This month I am thrilled to introduce you to Lou, the 007 of the wedding planning industry, flying low under the radar, inconspicuous and subtle. Partnered with her incredible warm, down to earth personality her love of organisation and logistics makes her a pragmatic and fully trustworthy human. Her passion lies in creating truly memorable and individual events, often in surprising locations.
I had a wonderful chat with Lou to bring you some of her gold dust when planning and creating a more exclusive out-of-the-box wedding...
Lou, you have worked on some incredible events at truly surprising locations including a windmill (!) and RHS Wisley – places you wouldn’t often think of as event or wedding spaces.. your love and talent for logistics makes using these locations possible.
What has been the most logistic-heavy wedding location and why?
"Hands down the most challenging was delivering one of the first ever private events into the Moat around the Tower of London. We had a huge hard sided marquee, dodgems, carousel, a bandstand, staging, catering structures, loads of different food and activity zones too. I even built a mini orchard! I had to crane everything into the moat as there was no access for vehicles. I hired a crane, cordoned off the public area outside the ticket office, build a bespoke set of pedestrian steps down into the Moat, ordered a few shipping containers and then spent a week dropping service vehicles and containers in and out of the space.
The logistics for servicing things like toilets, water suppliers, rubbish collection as well as getting all of the behind the scenes kitchens, staffing, performers etc just right was something of a challenge.
My favourite moment was when the Head Yeoman came to me during one of the live performances and said;
“Louise, please can you turn down the volume,
you are shaking the walls of the Tower and I’d hate for it to collapse”.
I didn’t fancy being the person who razed the Tower of London to the ground so I pulled the base down pretty quickly!
The event was beyond spectacular and I am so proud of achieving something so complicated under the constant scrutiny of the curious public. I believe the Tower built a permanent road to access the Moat after that! "
Talking of porta-loos and waste disposal, I presume these things are relevant when using a space which isn’t ‘usually’ an event space.
Are there any other logistical elements which couples often overlook when planning a wedding for example in their family home?
"Yes extremely relevant. One of the first things I look at is site positioning to create back of house spaces that can’t be seen by the guests. It’s so important to me to hide all of the ugly bits like greenrooms, waste disposal, marquee bone yards, catering vans, equipment storage etc.
Sometimes a couple may have an idea of the position they want for their structure but more often than not they haven’t considered these things. That’s where my experience comes in super handy. I can instantly assess what space and access they will need and how to lay out the spaces to create an exceptional guest experience. This is what I put at the heart of all my planning."
"The other thing that is so vital but often overlooked is power. Getting the right generator and distribution is vital to the success of the day. "
What is the most mind blowing ‘surprise’ you have ever delivered to either a couple or guests (floating cake / flying bride / hahaha)
"I’ve incorporated so many unique touches into my events from commissioned sculptures that can be played as musical instruments, to tethered hot air balloon rides to celebrity performers but my absolute favourite moment was a surprise flashmob for a Bride and Groom. The Bride’s mother Sarah co-ordinated friends and family from all over the world to come together in an exceptionally choreographed routine. Granny and all the great aunts flew in from India and had their own starring role. Watching the couples’ faces as the dance floor grew with more and more of their friends was a moment I’ll never forget. "
Lou, you often work with couples who want the big jaw dropping event, but want a more discreet feel due to their status, their guest list or simply their personalities…
In a world of instantaneous content sharing how can a couple try and make sure that images from suppliers and guests stay private? Are there contracts / prenup forms?
Discretion. One of the things that we value most for our clients is discretion. We are always very careful not to publicly share locations or images of the set up on social media ahead of our events. You never know who is watching and we certainly don’t want to spoil the surprise for the guests. The first looks and reveals are a really important part of our weddings. There is nothing quite like the live experience and being really immersed in a day.
Know the suppliers. We make sure our suppliers know not to share ahead of the event unless our couples have given their permission to do so.
Trust your friends. But when it comes to the guests, to be honest, unless you make everyone attending the wedding sign an NDA, it is almost impossible to stop photos of the day sneaking out onto social media.
Our advice would be to put a little note in the invitations, explaining that you would like everyone to enjoy the day and not to experience it through a lens.
Known as unplugged weddings often the person conducting the ceremony will ask guests to keep their phones in their pockets and assure them that the official photographer will capture every moment.
“We kindly ask that you keep your photos for yourselves and don’t share on social media” or “We’re sure you understand that we would like to be the first to announce our wedding to the world, so we politely ask that you wait until you share any photographs of our day.”
Polite little reminders in the orders of service and around the reception venue can also just prompt people to think before sharing. Using humour is a great way of getting the message across without appearing rude or too controlling. You can encourage people to snap later on but just ask that they don’t post until you’ve done so first.
I’ve had couple who have asked for phone snaps to be downloaded onto a specific website or cloud which they can then edit and cull before the photos are released to the public!
However, some of the best wedding moments are captured on phones and seeing your day from all the different guest perspectives can be super fun afterwards. You’ll soon discover that there was a lot that you missed and these might well be moments your wedding is remembered for. You can encourage people to snap away later on but just ask that they don’t post until you’ve done so first.
Are there any venues which appeal to these couples and why do they work for a more discreet event?
"Having a more discreet wedding is certainly easier if it is held at home. You have so much more control over the people who are around and I think guests tend to be a little more mindful of these things in a private setting.
Alternatively an exclusive use venue such as a Stately Home or Country Manor ensures that you have complete privacy away from prying eyes and member of the public desperate to catch a glimpse of the Bride.
Hotels and urban venues, although not impossible, are much harder to control in this way."
Whilst retaining confidentiality (of course!) can you tell me about the most memorable wedding you have worked on and for what reasons?
"I’m extremely lucky to have worked on some wonderful weddings. The most memorable for me are always the ones where I get to work really closely with the families and spend time with them. Those personal connections are the reason I love what I do.
Last year I was lucky enough to plan the most beautiful City wedding which utilised some unique locations that aren’t generally available for the public to hire. We had just 6 months to bring it all together and I was really pushing the venues out of their comfort zone to make them adapt to hosting this sort of event. It was a complete one off. A day that can never and will never be repeated.
I’d planned the Bride’s sisters 21st birthday party 10 years previously and I was so honoured to be called by the Mother of the Bride to help with the wedding. They are a family that I’d loved working with and to have that opportunity to help them again was a dream come true."
What does the future hold for Lou and Big Green Space?
"2022 was such an unbelievable year for Big Green Space. I barely had a moment to take stock of what was going on. I’ve taken on a permanent Event Assistant, Mya, who is proving to be invaluable. In 2023, Jess and Becky have joined the team as an Wedding and Event Planners and will be taking on some of the on the day management of our smaller weddings. And Nickie has also come on board as our inhouse Stylist. These means that we can offer our wedding clients a much more in depth, creative and personal service, and I won’t be pulled in quite so many directions!
We’ve also been involved in quite a lot of corporate events. Parties, dinners, drinks receptions and staff celebrations. There will be a lot more of that to come in 2023 and beyond."
Lastly, go on give us a sales pitch – I already know I can sing your praises but let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth...
"Big Green Space is all about building relationships with our clients to create truly unique and personal celebrations. We put your experience and that of your guests at the heart of what we do. Always thinking about how people feel and how they move through spaces. Logistically focussed, we don’t “Plan for the Gram”! We design our events around ensuring people have a fabulous time. We really value our clients’ sense of style, personalities and relationships and always design events for them that reflect that. We absolutely love styling incredible spaces and tablescapes but I’ll be thinking about where your wine sits and whether you can talk to the people opposite you before I fill the table with flowers.
So, if an exclusive, breath taking event in the most memorable location, filled with all the vip feels is what you are after then you can’t go much wrong by having Lou and her team by your side."
Contact Lou
Want to chat about creating fabulous party stationery for your exclusive wedding or event? I'd love to chat
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Disclaimer;
" The views and statements written in this blog are my own and mine alone. They are based on my 10 years experience in the wedding industry working on hundreds of weddings with a huge range of wedding budgets, from 12 guests to over 200. The comments will not be relevant to every wedding ever planned. If you require specific costs or have any questions regarding your own wedding stationery please either get in touch using my contact form"
Over and out lovely people... see you next time.
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