The Perfect Proposal

Did you know... it is tradition that women may propose marriage only on a leap year, on the 29^th of February to be exact... I was curious to find out if this tradition still exists today and much to my delight many women all over the country did get down on one knee and proposed marriage to their unsuspecting partners this week!

TV Presenter, Lisa Maxwell from ITV’s Loose Women was one of the brave ladies who did just that... as the clock struck midnight on February the 29^th whilst lying in bed in her PJ’s she proposed to her long term boyfriend Paul – how romantic! The other loose women were delighted and very proud of Lisa, saying it showed girl power...

Three other ladies also proposed live on air on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women... I take my hat off to them, doing something (and in this case very publically) that is usually seen as the ‘guy thing to do’ is very brave.... And I’m sure I'm not the only one thinking; if these guys wanted to get married, surly they would have proposed...? All of these guys did accept the marriage proposal and looked extremely happy, so that obviously isn’t the case.... Did it just not cross their mind? Or were they planning on proposing in the future?.... Who knows?

I did get a phone call once from a guy asking if I plan proposals!... The more I thought about it, the more I realised how difficult and daunting it is for some guys to plan the Perfect Proposal.

Take my husband Jon for example, we had only been together for just over a year and were already planning our future together, it was clear to see that we both wanted to get married and live happily ever after... It was just a case of getting engaged...  Jon told me that he wanted to proposal traditionally when the time was right but openly admitted that he felt the pressure of getting in right due to my job – “Everyone is going to want to hear how ‘The Wedding Planner’ was proposed to, it’s got to be good!”

He said he would get me when I least expected it, If he’d suggested a weekend in Paris or a romantic picnic, I would have guessed straight away what was about to happen and spoil the surprise...

He did get me when I was least expecting it... I had been out coordinating a wedding, I arrived home in the evening to find a note on the front door “Open this door carefully”... The second I opened the door all I could see was a path of candles through the lounge, the music playing was the song that we had already chosen for our first dance song, I knew straight away what was happening... I followed the path of candles (in floods of tears!) to find even more candles in the dining room and kitchen, still no sign of Jon, but on the table was a bottle of Moet, 2 glasses and a card which read “How’d you like it if both our names have Stones on the end?” (The lyrics from one of our favourite songs)... And then he appeared with a sparkly ring in hand and got down on one knee... don’t ask me to repeat what he said as I can’t remember, but I do remember that the first words out of my mouth after his heartfelt speech were “It’s hot in here with all these candles!”

That was my perfect proposal... I would have been mortified if he had proposed anywhere there were crowds of people, to me a proposal is something special between two people... but that’s just me...

There really is no right or wrong or good or bad proposal, it’s simply what suits you as a couple, some girls would love an extravagant show of affection such as ‘Will you marry me’ written in the sand that they fly over in a helicopter, whereas other would be over the moon with a Haribo sweet ring left on their pillow at night.

Guys (or girls) when planning your perfect proposal, think about the two of you as a couple, what you love and the things that are important to you and remember you don’t have to spend a fortune, as they say it’s the thought that counts...

Good luck x

Wedding Industry Awards - Voter feedback

As you may be aware I recently won Best Wedding Planner East Midlands at the Wedding Industry Awards, it is with huge thanks to all the wonderful couples who I have worked with over the last few years who voted for me, which allowed me to be recognised and awarded!

I have just been sent a copy of all the comments left by the couples who voted for me... I must say it bought a tear to my eye reading through them...

“Lisa's services made the world of difference and was vital to making our wedding such a wonderful day. Prior to the day, she was professional, helpful and extremely well organised but on the day itself she was a godsend and dealt with all unexpected problems quickly and with the minimum of fuss. Out of all the various services that we paid for, Lisa was by far the best value for money, allowing the two of us to relax and enjoy our wedding which was wonderful.”

“Absolutely bloody amazing! We had the best day ever which ran like clockwork all down to Lisa's excellent planning.”

 “I planned my wedding all by myself but as my wedding had a lot going on I knew I needed someone there to know what was happening, Lisa was amazing everything was on time just how I like it :) we defo got our money worth and even more.. Lisa is a lovely person x”

“I wasn’t sure about wedding planners. i did think they would be very expensive and only planned expensive weddings. I met Lisa at a wedding fair, she was very approachable and wasn't pushy in selling her service. Lisa came round our house for a free consultation, It was the best decision i had made, Lisa took off alot of the pressures and was full of different ideas, and gave us alot of choices that we didn’t think we could have for our budget. Lisa was very honest in her view and never compared us to other weddings, she was always available to contact if needed. Our Wedding day was Perfect and it wouldn't of been the same with out Lisa help.”

“Lisa was superb and found our wedding venue for us. She was meticulous, very professional and delivered on her promises. She also organised my daughters wedding, which was a fabulous event enjoyed by all.”

“Lisa was absolutely fantastic up to and including on the day of our wedding. I felt so confident that everything was under control and didn't have to worry about a thing on the day. Lisa thinks of every minor detail, things that would not have even crossed my mind. She is very professional, reliable and very competent.”

“Fantastic, she is fab!!”

“Lisa certainly made finding the perfect venue for our day a much easier task. She has a very friendly can do attitude and has a very calming influence at what can be a very stressful time.”

“Lisa was fantastic. She took all the stress out of the day and made sure that we didn't have to do anything except turn up and enjoy it! Having worked in hospitality for several years I knew I wanted someone else to be there to be the go between for suppliers and the venue and Lisa took my plans and my dreams and made it work with no fuss and very little handover. I genuinely believe that without her the day would not have been so easy for us. My guests would still have enjoyed it but it would have been because I was looking after them and with Lisa around I was able to relax and enjoy MY wedding day.”

“Lisa was wonderful. Really attentive. She had great ideas and knows how to organise a great party. Really fun to work with.”

“Lisa provided an excellent stress free day that worked and ran seamlessly. The contacts she provided were also excellent within their field.”

“Lisa was amazing during our wedding. She took every effort to make myself and my husband have the most wonderful day. I was feeling ill during the reception and Lisa went out of her way to try and make me feel more comfortable. She not only made us at ease but worked hard will all the guests to ensure they had a wonderful time.”

 “Lisa was recommended to us by a family member whose wedding she had co-ordinated. From the very first meeting Lisa put as ease with her friendly and professional manner. We decided to book Lisa for on the day co-ordiation. Even though Lisa was only booked for the day, she was always available for advice and helped us negotiate with suppliers etc. The week before the wedding Lisa helped to make final arrangements including meeting with the venue and photographer. Lisa also helped to transport everything to the venue and to dress the venue on the day. Without Lisa I think my Mum and Dad would be getting divorced! She took all the stress out of wedding planning making sure everyone enjoyed the whole process. On the day Lisa was outstanding, even when the venue had a power cut!! I can't praise Lisa enough, she is a star!”

“Very professional & detail oriented. Thought of everything in advance thus preventing any mishaps on the day. Also very personable and easy to communicate with.”

“Great service, great girl, well worth the money.”

“Excellent planning from Lisa. Took charge of everything we wanted and mad sure the day ran perfectly. Very friendly and approachable and endless good advice when we asked for opinions. Would recommend to everyone!”

“Lisa was worth her weight in gold both before the wedding and on the day. From the first time we met her at our complementary consultation, she was enthusiastic about our day and we really felt as if she was interested in helping us to have our dream wedding. We approached her with many aspects of the wedding arranged but we had a lot of ideas for the day that we didn't know how to bring to fruition. Lisa was able to source the suppliers we needed at prices that we could afford, helping us have the day that we wanted and save money at the same time. On the day she co-ordinated all of our suppliers effortlessly and was on hand for any last minute hiccups that we experienced, even calling at my house at 7:30am on the morning of the wedding to pick up last minute items .... including the music for the wedding ceremony!! Despite her having a number of weddings throughout the summer, including her own, she always made herself available to us when we needed her and we always felt like we had her 100% attention. Knowing that we had someone with her experience & knowledge at the other end of the phone throughout the planning stages & on the day, had a calming effect on the both of us & really did enable us to have the day of our dreams!!”

“Lisa was fantastic! We would (have) recommended her services to clients who want a truly perfect day! Our guests still comment about how magical and organised our day was- one of the best weddings they have ever attended. Lisa is a huge part to achieving that.”

“Lisa helped us with the final, but very importing, details of the wedding. Since we then had a one year old son, I could do with all the help I could get. She sorted out the Flowers, Cake, first dance teacher and helped me to stay calm and mediated with the supplier when the dress was not tailored right and when I found out the original black horses were going to be replaced with white ones (at that time it seemed a disaster, it turned out to be perfect!). She organised/managed all the decorating of the hall on the day and made sure it all fitted in with the themed colour. All in all, she made our day just perfect. I am still very proud when I sometimes look at her website and see us standing on her list as well, looking absolutely amazing.”

Surviving the Wedding Fayre Season: As a Bride & Groom

Wedding fayres... Love them or hate them.... January to April is prime wedding fayre season as couples who got engaged at Christmas, New Year or Valentines begin making plans for their big day!

There will be at least one wedding fayre taking place every weekend (mostly Sunday’s) between January & April in your local area, so there are more than enough to choose from.... although a piece of advice, as much as they can be exciting, don’t go to all of them as this will just simply confuse you and you will just bump into the same suppliers over and over again!

My top tip would be to choose at least 1 large fayre to attend such as the NEC or the I Do Shows – go as a group and make a day of it! (Guys you might want to steer clear of this one unless you are feeling very brave as these fayres are very busy and predominantly full of ladies!)

National Wedding Show 16^th – 18^th March 2012 NEC Birmingham

 I Do Wedding Show 12^th February 2012 Leeds United

If the venue where you are getting married hosts its own wedding fayre, make sure you add this one to your list as it’s likely to be full of trusted suppliers who know your wedding venue well.

Then choose another 2-3 local wedding fayres that are taking place at hotels or venues near to where you live or to the area you are planning on getting married in... This will ensure that the suppliers you are talking to are local and hopefully know your wedding venue, as this is always a bonus!

Choose carefully; think about who is hosting the fayre and where it is taking place, this usually reflects the type of suppliers who will be exhibiting... for example, a beautiful stately home will have suppliers exhibiting who are traditional and offer a high end quality service.

Before attending any wedding fayre, think about what you want to get out of it, is it to...

A) Find and book certain supplier(s)

or

B) Find inspiration & Ideas

As you are walking around looking at all the exhibitions, keep focused on why you are there... it’s very easy to get caught up watching the fashion show and tasting cake samples (even though you already have your cake maker booked!)

Remember that ultimately the suppliers are there to try to sell their product or service to you... As lovely as something might be ask yourself, does it fit within the theme/style of your day, do you need or want it and most importantly can you afford it?

Do try to come away with something from every fayre that will contribute towards your big day, even if it is as simple as a decision made that you do definitely want chair covers for example!

But most of all, remember that planning a wedding is fantastic fun and visiting wedding fayres is just part of that fun.... so enjoy! 

 Images taken by Firestar Photography  at The Peak Edge Hotel Wedding Fayre 2011 

2011 Summary

As I begin 2012... it's nice to have a quick look back over last year... 

I had the privilege of working with 22 amazing couples, all of whom celebrated their wedding day during 2011...

They each chose a planning package that I tailored to suit their individual requirements, but the most popular packages still remain Full Coordination and On-the-day Coordination. 

Although most of these couples live in the Midlands in the UK, a number of my couples were from different parts of the world, including Shanghai and Thailand... they all had the same thing in common... they had chosen to celebrate their wedding day in the Midlands, England.

It was an honour to coordinate these weddings at such beautiful venues... including The Peak Edge Hotel , The Maynard, Aston Hall, Prestwold Hall and Thrumpton Hall to name but a few... and I really look forward to working with many of these venues again this year.

Not only was 2011 the year of the Royal Wedding... it was also the year I married the man of my dreams! 

It really was the best day of our lives!! With thanks to our venue Hodsock Priory and on-the-day coordinator Joy from Unique Wedding Planning who together made sure I switched off from wedding planner mode and enjoyed my day as the bride!!

2011 was also the year that I launched The Wedding Planning College with Joy, which offers training and guidance to those wanting to follow in my wedding planning footsteps, the college is going from strength to strength and I look forward to meeting lots of new delegates this year...

And just when I thought the year couldn't get much better... I found out I had won Best Wedding Planner East Midlands at the Wedding Industry Awards!!
What a fantastic end to a fantastic year!

Bring on 2012!! 

Best Wedding Planner East Midlands!!

What a fantastic start to the year.... to find out that I have won Best Wedding Planner East Midlands at the Wedding Industry Awards, which means I am now a finalist for the National Award... Best Wedding Planner UK! How exciting!

It is the biggest compliment and fills me with pride to know that the couples I have worked with during 2010 and 2011 have voted for me... I beat off the 5 other regional entrants to claim the title Best Wedding Planner East Midlands!

The awards are taking place in London on the 18th of January and the national winners will be announced live on stage! Wish me luck...

For further information about the awards click here Wedding Industry Awards 


I had a mention in my local news paper, The Derbyshire Times about the awards click to read the full article

I came Runner Up in The Young Business Person of the Year Category at The Derbyshire Times Business Awards on Thursday!

Huge thank you to who ever it was who nominated me.... I feel really proud and honoured to have been put forward! 

Award Nominations

Well it's been a great week.... I've found out I've been nominated and short-listed for 2 separate awards...

Young Business Person of The Year 

Derbyshire Times Business Awards

Winners are announced this week at an awards event at the B2Net Stadium, Chesterfield.

Wedding Planner of the Year - East Midlands 


The Wedding Industry Awards


Regional winners will be published on The Wedding Industry Awards website at the end of November 2011. Regional winners will then be invited to the awards event in London, where the national winners will be announced...

Wish me luck...!

Mine & Jon's Wedding Film

I just had to share this with you all as I love it so much!

We are so pleased that we decided to have our wedding day captured on film as it's such an amazing way to look back and remember the day.

Lisa & Jon

Click this link to visit the You Tube page and watch the film

A massive shout out to the very talanted Tom & Matt of Bell Pritchard Media for creating this for us! Click the link to visit their facebook fan page.... and don't forget to tell them who sent you!!

Sarah & Tom's Wedding - 23rd July 2011

The lovely Sarah & Tom celebrated their marriage on Saturday at the gorgeous Endsor Church on the Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire.... then as their guests enjoyed the trip on the Vintage Bus to The Maynard for the reception, the newly weds took a little detour to capture a few photos making the most of the beautiful setting!

Thanks to their photographers Rachel & Justin from Image Boutique for sharing these beautiful shots 

I had been working with Sarah & Tom on a part planning package, when we met they had already found the perfect venue and a number of suppliers, but now needed help pulling the rest of the plans together. As they lived in London, it was even more difficult for them to spend time in Derbyshire sourcing local suppliers... 

As I was local to the area, I already knew great, reliable suppliers who could provide everything else they needed for their big day.

The day arrived and the sun shone.... it was such a gorgeous day, Sarah looked amazing and their guests had lots of fun.... It was pleasure to be a part of!

Huge congratulations for a happy future together x

Here are a few photos from the day....

For more photos and supplier details - visit their gallery page on my website
Sarah & Tom 

Mine & Jon's Wedding - 1st July 2011

Well, we did it! Jon and I got married on the 1st of July at the gorgeous Hodsock Priory 

It was a welcomed change to be the bride instead of the wedding planner for a change!

It was perfect.... the best day of our lives!

We can't thank all our suppliers enough as each and everyone of them were amazing and made the day what it was!

Big shout out to -

George, Linda and the team at Hodsock Priory 

Marie & Dominique from Osborne Catering for the delicious Fillet Steak!

Jayne and team from Simply Divine for the most amazing Hog Roast.

Chris and his Ice Cream Bike 

Karen & Jo from Layers Cakes for the beautiful wedding cake.

Soraya Moore for the most gorgeous flowers! 

Taylor & Wynne for the Candelabras.

The very talented Looch and Ashmore Acoustics for keeping the guests entertained during the drinks reception and then band Brotherhood for ensuring the dance floor full all evening!

Rachel & Justin from Image Boutique for capturing some amazing photos and Tom & Matt from Bell Pritchard Media for capturing the day on film.

Choola , Mirage Couture and Emma Buck for making us all look gorgeous!

And last but certainly not least..... My on-the-day wedding coordinator Joy from Unique Wedding Planning who made sure I didn't try and be the wedding planner on my own wedding day!!

Here are a few of the official photos from our day