A wedding planner can take on as little or as much of the planning as you want, depending on how much you want to plan yourself, and most planners offer a range of services tailored to suit. My most popular, and comprehensive service is Full Wedding Planning where I work collaboratively with my clients from the start of their planning journey all the way through to the very end. I also offer a Wedding Day Management service where my clients plan their own wedding, and I step in around 6-8 weeks prior to their special day and help to bring everything together and manage the day itself.

So, is hiring a wedding planner the right option for you? Read on for the top 10 benefits of working with a planner…

one

Expertise

An experienced wedding planner is going to be able to give you the best advice when it comes to planning your wedding. As you may quickly discover, planning a wedding can be quite complex, so having a dedicated professional on your team to take away some of the stress and advocate for you is invaluable. Depending on the service you have booked, a wedding planner may be able to save you money (with particular emphasis on the word may!) by thoroughly checking contracts or booking the correct suppliers for the correct service, they will be there for the set-up and de-rig, oversee suppliers, manage your timeline and when things do go wrong (there’s always something!) they will know exactly how to manage the situation in a calm and discreet way. Ultimately they will be dedicated to you, and allow you to let go, relax and enjoy your engagement.

two

Time

A wedding planner will spend 100s upon 100s of hours working with each client, particularly when it’s a logistics heavy weekend-long celebration or a marquee wedding at home. The majority of couples do not have this amount of time to spare, or simply do not want to spend the time that they do have consumed by the nitty gritty of planning their wedding. A wedding planner will be able to save you a considerable amount of time, as depending on which service you book, they will take on most of the admin and logistics involved in delivering your vision.

three

Focus

Planning a wedding can be so overwhelming, especially as you are unlikely to have experience in planning such large-scale events. With so many things to think about it can be hard to know where to even begin! Working with an experienced wedding planner will provide you with clarity and direction. With each of the couples I work with, I help them to establish clear priorities based on what stage of planning they are at, and the timeline we are working with. Breaking each step down to smaller tasks makes the whole process much more manageable.

four

Budget

It is so important to establish a budget from the very start of your wedding planning process. My approach of getting to know my clients, your likes & dislikes and aspirations for your day is a key part of the process, and allows me to shape your budget based on your individual priorities. I will also guide my couples to set a realistic budget, based on my experience and will manage your spending throughout the process, making sure that you know when we’re close to your limit.

five

Contacts

Having a team of suppliers who you can trust is crucial for making sure your day goes to plan, and in a crowded market it can be hard to know where to begin with selecting your suppliers. Hiring a wedding planner who has built up their own network of tried and tested suppliers can be invaluable for helping you to find suppliers of the highest quality to suit your style and your budget.

six

Support

Not only do we provide logistical support, but learning how to manage tricky situations with guests or relatives comes with the territory of being involved in such an emotionally charged day. If you’re unsure how to move forward with certain situations, don’t be afraid to ask your wedding planner for advice; I can assure you, we’re very likely to have experienced similar before now!

seven

Inspiration, Your Style and Your Vision

At Aster & Gold, an integral part of delivering successful events is getting to know my clients. By getting to know you and understanding your personalities, your likes and dislikes, your priorities for your day, and your family dynamics I can refine your ideas and bring your vision to life by weaving all of these elements throughout your day – and if you don’t have a vision, I can help you create one!

eight

Collaboration

You may be worried that hiring a wedding planner means you have to relinquish control of your day – absolutely not! I work on an entirely collaborative approach, all of the decisions remain yours to make, and each element of your day is built around your personal story, making it completely unique to you. I can be as hands-on or as hands-off as you need, and will tailor what I do to suit your needs.

nine

Logistics

When first starting out with your wedding planning, you may find you completely underestimate just how much admin is involved – the endless amounts of list making and back and forth emails could really put a dampener on things! By hiring a wedding planner, you get to hand over all of that admin whilst still getting to enjoy all the fun parts of planning a wedding. I’m not ashamed to say I love a good spreadsheet! All of the logistical challenges that you are not sure how to figure out (or may not have even thought of!) will be off your plate, freeing you up to focus on other things. No matter what stage I start working with you, we will have regular check-ins to ensure you will always have full control and full transparency over where we are at with plans for your special day.

ten

Peace of mind

By hiring a wedding planner, you not only get to tap into their knowledge and experience of the industry, but you also gain a person that you can go to throughout the planning process to ask for advice and support. You won’t need to fret over any element of your day for long, and we are always happy to offer guidance and shoulder the burden of planning your wedding. You also gain peace of mind that on your wedding day, you have a professional on site who you can trust so that you can let go, relax and enjoy your special day.

Get in touch if you would like to find out more about my wedding planning services or to discuss how I might be able to assist you with your special day.

The post Should You Hire A Wedding Planner? appeared first on Aster & Gold.

So, why rebrand?

I have been asked quite a lot about why I decided to rebrand my business, and understandably, some people had their concerns – especially around changing the name. I had worked hard for almost 5 years building my brand, and of course there is a risk involved in effectively starting again with a new name. But truthfully, it just felt like the right thing to do. So much had changed in those 5 years, and my work had evolved to the point that the Wildflower name no longer felt like “me”, and no longer suited the weddings I delivered. I knew that in order for my business to continue to grow I had to make some big changes.

What defining characteristics did you want to carry over to the new brand?

Whilst I wanted to step away from the Wildflower Wedding Planner business name, there were most certainly elements of the existing brand that I wanted to retain. Offering a dedicated service, building close relationships and really taking the time to get to know my clients and what is important to them, is pivotal to my business.

As my work evolved during the time as Wildflower Wedding Planner, I found myself more and more drawn to marquee weddings and celebrations. There is something incredibly special about creating a space designated for a particular couple or a particular event, and I love the creative challenge that comes with a literal blank canvas – so a huge part of the rebrand process was to hone in on this and put my love for marquee celebrations, nature and the English Countryside (which is where I take so much of my inspiration from!) front and centre of the new-look brand.

Let’s talk about the process

Once I had finally committed to the idea of rebranding, I was faced with the task of finding my very own dream team of suppliers who could somehow turn my rambling thoughts into a cohesive and considered brand.

First up, I needed a branding and web designer, and although I had a little look around at some other options, I knew there was only one person for the job… the lovely Becky Lord Design. I am a long-time fan of Becky’s work anyway, but from the moment I enquired I was blown away by her processes, client care and attention to detail – most definitely a girl after my own heart!

Next up, I knew that I wanted to work with a copywriter to help me with a new brand name and refine my messaging so I could really connect with you, my clients! I can be a little indecisive when it comes to doing things for myself, so having Jen from Jackdaw Editorial on my side as my very own word wizard was invaluable. I knew that I wanted to keep a botanical element in the business name, after all, my work is very much influenced by nature and the beautiful English countryside, so Jen and I worked collaboratively on various iterations of the new name before we landed on Aster & Gold.

About the brand – why does it look the way it does?

Once I had decided on the new name, and what I wanted the look of the brand to convey, everything else just started to fall in to place.

I told Becky that I wanted the brand to be sophisticated and timeless. Nothing “trendy”. Nothing too “busy”. Just simple and elegant to reflect who I am and to translate my work in a way that people can relate to.

The Inspiration

^{One of the very first steps in the rebranding process was conveying to Becky the vibe I was going for. She took my ideas and created this beautiful mood board, which then served as inspiration for the branding concept.}

The challenges of rebranding

The whole process with Becky was so incredibly easy and enjoyable – in fact, the most difficult part was choosing which of the two initial concepts to move forward with because she absolutely nailed the brief and I adored everything she created for me. Becky really got to the bottom of what I wanted my brand to be, my core values and the aesthetics.

The actual relaunch itself came with a few small challenges to overcome – not least because of the nerves that started to build, wondering whether I’d made the right decision to rebrand and change the name of the business. Is anyone going to like it?! Is business going to suffer because of it?! And truthfully, relaunching in the middle of a busy wedding season wasn’t ideal timing – but there is always going to be something that crops up, and I just wanted it out there in the world.

Thankfully, I can safely say that it was 100% the right decision to go through this process and all of the concerns I felt have dissipated. The brand as a whole feels so much more aligned now, and is working succinctly – so I can focus on delivering impeccable events for my clients, knowing that my beautiful brand is working hard for me.

My favourite features

I adore the Aster & Gold logo. The font used for the logo is bespoke and I love it’s sophisticated simplicity. And I love the patterns and illustrations! Again, these were created by Becky especially for Aster & Gold. They are only used as accents, but I love how the botanical elements just seems to bring everything together. And of course, the new website is so beautiful and such a perfect reflection of my new brand.

What can you expect from Aster & Gold moving forward?

Moving forward, I will continue to plan and design quietly luxurious, heartfelt weddings and events for my clients. Whilst each and every event is different, the hallmarks of an Aster & Gold celebration tend to be an abundance of fragrant flowers, a setting close to the great outdoors, a focus on fine food and drink – and an epic party!

You can read more about the planning services I offer and my approach by clicking here.

The post The Rebrand: From Wildflower Wedding Planner to Aster and Gold appeared first on Aster & Gold.

I know it can be a little overwhelming when you first start planning – there are big decisions to be made, and so many questions you are expected to know the answers to that you’ve probably never even thought about! But don’t stress, I’m going to share my top tips that I promise will get your planning off to a flying start. 

one

Your Budget

One of the most important aspects to consider, and get right early on, is your budget. You might not have a clue what you need to allocate to each supplier at this stage, but you should at least start off with the upper limit that you are comfortable spending. There is no right or wrong amount, but whatever it is, make sure that it is realistic and achievable for you.

If your parents or other family members are going to be contributing in anyway, then have a frank conversation with them early on too. 

two

Your Priorities 

Once you have your overall budget decided, it’s time to start discussing your priorities, and decide what is most important to you both. Whether that’s your catering, the flowers, the band or something else – knowing early on what will get the biggest percentage of your budget will help you to stay on track and makes it much easier to gather proposals that fit with this amount and your brief. 

three

Your Guest List

Whether you want an intimate gathering or a large wedding, the number of guests you decide to have will feed directly in your overall budget. After all, guests equal money! The more guests you have the more tables and chairs you’ll need, more cutlery, crockery and glassware, more invitations, more food and drink. The more tables you have the more centrepieces you’ll need – you get the idea! 

Having a rough idea of your guest numbers from the beginning will also help you to find a suitable venue, or marquee requirements. 

four

Your Wedding Design

Before you jump in to booking suppliers think about the overall design for your wedding. You don’t need to know every minute detail at this stage but having a clear vision will really help you to find the right suppliers who suit your style and will help them to create a proposal that fits your brief. Whilst looking to the wedding industry for ideas can be helpful, you should also look for inspiration within your own lives – travel, interior design, nature, architecture, your memories and special moments can all be great sources of inspiration and will help ensure your special day is a true reflection of you both. 

five

Hire a Wedding Planner

If budget allows, working with a wedding planner from the very start can help you with all the above, and more. They will take away all the stress of finding a suitable venue, sourcing suppliers to fit your brief, allocate your budget and bring your design ideas to life. You’ll be working closely with your planner so it’s important to find someone you relate to and who you can trust. 

six

Enjoy, and don’t rush!

It’s so tempting to rush ahead and start booking things in all the excitement, but take a breath, consider your options and approach your planning methodically. Take care of the big things first such as your marquee or venue, catering, photographer and planner. Most importantly have fun and enjoy the process! 

Once you do start your wedding planning, you may feel like you could do with some professional help – take a look at my post where I share the top 10 benefits of working with a wedding planner, and check out my wedding planning services.

The post Newly Engaged? How to Start Planning a Wedding  appeared first on Aster & Gold.