Gorgeous styling and meticulous planning is the hallmark of The Original Wedding Company. Based in Perth, WA, Jenn and her team bring fresh ideas to the styling of your wedding. Getting to know you, and interpreting your ideas reflects her dedication to telling your story through your wedding decor and planning. From larger budgets to small, you too can have the The Original Wedding Planning Company touch of style, from full planning and styling to an ‘on the wedding day’ co-ordination service – there is something for every Western Australian bride to consider.
What led you into wedding planning as a profession?
Planning, budgeting and organizing has always been part of who I am. As a child I regularly wrote lists; what to take to school, what should be packed for camp, what I could do during school holidays. I bought my first Filofax when I was about 12! After several years in a corporate business planning role, maternity leave gave me the opportunity to think about starting my own business, and I identified the need for a wedding planner here in Perth. It felt like a natural role where I could largely work from home, and work with people at a key point in their lives.
Where are you based?
Our office is based in sunny Perth, close to the city centre. Most of our weddings occur in the Perth area, and the Margaret River Region. We have planned weddings in Bali, Fiji and New Zealand, which were great opportunities and lots of fun.
Image by Jason Soon Photography
Why do we need a wedding planner?
Great question, and one that I get asked less and less. Long gone are the days when wedding planners only appealed to the rich and famous. I started this wonderful business ten years ago, and the need for wedding planners has really grown immensely. In this digital age, brides are inspired by so much more than ever before; weddings have become bigger and more complicated to plan. Team this desire for a fabulous wedding with a growing career, building a new house and a fun social life and suddenly planning a wedding can seem like a chore rather than an exciting journey. Enter the need for a wedding planner!
Please describe the fresh perspective you and your team bring to wedding planning and styling?
Throughout the planning journey, we chat regularly with our couples about the reasons they have chosen to get married. We focus on the emotions, what they love about each other, and less on the commercial aspects of weddings. Amid the pressure that weddings can bring, we offer a calm and safe environment in which we ensure that what we plan and style has purpose and meaning for our clients. In addition to this, we have a bias towards unique designs which are fun and timeless, and are less attached to latest fads.
You offer a Wedding PA, Wedding Coach and Wedding Day Co-ordinator service. Can you describe what each of these packages involves?
Our Wedding PA service is really popular for women who are focused on building their career and don’t have a lot of time to spend researching and planning their wedding. Whatever free time they have tends to be spent with their partner or friends. We become the project managers for their wedding, ensuring they are presented with the best options for their style and budget allowing them to make the best decisions possible. We manage their expenditure, negotiate on their behalf with all vendors and ensure that the planning and styling process is fun for all involved.
Our Wedding Coach service works really well for women who want to me really hands on but don’t know where to start. Following an in depth meeting, we prepare a unique coaching document for each bride which includes shows her who to book and when to book. We also prepare an expenditure forecast so she knows what things should cost. We contact the bride each month to ensure the planning is on track, and have regular progress meetings.
One of my most favourite offerings is our Wedding Day Coordination Service. We meet lots of very organized brides who know what has to be done on their wedding day, and want to pass work onto a professional. We will set up ceremonies and reception, make sure every vendor knows where they have to be and when, and attend to any problems that may arise. We continue to offer this service as not only do we get to meet lots of wonderful brides, but it’s the problems we fix that allow us to be expert wedding planners. Not all the training and experience can be found sitting at a computer looking at a spreadsheet!
Image by Natasja Kremers Photography
Do you have preferred vendors who you can recommend and work with?
We have a comprehensive list of vendors with whom we love to work. These are vendors who have proven to be experts in their own field and value our clients. They understand our role completely and work as part of our team to create an amazing wedding experience for our clients and their families. Our list of preferred vendors grows continuously as we meet new and talented vendors.
You also offer a Wedding styling service. How does this enhance your planning services?
Knowledge on every element of the wedding day is paramount when creating a unique and original design. Knowing how the ceremony and reception will look and feel plays a huge role in vendor selection and timings for the day. Planning and styling are intertwined – it just doesn’t work to have planner and a separate stylist. My team is both creative and operation – we love pretty things as much as spread sheets!
On initial consultation, should a couple bring with them ideas? What if they have no ideas to present to you?
Initial ideas are great. No ideas are great too. We work with our couples to explore their creativity and ensure that the design of their weddings reflects them as individuals and as a couple. The initial consultation is just the start of the journey so no pressure to have any ideas at all!
Image by Natasja Kremers Photography
Of the many ideas a couple may be considering, how do you best guide a couple to help them create a cohesive look?
We use several creative mediums including Pinterest. After spending time collecting and refining images with our clients, we are left with a story which shows many of the styling elements which are important to our clients. From this we create a customized colour palette and design sheet which in incorporated into every design element. We continuously look for purpose and meaning.
What ‘looks’ are you seeing come through for 2016? Are coloured linens and crockery gaining in popularity to enhance the flowers (rather than flowers taking centre stage)?
Flowers will always take centre stage. Although we’ve designed many weddings which don’t have an emphasis on flowers, they certainly add that depth of design and colour. Aside from flowers, we’re focused on the detail. Simple, clean details in the glassware, crockery and cutlery and more experimentation with luscious linen. We’re also steering away from the traditional bridal table and creating interesting ways to have a fabulous bridal table where you can interact with your guests.
Please describe some lovely ideas you’ve seen recently?
Gold, mirrored tables are making us smile at the moment. Throw in glass charger plates and an abundance of opulent flowers in deep jewel shades and we’re high fiving each other.
If money was no object, how would you love to style a wedding?
Given that budget is always part of the initial discussion before we commence the design concept, not working to a budget would be extremely strange! We are fans of unique furniture, and would love the opportunity to design our own pieces. That takes a lot of cashJ
To be honest, our process wouldn’t change. Our inspiration comes from the client and we focus on producing a wedding that represents them so we would continue with our current process but not worry about tracking expenditure!
If we don’t have a lot of money to spend on décor, what do you suggest to your couples?
In this scenario, we would work with our couple to create an amazing statement piece, which could be the design of the cake table, the bridal backdrop or a desert table. This allows for some original design work but on a smaller scale. Having a low budget does not mean that style goes out the window!
Image by Jason Soon Photography
Why do you love wedding planning and styling and keeps you going when things get tough?
I meet amazing couples every day. I work with the Western Australia’s most talented and dedicated professionals in an industry based on love and happiness – what other business offers that! Not every day is easy – some weddings offer more challenges than other, but that’s what makes it all worthwhile.
How do you and the team celebrate the end of the working week?
In wedding season, one week rolls into the next and there’s no real end of the working week. It would be awesome to say we have Friday night drinks but the truth is that we are usually putting place cards in order or loading our van! We do have a fully stocked bar fridge in our office for ‘emergencies’!!
Thank you Jenn for sharing your story. There’s nothing like flowers, candles and sparkling glass to set the scene for a beautiful celebration! To find out more about The Original Wedding Company visit the website.
Headshot by Erica Serena Photographer.
Join the conversation