Today we've got a pretty special guest contributor.
Meet Kylie, the Director of the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning.
The UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning is the only training institution in the UK to offer specialised courses in Wedding Styling and Design, with a range of sought-after courses and training tools to accredit wedding planners, event planners, wedding stylists and event designers.
With almost 20 years' experience in the planning business, Kylie is the person who teaches wedding planners how to plan weddings. So it's safe to say she knows more than a thing or two about managing budgets, creating an atmosphere, and putting a couple's stamp on their wedding day.
Photo by Elisa Bricker Photography via Bridal Musings
And today she's sharing a little bit of her wisdom with couples who are planning their own nuptials.
Over to you Kylie…
Top Tips from The Wedding Planning Academy…
Planning a wedding can be very overwhelming, there is so much choice and so many places to go to for inspiration and advice.
I spend a large portion of my time researching everything that is happening in the wonderful world of weddings as part of my role as the Director of the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning.
I love this aspect of my role as it allows me to spend time on some wonderfully creative blogs, such as Bridal Musings, and completely absorb myself in the creativity of some of these amazing wedding professionals.
Photo by KT Merry Photography via Wedding Sparrow
However, it is very easy to get side tracked by all the loveliness and lose focus on what I’m actually supposed to be doing.
So if I’m getting distracted when I do this for a living I can just imagine how hard it is for a bride to sift through all the images, advice, tips and information and come up with a cohesive plan for her wedding.
Photo by Depict Photography via Bridal Musings
With that in mind I thought I would share with my top tips for planning a wedding in 2014:
Tip No 1. – You Can’t Have It All.
Every couple has a budget and it doesn’t matter if that budget is £15,000 or £100,000 there is always a limit.
My advice is to pick two or three key elements and make a statement with them.
You can make a big impact and a wow factor with just a couple of key things, but when your budget has to be spread over several areas you can’t achieve the same effect and everything becomes lost in the volume of ideas.
Photo by Peachey Photography via Bridal Musings
Tip No 2 – Don’t be a Slave to Trends.
Trends are only popular when they are trending. By nature a trend is here today and gone tomorrow.
Whilst, as wedding professionals, we are definitely led by what is trending in the world of fashion and interior design we use it as inspiration only.
We then take it and mould it so we can come up with something that is unique to our clients and their personalities.
You want to be able to look back at your wedding in ten or twenty years time and still be blown away by it, not be shuddering at how dated it looks.
Photo by Jonas Peterson Photography via Bridal Musings
Tip No 3 – Let Your Venue Dictate Your Style.
To a degree, your venue will dictate the style of your wedding, simply because it is the biggest element.
Too many times we have seen couples take a stunning stately home and try and turn it into something it isn’t.
If you want a rustic style wedding then perhaps look at using a barn as your venue, or if you have an edgy, contemporary style to your wedding then consider some of the more unique venues such as an old warehouse, art gallery or museum.
For something open plan then try a marquee, teepee or Papakata tent, as they are more of a blank canvas and can be moulded to suit your style. Use your venue to help you create the style of your wedding and work with it rather than against it.
Photo by Harmony Loves Photography via Wedding Sparrow
Tip No 4 – Define Your Style as a Couple
When we teach our students how to conduct a consultation with a bridal client we talk to them about what sort of questions to ask when they first meet that client.
All of those questions are completely relevant to you and you can be your own wedding planner. In order to really know what you want from your wedding you have to understand your own style.
Where do you like to shop? What colours do you like? Where do you like to go on holiday? What restaurants do you like to eat at? What music do you like? Where would you go on a night out?
All these questions, and many more, will help you to define who you are as a couple, so your wedding can be a direct reflection of who you are and not who you think you should be.
Photo by Harmony Loves Photography via Wedding Sparrow
Tip No 5 – Forget About Weddings for a While
You entire life does not need to be about your wedding. You must to remember to take some time out from wedding planning.
When I’m feeling creatively challenged or lacking in the inspiration department I often put everything aside and do something completely unrelated to my work.
This might mean I take the dog for a walk, go for a facial, workout at the gym or go to my favourite coffee shop to be inspired by some people watching.
Whatever it is, I remove myself from my workspace for a while and I always come back feeling so much better with a renewed energy and vigour, and more often than not my inspiration has returned too.
If my tips have inspired the wedding planner or designer in you, then remember to check out the courses we offer in wedding planning, styling and design at The Wedding Planning Academy.
The majority of our students fell in love with the idea of a career in the wedding industry whilst planning their own wedding.
Photo by Alicia Swedenborg via Love My Dress
Such great advice. Especially about the questions you have to ask yourselves about your personal style, what a great tip?
For more information on The UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planners, (and their wonderful courses) check out their website, and keep up with their regular musings, top tips and pretty pictures on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
For more great planning advice, check out our dedicated step-by-step guide.
