What does it take to be an award winning Wedding Planner. We chat to a Shropshire one to find out more.
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00:00So we're here at the lovely Netley Hall and this is one of the venues you work with, that's right isn't it?
00:05It was, yes, I used to work at Netley Hall.
00:07Fantastic, and what's your name madam?
00:08I'm Amelia Thompson.
00:10And what's your job role?
00:11I am a wedding planner.
00:12A wedding planner, so that's why we're here. You've picked up a couple of awards recently, just fill us in on what those are.
00:17Yes, so I was very lucky to get through to the regional finals of the Wedding Industry Awards a couple of years ago
00:22and I've recently also been awarded one of the top three wedding planners in Telford and Reichen.
00:26That's not bad going is it?
00:28So how long have you been a wedding planner then?
00:30Five years self-employed, but I've been in the industry for 10 years.
00:33So five years self-employed, that means you started around Covid time?
00:37It was, yes, absolutely.
00:38It's a very tricky time to be starting in that game.
00:42And how are things going obviously? Well if you're winning awards...
00:45Very well, I've got some amazing weddings the past few years, got some incredible ones next year including Destination and the business is going very very well.
00:52So the weddings you organise for people, they can be here at the beautiful Netley Hall or all over the country I guess?
00:59That's right, yeah, we've done a lot in Oxford and London, Birmingham, all over.
01:03The Cotswolds, wherever the wedding takes me.
01:05So the couples that you're working with, like you say, they might be getting wed at the Cotswolds or Oxford.
01:10Are the couples generally from Shropshire in the Black Country?
01:13No, actually I do a lot of London clients that want to come out of the city into the countryside.
01:18Ah, that makes sense.
01:19So a lot of my clients are London based, yeah.
01:21So they want like a bit of a nice country house vibe for their wedding?
01:25Exactly that, yeah.
01:26Ah okay, that works.
01:27So what is your... I mean we all know the term wedding planner.
01:32What does a wedding planner do then?
01:34So they call you and they say, we want to get married, we want it to be somewhere pretty.
01:38I mean to what extent, what's your role, what do you actually do?
01:41It really does depend on the level of support that the clients want.
01:44So we can help from full planning all the way to on the day coordination.
01:47Typically our clients are full planned, so they've just got engaged.
01:50They have no idea where to start, so that's how we begin full plan with them.
01:54Finding the right venue, looking at their styling, looking at their suppliers,
01:58guest list, RSVPs, every logistic involved in the wedding,
02:01we jump in and help them with everything, yeah.
02:04And are you married yourself?
02:05I am, recently married.
02:06So was that just a breeze then, your wedding, because you knew what you were doing?
02:10Absolutely, it was a lot easier.
02:13Do you get any kind of bridezilla's they call them?
02:16Bridezilla's and groomzilla's, we've had a few of those in the past as well.
02:20The grooms get very involved, which to be honest, as hard as it can be at the time,
02:24it's actually really lovely to have the groom involved.
02:27But I completely get it, I've been a bride now, I get the stresses that it involves,
02:31I get the emotions that go with planning, so I completely understand.
02:36Do you ever get like strange requests?
02:38Like they say, well I want this and you know,
02:39I want my ring to be delivered on the back of a goat or something a bit crazy.
02:43I've had dog ring bearers before, nothing too crazy as a goat just as yet.
02:48Yeah, just throwing that one out there.
02:51Well, fantastic work and well done on your awards
02:55and we look forward to catching you at Netley Hall and other venues across the country.