A wonderful TV show called ‘Wedding SOS’ is currently being shown on SKY Real Lives, SKY 3 and SKY 1 channels – keep an eye open for it; it's great fun and makes you secretly want your own Fairy Godmother to come and fix your wedding too!
Jane Dayus-Hinch is the super heroic wedding planner that makes three wishes come true for each couple in every episode, and she kindly gave us the opportunity to interview her.
In part one we found out all about her life as a wedding planner in a glamorous television show. In part two we find out what being a wedding planner is really about and what you need to know about finding the best one.
Wedding Organizer: To quote your website: "Now after 25 years in the industry, Jane has planned over 1000 weddings and organizes over 40 each year." My first question has to be: how on earth do you stay sane? It sounds like you have a gruelling schedule…
Jane: It is an incredible schedule; this time last week I was in Daytona Florida! It takes a week to get over it. This week I have a wedding in Cardiff, much closer to home
I do have to be very organised and my PA Julie keeps a very good diary. In Wedding SOS I only have between 3 days and 3 weeks to pull a wedding together, but in the real world (i.e. not television!) it's usually a time frame of 12-18 months. That means I can manage several weddings at one time by working and planning to a realistic schedule.
Some Brides do a lot themselves of course, and just want me to be there for them on the day. I do as much or as little as each Bride wants and needs me to do, so that also makes a difference. I never know how much that is until I meet the Bride. I spoke to one young lady this week who initially contacted me to be her Toastmaster, but by the time we finished talking about her wedding, she decided that she wanted me to do everything! So the demands of each wedding vary greatly.
Wedding Organizer: Can you give us an idea of what it's like to be a wedding planner, and what qualities you need?
Jane: I seem to have made it look very glamorous on Wedding SOS, but I can assure you it's very hard work.
I made sure I had a great foundation; I have been on every course imaginable to learn ALL the skills that are involved in planning and organising a wedding; I've been on photography, floristry, calligraphy, videography, and even balloon decorating courses – I think I must have studied every aspect of wedding services in my first fifteen years.
Strange enough, it was my being involved in planning specialist marquee weddings that really developed my planning skills. With a marquee wedding all kinds of things can go wrong; e.g toilets don't arrive, electricity generators break down, the tent leaks, the ground is uneven and tables wobble, you name it, it goes wrong. It taught me to be three steps ahead with everything and to have everyone's telephone numbers and a contingency plan for every situation!
Of course, when I started as a Wedding Planner in 1985 there were no mobile phones! I think that they are the best invention!
Wedding Organizer: How do you explain what you do as a wedding planner?
Jane: I say that anyone can book a supplier/vendor, but that's not getting the job done.
A good example is the wedding cake: Should you see a fabulous wedding cake at a wedding fair, you may have paid a deposit and received the paperwork, but that's not enough. When Brides show me the paperwork, I take a look, and it may be that there are a few more questions to be asked such as: "Who is delivering it? Who is setting it up-is it the hotel or the cake decorator? Does a stand come with it? Or is that an extra? When does it have to be returned? Who is supplying the cake knife? Are you having individual plates per person served, or one mixed fruit/sponge platter per table? Are you having cake boxes filled for missing guests" There can be over twenty questions about the cake – imagine how many questions there are about all the other facets!
This is why I have four or five meetings with the Bride-to-be, and we talk through every aspect of the day, reviewing the itinerary and timings – to what to do weather wise – if it's raining or snowing or even very hot sunshine, we make a plan B for everything, and I keep it all on track financially.
I have developed over the years a wonderful network of wedding vendors. It is crucial that those who work with me know my standards. The wedding industry is a very small network, and over the years I have worked with most of the local vendors and you get to know who's good, (who’s bad) who is reasonable or expensive and who has a reputation that will let you down (and on your wedding day – do you want that?)
It's such an expensive day and there is only ONE chance to get it all perfect, and that's what a wedding planner does (and never works with anyone who will let you down!)
Wedding Organizer: How would you recommend choosing a wedding planner?
Jane: Ask a lot of questions about experience and their expertise and make sure that they have a good understanding of your wedding day vision. You have to be sure and be convinced that they have all the skills, because on the day they'll really need them.
Experience is critical, and there are many planners in the industry who simply don't have enough practical experience. It can sometimes be a Bride who has planned her own wedding and then decides to become ‘a wedding planner’. Or maybe a wedding co-ordinator who is working in a hotel taking wedding bookings (filling out a function sheet) – advertises as a wedding planner. Be very sure to get details about the experience they say they have.
Wedding Organizer: I hear you were involved with a Greek wedding with 1,800 guests. I panicked about 100 when I was planning my wedding – how on earth did you manage 1,700 more?
Jane: Well it's essentially the same format, just scaled up a few notches! I did have a few assistants and we all had walkie talkies to help keep us co-ordinated. Security was particularly intense, and Greek weddings are particularly hard to plan for; a family can send out 2000 invites, only get 500 replies but then 1800 might turn up! It can be near impossible to know how many to cater for.
Sikh weddings have somewhere between 800 -1200 guests over three days and I've planned a few of those too, so I'm used to organising weddings on a grand scale.
Wedding Organizer: What has been one of the most memorable weddings that you've planned?
Jane: One does stand out actually, the Bride had everything she'd seen in magazines and wanted; from ice sculptures to fire work displays, even living painted statues! There were caricaturists, magicians, silhouette artists and performers, it was almost like the Cirque du Soleil! There was a live band, a comedian, a full scale entertainment package and finally a breakfast buffet at 4 am the next day. I had been there since 8am the previous morning and all day Friday setting up (oh, and the toilets broke down on Friday!) It was wonderful but exhausting.
Wedding Organizer: What is the most common problem you're asked to solve?
Jane: I don't think there is a single problem that comes up more than others; a problem for one person isn't a problem for another. It's different with every wedding. For one couple it may be that the venue has double booked, for another it might be that the florist has closed down after the deposit has been paid – there's a huge variety.
Wedding Organizer: What do you feel is the most beneficial thing you offer?
Jane: It has to be the fact that I am there on the day solely dedicated to making sure everything is going smoothly. Whilst the bride is (rightly) focused on getting married, I'm there checking all the details, making sure everything is in place, going through all the minutiae. Always three steps ahead. It's like paying for a best friend to be there on the day to work for you.
Many brides might have organised a dinner party, or a birthday party, but nothing on this scale, at this cost, with this budget – for the majority of their family and friends – with huge hospitality concerns and huge expectations. They want perfection, but on your wedding day, when you're wearing the gown, you can't do anything; you don't have a mobile phone (there are no pockets in wedding dresses) and your bridesmaids are often there to look good and do nothing more. Besides, who wants to worry about all these things? Everyone wants to just enjoy the day, and that's at the core of what I offer – enabling everyone to relax about the details and they can enjoy the day.
Wedding Organizer: What advice would you give to couples who are planning their wedding?
Jane: Besides having the best wedding planner? It's this:
Have a plan A and plan B for everything. If you're just planning for a sunny day, for example, make sure you start planning for a rainy day too.
List all the things that could go wrong – or whatever is worrying you – and arrange your contingency plan in the event they do go wrong.
Wedding Organizer: Is it possible to plan a wedding without any stress?
Jane: If you're on your own – no! I'm sorry to say that, but wedding planning requires a lot of skills. In other areas of our lives we're used to calling upon a professional, like a dentist or doctor, and I'd recommend that couples planning their wedding pull in an expert too.
Wedding Organizer: Here's a huge thank you to Jane for such a wonderful interview. And don't forget, she has kindly offered to give advice to anyone who needs help with wedding planning – just drop us a line through the contact form or leave a question in the comments below, we'd love to hear from you!
Does Jane know of any bakers in the midlands area that specialize in american style wedding cakes that have the italian buttercream frosting, rather than the usual fondant or royal icing? The bakers I have contacted are not comfortable using it, but it tastes so much better than the other cake coverings!