Interview With: Mary Lee Herrington

Company Name: Forever and Ever Events

Website: www.foreverandeverevents.com

Location / Coverage: London, Greater London

What does Forever and Ever Events do?

We are a boutique wedding and events planning firm based in Primrose Hill, London.  A typical Forever and Ever client is stylish, unique, sophisticated and very busy, often with demanding jobs that leave little room in her schedule to plan a wedding.  She does not want a cookie-cutter wedding, but injects her personal stamp on everything. She also realises that planning this wedding takes a lot of time and work.

Many people think that most of the work is in finding a venue – it isn’t.  After booking a venue you still have to engage vendors (stationery, catering, music, transportation, florist, additional venues for a rehearsal dinner, welcome parties, post-wedding brunch, just to name a few), and then you have to coordinate amongst them before and during the day to ensure everything is perfect and goes smoothly.  On top of that, if you want a truly beautiful and unique wedding, all of the details that go into these arrangements with vendors become even more complex.  That is where Forever and Ever Events steps in to help – and our services are tailored to each client.  We protect our clients’ interest every step of the way, and make certain their day is exactly how they imagined it would be.

Have you always been interested in weddings and wanted to be a wedding planner?

I’ve always loved being a host.  Any party that I threw had to be different, quirky and well organised, but my career origins were not in wedding planning – they were actually in law!  I was a lawyer for several years, working for top international law firms with lots of prestige and acting on behalf of Fortune 500 companies and financial institutions.  While I was training to become a lawyer, I was the chair of the social committee at my law school and planned large events such as balls, formals and theatrical productions that drew 500+ guests.  I loved planning these events and often received feedback from people that I should start my own event planning company.  During this entire time, I always had an interest in design and I became an avid follower of Martha Stewart Weddings and wedding design blogs.  I guess it was a realisation over time that I wanted to be a wedding planner, but there was always an obsession with event styling, stationery, wedding photography, and, of course, the designer gowns!

How did Forever and Ever Events come about and how long has the business been going?

It wasn’t until after several years of practicing law and my talking about starting a wedding planning business on the side (but never having the time due to my demanding job) that my heart finally just told me that it was time to go for it.  I followed my heart, with the support and utter belief that my wonderful husband had in me, and started Forever and Ever Events.  Our first wedding was in Bath and it was magnificent.  The business has been going since early 2010 and every day sees more challenges and growth.  It is so gratifying to be an entrepreneur, but even more so to plan really high-end customised events for people.  Our clients are wonderful, seriously the best bosses I’ve ever had.

Which areas of the country do you cover?

We cover London and the Greater London area (locations within 1.5 hours of the city limits, e.g., Bath, Cambridge, Oxford).

What services can Forever and Ever Events offer to couples planning their wedding?

Brides today want a wedding planner who combines design and styling consultancy with a celebration of individuality and personalised details. This movement has already taken hold in the US wedding market, and our vision is for brides to be able to achieve that here in the UK.  Our brides look at Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot and design-focused wedding blogs such as 100 Layer Cake, Once Wed and The Pretty Blog and think, Why can’t my British wedding be like this?  We share the same taste and understand their desire.  Whether they hire us for full wedding and event design services, partial planning services or on-day coordination, we help them have the wedding of their dreams. We go above and beyond to make them happy – for example, the agreement may not call for it, but you can find me setting up the tables at a rehearsal dinner, making sure that the hotel has a chilled bottle of bubbly waiting for them in their bridal suite, setting out Krispy Kremes as a surprise in their hotel room (because I know it is their favourite dessert) – these are details that clients are too busy to think about themselves, but which I know are important to them and frankly, make them feel taken care of.  A bride can expect that we will be more OCD than she is about her wedding!

Is it expensive to have a wedding planner and why should a couple choose to use you to help them plan their big day?

When you consider how much is going into a wedding, a wedding planner’s fees are not that expensive, especially because Forever and Ever Events will do much more work for you than just what is agreed in the contract – and we do this happily because we care about them (indeed, our clients become our friends during the planning process!).  The fees will also depend on what you want from a planner – you may want the planner to do everything and come to you for sign-off on decisions, or you may want to plan it all yourself and hire someone as a day-of coordinator who oversees all the vendors and schedules on the wedding day.  The most beneficial reason why a couple should choose to use a wedding planner: to relieve them of the work.  A wedding is often not just one day – it is often 2-4 days of hosting and requires many months of planning.  It is a full time production and requires a project manager.  When handing over the oversight duties to a planner, clients can actually enjoy their events and don’t have to worry about set-up, phoning vendors, supervising a rehearsal, telling the musician to start/stop, etc.  Venue managers/coordinators are helpful in managing catering and clean up, but their interests are aligned with the venue, not solely focused on what you need.  They certainly won’t be available to assist with your other wedding events, including a ceremony held elsewhere.  We only recommend vendors whom we trust and know to produce excellent work, and any discounts from these relationships are passed on directly to the client.  In terms of costs, time and work saved, it’s money well spent.

Does Forever and Ever Events have a specialist area?

Our specialist area is in creating a wedding that is the couple’s unique expression of themselves.  Rather inadvertently, we have also become a go-to planner for couples where one or both of them are expats who want to get married in the UK.  People have shown tremendous interest simply due to our understanding of American sensibilities and the high standard placed on wedding planning in the States.  Knowing about my legal background, clients are confident that I will deliver on time, that I will be prepared for any eventuality and that my work product will always be professional and perfect – whether reviewing and negotiating contract terms with vendors or anticipating issues that may crop up.  While I am not an immigration lawyer, we can also flag key immigration/visa issues and inform clients of applicable paperwork with the authorities.  Not only that – they often ask me to weigh in on legal questions as well (sometimes not even related to the wedding!) and, although I can’t give them advice as their lawyer, as their planner I can often help them towards finding an answer or referral.

Do you have a specific style of wedding that you like to help create?

There is no one style that we create because each couple is different and it really depends on the client’s tastes and vision, but there is a common thread: uber stylish, tasteful, modern and high-end. Our brides wear Jenny Packham, Vera Wang, Temperley, Caroline Castigliano, or vintage dresses found on eBay, and killer heels that aren’t necessarily bridal white.  They may pair a gown with red satin sandals, or a bespoke headpiece purchased from Etsy for less than £40.  The style is discerning and beautiful – less frou-frou, more high and quirky fashion.  Our weddings also often involve creating bespoke wedding stationery with a graphic designer, something you can’t find by ordering online or at Paperchase.  You see a lot of originality in the US wedding industry and that is what our brides want to achieve here in London.

What are the best and worst things about being a wedding planner?

The Best: developing close friendships with my clients.

The Worst: it can be unpredictable when, like me, you run a business and, as an entrepreneur, have to expect peaks and valleys, but I think the ‘worst’ part of the job is when a venue coordinator, frustratingly, does not care as much about the wedding and your client as they should.

What is your most memorable experience of planning one of your client’s weddings?

One of my favourite aspects of my job is helping to create the wedding stationery.  It is like a marketing piece for your wedding and sets the tone for the rest of the day’s look.  It too should be viewed as an expression of yourselves as a couple – whether you want it to be chic and formal, or quirky and fun.  I absolutely loved creating a silhouette motif with a graphic designer and carrying that through to each piece of the wedding stationery – from the save-the-dates with the silhouettes on one page and an etching of a historic building on the opposite page, to the luxe wedding invitation with separate RSVP cards and travel inserts, all tying back into that silhouette theme.  My absolute favourite was probably the separate ‘travel & accommodations’ card that was drafted with over-the-top Britishisms, which the many American guests got a huge kick out of!

What’s your top tip for planning the perfect wedding?

If you make your wedding a unique expression of yourselves and your style (not someone else’s), then it will be an event that your guests will talk about for a long time afterwards.

Where can I find out more about Forever and Ever Events?

Our website: www.foreverandeverevents.com

Our blog: http://foreverandeverevents.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/4evereverevents