Imagine being completely responsible for someone else’s Big Day, in charge of all the arrangements and the person who has to pick up the pieces if things go wrong. Meet a wedding Planner who organises weddings in one of the most beautiful locations in Ceredigion.
‘You have to be able to think on your feet, you have to be adaptable and most of all you learn not to be surprised by any requests however unusual or bizarre they might be!’
This is the recipe that Janice Thomas believes makes a successful wedding planner. She works as the Visitor Services Manager at Llanerchaeron, the impressive eighteenth century country house estate near the smart seaside town of Aberaeron, which has been hosting civil weddings since 2006.
‘We’re now well into double figures, wedding-wise and I’m definitely learning fast! She says with a smile. You just never know what to expect and you learn pretty soon that the only thing that matters is what the couple involved want. You have to do your best to cater for all tastes. You might have one wedding where everyone turns up in trainers, or where there’s unusual music or as we had last year, a Japanese themed wedding with all the women in kimonos and the men bearing swords!’
© National Trust
Weddings have become big business with the average couple spending around eleven thousand pounds on their big day, and since the laws were relaxed to allow civil ceremonies to take place in council approved venues back in 2002, there’s been a wealth of choice of locations for any bride and groom to be.
At Llanerchaeron, the ceremony itself takes place in the old carriage house, a traditional stone building which was restored in 2004 with wooden floors and white-washed walls, and makes the most of what the estate can provide for the occasion, like an abundance of wild flowers, an historic house and garden as an impressive backdrop for the all-important photographs, right down to the seventy cream seat covers which were hand-sewn by a small army of the National Trust’s local volunteers.
But although the ceremonies are all in the same venue, each one is entirely individual, according to Janice, with even the preferred mode of transport to arrive at the venue different each time.
‘I’ve seen one bridegroom arrive on a Harley motorbike and another in the cab of an articulated lorry. A horse and carriage suits the venue down to the ground but my personal favourite mode of transport was a beautiful red vintage Jag. It was gorgeous.’
The first step is meeting the couple who’ve decided to tie the knot and begin to get a feel for how they expect their ‘special day’ to be. Janice believes it’s important to keep an open mind and listen carefully to their ideas and try to be as flexible and accommodating as possible.
The day before the big event is always the busiest, a stressful time when all the planning has to come together. The venue is decorated, the tables are laid for drinks and canapés, everything is colour co-ordinated, the champagne is put in the fridge to chill then the lights are turned off and the doors locked, ready for the big day. But even with the best planning, there are some eventualities that you just can’t prepare for and on these occasions, Janice feels that her skills are really put to the test.
‘I’ve stood in as official photographer many times and even had to entertain ‘unhappy’ children, which I once managed by taking them to see the estate’s pigs! I can remember one wedding where the couple had booked musicians to play during the ceremony but on the day, didn’t turn up. There was a bit of a panic before the bride arrived and I went to see if I had any suitable music in my car – but the only CD’s I had were Children’s Nursery Rhymes and the Best of Sali Mali – not quite the thing for a wedding! In the end, another member of staff had a CD of classical music in her car so, with the help of the registrar to advise on the appropriate choices, we were able to save the day.’
At the moment, Janice is beginning to think about weddings taking place next year at Llanerchaeron, with everyone hoping for a better season weather-wise than this year. It’s a year-round process, with winter weddings also becoming increasingly popular as more and more couples opt for a less traditional approach. It may be a huge responsibility to organise several weddings at once, but Janice admits that she loves this part of her job, especially when everything comes together on the day and the couple involved are happy.
‘It’s quite humbling to think that people are prepared to trust you with the most important day of their lives. They pay good money and deserve a good service. Emotions always run high on the day itself and I always feel privileged to be there, and be part of such an important occasion.’
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