After a decade and 2 children together, my partner and I finally decided it was time to get married. Upon our engagement, I began researching how to plan the wedding. I did all the usual things, looking at bridal magazines, attending wedding fairs and browsing the internet, etc. But I soon found that the process was daunting, time consuming and I rapidly became overwhelmed. There was so much information to take in that I didn’t know where to start. I work full time as a nursery manager and mother of two, so most of my time is occupied with either work or spending quality time with my family.
While looking on the internet, my fiance suggested we sought professional help, so I started researching wedding planners and soon I discovered Black Pearl Weddings. My initial consultation inspired me to think of the basics i.e. my wedding budget, how many guests I wanted to attend and the type of wedding venue and theme I wanted. After speaking to Black Pearl Weddings, I was certain that this was the ideal service to assist me in planning my wedding.
All my instructions to Black Pearl Weddings were carried out professionally and well on time, which helped me manage my pre-
The first thing we did was to create an action plan that detailed what we needed to accomplish and by when, so that we had everything well organized and plenty of time to deal with any issues that arose. Once this had been compiled, we carried out the tasks jointly, as I was keen to be heavily involved.
I wanted over 100 Guests to attend, with my marriage ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening entertainment all to be held at the same venue. Black Pearl Weddings shortly presented me with a number of venues that would suit my specification in a detailed report, before arranging visits so we could inspect the venues I short listed.
I had always wanted a sleek and simple wedding. My favourite colours are black, white and red, which I wanted incorporating into my wedding theme. Once Black Pearl Weddings were given my desired colour scheme, they prepared various design concepts that encompassed the styles and colours I had asked and soon matched what I had in mind exactly.
With the basic concept of my wedding now in mind, Black Pearl Weddings began sourcing all the relevant suppliers I needed, such as the musicians, confectioner and printers for wedding invitations. A detailed list of suppliers, showing their prices and ranges was presented to me and my fiancée so that we were able to select the ones that best matched our budget and kept in with our theme.
Throughout the wedding planning process, Black Pearl Weddings ensured that I was up to date with any payments to suppliers and the venue, and helped me keep a close track of how my budget was being spent and where every penny was to be allocated. Not only this but they negotiated on prices so we got the best value for money and were able to get more than I had ever anticipated out of our savings.
Black Pearl Weddings handled all the administration of my wedding. They sent out all my save the dates, wedding invitations and tracked my RSPVs. They also proof read all contacts associated with the wedding and helped me to guarantee they were all signed and passed back well on time.
On the day, Black Pearl Weddings were at my wedding venue early, to ensure everything was set up perfectly. As the venue did not provide an usher, they stepped in to perform the usher duties. They also ensured everything was running according to schedule and made my guests feel well looked after, removing any confusion around seating arrangements etc.
Without Black Pearl Weddings, there would have been no chance of having the beautiful wedding that we did, as I had not realized just how in depth the planning process would be, and I just couldn’t have fitted planning such an elaborate event around my already busy schedule. I also just can’t convey just how much they helped with managing the financial aspect of it and saved me money without compromising the quality of our big day.
Images accredited to our Mrs C Elba and Pembroke Lodge
