At Diamonds Hatton Garden we welcome couples looking forward to their very special day. Our personal service, knowledgeable team and inventory of loose diamonds makes choosing a diamond engagement ring a pleasurable and personal experience. Of course, many elements go into creating the next step; the wedding. With this in mind, we speak with Aimee Orwell,
Wedding and Event Planner at One Oake, about her career, inspiration and her top tips for weddings to help our readers with that incredible next step after the ring.
Aimee, thank you for taking the time to speak to us. What made you want to start a career within weddings and events?
I have loved weddings and events for as long as I can remember, ever since I was a little girl, I have watched my mum plan events and host parties; you could say that event planning is in my blood! My first real job in the industry was interning with a celebrity planner and I had the time of my life! I found myself racing across London picking up champagne from Claridges, accessories for the bridal party, suits for the staff and of course working on the most amazing weddings! I loved the buzz and I left hungry for more! This is when I caught the wedding panning bug. I had always wanted to work in the event industry in some capacity but after this internship it confirmed to me weddings was where I needed to be. Being a wedding planner is such a rewarding job, I love the feeling of seeing a couple at the end of their wedding day and saying ‘we did it!’ Being able to see their vision come to life, the meetings, calls, emails, all coming together to create the day of their dreams. Being able to give my clients that WOW factor as they see their wedding for the first time, be it walking down the aisle or walking into the reception gives me the biggest smile on my face knowing that I have helped them create their perfect day.
What’s your favourite wedding that you have planned?
I have loved every wedding I have planned! As they are all so different its hard to pinpoint one being a standout favourite, I have been a part of some amazing weddings over the years and each one holds a special place in my heart. However, if I had a favourite type of wedding to plan it would either be weddings in the family home as it feels so much more personal to the couple or weekend weddings. Weekend weddings are great as you have events the day prior and post wedding day, and its like a little getaway for the guests. Yes it is more to organise but being there for all 3 events allows you to get to know the guests better, feel like you are part of the wedding and build up the excitement with them. Weekend weddings are a lot of work, but I really enjoy being a part of them!
That’s great to hear! We feel the same with our jewellery pieces too! How has the current situation affected your industry and what do you think the industry can learn?
COVID has had a massive impact on weddings. The lockdown period started just as our 2020 wedding season was about to kick off and left hundreds of thousands of couples not knowing if they were able to get married this year. Over the past couple of months with the ease of some restrictions and the chance to now have a 30 people wedding it has helped those couples who really wanted a 2020 wedding. The wedding industry is an amazing industry and we have been able adapt and work with the guidelines quickly as they have been changing, while also making sure that we are doing everything safety. Us wedding planners usually plan for every eventuality on a wedding day anyway but I think now we will be extra prepared in case anything like this (I hope not!) happens again.
Overall I think the industry has worked amazingly well during this period, there have been support groups set up and Facebook groups providing up to date information on breaking news from the government as well as some of our top suppliers being featured on national news channels. I think we have all learnt how important it is to communicate with each other, ask for help and advice and stand together as a sector.
It is a strange time for all. Looking forward, what are your trend predictions for 2021?
I think if there is anything positive to come out of COVID in regard to the wedding industry it’ll be the rise of intimate weddings and couples opting for a smaller guest list. I really see this being more of a common trend in 2021. Not just because this may be all we are allowed to do but I do think this pandemic has made couples look twice at their wedding plans and will also allow them to use venues they may have not considered prior to COVID as their guest list would have been too large, such as pubs, restaurants, museums, art galleries etc. Along with this I think we will also continue to see the increase of 3 day weekend weddings and making their wedding more of a holiday/getaway for their closest family and friends.
A holiday getaway sounds very attractive! Finally, what is the secret to a great wedding?
The secret to a great wedding and something I tell my couples is to make sure they are having the day they want! Sit down together and work out what you both want from your wedding day, what your non negotiables are, and stick with them. If you know that great food, great music and a fab party are what you want from your wedding then focus your attention and budget to getting the best suppliers you possibly can for this and maybe spend slightly less on the décor or venue. Make sure the day reflects you both as a couple and is personal to you and exactly what you both want. The second secret to a great wedding… Hire a wedding planner! 😊
Once again, all of the team at DHG would like to thank Aimee for taking the time to speak to us. For more information, visit https://www.oneoake.com/ or contact Aimee via oneoake@outlook.com.
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