RandFWeddings 2019 in review…
If we had to sum up 2019 in a nutshell it would look something like this, 13 gorgeous weddings, International clients, 4 Christmas party nights, corporate events, award winning, award judging, award presenting with an added sprinkle of lecturing and travel.
Enlarging on the nutshell version a little we have have had the pleasure of planning and managing weddings for some truly awesome, loving and even humbling couples this year and wow this year has been a roller coaster ride.
From local Cambridgeshire couples like Jo & Chris, Lynda & Tim to London weddings including a wedding with iconic photos on the steps of the Old Marylebone Town Hall our UK couples have been simply amazing.
Internationally we had the pleasure of bringing Kent born Nat back from New Zealand with her handsome man Chris to the stunning and individual venue that is Preston Court where Lina & Tom worked their Photography magic on the carousel.
Following on the international theme 2019 proved that the UK is a go to destination for many international couples whom came from as far as Germany, New Zealand, and the US.
We have also had a number of beautifully diverse weddings including the Indian and Scottish-English fusion wedding of Shristi and Thom plus I’m sorry guys but for pulling on our heartstrings our couple Marjorie and Kenneth win hands down…
Marjorie and Kenneth what can we say, Kenneth is 98 years young and as sharp as a button with charm in abundance, an ex police and military man with many medals having both served in the war and also as a personal protection officer for the Royal Family, listening to his stories of meeting Eisenhower just left us feeling humbled and determined to give him and Marjorie the wedding day they deserved. Many of you will also have met our planning assistant Hannah, Hannah is studying for a diploma in wedding planning and is currently training with us; Majorie and Kenneth were so kind as to allow Hannah to be far more involved in the planning and management of the day.
No 2019 review would be complete without more than a nod to Alex and Amy our very own #oxfordmentalists theirs was truly a wedding of epic proportions, on private land we had 8 Tipi’s, 3 marquees, dodgems, golf buggies to ferry guests around the site, a bell tent village, 2 days of hardcore DJ’s with a surprise outdoor cinema to end the final night.
To all our 2019 Couple we thank you..!
Alex & Henry, Charlotte & Rob, Danielle & Nils, Jo & Chris, Lynda & Tim, Michaela & Ollie, Nat & Chris, Sadie & Jonathan, Sarah & Chris, Shristi & Thom, Amy & Alex, Isobel & Trevor and Marjorie & Kenneth we loved working with all of you.
On top of our weddings we were pleased to be announced the Luxury Travel Guide Wedding Planner of the year , and also 2nd place in the National Wedding Awards. 2019 also saw the launch of the Trading Standards backed Consumer Code for Weddings and Events, (CCWE) and we were delighted when our very own Vanessa was approached to be on the standards advisory board, setting acceptable standards for the wedding industry.
With all those weddings its amazing we had any spare time at all but somehow we also managed to squeeze in a luxury wedding atelier at the Chateau St George in the south of France where we also scooped a mini photo shoot with the amazing dress designer Sharon Bowen-Dryden shot by the amazing Lina of Lina & Tom.
Prior to France we also managed to squeeze in a trip to a brand new hedonistic Bless hotel location in Ibiza, with their roof bar terrace complete with infinity pool and 4 poster loungers it is perfect for hedonist couples looking for an open air ceremony in the sun.
No annual review would be complete without a mention to Civil Ceremonies Ltd, we continually help inform all our couples about all their ceremony choices and we love working with Civil ceremonies to train their incoming celebrants, we also always look forward to the National Celebrants Awards for whom Vanessa judges and presents the awards. This year was extra special for when we booked Kelly Hawes Celebrant for Trevor & Isobel’s wedding we didn’t realise just how much we had inspired Kelly on our lectures two years previous until on the day she told us she had been so inspired on the day of our lecture she had made it a goal there and then to work one of our weddings.
We were very pleased to work alongside the unstoppable Claire of Highfield Events, Highfield Events are a luxury Marquee hire company and following the roaring success of their 2018 Christmas party nights invited us to help work alongside their own team, Crown Catering and 3D Event Production to plan, design and manage the 2019 HQ Party Nights at Chippenham Park in Newmarket consisting of 4 nights of Christmas enchantment, dinner and dancing for over 200 people per night.
All of which pretty much brings us up to speed for 2019, 2020 has some very exciting weddings in store and we wish all our couples past, present and future a happy new year.
