As you may have already seen on various social media posts, the lovely Angelique Franklin (aka our star blogger) has moved on to pursue her obsession and passion through launching her company ‘I Love Nails’. We miss her so much already, but luckily for us she still pops into the Stylish office for a cup of tea and a gossip! I’m afraid this means that you’re stuck with me. I thought for my first blog, I would share with you my experiences and how I came to be a part of Stylish Events.

I first met Dominique when I attended her very first ‘Life of a Wedding Planner’ course in March 2012 which I heard about through a friend who was studying Event Management at Greenwich University. Having completed my degree in Event Management at UWIC University in Cardiff in 2011, I was keen to learn more about the world of wedding planning, so booked onto the course immediately. It was so inspiring to learn in such depth all about the planning process, seeing real event proposals, plans, budgets, schedules and learning about Dominique’s experiences. But I think one of my favourite parts was flicking through amazing albums of real past events and weddings. At the time, I had no idea where that would lead me, but I couldn’t be happier that I attended Dominique’s course.

In June 2012, I was so delighted when Dominique asked me to assist her at one of her events. This Bat Mitzvah celebration hosted at The Reform Club was a dream 13^th birthday party with a chocolate fountain, an ice cream stand, casino tables, a photo booth,  a four tier blue and gold cake and last but certainly not least…a very special performance by Diversity! It really was a fantastic event and I was so honoured and proud to have been a part of it and knew that Dominique was a true professional and a planner who could teach me so much more.

Photography: Colin Antill, Fotoseeker, venue: The Reform Club, London, Entertainment: Diversity, Flowers: Vive La Rose, Cake: Alexandra Clay, Sound, Lighting and Casino: JSO Productions, DJ and Host: 9 Events, Chocolate Fountain and Ice Cream Stand: Fruits and Fountains.  

I instantly applied for an internship following the Bat Mitzvah and couldn’t have been happier when Dominique offered me a four month internship at Stylish Events starting in November 2012. This was not my first experience as an intern but was by far the best and so much more than I could have ever imagined. Dominique took the time to pass on her knowledge and really involved me in extensive research and meetings, venue hunting, looking at budgets and creating mood boards. In my short four months at Stylish Events I had learnt so much about wedding planning and was so lucky to be involved in a real event which was a two day wedding in Buckinghamshire at Hedsor House.

Photography: Ann-Kathrin Koch, Venue: Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire, Flowers: Chantal Flores Design 

In March 2013 my internship was due to end and this was when I was offered a position within the company alongside Dominique and Angelique as the Event Manager. I felt as if all of my dreams had come true and couldn’t wait to continue with the weddings I had been working on as an intern. It turned out that 2013 was an incredibly busy year for the team at Stylish Events and we are so proud of the weddings we have been involved in. We love helping our clients design their dream day and it’s such an amazing feeling to see it all come together.

So that brings me to the present and the future and I am so proud to say that as of January 2014, I am now a Partner at Stylish Events.

I have been asked which is my favourite wedding of 2013, which is an incredibly hard question to answer. Every single wedding we were involved in last year has been entirely different. If I really had to choose one that stands out to me, it’s our autumnal themed wedding at the amazing Aynhoe Park in Oxfordshire for Clare and Patrick. What I loved the most about this wedding was the colours, the décor was so warm and inviting and it complemented this quirky and slightly crazy venue perfectly. Clare had the most exquisite taste and her attention to detail was second to none. Clare and Patrick made it clear from the very first meeting that their priority was their guests. They wanted their close friends and family to have the best experience possible and spent hours planning and putting together a personally selected wine list, a lavish five course meal, their favourite cocktails and of course, they all had the most fantastic time. Weddings are all about the personal touches and this really came across on the day.

Photography: Simon Carr, Venue: Aynhoe Park, Oxfordshire, Flowers: Pinstripes and Peonies, Cake: Princess Patisserie, Caterers: Absolute Taste, Fine Wines: Giles Smith Walker, Independent Vintner,  Dance Floor, Stage and Lighting: Mission Events, Band: The White Keys, Jazz trio: 101 Jazz Trio, DJ: Stylish Entertainment, Celebrant: Mark Townsend

It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind since my first meeting with Dominique almost two years ago, and I am very much looking forward to another year with more weddings, more events and more fun!