At the beginning of the month, I was very lucky to be invited to visit the Costwold House Hotel & Spa along with other wedding planners and bloggers.

Set in two acres of beautifully landscaped gardens this grade II Regency luxury townhouse, in the heart of Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, makes for the perfect location for your Civil Ceremony, Wedding Reception or special occasion.  The hotel is available on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

The hotel has a warm, friendly and personal feel. On arrival I was checked in earlier than expected and my bag (it was heavy!), kindly taken to my room.

Accommodation

The room itself was modern, light and airy but with traditional features such as wooden beams. There are 28 air conditioned en-suite bedrooms at the hotel with most providing fabulous views out onto the manicured gardens or the pretty high street. There are luxurious suites available for the bride and groom.

Food & Drink

We were served a glorious afternoon tea with a wide selection of tea to choose from and 3 tiered stands with miniatures cakes, scones and smoked salmon sandwiches.

In the garden there is a charming gin bar where we enjoyed gin from local business Cotswolds Distillery,

I was lucky enough to dine in the 2 rosette awarded restaurant Fig.  We were served a 5 course tasting menu and it was simply gorgeous.  I thoroughly enjoyed each course and can imagine that the wedding and special event catering at this venue would be of the same very high quality standard.

Wedding & Event Spaces

There are two rooms available for us for weddings and events:

The Montrose is a lovely light-filled room with a pitched roof and beams seating up to 90 guests for a ceremony and wedding breakfast and 120 for an evening reception.

The Fig restaurant encapsulates the original Regency Manor House but with contemporary decor.  This room can seat up to 45 for a ceremony and 30 for a wedding breakfast.

Spa

The hotel boasts a beautiful spa in a separate garden through the pretty gardens.  There is a full menu of treatments available, a hydrotherapy pool with jacuzzi and relaxation area, an aromatic steam room and relax room, retail area and changing facilities. All guests are offered complimentary robes, towels and slippers on arrival. Complimentary Herbal Teas can be taken at your leisure.  I loved the sorbet I was given after the treatment – very refreshing!

Local Area

Chipping Campden is a quintessentially English Cotswold town.  It really is stunning! There are some fabulous businesses on the high street who can cater for your wedding or event including:

www.thebaytreeatcampden.com – Flowers

www.louisepocock.com – Millinery

www.aneatabootedesign.simpl.com – Silver smith

www.robertwelch.com – Luxury cutlery and tableware

I had a wonderful stay at the Cotswold House Hotel & Spa.  The staff were incredibly helpful and gave great customer service, the room was comfortable, the spa relaxing and the food exquisite.  If you are looking for a boutique hotel to hold your wedding or event, look no further than this hidden gem of a venue – you won’t be disappointed! Thank you Craig and Mandy!

Olivia x

All photography by KLP Photography

With the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle only a day away, I thought it was the perfect time to share my predictions with you! The whole world will be eagerly watching with excitement and anticipation as the coverage starts on BBC 1 from 9am UK time tomorrow morning and will also be shown on ITV1 and Sky news.

This really is a bit of fun and I suppose is more of what I’d like to see come to fruition!

The Dress

Naturally, I have to start here.  Everyone will be holding their breath as the bride steps out of her golden carriage to get the first glimpse of “the dress”.

Meghan’s style, I would say, would be classed as simple sophistication.  She tends to wear clean lines, fitting to her figure with a touch of her personality thrown in.   I feel any type of dress would suit the bride’s petite frame.

Two designers that I think may be in the running are Ralph & Russo and Stella McCartney.  The dress itself I think will be simple with little lace detailing (if any). I think sleeves either cap or longer may make an appearance with a secondary dress for the evening reception showing more arm. I think there will be a short train. There will be a level of royal protocol and modesty within the design but Meghan does like to do things her own way – so who knows!

What I do know is her dress will influence designers internationally and will play a huge part in bridal trends for 2019 and will go into the history books for years to come.

Hair and Makeup

I strongly believe that Meghan’s hair will be styled up and she will wear a veil.  I can’t imagine her wearing a tiara or heavy hair accessories but royal rules may apply here.

Makeup will be natural, enhancing her beauty.  I can see a subtle smoky eye appearing with black eyeliner as this tends to be what she wears on official duties.

The Flowers

Bridal bouquet’s at royal weddings tend to be large cascading arrangements (like Princess Diana’s) or smaller teardrops (like the Duchess of Cambridge’s).  I’d like to see Meghan with a hand tied bouquet with a whimsical feel.  Lots of foliage with ivory peonies, roses and sweet peas.

With regards to on the day flowers at the venue etc, I think there will be a huge amount of foliage with British, in season florals in ivory.  This is a classic look that many royal weddings have used.

The Ceremony

Sadly Meghan’s father will not be attending the wedding so the question is – who will be giving her away? My thoughts are that she will either walk down on her own (this to me would be very lonely and extremely frightening) or walk in on the arm of her Mother Doria, whom she has a close bond with.

The ceremony will follow a very similar structure to other royal weddings but I would love to see some modern musical interludes.

The Kiss

The couple won’t have the opportunity to wave regally to the general public at Buckingham Palace and display their affection with the iconic “kiss”.  Meghan and Prince Harry are very open in their body language with one another and will not be at all shy to give people what they want to see! I think post ceremony on the steps of St George’s Chapel, there may be an opportunity for this.  Let’s wait and see!

The Cake

We already know that the cake will take the form of a lemon and elderflower sponge (yum).  I would love to see this as a tiered semi naked or naked cake with fresh flowers.

The Reception

There will be two receptions one hosted by the Queen and the other by Prince Charles at Frogmore House.  Rumours of a standing reception using bowl food has been discussed which I think very much sits in line with the couple’s relaxed personalities.  I think this is wonderful news – it’s a really sociable way of dining and I love how Harry and Meghan like to do things their own way, rather than constantly following protocol.

I think their private event in the evening will certainly be filled with lots of live entertainment from big names in the music industry and the couple will ensure their guests have a party to remember!

I wish Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the most wonderful of days.  They are truly a very special couple and I wish them a lifetime full of happiness.

Enjoy watching the day unfold tomorrow everyone!

Olivia x

So you’re engaged – what wonderful news and what an exciting time for you both!

But what happens now? Check out my list of things to do before you start wedding planning.

Enjoy the moment
You’re still pinching yourself following on from your dreamy engagement and constantly staring at the new bling that sits on your left hand. It’s just so sparkly! It’s important to enjoy this time, it’s a huge life event! Give yourself both time to digest the occasion.
Let your nearest and dearest know
You’ll probably be dying to tell your parents, siblings, extended family and your besties. Go ahead and do it. Milk the moment and take enjoyment from seeing their happy faces and the buzz that surrounds this time. You may wish to post a photo/announcement on social media too.
Get your ring resized if need be
If your new favourite possession doesn’t quite fit then you’ll need to get it resized as soon as possible so you can proudly show it off! Go to the jewellers where it was purchased and send it off. It’ll be really hard not having the ring in your possession but it will soon be back and safely secured on your finger! It might be a nice idea to get a fresh manicure too for all those instagram worthy photos you will inevitably take!
Roughly set a date
Start thinking about when you are likely to tie the knot. Will it be this year, next or even in two years time? Considerations such as budget, family events and supplier availability will play a part here.
Day dreamer
Immerse yourself in wedding magazines, blogs and pinterest to start figuring out the sort of wedding you’re after. Think about colours, style, dresses, who you will choose as your bridal party, locations etc.  You could use directories such as The Wedding Secret to start your search.
Keep a journal
Keep any inspiration you’ve found, useful contact numbers, blog posts, articles in one place. Write down any thoughts in a journal which you can keep and use throughout the process.

If you don’t know where to begin and thinking about planning sends you into complete overwhelm, you might want to check out my  8 step online course The Online Wedding Planner or come and join my FREE facebook group “The Wedding Planning Community” where you can gather helpful tips, advice and chat to other couples in the same boat.

All the best with planning your special day, I’d love to hear your proposal stories – send them here info@hosteventmanagement.co.uk to get the chance to feature on my blog!

Olivia x

Happy New Year you lovely lot! I hope you enjoyed the Christmas festivities in December and are raring to go with planning your forthcoming wedding.

For those that don’t know, I’m getting married this year (eeek always the planner never the bride but not anymore!) and for Christmas, I was gifted the most beautiful hard backed, gold foiled luxury wedding planner book (thanks Mama!).  It is totally swoon worthy and bang on trend and opening it made me grin from ear to ear.  As you can imagine, being a wedding planner by trade, getting organised is always high on my agenda and this tool will do just that!

The gorgeous planners are the brain child of the lovely Mara from Blush and Gold, a luxury online wedding stationery boutique.  I’ve been avidly following Mara’s work for ages and saw the launch of the planners last year.  I secretly wished for a copy, so was really happy to  be given this little gem.

The planners come in a choice of designs from marble, plain, eucalyptus, blush, ombre and starry.  They are all just divine.  I was given the plain white book with the gold foil writing which totally goes with our wedding theme.

Aren’t they just lovely!

So what’s inside? Well what isn’t?! There’s over 150 pages of worksheets, space for inspiration mood boards and handy hints and tips.  I especially liked the photography shot list.

WORKSHEETS INCLUDED:
– Timeline and checklist
– Inspiration moodboard
– Budget plan
– Venue Research
– Extra entertainment
– Guest list
– The wedding party
– Wedding theme and colours
– Wedding stationery moodboard and research
– Stationery tracker
– Photographer Research
– Band/Dj Research
– Playlist
– Caterers and menu research
– Wedding dress + accessories moodboard and research
– Transport research;- Flower moodboard and florist research
– Decor moodboard and research
– Cake moodboard and research
– Vows/readings and ceremony planning
– Bridesmaids dresses moodboard and research
– Groomswear research
– Honeymoon research and planning (incl. packing list)
– Wedding favour moodboard
– Invitation planning
– Hair and make-up moodboards and research
– Seating planner
– Supplier contact sheet
– Wedding day timeline
– Emergency contacts
– Wedding day checklist
…and much more!

Perhaps you’re not due to tie the knot, but know someone that is – this would make the most perfect gift and look above at how they’re packaged – just dreamy!

I think the £25 price tag + postage is reasonable for this this handy, design led planner.  To purchase one of your very own, check out the online shop here.   Whilst you’re there, why not check out the plentiful wedding stationery designs available to personalise for your wedding.  Just gorgeous! Thanks Mara for creating such a cute book and thanks Mama for thinking of me.

Until next time…

Olivia x

Your bridal party are your “a-team” that totally have your back  on the day! They have named roles and should be chosen wisely.  These people mean a lot to you and your other half and asking them to be part of the main party will be a real honour to those asked.  Here are a list of their bridal party duties:

Maid/Matron of Honour/Chief Bridesmaid – This is the lady who the bride will rely most heavily.  Their duties include:

• Delegating tasks to other bridesmaids and coordinating meetings
• Arrange meetings for dress fittings
• Organise the hen party
• Help with general planning activities
• On the day – take charge of the other bridesmaids and flower girls, assist the bride when she gets ready, billow and smoothes her dress prior to the ceremony and for photographs, finds a safe place for her belongings and takes the brides bouquet at the ceremony
• Appear in the majority of formal photographs
• May be asked to be a witness for the signing of the register
• Ensure the guest book is sent round to all guests for signing
• Ensure that all personal belongings are gathered together at the end of the evening and that everything is collected the next day
• Assist the bride when going to the powder room

Bridesmaids – These guests are always female of any age from 8 years upwards.  The main job of a bridesmaids is to assist the chief bridesmaid with their plans, especially the hen party. The bridesmaids will help to gather all the ladies together for a bouquet toss. The bridesmaids would traditionally walk down the aisle after the bride, but it’s now becoming more popular for the bridesmaids to walk down first with the bride walking in last. This creates more anticipation for the congregation.  The bridesmaids are thanked in the grooms speech.  Choosing bridesmaids can be difficult as you need to think about all the ladies and girls in both immediate families, if you choose particular people you may feel that you need to choose others to make it fair.  If you decide on just a few ladies or girls, perhaps others that are close to you could be given important roles such as organising the hen party or reading a poem during the ceremony.  They will usually wear special dresses in the chosen colour theme and may have a floral bouquet to finish the look.

Flower girls – If you have any under 8 year olds within your party you might want to ask them to be your flower girl.  Any little girl will absolutely love wearing a pretty dress and being an important person for the day!  A flower girl will walk down the aisle (usually first in the procession), scattering petals from a basket or carrying a miniature floral bouquet or wand.

Page boys – If you have any little boys in your party you might want to ask them to be your page boy.  Usually the page boy will accompany the flower girl down the aisle and may also act as the ring bearer.

Best Man – The best man (or men) is the main source of support to the groom throughout the planning of the wedding.  The biggest tasks for the best man is the organisation of the stag party, looking after those important rings on the day and of course the anticipated “best mans speech”!  Other duties will include collecting and organising any hired suits, coordinating the ushers, acting as master of ceremonies if required and potentially a witness for the signing of the register.

Ushers – The ushers are there to assist the bride, groom and best man on the day more than anything.  They generally wear the suits chosen for the groom and best man to show that they are part of the bridal party along with buttonholes.  Duties may include, greeting guests at the ceremony venue, handing out order of services and seating of the guests for the ceremony.

Good luck choosing your wedding “a-team”!

Olivia x

Ok, firstly, this is a big topic and I am NOT a florist but the points below may assist you when choosing your florist and wedding flowers and to get to grips with wedding flower basics.

Flowers can really make a wedding, the scent, the colour, the nostalgia, the opulence, the simplicity, they really give a wow factor to your special day.  Your chosen florist will be able to advise you on flowers that are in season, what flowers go well together, what foliage will work and what arrangements will work best at your venue and for your style.  I would always recommend getting on…you know what I’m going to say…pinterest, to gather images of what styles, flowers, colours and themes your really love.

You might want to think about the following:

• Bridal bouquet/Bridesmaids bouquets– what flowers do you love? Have these put in your bouquet. Do you want something modern and spherical or would you prefer something more whimsical and organic? Some brides choose to put a little photo of a love one or add important pieces of jewellery of sentimental value.  You won’t be able to hold on to these all day so make sure there are some vases available with water to keep them looking fresh.  You could put them on the cake table/on a mantelpiece to add to the decoration.
• Buttonholes and corsages – Buttonholes will match what’s in the bridal bouquet and are given to the best man, ushers, fathers, brothers and grandfathers (and any other male in your bridal party). Corsages are for the ladies to wear on their wrist or lapel, for the mothers, grandmothers, sisters (go for magnet fixings so clothing is not damaged by pins)
• Ceremony arrangements – pew/aisle ends, long and low table arrangement, pedestal arrangements, floral archways and bay trees
• Table centrepieces – There are so many different variations of table centrepieces to choose from. I always love tall arrangements because they give height to a room and look very showy and don’t hide guests faces when you are talking to them.  These may come in the form of tall cylinder vases, martini glasses or candelabras.  However, you may prefer pretty low level posies in a fish bowl vase, ordinary vase, oasis or in jam jars.  You florist will be able to advise on styles and flower types.
• General venue flowers – You might want to decorate other areas of the venue with flowers for example, staircases, cake toppers, mantelpieces, window sills, coffee tables, bar area, doors, gardens, table plan and gift and cake tables.

Budget

Each florist differs so this is a tough area.  The more foliage you use the less it will be.  Out of season flowers will cost more as will opulent lavish designs that use more flowers and take more of the florist’s time to create.

Bouquet’s and buttonholes are a necessity but the above are really not, so be realistic.  Most florists will itemise every element and you’ll be able to cancel an entry you do not require closer to the time, if budget is an issue.

DIY flowers?

If you have someone in your wedding party who’s pretty darn awesome at flower arranging and can get to a wholesale flower market, then by all means have a go.  However, in general I would discourage you from providing your own flowers on the big day.  Flower arranging is a skill, that’s why florist’s exist.  They have trained to know how to put together arrangements in a aesthetically pleasing manner.  They are also a fresh product and will need conditioning.  You’ll be too busy getting ready and enjoying your morning – so in my opinion, if you are going to spend money, hire a florist! Your venue will be transformed and the place will look breathtaking!

Inviting children to your wedding is entirely up to you both. Children are a huge part of family life and weddings are a big life event where they do play a part.  You may even have children of your own or you might have niece’s or nephews, young cousins and friends who have little ones.

At the onset of your wedding planning you and your partner need to think about whether you would like little people at your wedding or not.  By the way, this is totally your choice but for some reason this topic sparks hot debate between family members and friends which can put pressure on you either way.

Team | Child Free Wedding

This doesn’t mean to say you don’t like children at all by the way! There are many reasons that you may choose not to have kids attend your wedding such as giving the adult guest a chance to have a day/night off, you may have budget or capacity constraints or the venue you’ve chosen may not be child friendly.  Whatever the reason, you need to make your intentions clear from the get go.  I would advise calling and actually speaking to those who will be affected.  Explain that you’ve chosen your wedding to be a child free occasion and you wanted to give them plenty of time to arrange child care.  Do be mindful that if one of your guests have just had a baby, it’s important for the newborn to be with their parents, so this would be an exception.  You may also have your own children or close family members who are kids that need to be at your wedding.  You may have to deal with negative comments from family/friends.  If you do receive this sort of reaction, it’s not nice but do stand your ground.  Perhaps if those guests are being difficult and not accepting your wishes, they shouldn’t be attending in the first place.  In most cases you will find that your guests will appreciate your choice and will make arrangements to respect your wishes.

Team | All children are invited

On the flip side you may feel that your wedding won’t be the same without the little cuties! This is also a very valid response.  A wedding is all about love, family and friendship and children play a huge role here.  If you have a venue that has a large enough capacity, provides children’s meals, highchairs, family accommodation and you have the budget to do so then totally go for it! Children at weddings can get very restless, bored and tired.  Make sure you keep them entertained and looked after during the day.  You might want to hire a nanny so the parents can relax and enjoy, organise children’s activity packs for during the wedding breakfast or arrange a room to be filled with toys, games and crafts.  Just be prepared to entertain the children.  At the end of the day though, the children’s parents are responsible for them during your special day and that includes curbing any bad behaviour!

Good luck and do what you both want to don’t worry about anyone else!

Olivia x

If like me you’re engaged to be married (congrats!) one of the most thrilling parts of the wedding planning process is the dress search!It’s a really exciting time and the dress is probably something you’ve dreamed of since being a little girl – am I right?  I started my search last week so this is all really fresh in my mind!  I had a lovely first experience and I’m looking forward to visiting more boutiques soon.

I wanted to share with you my top tips when embarking on your wedding dress shopping:

1/ Start thinking about what you want.  You know what I’m going to say – pinterest!  It’s a good idea to get a feel for what you like the look of in terms of style, colour, length, material along with accessories such as veils, jewellery and shoes

2/ Out of the photos you like, research the particular designers.  There are so many designers out there!

3/ Research what boutiques are available to you locally.  Also find out what designers they stock and if they match your search criteria.  It’s always good to get recommendations from friends to find out what the service and quality of stock is like

4/ Book in your appointments.  Start with your top three boutiques.  Give them a call and pre book.  Most shops only operate on an appointment only basis

5/ Only invite those people to the appointments that are important to you.  Don’t invite someone you think may be negative or make you feel bad.  You need your tribe around you who will be honest but will give you encouragement!  It’s so nice to go with your family/bridesmaids.  It turns into a nice day out!

6/ Before going put some makeup on and style your hair.  You’ll get a much better representation of the overall look – plus you’ll feel confident!

7/ Wear flesh coloured underwear and a strapless bra

8/ Take any accessories you have that you are thinking of wearing on the day – jewellery, shoes etc

9/ Try different styles – a line, sweetheart neckline, straps, no straps.  At my appointment I tried on different styles and now I know what I’m looking for for future visits.

9/ Try on gowns that you wouldn’t normally.  A lot of brides to be find their dress tends to be something they weren’t originally looking for.  It may surprise you!

10/ Comfort – is the dress comfortable?  Do you think you could wear this for 12 + hours? If not, it’s probably not right.  You want to feel as comfortable as possible without compromising on the look

11/ Trust your instincts.  You want to feel utterly fabulous in your dress, if you don’t get that initial feeling when you try a dress on, discount it.

12/Sleep on it.  If you aren’t 100% sure or not ready to purchase, sleep on your decisions and see how you feel about it the next day.  If you’re not as excited, then chances are it’s not the one for you.

Good luck finding the one!

Olivia x

Today I’m going to share with you my top tips for creating a table plan that works for you both and your guests.

Creating the table plan or seating plan is arguably one of the most difficult tasks when planning your special day. It can be pretty challenging, daunting and time consuming but it’s got to be done!

Guest List

Before even attempting to start, you need to have your finalised guest list in hand. I provide a comprehensive guest list planner when you sign up for my course which helps you keep your guest list up to date.

Once you have your list and final numbers, it’s time to start plotting.  I would start looking at placing guests once you have all of your RSVP’s back.

Speak to your venue

Double check how many tables fit in the room.  Are they round or long? How many guests can be seated on the tables? Are you having a long or round top table and where will this be located? Can they send you a layout plan of these tables. Using their plan you can start placing guests.

To Name or Number?

Your guests need something to identify what table they are sat on.  You could number your tables or go for unusual names that mean something to you both like places you have visited, films or music you like, flowers – the choice is yours.  You will need to make sure you get the names/numbers made up and put in frames or stands (the venue may have these so do make sure you ask).

Plotting your guests

Now this is the hard part! I would always suggest putting your guests in groups where they know each other.  This puts people at ease straightaway. This isn’t always possible though and if it isn’t think about age group and interest to ensure there is flowing conversation.

Think about family groups and friendship groups, who you’d like closest to the top table and who you might want furthest away!

Have your numbers/names ready and using your guest list start placing people onto tables.  If you are a more visual person who likes to do things the old fashioned way, I would get hold of a large piece of card/paper and print each guests names out of slips of paper.  This way you can swap and change guests if you need to during the process.

You might want to use a spreadsheet, like the one I created to go with my course.

When undertaking this task, there are a number of considerations to make:

• Disabled or elderly guests – It’s always best to locate these guests near the exit to the toilets/bar etc so it is easier for them to navigate around the room.
• Children – Sit them in between parents so they can share the task of feeding them. Do you need to organise highchairs or extra space for prams? You might want to provide the little ones with an activity pack to keep them busy!
• Family set ups – Do you or your partner have families that are split or have family members that are no longer with us. Give this part some real though and talk to those involved as to what they would feel most comfortable doing.  Perhaps opt for a round top table instead of a long if you would rather not make it obvious that things might be awkward etc!
• Close family members/bridal party – Think about what guests will need to be placed the closest to the top table.

Display plan

In order for your guests to find where they are sitting you should create a display plan. Lots of venues will provide an easel for you to use.  You may want to consider using a mirror, board, frame.  You could even use escort cards.

Venue plan

You’ll need to provide your venue/wedding planner/caterer with your “behind the scenes” table plan which will be the layout of the wedding breakfast room, where your guests are sitting, indicating any children, highchairs, dietary requirements or special requests.  If you have opted for a choice menu, it’s useful to breakdown the choices in a key for each table so the venue are not in any doubt.  You’ll need to organise place cards for your guests if you would like them to sit in specific locations.  Again, if you have opted for a choice menu, it’s handy if you put that guests choice on the back (you wouldn’t believe how many people forget what they ordered!).  All of these actions ensure that the venue can serve you seamlessly.

I provide a guest list planner for you to keep organised along with loads of information on how to keep your guests happy on your big day over at my online course for only £35.

Happy Planning!

Olivia x