We are traveling to a new country today and excited to feature a great {ritzy bee} friend and talented event planner, Zoë Lingard. Zoë owns her own wedding planning company, Weddings by Zoë Lingard based in the UK. We asked Zoë to tell us a little about her company and the British wedding industry as well as share some photos from one of her brilliant and beautiful weddings...enjoy!
{rb} Tell us a little bit about your company, Weddings by Zoë Lingard
{zl} After 2-3 years of researching, training and gaining experience, Weddings by Zoë Lingard was launched full time in late 2007. We tend to focus on weddings in the Southeast of England with most of our clients living in or around London and a select few coming from overseas. The company was born out of a complete love affair with all things wedding and a desire to create events with a particular emphasis on design, feeling that many UK planners are very logistics focused.
{rb} Can you tell us a little bit about the British wedding industry?
{zl} Compared to America, the British wedding industry is still in its infancy. There are fewer possibilities and finding affordable, specialist suppliers can sometimes be tricky, especially outside of London. It’s only relatively recently that couples have dared to really personalise their weddings and as a rule of thumb, couples tend to be a little more cautious with regards to design themes and colour palettes.
Having said that, it is entirely possible to create a stunning celebration, you just have to work a little harder. There are some amazing suppliers out there who are really pushing the boundaries and lots of couples who are choosing to have an unconventional day. In the future I’d love to see the industry over here moving towards the American one. I’d love to see more couples using a planner not just because I’d benefit (!) but because I truly believe couples have a huge amount to gain from hiring a professional.
{rb} What locations are popular in England for weddings?
{zl} The UK has a wealth of beautiful historic castles and country houses that are ever popular with couples looking for that fairytale feel. Next year I have a wedding at Chatsworth House (of Pride and Prejudice fame) which is sure to be a show stopper! Many couples choose hotels for their convenience whilst a strong proportion opts for a marquee as these offer such a versatile backdrop for celebrations. In addition, over the last 12 months a change in the law has finally allowed couples to marry outdoors (under a permanent structure) which has added a new dimension to many venues.
{rb} What are the current trends in the wedding industry you are seeing there?
{zl} The last two to three years have been focused on a huge trend for vintage weddings, so tea parties, antique colour palettes and lots of lace gowns. I think we’re slowly starting to see a change in mood with several of my clients this season choosing more minimalist themes and neutral colour palettes. Flick the pages of any UK wedding magazine and you’ll see that there is still an unfailing love for what I call the ‘classic’ wedding - very elegant and timeless; a fairytale wedding that will never date. I think we will never tire of this look as it’s the type of wedding little girls spent their childhood dreaming of.
{rb} When you aren't busy planning weddings, what do you enjoy doing for fun in your spare time?
{zl} Do wedding planners have spare time? :) I love seeing old friends and making new ones. I love cooking, walking in the hills and anything even slightly crafty has my attention. I have a beautiful digital SLR camera that I pretend I know how to use and I love wondering the streets of London in search of the next exciting adventure!
Thank you so much Zoë for educating us about the British wedding industry and showing us your beautiful pictures! Be sure to also visit Zoë's blog...she has great features and inspiration boards {see below} and we look forward to her stopping by again in the near future!
ooo a sneak peek into the british wedding industry, LOVE it! i look forward to zoe stopping by again! :)
Posted by: katealtmix | June 18, 2008 at 12:47 PM
This post is so interesting to me...especially to learn that they are just able to have weddings outside. I always forget that there's this big amazing world out there...LOVE the new posts.
Posted by: Megan | June 18, 2008 at 10:11 PM
I love England! I actually looked at locations for my wedding there about 2 years ago and its ridiculous how many country houses, castles, parks are available for weddings (some are quite reasonably priced as well). I think Leeds Castle had to be one of my favorites. Its a castle a little island surrounded by a lake. Amazing!
Posted by: Kelly Oshiro | June 19, 2008 at 05:34 PM