Part II - The day of the Daybreak Wedding - Kate and Frazer and the start of our first wedding season

The wedding day arrived and the beach was alive with hustle and bustle very early in the morning.  We are always very lucky with our beach weddings  that the seafront team work hard and start early to get the beach prepared for weddings and today was no exception. The tractors were out early and we were thankful for that to make sure that the beach was well groomed for the imminent arrival of one very special couple. 

Kate and her bridesmaids were up early and being pampered by Kate Middleton’s hairdresser Richard Ward no less who created an elegant style for Kate with her hair up and dotted with beautiful wired rose buds. 

And our very own Laura Mackenzie who styled the Bridesmaids hair who wanted soft blow dried hair.

The wonderful and super talented photographer Ian Hamilton was appointed as the official photographer for Kate and Frazer and started work early taking bridal preparation shots at The Marriott Hotel whilst Kate was getting ready and being interviewed by Angellica Bell with live streams going out to ITV.  With all this in mind Kate was very much a calm bride and just took the day in which is a real surprise with all that had to be taken into account. Surrounded by TV crew and presenters and lots going on its enough on a "normal" wedding day but Kate had so much more to contend with and dealt with it all incredibly well - such a pleasure to be around. 

Angellica Bell helping Kate with her stunning Amanda Wakeley gown

Down in the marquee Melanie was on hand to greet Frazer and his Groomsmen and we spent the final hour tweaking the marquee and the ties and buttonholes and making sure that everyone was well prepared and calm - Frazer was so calm and chilled that we had to keep checking that it was his wedding day!  No nerves at all it seemed - just enjoying the moment. 

Melanie "backstage" with Angellica and Michael and the Groomsmen with the TV crew getting ready to go live on air 

 

Frazer and the Best Man pre-ceremony - and an appearance from the family dog of course too!

Coastal Creatives made this for  Kate and Frazer as a gift to mark their beach wedding day 

 

Relaxed and calm were the boys! 

 

The stunning pew end flower buckets were from our recommended Beach Wedding florists Arcade Flowers - trimmed with blue candy striped ribbon to finish the look 

When Kate arrived we had been so lucky all morning that no one had been caught in the rain.  The press decided that they would print pictures the following day stating that we had been showered all day but in fact we were extremely lucky! 


Our pretty white umbrellas were used to keep people from peeking pre ceremony and to prevent the wind from getting at that wonderful hair do! 

 

The Bride, Kate and her stylists arriving at the marquee 

Kate looked absolutely stunning in an Amanda Wakeley gown and just inside the marquee had some last minute hair and make-up tweaks and was ready to walk down to the aisle to her friend Lucy singing Eva Cassidy’s “take my breath away” which created an emotional and surprisingly private feel to the occasion although the ceremony was being streamed to millions of people across the country!  

Lucy preparing to sing for the ceremony

Frazer’s face when he first saw his bride was an absolute picture.

  

ITV Floor Manager greeting the Bridal party as they start to walk down the aisle live on ITV breakfast television

Now viewers on the morning will have noticed that the programme actually cut short during the official ceremony.  The reason for this (and they say never work with animals and children!!) was that the two adorable children shown below were unfortunately a little late doing their thing walking down the aisle which made the ceremony run a little late and when ITV have to go to an ad break then there is no other choice!  So cute though dont you think! 

 

 

The beautiful "three Rachels" bridesmaids looking stunning during the ceremony 

On the decking of the Wedding Hut, surrounded by sand, Kate and Frazer said their vows to each other and the moments were extremely heartfelt and tender and it was a true privilege to share those moments. The guests in the marquee were still whilst watching on

The moment that Kate arrived to Frazer  to marry 

Stunning image of Kate during the ceremony 

Family look on with teary eyes during the ceremony

Beautiful moments during the ceremony 

 

Signing of the Register inside our Wedding Hut after the ceremony

 

Great picture of the new Mr and Mrs Seed after the ceremony 

Kate and Frazer enjoying some fun moments with their Bridesmaids after the ceremony and after the TV crew had left 

Guests were treated to breakfast canapes 

After the ceremony the couple went live to the ITV studios to give their feelings on the day so far and were given a fabulous cruise honeymoon as a complete surprise! 

In the marquee after the ceremony, guests were treated to Champagne and yummy canapés prepared by our caterers Fish Face Events.

Melanie with the newly weds 

Guests make their way from our beach venue up the cliff lift to The Marriott Hotel to continue their celebrations 

It was such a pleasure to have this as our first official wedding on the beach and Kate and Frazer and their families were a real pleasure to deal with.  Not one to want to take the easy route, having our first wedding live on national TV broadcasting to the nation in not the best weather we could have asked for but it was all amazing experience and we have to say that we were thrilled with the way it all went and looking back on the last few months now that we are well into our first season it was such fun and we really loved every minute - thanks to everyone who made it possible and particular thanks to Ian Hamilton of IanH Photography who did such a superb job in shooting this wedding with very little notice, early starts, long days and having to dodge in and out of TV crews to get the pictures and boy did he get the pictures - finishing with this - one of our favourites - taken as the Bride and Groom made their way into dinner at The Marriott Hotel - simply beautiful. 

All the Beach Weddings Bournemouth team

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Beach Weddings Bournemouth and The Daybreak Wedding - The Preparations

The last few months with Beach Weddings Bournemouth has been something of a whirlwind to say the least which is the reason for the lateness in blogging about a really exciting development with our very unique beach wedding and event venue!  Since the end of 2011 we worked closely with ITV to bring a competition to their morning programme, Daybreak, and in February we were visited by a small crew and presenter, Michael Underwood, on the beach when they came to film a VT to launch the competition which they aptly named “Here Comes The Tide”

After hundreds of applications from couples who had a romantic story or a connection to Bournemouth these were selected down to the top 3 and their stories were each shown on the programme in April where the viewers could then vote for their winning couple.

Melanie with Michael Underwood during filming of the VT for the "Here Comes the Tide" competition launch

On 19^th April 2012 Michael Underwood visited the home of Kate and Frazer live on Daybreak to announce they were the winners of the competition as voted by the public and that they had won the opportunity to be the first couple to marry on a beach in England and their wedding would take place a week later!

So we began with the final week’s preparations for their wedding and with the weather not looking at its best for April we had our work cut out. We have a strong and highly supportive team of suppliers and the way that our marquee based beach venue is organised we build everything for the worst case scenario with weather and if the sun decides to put in a glorious appearance we can easily take off the sides of the marquee to open it up but if there is a shower or windy conditions our marques can withstand it.

Now this amateur image taken on a Blackberry pre the start of the build of the marquee does not look all that fabulous does it!  Well its purposefully included to show you what a transformation was created in some of the worst April conditions we could have imagined so read on!

Midway through the morning of day one of the build the sea is still progressing far too far up the beach for our liking but the sun had decided to make something of an appearance.  The marquee team from Maidmans Marquees were working very hard to get this job completed as were the Bournemouth Council Seafront team - building a little sand wall along side the marquee to help with some of the wind and sea which was coming right for us!

So it was up!  Against all odds the guys had managed to get the marquee up so then internal works could begin on day two for things to start to take shape.  Linings go in next and then the coconut matting carpet overlay on to the hard all weather flooring - great for those ladies heels!

Linings are up, bunting starts to make an appearance and the guys are putting the finishing touches to the carpet.

And then the floristry begins!  Emma and Jenny from Arcade Flowers arrive to start working their magic with all things floral!

Louise and Rachel from Coastal Creatives even managed to find time to squeeze in a coffee!

Our marquee company Maidmans Marquees who kindly supplied the marquee for the winning couple worked incredibly hard to ensure that the structure went up in the strongest winds.  Working against all odds the team (kept happy with copious amounts of coffee, cakes and fish and chips late on Thursday night to keep them working!) pulled off this difficult job and made it look amazing.  The wall of the marquee on the sea side was a complete window wall (as with all weddings) allowing a stunning view of the sea no matter what the weather.  The rear of The Wedding Hut was enclosed last minute due to the unseasonal weather which would have prevented a clear sound signal for transmission of the ceremony live to the nation.  This is something that we can add in to couples wedding plans if the weather does seem to look difficult in the future as well.

These are some images of how things were looking when the TV crews arrived on the beach the day before the wedding to set up their gear - and boy there was a lot of gear!

We cannot thank the team enough who helped put the marquee together and make it look beautiful who were Louise and Rachel from Coastal Creatives and Emma and Jenny from Arcade Flowers – both recommended and valued suppliers of Beach Weddings Bournemouth.  The design scheme for the marquee agreed in advance and created by Coastal Creatives with floral designs and creations from Arcade Flowers and this was The Great British Seaside with an elegant feel and use of pastel shades and soft English flowers.  Louise from Coastal Creatives (with her Mum!) made metres and metres of stunning bunting which adorned the marquee and this was put up on the Thursday.

Arcade Flowers had worked incredibly hard to create the most stunning floral arrangements.  The white wooden chairs had nickel bucket pew ends with stripey blue and ivory ribbons.  The front of the marquee and the top of the cliff lift had large versions of these buckets with large silver windmills and soft moundy flowers at the base to match the rest of the themes. We had two tables dressed in the marquee for those guests who wanted to be seated after the ceremony to enjoy their canapés and champagne.  Coastal Creatives and Arcade Flowers did a great job in delicately yet effectively dressing these tables to match the overall design scheme of the marquee.

Now, the brides bouquet (and matching smaller bouquets for the three Rachels / bridesmaids) what can we say – simply dreamy – well done Arcade Flowers for the most stunning creations known to man and these photos simply dont do them justice! 

We had a full rehearsal on the Thursday night with the ITV crew and Kate and Frazer and their family which was a great opportunity for them to see the marquee (albeit not quite finished at that point)  and the way that the day would run.  The bride and groom then enjoyed  the evening with their guests before an early night as the day started very early!

Down on site after the rehearsal took place we worked late into the dark of the night to finish the marquee.  The catering team were arriving to set up the kitchen and deliveries galore were being made.   

What an exciting day of preparations this was but extremely hard work for all the team involved but so much excitement was in the air for the following day.

Huge and heartfelt thank yous go to one of our biggest supporters IanH for working so hard on shooting some of these images above in the rehearsal and then went on to cover the wedding itself for Kate and Frazer - but more about that in Part II.

For more information on Beach Weddings  Bournemouth  please contact us

Happy birthday to Bellissimo and Simply Events!

Well, here we are.  And being here 3 years after the business started in our opinion is quite an accomplishment in  the economic climate which we have all be subjected to over the last few years.  So...

Image credit - farryfun.com

When I first thought about starting the business which was around 6 months before launch at end of September 2008 whilst you do get some positives from some people there is inevitably a lot of negativity surrounding the idea of starting a new venture, from scratch, when things are not so rosy in the world.  However, I do am of the firm opinion that sometimes you just need to go for it!  Now, I am not suggesting that people should do what I did and give up a regular and guaranteed income and throw all your eggs into one basket and take a huge risk - risk taking is not for everyone and I was in a fortunate position to retain a certain income from my previous career at the same time - but sometimes in life you do have to put your faith in yourself and go for it. 

Its critical in any business that you take a long time to research and research again.  There is no point in starting a business which no one is interested in if no one is going to buy from you - whether that's a product or a service.  You also have to spend a lot of time working out who your competitors are, who your ideal client is and how they are going to find you or how you are going to find them.  

Don't be keen to borrow or spend out too much money in the early days - people will be very keen however to take it from you!  You will be inundated with calls from people wanting you to advertise with them and have listings with them for all kinds of directories and you need to think carefully about the audience you may reach with any kind of advertising and where your hard earned cash is going to be spent because in the early days your cash will be hard earned and there is not likely to be much of it in at least the first three years so be prepared for that!  

Accept that you will make mistakes - we are only human.  I made quite a few large ones in the early days I am not ashamed to admit - but make sure you only make it once - learn from it, don't do it again and move on.  

Always continue to educate yourself and learn.  Running your own small businesses means that you are expected to be "jack of all trades" and expert in all areas from sales and marketing to client care, social media, accounting and oh actually "doing" the work that your business was designed for on top of all of that! You wont necessarily be able to pay to have the professionals on the job. Consider a trade exchange if you can with other businesses in a similar position to you. Look at what's on offer free of charge.  I have found the services of Business Link to be invaluable in the early days and although they are sadly no longer to be what they are now after November of this year they will still offer a limited service and there are other forms of education and free training available in all areas of running your business so look out for free networking events, courses and webinars and absorb it all. 

Find a professional organisation connected with your business and think carefully about the advantages for you and your business for joining that organisation.  I carried out some training and then gained membership with the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) which has proved extremely important to join forces with like minded planners and has allowed regular training and networking with others in the business plus support in the event that you need to bounce ideas around with others in a similar position to you or bring others on board to help you on larger events. 

Surround yourself with people you like to be with - go networking.  Meet people.  Get out there and get your business and yourself noticed and get people talking about you.  Its definitely who you know not what you know so make friends and associates.  I have been part of quite a few networking organisations from the outset and have found that some great contacts can be made.  I retain a membership of two groups of Women In Business Network (WIBN) which are great networking groups to me a member of. 

Melanie with the team at The Italian Villa at Compton Acres/ Beales Gourmet after hosting a corporate open day for them 

Be careful with other competitors who may lead you up the garden path posing as a potential client / customer - you will get used to this in any new business and in no time they will stand out a mile off!

Most importantly of all though keep your head and be prepared to work long hours - probably more than you did before?  It won't feel the same though because you will be doing it for yourself!

So just what have we been up to over the last 3 years.  Well - its been a fairly busy time!  We have been lucky enough to work on an average of 12 weddings a year together with corporate events and I split the business just over a year ago between Bellissimo Weddings and Simply Events which concentrates purely on private and corporate event planning.  We have worked on corporate open days, charity fundraising events, corporate staff parties, summer BBQs, birthday celebrations, anniversaries, organising trade and wedding shows, charity sporting events.  I have also been asked to take part in various public speaking event both as an event planner and incorporating my other career as a lawyer which is always fun to do. Then came the TV project.  Last year I filmed a 12 part series on wedding planning as a the presenter and its due to be screened later this year - that was great fun and watch out for the result!  We have helped others on their events such as the charity Cupcake Camp Bournemouth we were asked to take part in this year.  We have worked on a charity event for a charity rally, black tie dinners and balls, night club launches and the list goes on!  It wasn't envisaged when the business started that all different avenues would develop from an initial idea which was to provide the highest possible levels of service to people looking for someone to plan amazing weddings and events for them - so its interesting how things pan out!

We have been lucky enough to have been nominated and then reached the finals in the 2011 Langtry Manor Women in Business Awards and now we have been nominated for a Wedding Industry 2012 award for best wedding planner.  How exciting to have your work recognised. 

That leads me on to saying a huge thanks to a lot of people is due at this point who have helped to get the businesses to this point of success in time.  There is a long way to go and the business is changing all the time and new avenues are coming our way and new angles to the business are seemingly always around the corner which makes the business exciting.  

Team Bellissimo in early 2011 - Melanie with Frances and Kathryn on board for a show 

Frances spent a year working with us on a placement from Bournemouth University Events Management degree and is now back at University completing her final year.  Frances was a huge help to the business during her year and I know that she learned a great deal and a big thanks goes to her. 

Good friends Stephanie and Debbie have helped out a lot in the early days supporting events and Stephanie donating her time and energy for public speaking engagements for us together with her huge knowledge on American events including baby and bridal showers. 

Frances and Melanie in the early part of Fran's placement

Image credit -clayphotography.co.uk

We have also been delighted to have Kathryn on board for larger weddings and more recently Natasha has joined the team to help out on event promotion and shows. We have huge support from our tried and trusted suppliers and venues who recommend us who put their faith in us to recommend us to their brides / clients for event planning services and long may this continue.  We strive for perfection and hope to continue to deliver for as long as the business continues.  

 

Melanie with good friends Stephanie and Debbie who have been a huge help and support in the first few years of business

My hubby Sean usually gets the brunt of everything that I can't do, lift, fit in, manage - calls late at night during a long wedding to help load something or pick something up.  Helping out standing on the door at shows or managing people. and I have say I couldn't have done it without him in these first three years. Always a huge support in everything I do and always willing to help out with our events. 

Sean and Melanie whilst working hard at a show

And to the future we go - with a lot of excitement on the horizon.  New projects and contacts are under way and we are working on one really exciting project for next year - so watch this space and if you ever hear anyone tell you that they don't just want a wedding but an amazing wedding - then be sure to tell them about Bellissimo and Simply Events - and as we say "don't get married or have an event without us"...

Melanie 

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