Celebrations

Suzanne Daykin

How to become a wedding planner, where do you start? Firstly you have to be passionate about organising parties and love all the little details, if that is you then you are in the right place.

I started my wedding planning career in 1997, a month after I got married and found I just loved talking weddings and helping others plan their big day. I was working in a big 4 star hotel and had graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management. Since then my event management skills have taken me to working in Europe and the UK, I have organised huge corporate functions to small family events and loved every minute of it. In 2006 I decided to go it alone and set up my own event company it was the best decision for me and now along with planning exhibitions I also get the chance to help brides and grooms plan their big day, and save them money!

My advice would be to get as much experience as you possibly can before you launch yourself as a wedding planner. Help family and friends organise their celebrations, it doesn’t have to be a wedding, all event management experience helps. Keep notes on all of the ideas that come up, I find it best to have seperate files on suppliers, venues and procedures. I have a checklist that I use for all of my weddings to ensure I don’t miss anything.

While you are gaining experience and contacts think about whether you need any professional training. Check out local colleges and online event management courses, there are even wedding planner courses - these are specific to weddings and if you want to build on your confidence they could be worth investing in.

As with all business start ups it is worth writing a business plan to see if this is a viable option for you. You don’t want to pay for training and spend valuable time if this is not going to provide you with an income.

Questions to ask yourself are;
How many weddings can you manage in a year? There are 52 weeks in a year but the summer wedding season is the busiest. Will you be able to organise and manage more than one wedding a week? Remember it is best to start off planning fewer while you build up your business.

Can your local economy support a wedding planner? The national average wedding cost is over £20,000, a wedding planner normally charges around 20% but an average is just that, what is the average cost of a wedding in your area? How much will your local brides and grooms pay for your services? Don’t know - then ask them, most brides and grooms love talking about their wedding day!

How many weddings are there in your area in the year? Gain stats from your local registery office.

Have a think about what your unique selling point (usp) is, mine as you can see is cheap, are you an expert of jewish, christian, hindi, muslim weddings or humanist or gay weddings. Would your usp provide you with enough business?

Your costs will be pretty minimal as you are not having to buy any goods before you pay for them - all the costs will be your clients. Your biggest cost will be your marketing/ advertising, I have found being online really helps my offline business. The great thing about being online is that you can generate extra income on top of your usual wedding planning business with adverts and an online shop!

Other ways to advertise your business are by building relationships with other local vendors, word of mouth is one of the best ways to get bookings. Ask existing clients if they have any friends or family that are getting married soon. You could attend wedding fairs but I don’t find them cost effective for the amount of business that you get, however when you first start out it is worth going to build public awareness. Write articles for local publications, become their expert on weddings, this all increases your profile. Register with local wedding directories. I have found all these help my business grow!

Now then what are you waiting for? You are ready to fly, you know how to become a wedding planner!

Sebastian Fox

A very popular choice of theme for weddings today is “Las Vegas”, as many couples are deciding to exchange vows in a fantasy, by creating with a themed wedding on an exotic island or some other location that they think will be provide the most perfect background to their wedding ceremony. While these can often be the most spectacular weddings, they are also the hardest to plan and most expensive for you. Whether you are planning for a wedding, a bridal shower, or any other family celebration, a “Las Vegas” theme will always add an exciting touch to the occasion.

Planning for the celebration is part of the fun and to many couples choosing “Las Vegas” as a theme is because it’s the perfect place for their wedding and they are living the dream. Vegas themes can be around “Elvis and The Chapel Of Love”, as there are many beautiful chapels in Las Vegas. The choice of venue for your ” Vegas” theme reception area will play a strong influence on the tone and quality of it as most of the time will be spent at the reception and you want to make sure that you and your guests have a fabulous time and fond memories of the occasion.

Aside from the lure of the glittering fun casino with full size, stylish and authentic casino tables, the success of creating a truly memorable themed wedding experience is because Las Vegas is about dreams and can make wedding dreams come true for every couple; that’s what makes it such a popular wedding theme. No matter how you imagine your perfect wedding, everything is possible in Las Vegas.

Sebastian Fox

In fact Christmas parties have been in the news a lot recently, with articles about how to survive the company Christmas party, and various stories on the radio and internet about parties being cancelled due to the fear that businesses have of being sued.

In fact it has been shown that fifty percent of all parties finish with colleagues fighting, one in three with incidents of sexual harassment, and one in five with accidents involving employees. The trouble is that health & safety rules (which are designed to help protect event organisers and managers) are becoming an excuse not to have a party.

There have even been reports in the press of a local council insisting that a party organiser (of a free community event) risk assess the mince pies and Christmas decorations. Now I’m all for ensuring an event that is safe and fun for everyone - but even I don’t think it’s necessary to go that far!

So what can you do to help make the Christmas party a safer place?

The first step is to set a ‘Party Policy’ which will outline the dos and don’ts for any of the attendees. The truth is that the party can be seen as an extension of the working day, and it should therefore be treated as such. It could be as easy as sending an invite with the rules of conduct printed on the back, to include behavioural guidelines so that everyone knows what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Although we have talked about the dangers of mince pies and streamers, as with any event or business activity it is important to identify the potential risks. You should collect together the risk assessments and method statements from the venue, and any other supplier, and if you are looking to hold the event in a temporary marquee, then you should consult with a specialist in this area.

Another area of concern is the provision of alcohol. As the organiser, you should provide soft drinks as well as alcohol, and you should be aware that you could be responsible for any actions or accidents that take place as a result of you providing the drinks. I would never recommend a free bar (I’ve seen this go wrong too many times) and you should take the responsibility of telling people to take it easy if they look like they have had enough.

One area that should be discouraged is the infamous Christmas party fling - this could lead to embarrassment and put a strain on work relationships when everyone gets back to work. Employers should make sure all employees are informed of the company’s view on workplace relationships and reminded ahead of the party.

If you are working with a company on their Christmas party you can help them by working with them to ensure the event is safe and enjoyed by all. You can also help to protect yourself by thinking about the areas that could go wrong and working with the venue and other suppliers to ensure that everything is covered.

Have a great Christmas and an excellent New Year (now that’s a whole other story…)

Himanshu Sharma

1) Roknaa (Marriage Fixed Ceremony)

Profile: In this ceremony there is a formal visit between groom, bride and their parents. The meaning of this ceremony is to stop looking for matches any further.

Date: This ceremony can held several months before the wedding. Time: It is generally held in the evening.

Venue: Usually at bride’s home

Organized By: bride’s family

Gifts: No gifts

Puja: no puja

Banquet: light meal like snacks, sweets

2) Engagement

Profile: In this ceremony Bride and Groom exchange rings called the engagement ring.

Date: This ceremony can held several months before the wedding.

Time: It is generally held in the evening.

Venue: banquet hall, hotel, resort

Organized By: Usually by bride’s family

Gifts: No gifts Puja: no puja Banquet: luncheon / dinner

3) Tilak Ceremony

Profile: There are two Tilak ceremonies: one is of the bride and other is of the groom. In bride’s Tilak ceremony groom doesn’t come and in the groom’s Tilak ceremony bride doesn’t come. However parents and relatives of bride and groom are present in both ceremonies.

Date: This ceremony can held one day after the engagement or with the engagement.

Time: Morning / Evening.

Venue: Banquet hall, Hotel, Resort

Organized By: Bride and groom’s family

Gifts: In bride’s Tilak ceremony gifts are given to the groom’s relatives (this rite is known as Milnni) and Jewellery is received by bride from groom’s parents.

Puja: a pundit performs Puja Banquet: luncheon / Dinner

4) Ladies’ Sangeet

Profile: In this ceremony friends and other female relatives of bride and her parents sing and dance. There is a mehendi ceremony also in which an artist decorates the bride’s palm with mehendi. There can also be a DJ / DJ floor. Only friends and other female relatives of bride and her parents are invited in this ceremony.

Date: This ceremony held one day before the wedding.

Time: Morning / Evening. Venue: Banquet hall, Hotel, Resort

Organized By: bride’s family

Gifts: no gifts

Puja: no puja Banquet: light meal like snacks, sweets

5) Shaadi (Wedding)

Profile: In this ceremony bride and groom get married.

Date: decided by groom and bride ‘s parents with the help of an astrologer.

Time: Usually Evening.

Venue: Banquet hall, Hotel, Resort, Marriage hall, Marriage garden, ground or park.

Organized By: Usually by bride’s family Gifts: guest give gifts to bride and groom.

Puja: a pundit performs Puja. Bride and groom perform phera (moving in circle) in a mandap.

Banquet: multi-cuisine dinner

6) Reception

Profile: The purpose of this ceremony is to introduce bride with all the family members of groom.

Date: This ceremony held one day after the wedding.

Time: Usually Evening.

Venue: Banquet hall, Hotel, Resort

Organized By: Groom’s family

Gifts: Guests give gifts to bride and groom

Puja: no Puja

Banquet: multi-cuisine dinner

Suzanne Daykin

How to become a wedding planner, where do you start? Firstly you have to be passionate about organising parties and love all the little details, if that is you then you are in the right place.

I started my wedding planning career in 1997, a month after I got married and found I just loved talking weddings and helping others plan their big day. I was working in a big 4 star hotel and had graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management. Since then my event management skills have taken me to working in Europe and the UK, I have organised huge corporate functions to small family events and loved every minute of it. In 2006 I decided to go it alone and set up my own event company it was the best decision for me and now along with planning exhibitions I also get the chance to help brides and grooms plan their big day, and save them money!

My advice would be to get as much experience as you possibly can before you launch yourself as a wedding planner. Help family and friends organise their celebrations, it doesn’t have to be a wedding, all event management experience helps. Keep notes on all of the ideas that come up, I find it best to have seperate files on suppliers, venues and procedures. I have a checklist that I use for all of my weddings to ensure I don’t miss anything.

While you are gaining experience and contacts think about whether you need any professional training. Check out local colleges and online event management courses, there are even wedding planner courses - these are specific to weddings and if you want to build on your confidence they could be worth investing in.

As with all business start ups it is worth writing a business plan to see if this is a viable option for you. You don’t want to pay for training and spend valuable time if this is not going to provide you with an income.

Questions to ask yourself are;
How many weddings can you manage in a year? There are 52 weeks in a year but the summer wedding season is the busiest. Will you be able to organise and manage more than one wedding a week? Remember it is best to start off planning fewer while you build up your business.

Can your local economy support a wedding planner? The national average wedding cost is over £20,000, a wedding planner normally charges around 20% but an average is just that, what is the average cost of a wedding in your area? How much will your local brides and grooms pay for your services? Don’t know - then ask them, most brides and grooms love talking about their wedding day!

How many weddings are there in your area in the year? Gain stats from your local registery office.

Have a think about what your unique selling point (usp) is, mine as you can see is cheap, are you an expert of jewish, christian, hindi, muslim weddings or humanist or gay weddings. Would your usp provide you with enough business?

Your costs will be pretty minimal as you are not having to buy any goods before you pay for them - all the costs will be your clients. Your biggest cost will be your marketing/ advertising, I have found being online really helps my offline business. The great thing about being online is that you can generate extra income on top of your usual wedding planning business with adverts and an online shop!

Other ways to advertise your business are by building relationships with other local vendors, word of mouth is one of the best ways to get bookings. Ask existing clients if they have any friends or family that are getting married soon. You could attend wedding fairs but I don’t find them cost effective for the amount of business that you get, however when you first start out it is worth going to build public awareness. Write articles for local publications, become their expert on weddings, this all increases your profile. Register with local wedding directories. I have found all these help my business grow!

Now then what are you waiting for? You are ready to fly, you know how to become a wedding planner!