Name: Georgie Evans
Job: Web & Marketing Manager at The Wedding Present Co.
How long have you been working at The Wedding Present Co?
Since September 2017
How did you get a job at The Wedding Present Co?
After having my wedding list with WPC I reached out to them personally and they got back in touch a few months later. The job was originally meant to be part time, but I managed to convince them to make it full time and we haven’t look back, or stopped, since!
Why did you want to work for The Wedding Present Co?
From doing my wedding list, I realised straight away what a special company it was; the ethos of the company is absolutely amazing. I loved how they valued their customer service above everything and went above and beyond for every single client. Having your own dedicated wedding list advisor is the most spoiling and indulgent experience; someone who’s at hand to offer advice and help throughout the whole process is amazing. They are always at the end of the phone, which is incredibly refreshing. It’s the wedding world’s best kept secret! It’s such a spoiling and fun part of wedding planning, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of this unique company.
Interiors has always been a passion hobby of mine and I loved how WPC worked with smaller artisanal brands as well as all the big name must-haves. It’s the place to go if you want to discover amazing new brands that you might not have come across before, whilst of course offering all the favourite wedding present brands such as Le Creuset and LSA.
I also spotted that they could better their service even more with a few small changes and some modernisation, starting with refined processes, a new website, new branding and a considered marketing and PR strategy — which are areas I specialise in.
What do you love most about working for The Wedding Present Co?
The ethos of the company – the dedication to going above and beyond for clients is inspirational. It’s also such a happy environment to work in – you’re dealing with clients at the happiest time in their lives and that really rubs off on you. I’m all about the positivity!
It’s also an incredibly exciting time for the company as we have just seen our new branding come to life, and have just launched our new website. Having worked behind the scenes on this project for months, it’s been amazing to see it come to life and to hear the positive reaction to it from couples and industry peers alike.
We are also for the very first time allocating budget for exciting marketing and PR initiatives, working with some of the best names in the industry to pull of some super exciting projects; think a life sized dolls house full of gorgeous presents, an exclusive book launch party with the editor of Brides Magazine, plus it’s our 25th anniversary next year so there are some amazing plans in the pipeline for that one….
Working out of our beautiful showroom in Chelsea is a daily dose in interior inspiration. We are the only dedicated wedding list company to have a showroom of this size, with thousands of presents on display. It is cleverly arranged by room over two storeys, making it easy for couples to imagine how presents might look in their home. The showroom is constantly evolving with new presents and new designs and it’s a real haven to work in! (Dangerous for the credit card though!).
What job did you do before working at The Wedding Present Co?
Web Manager at Hill & Friends, an amazing luxury handbag company founded by the infamous Emma Hill and Georgia Fendley. A relatively new company, I joined before they launched and looked after their digital offering, including their website, social, digital marketing, events and fulfilment. It was two years of serious fun and I have left with friends for life.
How long did you go that job for?
2 years
What made you want to work in a completely different industry?
Having worked in the luxury fashion industry for over 8 years I was ready for a change. Having got married myself in 2017 I realised what a lucrative industry the wedding industry is! It’s huge! I also loved how ‘happy’ it was, you are dealing with clients that are in such an exciting place in their lives and this positivity really rubs off on you.
What would you say to someone who wants to work in the wedding industry?
Do it! It’s an incredibly exciting industry that’s getting bigger and bigger every day. Prepare yourselves for the occasional irate situation – wedding planning can be a stressful time, but it’s nothing a glass of champagne and some unexpected generosity can’t sort. It’s a very visual and competitive industry, so make sure your communications are totally on point and are designed to appeal to your target audience.
Name: Kate Hopewell-Smith
Job: Wedding Photographer and Owner of byLumiere
How long have you been a wedding photographer?
My story is not unique and, yes, it all started as a hobby. Photography was an antidote for my Groundhog Day existence as a full-time mother who left the media world and London to bring up her family. It brought me back to life and my self-esteem back with it. I don’t regret one day of my 4 years as a full-time mother but it took its toll and I both needed and wanted to work again. I just didn’t realise I would go from full time mum to professional photographer! I took this image (see below) in August 2009 for fun and to ‘have a go’ at using fill flash. It marked a turning point in my journey because for the first time I began to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could turn this into a career.
What job did you do before and what made you want a career change and to work in the wedding industry?
By 2010 I needed to go back to work – financially and mentally – and had a choice to get on the commuter train to London or turn a hobby into a business. I began to explore what it would take to start a photography career and realised that I needed to do 3 things – all of which would take monetary investment:
1: I needed some training to become a better photographer and understand the industry I was going to enter.
2: I needed to create a brand (I had a background in branding and marketing).
3: I needed a decent, functional website to market said brand.
What I did have was 10 years’ experience in the world of media – advertising, marketing/sales and branding – as a Client Director. I ran the budgets, projects and the client relationships.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most and why?
Storytelling lies at the heart of what we do as image makers but actually if you bring it down to the essence of why I love what I do so much it about the responsibility of being asked to capture relationships – to work with people and encourage them to show on the outside what they feel on the inside. This also goes right through to my boudoir work where it is about exploring a woman’s relationship with herself.
What sort of stresses and strains does your job involve and how do you deal with this?
We work long hours – both on location and in the studio afterwards. Both take different physical tolls on our bodies and we need to keep physically fit to compensate. We are also dealing with extremes of human emotion and it is very important that we have empathy and patience with our clients at all times.
Does your job make you happy?
Yes – people photography is a gift and can be hugely transformative in how people see themselves and their relationships. I have had careers before where I didn’t have a creative outlet and I have learnt it is very important to me.
What would you do if your job started to make you un-happy?
Change it. You only live once.
What advice would you give to someone in a job that made them un-happy?
Brent (my partner) knows all about this – have the courage to make change even if it means starting again and earning less. It is not all about what you earn in money – job satisfaction is relatively rare and a very lovely thing.
Stress amongst the workplace is at an all time high, what advice would you give to keep yourself stress-free and happy in your job?
I’m not the best at work-life balance by nature and it is much harder when you work for yourself – but it is very important to be able to switch off. Brent has helped me with this and keeping fit is also important and a great stress reliever.
Name: Vaishali Shah
Job: Wedding stationery designer at Ananya Cards
How long have you been a wedding stationery designer?
I set up Ananya 12 years ago and have been creating wedding stationery for 20 years. Ananya translates to ‘without equal’ in the ancient language of Sanskrit, and it is this sentiment that forms the foundation on which the business is built, and with which every single collection is lovingly crafted and curated.
If you did something drastically different before, what job did you do before and what made you want a career change and to work in the wedding industry?
I have been running a design, branding and marketing agency Creative ID for the last 18 years. Previous to that I worked in private banking but I always knew that I wanted to run my own business and be in the creative and wedding industry. From a very young age, I have travelled extensively to different parts of the world and have always been fascinated by the different cultures I have encountered. I found their designs, architecture, textiles, motifs and symbols, and how they were expressed in various forms very beautiful. These diverse art forms inspired in me a desire to find a way to bring them to life in a modern, contemporary context.
My opportunity came in 2006 when I noticed a lack of high end stationery that expressed global cultural events and influences. Research revealed a great need for such stationery. Having spotted the gap in the market, I knew that I had found my niche. I had always loved stationery in all forms since childhood, so in 2006, I launched Ananya, my own stationery business. I was in stationery heaven!
What part of your job do you enjoy the most and why?
I enjoy meeting clients and getting an in-depth understanding of the type of wedding stationery they are looking for. I am inspired by the challenge of designing stationery that is meaningful and personal to them, and which reflects their identity and style – whether it’s for a destination wedding, a multicultural wedding or a classic wedding. Once the wedding stationery brief has been determined, then the enjoyable creative process to design the stationery begins. We love weddings! It may seem like an obvious thing to say, seeing as it’s part of our job, but in reality it’s important to remind ourselves of why we do the job we do. For us here at Ananya, the reason is that we love being part of a couple’s celebrations, and to know that we’ve played an important part in making their day special. We love working with couples who have an appreciation of beautiful, quality stationery and who recognise that their wedding stationery is a way for them to express their style and set the tone for their wedding.
What sort of stresses and strains does your job involve and how do you deal with this?
The job can be stressful when bridal couples approach me late and there is not much time before the wedding or if the couple take time to give me feedback on the designs we have created. In certain instances, when a joint invitation is being sent out by the couple, as opposed to the bride and groom sending out their own invitations, it can be stressful if each person wants something different; my challenge is to create stationery that harmoniously incorporates both preferences. Talking to the couple, and a little give and take on both sides usually leads to a compromise both are happy with.
Does your job make you happy?
The beautiful thing about the wedding industry is that, underneath the commercial side, there is the individual story of every single couple, each one different – and alongside them on the journey, thousands of incredibly talented suppliers who love their jobs. We are so grateful and proud here at Ananya to be celebrating our 12th year in an industry so filled with talent, emotion, and collaboration. Behind every company, there is the hard, dedicated work of someone making their dream come true, and the team of people making the magic happen around them.
What would you do if your job started to make you un-happy?
If my work started to make me unhappy then I would look into why this was happening as I have been enjoying it for the last 12 years. I would analyse what the issue was and work towards finding a solution.
What advice would you give to someone in a job that made them un-happy?
I would advise them to examine what specific aspects of the job were making them unhappy and find ways to resolve them. Once you understand why you’re unhappy, you can then begin taking meaningful action to improve your situation. If you are working for someone else, I would suggest talking to your line manager to see if something could be done. Sometimes talking about a situation helps and often there are small steps that can make a big difference. We work for so many hours a day, it would be disappointing if you spent all that time unhappy. If you own your own business, see if the aspects you do not enjoy could be delegated/outsourced to someone else. If the above does not make a difference, then it may be time to consider a new job or career path.
Stress amongst the workplace is at an all time high, what advice would you give to keep yourself stress-free and happy in your job?
Given that there is so much stress, I would say that you need to take time out for yourself – whether that is to have a spa treatment, spend time with friends and family, go out for some cocktails and if you can, have a digital detox and take time away from your emails and social media. Dedicate some ‘me’ time every single day when you do something you really enjoy.
Name: Charlotte Page-Smith
Job: Wedding coordinator at The Elvetham Hotel
How long have you been a wedding co-ordinator?
I’ve been working as a Wedding Specialist at The Elvetham for over 3 years.
What job did you do before and what made you want a career change and to work in the wedding industry?
I previously worked in a sales role within the beauty industry, but was drawn to the creative element of weddings and utilising my planning skills to ensure every couple has the day they dreamed of.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most and why?
I love talking to our couples about their plans from the moment they enquire all the way through to the big day itself; the best part about my role is seeing their visions come to life.
What sort of stresses and strains does your job involve and how do you deal with this?
A lot about my job is planning every last detail so anything out of our control can certainly throw a spanner in the works, for example we’ve had suppliers unable to get to the venue due to snowy conditions and road closures so guests are unable to reach us. Having an open line of communication with our couples is always key and contingency plans are essential!
Does your job make you happy?
A lot about what I do is liaising with other departments to ensure the wedding day runs smoothly for all of our couples, so whilst that can sometimes mean juggling multiple queries at one time nothing makes me happier than seeing the couples enjoying their big day.
What would you do if your job started to make you un-happy?
If my job started to make me unhappy I would look at the reasons why and see if there was anything specifically that could be changed to make things a little easier.
What advice would you give to someone in a job that made them un-happy?
It’s important you talk about anything which is making you unhappy about your job to either a manager or fellow colleague. If you don’t say what you’re unhappy about then there won’t be an opportunity for anyone to help the situation or make changes that might be needed.
Stress amongst the workplace is at an all-time high, what advice would you give to keep yourself stress-free and happy in your job?
Tea breaks and lists! It can be all too easy to sit at your desk all day with emails coming in and answering telephone calls. It’s important to have 5 minutes away from your desk to rest your eyes and to refocus your goals for the day.
Name: Lisa Johnson
Job: Wedding Planner at Carmela Weddings
How long have you been a wedding planner?
5 years
If you did something drastically different before, what job did you do before and what made you want a career change and to work in the wedding industry?
I worked as a business analyst in an investment bank so very different! I had twin boys and went back to work when they were 5 months old. I loved having a career but never saw my kids! So while there I decided to start up my wedding planning business on the side. It did well and I was able to leave my 9-5 after a year.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most and why?
I love how every day is different! I now coach other entrepreneurs too and the mix of that and wedding planning is brilliant. I get to travel the world Planning Weddings and coaching others which I love.
What sort of stresses and strains does your job involve and how do you deal with this?
The usual stresses that come with being self employed. It’s always a rollercoaster being your own boss. It can be very demanding working with couples on one of the most important days of their lives but as a planner, I don’t really get stressed!
Does your job make you happy?
Every day. I honestly can’t imagine being back in an office now!
What would you do if your job started to make you un-happy?
I have so many new ideas for businesses every day so I guess I’d just stop doing it and start something else.
What advice would you give to someone in a job that made them un-happy?
Start to research how you could start doing what you’ve always wanted to. It all begins with just one step! I have lots of clients now that know they want to do something different but don’t know where to start. Research!
Stress amongst the workplace is at an all time high, what advice would you give to keep yourself stress-free and happy in your job?
Give yourself boundaries and stick to them! Too many people now work all hours. It’s one part of your life so don’t be in it so much that it costs you all other parts!
