Your Kent Wedding - Jan/Feb 2020 (Issue 88)

C ongratulations, you’re engaged! Ok, now what? First things first – agree your budget together, and for a stress-free ride, make a pinky promise to stick to it. Priority will then be booking your venue and securing your wedding date. Only after this can everything else start to fall into place. Potentially the most overwhelming stage is deciding on your suppliers. These are the folk who will make your big day happen, so it’s important to get right. We know the sheer volume of choice can be overwhelming, so we’ve compiled the ultimate guide to recruiting your W-day team, with the help of none other than Kent’s talented suppliers themselves. Remember, you got this! PLANNED TO PERFECTION Our experts’ guide to tip top W-day organisation THE CELEBRANT Karina says: In Kent, there’s a natural assumption that you’re going to book the registrar service. So if you’ve decided that an independent celebrant is for you, you’ll need to check their availability, reserve them, and let your wedding coordinator know – as you may find they automatically book, and pay a deposit to the registrars on your behalf! When choosing the right celebrant for you, consider the experience they’ll bring to your day, as well as the exclusivity they can offer. If guests get stuck in traffic, or any other unavoidable delays occur, you don’t want your celebrant rushing through the ceremony because they need to be heading off to the next one. Most experienced celebrants will book just one wedding per day, so that they can offer you the perfect ceremony no matter what time it starts. Karina O’Donnell, Simply Ceremonies, celebrant-uk.co.uk ❏ TOP TIP Don’t forget to let your venue know if you’re booking a celebrant instead of a registrar michaelnewingtongray.com THE FOOD Clare says: We recommend booking your wedding catering as the next big step in planning your perfect celebration after the wedding venue. It’s important to have trust in whomever you hire, and know that they can be flexible, as well as capable of delivering on time, to budget. ❤ Check their credentials. Are they award-winning? Are they recommended by the venue? What are their clients saying about them on social media? ❤ Ask a lot of questions. What’s included in the price? What’s their average wedding size? Do they offer alternatives to the sit- down formal reception? Will they set up your room? Do they include a food tasting session? ❤ Ask for a timeline. This should include an indication of when payments are due, and how much, as well as deadlines for submitting final guest numbers. Clare Smith, Touchays Event Caterers, touchays.com ❏ rebeccacarpenterphotography.com TOP TIP Question everything! 75 WEDDING PLANNING