Page 19 - Wedding Mag June 2024

Top Tips
Our wedding guru Nicola Murley gives her top tips for planning your special day
The scene in Love Actually where the musicians stand up spontaneously in the middle of a wedding ceremony and everything just seems to work without a hitch has a lot to answer for. It makes weddings appear seamless, trouble-free and without any sort of angst. Right? Well... the reality is that this is often not quite the case, as many a bride or groom will testify! But we are here to get you as close to a seamless, trouble-free and angst-less wedding as possible, and so much of that can be achieved by you right now. So fear not - all you need to do is follow these steps from our wedding guru Nicola, and you’ll have that effortless church flash mob in no time...
1. DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
I have said this to so many brides and grooms in different ways. When you feel stressed or anxious that you have so much to do, remind yourself: ‘if you had to get married tomorrow, it would all still work’. If you can get to a place where you can say that, everything else should just be seen as something fun to do, rather than a necessity. True - you DO need a registrar or a vicar to marry you, you maybe DON'T need a bespoke buttonhole or corsage for every guest made out of their favourite flower, but lovely if you have the time and the passion to make it happen. You almost certainly DO need a venue, and ideally some guests (although technically only two) but you probably DON'T need that 10-piece orchestra to play you into the ceremony with a piece of music designed for you based on your favourite poetry - but it can be FUN if that’s what you and your partner want. You get the picture! Keeping perspective helps to keep you on track and actually enjoying the more creative parts.
2. HELP YOUR SUPPLIERS HELP YOU
It's always good to get an idea of what you are looking for from a supplier before you meet them. For example, with a florist, obviously it’s good to think about the types of flowers you like (or equally hate - just as important) but if you don’t know your Peonies from your Persian Buttercups, just giving them some preferred colour palettes will help them do their job as best they can. It will make the whole procedure a lot easier for everyone if you are all on the same page from the beginning. Pinterest can sometimes be a help and often a hindrance for creatives, with so many people feeling overwhelmed by what they find online. So do have a look at images for inspiration but remember to go with an open mind on what they can suggest for you. Whilst we're talking about suppliers...
3. ASK YOUR VENUE FOR HELP
I'm biased, of course I am, but the suppliers we work with at Mulberry House are great. They know the venue/what works and what doesn't, they know all the boring ins and outs of the venue that you don't need to know, they are also people that we genuinely like. They are people that we think would have a positive impact on your wedding and that is the biggest help we can give you. So even if your sister’s best friend's brother did have the 'BEST DJ IN THE WORLD!!' it's always worth asking your venue if they have any preferred/recommended suppliers. Whatever venue you end up at, be honest and open with them, and you'll find they are even more determined to make your wedding as close to perfect as possible, and they'll enjoy doing it too.
4. BE HELPFUL TO YOUR GUESTS BUT NOT TOO HELPFUL
This could seem like an odd one but is particularly important if you are getting married in a place you are not from. I find lots of brides and grooms putting additional pressure on themselves by trying to plan how their guests got to the wedding, where they stayed, where they had breakfast. But the truth is, you wouldn't plan someone else's holiday for them, just because you knew where they were going, right? The best thing you can do is give your guests the information they need with enough time and then let them plan the rest. For example, at Mulberry House you get to allocate the bedrooms to those guests you wish to stay at the venue with you, you provide us with these allocations and then it’s your guests responsibility to call and pay for their rooms thus taking the job off of your already full plates!
5. ENJOY IT
It goes without saying, your wedding should be, above anything, FUN. It's all the people you love in one place celebrating you and the person you love more than anything else in the world. What could be better? If any couple I have met have said that they are nervous about their speeches, I have simply pointed out that it's very rare to have a room full of people who are 100% rooting for you. No one who is present in that space wants you to fail or embarrass yourself. Every rubbish dad-joke you make will go down like a Michael McIntyre joke at Live at the Apollo and every sweet notion you make towards a loved one will be like the script in a Richard Curtis film. By the end you'll all be agreeing that Love, Actually is all around - and you should feel proud that you made it happen.
MEET THE TEAM
Nicola Murley, Wedding Specialist nicola@mulberry-house.com
01277 365398 ext 116
I first joined Mulberry House in 2016 and my job is to plan all the final details of our weddings. I have years of experience in private members clubs in London and in venues overseas. I am office based and
always on hand to answer any questions you may have, big or small!
Chloe Thornton, Wedding Specialist cthornton@mulberry-house.com 01277 365398 ext 205
Chloe has worked within the Wedding Industry for over 8 years – working at venues throughout Essex/Hertfordshire but now finding home at the gorgeous Mulberry House. Chloe is available throughout
your wedding planning process to answer any questions you may have – big or small! She looks forward to helping you bring your plans to life and ensuring you have the most magical and memorable day!