London Wedding Planner

I have some exciting news to share with you today – we have a new addition to the Helen Carter Weddings family! My little wedding planning empire is expanding, and I’m very pleased and proud to introduce you to my new assistant, Sarah Nendick.

Sarah is actually a recent bride of mine, and I’m absolutely thrilled to now have her as part of my team. I feel I should point out that I don’t make a habit of hiring my clients (!), but over the last 18 months Sarah and I have formed a rather special bond, and as an old-married I’m really looking forward to having a bride’s perspective and insight on various aspects of wedding planning .

Over the coming weeks Sarah is going to be posting regularly on the blog, and will be sharing some of her wedding finds, DIY projects and creative ideas. Today, however, I’ve asked Sarah a few questions by means of an introduction, so you can find out a bit more about her, her wedding and her plans for being a part of the HCW team. Over to you Sarah!

Tell us a bit about you and your home life.

I am a stay at home mum to two young children aged seven and four and recently married to my other half of 15 years, Andy. An accountant by profession, I generally hate numbers but prefer words and absolutely love all things crafty and creative.

What was your vision for your wedding?

Well, Andy had always insisted that he would never get married and even when the children arrived he didn’t seem ready to change his mind, so although I’d had years and years to plan (and reject) various wedding scenarios, when he finally had a change of heart it caught me by surprise. Having said that I wasn’t going to let the moment pass, and jumped into planning immediately in case he changed his mind again!

About ten years ago, friends of ours got married very quietly with just their mums as guests and a lunch in a local pub as the reception, and Andy had always commented that if he ever got married that is how he would like to do it. After 15 years of waiting I was almost tempted to agree to it, but unwilling to set a precedent in the marriage by letting him get his own way too easily, I suggested that we have a small ceremony followed a couple of months later by a big party for all our family and friends!

Our ceremony was held in February and so we looked for a venue that would be warm and welcoming, willing to have our tiny wedding party of six, but still grand enough to produce stunning photos as that was all that most people would get to see of the day. We settled on Highclere Castle in Berkshire , which was a stunning venue and also held special meaning to us as we first met in nearby Newbury.

Although this was to be a day for very close family only, I still wanted to feel like a proper bride with the dress, music, meal and cake whilst still ensuring that the whole thing wasn’t too overwhelming for our three year old best man and seven year old bridesmaid. We went for warm, winter colours of red and purple which set off the surroundings beautifully and lots of traditional features.

The summer wedding party was a whole different matter. We have moved on from the time where we could have stipulated no children on the invitations, so ensured that the day was filled with fun for the 60 under-twelves who came.

Based on a summer fete, we hired a carousel, had garden games and fairground stalls, a Punch and Judy show, sports day races, ice-creams, a picnic afternoon tea and laid on a crèche for the evening so that the 100 adults could then let their hair down knowing that their little ones were being royally entertained.

There were lots of homemade details, from the decorations, to the photo booth and the favours not to mention the six hundred metres of green, white and red bunting which I made in the run up to the big day!

Why did you feel you needed a wedding planner?

I planned the tiny February ceremony myself, but the amount of work needed to arrange our June reception was more than I could fit in whilst acting as taxi service and social secretary to my two young children. In addition, I didn’t know where to start to find some of the suppliers we used. As the planning went on I was more and more pleased that we had got Helen involved. There were so many things that she dealt with that hadn’t even occurred to me – the lighting set up in the marquee, the intricacies of generator loading and the various types of marquee linings being just a few!

And on the day , having Helen there meant I could concentrate on being the bride rather than worrying that things weren’t set up exactly how we wanted them or timings were overrunning.

What are your interests and how did they translate into your wedding arrangements and styling?

Although an accountant by profession, I have always had the yearning to do something more artistic. I love baking and making and this was a great chance to immerse myself in all things creative. I baked our Victoria sponge wedding cake, made jam and chutney favours, created the inserts for our invitations, collected and decorated jam jars for flowers and night lights, and created decopatch letters and hearts to decorate the gardens and buffet tables. Oh, and there was that bunting too!

With six weeks to go and a to do list growing rather than getting shorter I wondered if I’d done the right thing, but the effort I put in made the day really personal as well as stretching the budget even further.

So what do you have planned for us in the coming weeks?

Well, I hope to share some of my creative ideas with you, both those I used at our wedding and those which I wish I’d had more time for. I will also be showcasing some of my favourite suppliers from the day and those which I would have loved to include had the budget or theme allowed.

My one regret from our wedding reception was that it didn’t go on for a second day so that we’d had more time to enjoy it. By sharing some of it with you, I can make it last even longer!

 

If you want to read more about Sarah’s wedding at Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey!) be sure to stop by the blog again next week, when she’ll be back to share more about the beautiful details of the day. In the meantime, you can follow Sarah on and read about some of her special wedding finds on our .

 

Photo Credits
Sarah: Kirsty Wiseman Photography
Highclere ceremony: M&R Photography
Summer fete reception: guests’ own photos

 

You might also find interesting:

• Sarah’s Thoughts – A Very Small Affair
• Wedding Planner Q&A – Distant Relatives
• Sarah’s Thoughts – Getting Married at Downton Abbey
• Wedding Planning Special Offer