Wedding planners

Members have consulted us when planning a wedding because:

• They want a recommended wedding planner
• They need help with planning individual aspects of a wedding, from stationery to flowers
• They have too much to do at the last minute and need help

Wedding specialist Kate Russell says: 'We're used to helping couples with every aspect of planning their wedding, and we work creatively with any budget. If it's a small affair for 50 people, we can arrange everything. We have a good working knowledge of venues, restaurants and caterers, and can suggest ideas the couple might not have thought of. For bigger weddings, we can recommend wedding planners with great reputations.

'Whether the wedding is big or small, we are happy to take on individual aspects of the arrangements, such as ordering invitations or choosing a venue and dealing with caterers. Our wide-ranging contacts across the travel and entertainment industries really come into their own. People understandably want everything from the wedding day band to the honeymoon to be brilliant (perfect even), and we vet all our suppliers to make sure that they can come up with the goods.

'Many couples want a creative and unique wedding, and we love working on inspired projects. One member wanted a reindeer for her Christmas wedding and we were able to make this happen.

'One member saw her dream dress in a picture but had no idea where to find it. I helped by sourcing the designer - Elie Saab - and discovered the dress was a limited edition only available at Liberty. A few days later I was helping the member try on the dress in the store. Result: one happy and beautifully dressed bride on her wedding day.'

Insider tips

• Choosing and ordering a wedding dress can take six months or more, especially if it's from a leading designer. We have close contacts with many of the wedding fashion pack's most-wanted designers and normally manage to jump the waiting list on appointments.
• We find most brides and grooms already know what kind of engagement and wedding ring they want, but choosing ‘the one' can be daunting. As well as the Bond Street and Hatton Garden jewellers, we knows a supplier who can work with the bride and groom's own designs and save them up to 30 per cent off the final cost - a massive saving considering that precious stones cost thousands.
• Choosing between a civil or religious ceremony and understanding the rules of each is often stressful for newly engaged couples. In civil ceremonies, no mention of religious words is allowed, for instance - so even Robbie Williams' Angels is not going to work. We can advise on the whole process of wedding ceremony planning, helping find venues and churches and recommending appropriate readings, hymns and music.
• Wedding favours (presents) tend to get forgotten by members in all the excitement of planning everything else, as do last-minute travel arrangements. We always makes a checklist with the member well in advance. We also arrange a 'Plan B' so that nothing goes wrong in the final run-up to the big day.
• If the bride wants to help her family and bridesmaids get ready for the wedding we can arrange for pre- and post-wedding treatments, and help out with personal shoppers, stylists and beauticians for the whole wedding party.
• Think of ways to keep younger guests occupied throughout what will be a long day. From sourcing colouring books to booking magicians and bouncy castles, we can help to make sure they're entertained.