PART ONE
Wedding planning isn’t always easy! I have had so many questions about planning my own wedding while I am a wedding planner myself, working in the wedding industry, so the lovely Chloe who works alongside me has decided to put together some FAQs we have been getting from you all to talk all about my own wedding!
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Hey! It’s Chloe! I have had the opportunity and pleasure to chat to Hannah all about her own wedding planning and wedding day! She is known for her attention to detail, great taste and “will do anything!” attitude, she has built her career out of making other people’s dreams come true.
Now as she steps into the role of a Bride, we have the rare opportunity to flip the narrative and see how she has brought her own wedding to life, learn what she has learnt, and follow the emotions of a Bride planning her own wedding, as a wedding planner.
How did you and Martyn meet? We met through friends on a night out! It was a bit of a whirlwind as he lived in Bedfordshire and I was in Norfolk, so we were travelling to see each other. Martyn then moved to Birmingham, which was even further, so he asked me to move with him! After just 3 months….and the rest is history!
How did the proposal go? It was amazing and completely unexpected! We are both into hiking, so we hiked Snowdon and then took the trail up to Y Lliwedd, which was a really quiet mountain peak, so it was super private! I didn’t have a clue that it was happening!! Martyn is very much into photography and videography, so it was very normal that he would put a drone up into the sky and ask me to stand somewhere so he could video the landscape. This is what he did before he proposed and so we have it all on film! You can see it over on Instagram!
What did you do for your Hen and Stag? Martyn went to Wales for the weekend and camped, did some activities etc and we rented a house in Cambridgeshire for the weekend! We both kept it very much ‘us’. We didn’t want the typical hen/stag parties focused around drinking!
Why did you decide on an elopement and a separate wedding day? Being in the industry for so many years, I have seen MANY civil ceremonies, and I just don’t feel they are completely personal to the couple. I wanted to get the legal part done separately, and then have a really personal service on the wedding day. The elopement then turned into more of a celebration, which was completely different and very much us, which we LOVED! There is no way we could have had that wedding with family and friends there, so we are really glad we made that decision and had the experience of the elopement!
What bits of the wedding were the easiest to plan? Finding suppliers as I know so many amazing ones. It was in ways, also difficult, as I then had to choose from them all! Also, the elopement, as we kept it so stripped back.
What did Martyn plan? He was very much involved in final decisions. He also sorted the suits for himself and his best man, along with his elopement suit, shoes etc. We both made all the final decisions on music, flow of the day, etc. He also very much wanted a pianist. As Martyn is really into his photography, he did the research on local photographers.
Let’s talk elopement quickly first!
How did you come up with the decision to climb Snowdon for an elopement, why was it so important to you? The first time we climbed Snowdon was one of our stand-out experiences together, and it really got us into hiking. We also got engaged there, so it had to be done! It was also really important for us to have a very personal day!
How did it work, how did you make it a legal wedding ceremony? We got married at the registry office first, then drove 20 minutes to start the climb with our 2 photographers, videographer and 2 friends who carried our bags with food, water etc.
How was climbing Snowdon in your wedding outfits? Everybody kept saying ‘Wow you will struggle in a dress’, but I chose a dress which was a beautiful material and had a slit, so I was fine! Martyn did slightly struggle in tight trousers though…
What did you do after the climb to celebrate? Due to a group of us climbing, the time of the ceremony and stopping for photos etc, we didn’t actually get back down until 8pm, so we went and got pizza which we ate in our van in a beautiful park up. We were knackered so it was an early night!!
What is your biggest takeaway from that experience? Always follow your heart and do what YOU want to do! So many people thought we were crazy and didn’t really understand the idea, but this didn’t deter us! The elopement was literally perfect, there wasn’t a single thing I would change. The weather was amazing to us, and it will forever be the best day of my life.
Let’s talk about your wedding day!
How did you feel moments before your wedding? Excited! I just wanted to get going! The emotions kicked in literally as I was about to walk down the aisle! I was absolutely fine all morning, just excited.
What was the most special part of your wedding? A stand-out moment for me was during our drinks reception. We hired an acoustic guitarist who was amazing, and we danced together with our friends and family – anyone would have thought it was the evening reception at that point! Also, absolutely loved Martyn’s speech. The morning was also really special for me, everyone was so excited and so happy with their hair and makeup. It was a lovely chilled morning.
We want to know about the planning! What was the number 1 most stressful thing about your wedding planning? People’s input. People who wanted to get involved in a negative way. It’s very stressful trying to manage other people’s emotions and what they think you should do.
You must get asked this as a planner quite a bit, there is always a debate on how long you need to plan for a wedding! How long were you actively planning for? We got engaged in August 2022 and started thinking about what we wanted to do. We knew straight away what we wanted to do for the elopement, but we didn’t actually book our venue for the wedding day until Jan 2023, so planning started then really, so around a year and a half. We would have loved to have had the wedding in 2023 but the diary didn’t allow it! And I am so glad now that we didn’t go for 2023 as that would have been busy!!
How did you decide on 2 wedding dresses? Originally, did you want them to be similar or different to one another? I got my elopement dress pretty quickly! It was one of the first things I did. I knew I had to be able to climb in it, and I really wanted a long-sleeved dress. For the wedding day, I wanted a different vibe, and something more fitted. I actually bought this dress on the 1st outing! I only tried it on because my sister-in-law liked it and wanted me to try it on! I knew in my head the kind of thing I wanted, although I did end up with something quite different! Just with elements such as spaghetti straps and a plunge front.
How did you decide on your Bridesmaids dresses? And how was organising dresses with your Bridesmaid’s not living local? They made their own decision on dresses! I gave them the colour scheme and they chose what they wanted, so they could go off and shop for themselves. I ordered swatches for the colours so they knew what colour to get.
We are only halfway through our interview, so stay tuned for part two of stepping into the mind of a wedding planner, planning her own wedding(s)! In Part Two Hannah will be letting us in on food choices, honeymoon and planning as a planner with her own reflections and advice for all of you lovely couples!
If you’re planning your wedding and need some assistance, perhaps you’re struggling to find time, or are not sure where to start, you can get in touch for a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can work together here!
Want to hear more about my elopement and full wedding day? You can listen here and here!