tree
• Stay to the end of the night and close up the marquee
• Scrape food into bins
• Sort out dirty plates
• Act as master of ceremony and make announcements through the day
• Look after the thank you gifts and hand out during speeches
• Make sure the bride and groom aren’t too drunk to do the first dance
• Hand out wedding cake (once I’ve cut it up)
• Relight the tea lights (they don’t last forever you know)
• Hang lanterns from the trees
• Set up the cake table
• Hang stuff up
• Fluff up the wedding dress and re puff the bride when needed
• Find the guests for the group shots
• Look after the bouquet and make sure it gets in water
• Make sure the guests sign the guest book
• Keep the day as relaxed as possible without the guest knowing that everything is run to a strict time line
• Always be thinking ahead
• Always have a smile on my face even when my feet are killing and I’m stressed out
• Try and stay in the background as much as possible

So there you go, some of those may surprise you, and some may not? But all in all I do what I have to. A day at a wedding can be like a day at the gym, by the end of the 12 hours I can just about walk, I stumble home and am pretty much good for nothing the next day. They are emotionally draining as well as mentally and physically draining…..but they are amazing days! And as a planner on the day of a wedding you get to go where no one else gets to go, you see the wedding from every angle possible, from the bridal suite to the kitchen. It is a true honour to be involved in such an important day…………I wouldn’t change it for the world!

For more infomration about my wedding planning services go to:
www.bohoweddingsandevents.com/services

(all photos taken by me at weddings I have worked at)

I’ve been wanting to say something for a while now about what I charge but have been too scared to bring the subject up….so here goes nothing!

Pricing for me has always been the hardest part of this job, anyone reading this who is self-employed will understand where I am coming from, how do you value yourself when it is you and your service you are trying to price?
I did a whole bunch of research when I started my wedding planning business in 2009 into other planners what services they offer and how much they charge. I then went  away and decided that I didn’t want to try and compete by being the cheapest in the market, I wanted to stand out by offering a first class service which meant pricing myself above the average in my area…….so this I did.

Now I’m not a greedy person, I have never gone into a job because of the money, I have spent most of my life working for myself, so I am used to being self-employed and all the highs and lows it throws at you…………However over the last few weeks I have come to a realisation that people do not value what I charge and unless I do something about it I will never make a living from this wedding planning work that I love so much.

I have to also stress this is my full time job, I don’t have anything else to full back on, I don’t do this on the side of a full or part time job, this is it for me…..so I have gone into this business head on, determined to make it work! Because if I don’t then it’s game over.  I do have a very understanding husband who has supported me from day one, both emotionally and financially, but at the same time this has put a huge strain on our relationship, he has made huge sacrifices for me to ‘live the dream’ of becoming a successful wedding planner, and quite frankly it’s about time this changed!

So what’s your point Kelly? I hear you cry…..well my point is and what I have realised over the last few weeks is that people do not value what I do until it is too late!
When I started taking on weddings, I would do anything to make sure I got that booking; I just wanted to be busy! I set my services and my prices on my website for all to see and away I went.
Some services are easier to price than others, some are a flat fee as they are a standard service, suppliers or venue searches for example. However as I progressed into my career I found more people asking for partial planning and full planning…….and this is where I got stuck.
The first few I quoted were just ridiculously cheap and I realised that way to soon after couples snatched my hand off…after re-evaluating this I put the price up for the next order and again for the next…..BUT if I work it out per hour per job……I would still be earning more if I worked in McDonalds.

Let me give you an example using on the day co-ordination. On the day co-ordination is one of my most popular services, when I started I priced it at £350 a day, it then went up to £399 and I have recently put it up to £450..why?? well because I had to. It took my brother in law (who has 3 successful business) to point out that if I took on 20 on the day co-ordinations a year at £350 that is only £7000 a year and that’s before tax…….not really enough for a full time salary!
But surely £350 is enough for a day’s work I hear you say? Well it’s not just a day. Firstly I meet with the couple for an hour for a free consultation, then I write a proposal for them, then once they book me I meet with them again at the venue once or twice, they have email and phone access to me 4 weeks before the wedding and then the day of the wedding I am there for 12 hour minimum! That’s me, not an assistant, you book me, you get me! I recently put my price up to £450 this is the highest in my area, I know I’ve taken a risk by pricing myself higher, but I really don’t feel I had a choice, now if I get 20 on the day co-ordinations I am earning £9000 a year!. Still not great though!

I think part of the problem is that people don’t really understand how much I will be doing when they take me on. It isn’t until the wedding is over and I’ve spent months working with that couple that they realise what value they have had from me.
Obviously each wedding and each couple are different. Some couples start off in a blind panic and are never off the phone or email with me, they take constant attention and have constant needs that have to be sorted out. In these days of 24 hour accessibility, a day off seems non-existent! Brides will email me at 11pm at night, call me on a Sunday and expect me to answer their queries straight away. I have tried not to answer on a Sunday, just so I have some sort of day off….but this isn’t always possible when brides feel the need for constant reassurance and need that supplier sorted out there and then! On average I work an 80-90 hour week But do they realise all this when they book me…..no!

I have had a few situations when I have given a couple a prices for a service and they have asked for a discount, many do and I guess this is the nature of the word we live in. In the past I may have said yes, but I live to regret it now! Now I’m not the bartering kind so when someone asks me to do a job for cheaper I always feel a bit hurt…don’t they think I’m worth it? Don’t they see what my service is bringing them? It’s especially hard when I know at the bottom of my heart I haven’t charged enough in the first place!
I have had situations when couples have got me down on my planning price only to find out they have hired another wedding supplier at a premium price for a service that takes up a 10^th of the time that I am giving them…….so why not pay me what I deserve??

I asked twitter the other day how many weddings other planners take on a year. Some said no more than 2 a month, others said 1 a month…….so how do we make our money? There are only a certain number of weekends in a year and physically and mentally I don’t feel I could do more than 10 partial or full planning’s a year, just because of shear workload involved in each wedding.  Personally I’m up to 18 at the moment that’s all different sorts of weddings, some are on the day co-ordination, some are partial planning and some are full planning in Ibiza. I don’t really feel I can do any more than that! And to be honest I am completely wiped out with that amount!

This year has been an eye opener in terms of what I can and can’t charge. They say it takes on average 250 hours to plan a wedding, well at £35 an hour that comes to £8750 each wedding! Now some of my bride’s budgets aren’t that amount!! So who is going to pay me £8750 for my wedding planning services? I don’t live in London I don’t attract the high society bride, I attract the normal bride looking for an alternative day, I don’t want to turn people away who have a low budget as often it’s those people who have the most interesting weddings!
The reality is that in order for me to make a living I need to be charging £2K per wedding. But no one is going to pay £2K for an on the day co-ordination, as that not the market value!

So what do I do? To be honest I’m not sure. On a personal note I can’t carry on as I am. I work 14 hours a day and I hardly ever take a day off, hardly see my husband and never see my friends! So something has to give! Changes need to be made somewhere.

There is of course the whole subject of commissions from other suppliers, do you take them or don’t you? It is deemed unethical to do so! I don’t and I know most planners don’t either (a subject to be covered in a future post I think!)

I put my prices up on Sunday and I intend to stick to them, no more discounts, no more money off. I guess 2010 was a steep learning curve I wanted the work for 2011 and by God I got it, but now looking forward to bookings for next year, I do feel that less is more!
I will be adding some more ‘added extra’ services to my website in the next few weeks/months which I hope will help and I am going to be tacking sponsors on the blog very soon as well.

I guess only time will tell if these actions make any difference. If they don’t then I will have to re asses this wedding planning world, I LOVE it so much but if it isn’t paying then what is a girl to do?

Until people really understand the value of the service I offer and the time and effort it takes to give them the service they expect, then I will never be able to charge what other suppliers in the industry charge.
I hope that as more wedding planners rise up in the industry people will feel It’s the norm to hire one, people will eventually understand what we do and how much we do for people! So in time being able to charge what we feel we are worth!

Feel free to leave your thoughts.
And if you want to see what I do charge all my prices are openly stated on my website www.bohoweddingsandevents.com/services

Kelly xx

The brief was chilled out, bean bags, outdoors, simple and lots of tea lights and that’s certainly what they got. You couldn’t wish for a more beautiful setting than Sheffield Botanical gardens, and with an outdoor ceremony as well the couple were spoilt with locations to choose from. Luckily on the day Sophie brought the New Zealand sunshine with her as it had been raining terribly for 2 days solid, including the morning of the wedding.
They chose an amazing Papakata tent to hold the reception in and it was totally perfect!
The day itselfwas really hard work, starting at 9am and finishing at 1.30am but I loved every minute of it! It was such a great day, the ceremony was totally moving, a lot of tears were shed! and again with the speeches! But it was full with a huge amount of laughter as well.

(Details of all involved can be found at the end of this post).
Many Thanks to Lisa Abbott Photography for the use of the photographs.

Full wedding details
Location: Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Tipi: Papakata
Furniture Hire and fittings: Sherwood Marquees
Photographer: Lisa Abbott Photography
Catering: CoCo Catering
Bar Service: Barrels and Bottles
Cup Cakes: Yummylicious
Music: Greg Bish Blueprint – Function band
Magician: Andy Taylor
Flowers: bought at wholesalers and arranged by me

The discussion was started off my Patricia Pardy owner of It’s your event in Canada. She asked the question:
”Ever attended or observed weddings that have a day-of coordinator vs. those weddings that do not? Please share personal stories or experiences how a day-of coordinator may have “saved the day!”

Here are some of the responses:

We assist them as much as we can but brides don’t realize the importance of hiring a planner/coordinator. Whenever they reserve with us I ask them if they have one and if they don’t we suggest they use a professional instead of a relative.
Miguel Hernandez – Southern Elegance Limousines

Having a designated coordinator is extremely important.
David Stoltz – Owner, DJ Stoltz Records

I still wished I had a wedding day coordinator. My wedding was in my garden and it rained, which caused problems. We did not have a tent. The ushers didn’t know what to do. No one thought about bringing the flower centerpieces into the house, which would have been nice instead of them staying outside in the rain. Also, guests were sweeping leaves off the floor; something a coordinator would have done. I feel a wedding day coordinator would have taken care of things like that.
Donna Ditges – Owner, Foto Flix, Portrait Photography, Photo Montages & digital transfer

I have seen some real disasters when Brides selected not to have a Wedding planner. I make the cake for me it so much better when they have that key person checking in with all the vendors. I push every Bride I see to spend the money, it so well worth it! Evey Wedding needs a planner.
Donna Joy – Pastry Chef -Owner, Sedona Sweet Arts ,Sedona Wedding Cakes

I have been to weddings where the bride was literally exhausted – worn out before she has even had her dinner. They were stressed out with worry all day or simply running around trying to accomplish last minute tasks. Having a wedding coordinator taking care of your worries & last minute errands will let you enjoy the $20K or more you just spent.
Patricia Pardy owner of It’s your event

I always encourage my couples to hire a professional. the ones that do usually are much less stressed and can enjoy their day more!
Rev Lisa Ann Donegan – Sacred Spirit Sanctuary

In 2009 nearly one half of the couples who would normally have hired a full-on wedding planner to help them find vendors to style and produce their weddings decided to forego that option and low and behold… SURPRISE they were overwhelmed. Those who used the planners were happy. Those who didn’t were disappointed about some sore point that to this day irks them.
Terry Gruber – Pro Photographer, Author, Business Owner

I do hope that brides reading this take the advice of the suppliers and hire a planner for the day. Your wedding day is the most special day of your life, so don’t entrust these duties with a family member or friend, call in the professionals and get the job done propperly……..then you can have the stress free day you deserve.

For more information about Boho’s On the day Co-ordination go to the website www.bohoweddingsandevents.com
or contact me on: kelly@bohoweddingsandevents.com
07989431821 / 0114 2854532

On December 29th I was luckily enough to work with Jo and Peacey who got married in Derby.
The ceremony was held at Derby Registry Office with the reception upstairs at Fat Cats which has recently undergone a big renervation.
I was booked by Jo and Peacy for the Boho On the day co-ordination.

I worked with Jo a month before the wedding, going through all the things she had already planned and organised then worked through the things that still needed to be done.
Jo and Peacey both wanted the wedding to be very relaxed with most of the emphasis on the evenings entertainment. The couple met through a love of music so they wanted this to be a big part of the celebration, with 8 different DJs.
Once we had had our first meeting and I worked out a list fo things for Jo to do that still needed to be organised. I rang her 2 weeks later to get a break down of how this was going and then met her at the venue, so we could go through the running order of the day and have a look at the decoration options.

Jo wanted to keep the decoration quite simple, the up stairs of Fat Cats has recently been re decorated and it is a really nice modern space, with funky wallpaper and lots of mirror balls and modern lighting dotted about, with big leather sofas, the mood is very retro and relaxed. Jo decided she wanted to change the venues Christmas Colour scheme so brought in her own gold decorations the night before.

A week before the big day I rang Jo again to go through the last minute details with her and ran though the check list. With all the information I then wrote up the time line for the day and sent it to Jo, Peacey and Nic the manager of Fat Cats so we all knew the running order of the day.

On the morning of the wedding I drove over to Derby and firstly went to meet with Jo to check everything was OK. She ran me through everything and gave me a list fo jobs that needed to be done. With my list I then went over to the venue and got on with setting up.
You never know what to expect on the day, anything can happen, but it is my job to make sure all the little details are looked after, this ranged from sticking stars onto the wedding cakes, unraveling fairy light and decorating the Christmas trees in the right colour, chasing up the dance floor company, making sure the flowers were delivered to the right place and putting the finishing touches to the decoration.

Once I had done all this I went back to see Jo, who was incredibly calm to check in on her again and then made my way over to the registry office.

When I got there things were a tad on the manic side there were guests everywhere and to my horror I found out that the bride before Jo hadn’t turned up yet……..so meaning that everything was running late!
Just as the Manager was telling me that Jo would have to wait till the other bride had tuned up and been married, I saw Jo’s car pull up.
Luckily I managed to negotiate with the Manager and swap round the running order so Jo and Peacey could get married at the right time, while the late bride (who at this point had just turned up) waited for them to finish!

Jo looked amazing in a beautiful Jenny Packham dress, very sparkly and very vintage! Peacey looked so proud as he saw her walk down the aisle with her dad.

The Ceremony was beautiful, with a personal reading from one of their friends, I was in tears throughout!

Afterwards there was photos outside in the registry office grounds with all the guests, just as the rain started to drizzle.

Luckelly I had seen the weather forecast the day before so brought with me my emergency kit which included a big umbrella that both Jo and Peacey used to save their outfits getting ruined.

It wasn’t far to Fat Cats, so Jo had already arranged that the guests would walk behind her and Peacey in a big procession while they had more pictures taken.

Once all the guests got to Fat Cats they were greated with Winter Pimms and a big smile from me and Nic the Manager!

I then worked with Vicky the photographer to get shots of the couple inside with their gorgeous daughter Edie and then worked with the guests to get the group shots outside. It’s always good to have someone who can work with the photographer organising the guests for the next shot, it saves time and also in the cold wet December months saves the guests freezing!!

Once the photos were done we got the food underway with a hot and cold buffet. Toasting drinks were then handed out for the speeches with a great slide show of pictures from Jo and Peacey’s past.

So after the cutting of the cake it was time for the first dance and then the party really started!
I stayed until the evening food was served and I had managed to cut up 2 sections of the wedding cake!

I thoroughly enjoyed working at Jo and Peacey’s wedding, it was an amazing day with some truly wonderful guests!
It gave me such great job satisfaction to know that I had been part of helping the couple have a stress free day. It was a long day and I’m glad I wore flat shoes, but completely rewarding.

Jo and Peacy enjoyed a wonderful Honeymoon in New York and when they got back I received a wonderful email from Jo thanking me for my services.
I’s like to take this opportunity to wish them both a life time of happiness, they make a truly amazing couple!

Thanks as well to Nic at Fat Cats Derby for all her hard work and also to Sarah Herbert for sharing her photos with me.

For more information on the Boho On The Day Co-Ordination go to:
www.bohoweddingsandevents.com
or call Kelly on 07989 431821 / 0114 2854532

Thanks
Kelly xx

This is one of the most popular of wedding packages, as it still allows the bride and groom to plan their own wedding, but gives them total piece of mind that on the day, they won’t have to worry about anything!

So, you’ve spent many weeks, months – possibly even years – planning your wedding, and now it is time to sit back, relax and enjoy your big day. But who is going to look after the last minute details and answer all those questions from suppliers and guests? Having used a wedding planner on the day of my own wedding I know, first hand, what an invaluable service this is. People kept commenting on how calm I was the day of the wedding. Well, that’s because I had someone sorting out all the problems that cropped up without me having to know anything about it!
I will meet with you two weeks before your wedding day, ideally at the venue, to collect supplier contact details and gather any other information I need to get a clear idea of your day. I will contact each supplier to double check details and make sure all last minute queries are dealt with. I will write you a detailed time line and plan for your day, so you, your wedding party and all suppliers know where and they need to be and when. I’ll run and co-ordinate your rehearsal.
On the day I will be the first port of call, so you don’t have to worry about all those little what ifs! e.g.’What if it rains?’’ – I’ll have my emergency brollie with me. – ‘’What if the curls drop out of my bridesmaids hair?’’ I’ll use my spare curling tongs to re do it as the hairdresser has already gone. – ‘’What if uncle Bill has too much to drink and starts getting a bit loud?’’ I’ll discretely guide him out and put him in a taxi home – ‘‘What if the cake gets dented before we cut it?’’ I’ll cover it up with some flowers, no one will even notice.

I did an On the day co-ordination at the end of December for a lovely couple Jo & Peacey, in Derby, here is what Jo said about the service:

‘I’d like to say a huge thank you for all your help with our wedding.
Your professional and organised approach ensured the day ran smoothly. Having on the day co-ordination enabled me to really relax and enjoy myself without worrying about things going wrong. We had a great time and so did our guests.
I was so glad to have you, especially when we arrived at the registry office and the other wedding hadn’t even started, you dealt with it all so well, I can’t thank you enough!
The emergency kit was brilliant, you’d thought of everything! I was very grateful for the pretty umbrella, it came in very handy!
I would recommend this service to anyone. Every bride should enjoy her wedding day as much as I did!
Thanks for all your hard work’

I really enjoyed working at Jo & Peacey’s wedding, it gave me immense satisfaction to know that I had helped them have a stress free day! They enjoyed their Wedding so mcuh and they didn’t have to worry about a thing.

For more information about the Boho on the day co-ordination service go to:
www.bohoweddingsandevents.com
kelly@bohoweddingsandevents.com
07989431821 / 0114 2854532

Make the most of the Boho sale and book this service before February 14th:
• On the day Co-ordination – normally £350 NOW £299