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The basis for a relaxed wedding? Work with professionals! Vendors who fully understand their profession and who you don’t have to worry about for a second. These are Dusty Blue’s favorite vendors and I’m very proud of them! Each and every one of our favorite vendors are Dutch professionals who are passionate about their beloved profession and fantastic couples. But what exactly does a wedding vendor do? What are the things they do for you and let’s cut to the chase: what are you actually paying for?

Wedding planner Lisanne Kamp organizes weddings from A to Z and is happy to tell you more about her business Your Weddingplanner!

As a wedding planner, Lisanne takes care of the complete planning of weddings. On a personal level and with a great eye for the whole picture, Lisanne is there for her couples, from first meeting to waving goodbye to the last guests leaving your wedding.

“Organizing and executing a wedding is so intimate and the relationship I build with my couples during that time is special!”

With a fresh pot of tea on the table, we ask Lisanne everything about her business, what a couple can expect from her and of course her tips for you!

A career as a wedding planner

Have you always wanted to be a wedding planner?

“Becoming a wedding planner was not my little girl dream. To be honest, I actually found them very annoying! I worked for five years as a senior party manager at a wedding venue where we organized about 150 weddings a year. Often these weddings were organized in collaboration with wedding planners and there were really only a few planners of whom I really felt they knew what they were doing, so I really didn’t think much of the profession.

After I quit that job, I got a job with another employer, but I was totally out of place there. I missed the wedding industry very much and I looked for a job at wedding related companies. At the end of 2016, the idea started to itch to become a wedding planner myself and with the thought: “I have seen what not to do, but also how to do it”, I decided to start my own business at the beginning of 2017.”

Lisanne as your wedding planner

How do you distinguish yourself from other wedding planners and what is essential for you to be a good wedding planner?

“My experience in the hospitality industry is what sets me apart. After five years with about 150 weddings a year, I have gained quite a bit of experience. You could say that I have actually seen it all!

What is extremely important to me to be able to do my job well is the connection with the couple. It doesn’t matter if a couple has a budget of €5.000 or €100.000, if the connection isn’t there, it just won’t work for both parties.”

Which couples do you have that connection with?

“The fun couples who appreciate luxury, good food and a great glass of wine! They often love the beautiful and luxurious things in life, but are quite down to earth about this. They have a nice budget for their wedding and also want to show that off a bit. For me it’s very important that I can see their love- feel their love! And that they really enjoy the whole process leading up to their day.”

And what will that day look like? Can you describe your ideal wedding?

“Sure! That’s a whole weekend abroad with an intimate group of people, and the days are all about love. Actually it’s a weekend with friends and family, where there is also a wedding in between.

I love the classic fine art style, where a couple will look back at the photos twenty years from now and still be happy with the timeless style. In addition, lots of flowers and less is more. Not too much frills or balloons, unless they are super awesome and styled by experts!

A wedding script is of course important, but suppose we were to throw that out the window, so to speak, then I still want it to be amazing and go well. I may have described my own wedding now!”

Wedding planning from A to Z

What does the process of planning a wedding look like? What can couples expect?

“It all starts with the first meeting. If we connect the right way on both sides, I will draw up a quote based on our conversation.
When planning a wedding, I work down a priority list. First we plan a visit to the venue and then the photographer is booked. When it’s time I give the bride a sign to go and look for her wedding dress, etc. That’s actually how we work through the whole list!

I let the couple choose everything themselves at all times, of course. Some couples find it difficult to make certain choices, such as choosing the style of the wedding. Then I am there to help and advise them. Furthermore, I maintain all contacts with the vendors and make arrangements regarding delivery times, etc. I completely take care of the couple and do everything for them!

In terms of vendors, I have a large network in the fine art industry. These are always the vendors I recommend to my couples, because I know they deliver great quality and I can rely on them. Of course it sometimes happens that couples have slightly different wishes, to which the fine art style does not suit. Also for those couples I know the right vendors that will suit their wishes and of which I know they will deliver great work.”

How far in advance do you recommend that couples contact you?

“Normally, a couple books me (more than) a year in advance.

When you start organizing about a year before, you have the best chance of finding the venue and vendors that really make you happy. Nowadays, venues and, for example, photographers are booked like crazy, so you want to be there early. But also for choosing your dress. A wedding dress takes some time to be ordered and made to measure. In addition, organizing your wedding is a party, so taking plenty of time for it is fun as well!”

Have you ever been asked to plan a wedding last minute?

“Yes, that has happened a few times. I once planned a wedding in six months and a while ago another one within two weeks! That couple had already rescheduled their wedding twice but really wanted to get married! It was a very intimate wedding with twelve day guests and a dinner with two dear friends. Of course, there was much less time necessary to plan everything than for a big wedding. But last minute like this doesn’t happen often.”

What budget does a couple need to book you as a wedding planner?

“To book me you have to think in the range of 5.000 euros. For that I plan a one-day wedding from A to Z. For a wedding of a whole weekend the investment is bigger. The latter is becoming more and more popular, but the one-day weddings still make up the majority.”

The life of a wedding planner

What does your day look like during a wedding?

“I often sleep badly because of the adrenaline and then wake up too early. Before I get into the car I grab my wedding suitcase and the script for the day. My suitcase is full of useful things that can come in handy during a wedding: needle and thread, plasters, care after an insect bite, Rennies, paracetamols, tights, ties, everything really!

I arrive early at the venue to make sure everything is in order there. In the meantime, I communicate with the vendors to make sure, for example, that the makeup artist and the photographer are there on time. I also keep in touch with the bride and groom. I always text to see how they’re feeling and if they’ve had a good night’s rest.

When it’s time, I receive the guests on location and I accompany them to the ceremony. I make sure that the guests are in the right seats, that the official is ready and that the music is ready to go. When the bride is ready to enter, I’m always there to make sure she’s relaxed, to drape her dress well and to make sure the doors open on time. During the ceremony I always try to sit down and listen for a moment, because that is such a beautiful moment!

Then I check in the kitchen of everything is running smoothly. Is the cake in yet? Is the champagne being poured? That’s important! The moment of toast often turns into a drink. In between there are portrait photos being taken with family and friends and I discuss with the photographer where we will take those photos. I try to make that happen within half an hour. It is simply not the most fun thing to do for the bride and groom and it’s nice to have it go smoothly and have it done.

While that’s going on, I’ll check the diner and the name card tables and arrange for a gift table. During dinner I ensure that the speeches take place in the correct order and that the kitchen is aware of what is going on. The venue often prepares the banquet hall during dinner, where the guests go after dinner. When the party starts, I make sure dinner is cleaned up. Most times my work is done after the opening dance, but it also happens regularly that I stay until the end of the party. That really depends on the script and what still needs to be done. Sometimes I move all the gifts to the honeymoon suite or to the car. It’s up to what what the couple wishes me to do. And then I go home after one glass of wine and a very busy day!”

An very busy day indeed! Do you do all of this alone or do you also work with an assistant? And how many weddings do you do per year?

“”I used to work all alone! The only assistance I had was from a former intern. She edits my vlogs. I vlog the life of a wedding planner and post once a month. Here I really take people along with what a wedding planner actually does.

But in 2021 I hired Sanne. She will take care of the styling for me. Sanne has a good eye for it and really enjoys doing this. She talks about the styling to the couples, then creates a mood board and ensures that the vision of the couple becomes reality.

I have room to organize about ten to fifteen weddings a year. A wedding takes a lot of thought and time and I want to be able to give my couples my full attention. Planning too many weddings makes it harder to be personally involved and I think that’s really important!

Organizing and executing a wedding is so intimate and the relationship I build with my couples during that time is special. Of course, the connection is different with every couple, but that the connection is and must be there is a must. Through my experience I know what the bottlenecks are and what you need to think about. In addition to practical things, I am often also a listening ear. I’m here for the bride to text about something that has kept her awake, or to call and ask how it is going and what the next step is. Many brides really appreciate this kind of personal attention. To just chat with someone who talks about weddings all day long! I think this is very important and in this way I want to be there for my couples.”

More services at Your Weddingplanner

Do you also arrange the styling of a wedding?

“Not before, but thanks to the arrival of Sanne, we can now work on this more. In my opinion, you cannot be both a stylist and wedding planner at the same time for a wedding, because you cannot split yourself up. When you work with a team, then the combination is possible, but when you are alone it is difficult. I think that as a stylist and as a wedding planner you cannot fully commit yourself to both. There are things being asked and expected of you on all sides and that can be very difficult. I really like styling, but planning makes me happier! Now that Sanne is here, we can offer styling in combination with my job as a wedding planner or master of ceremonies.”

You offer your services as a wedding planner and as a master of ceremonies. What is the difference?

“As a wedding planner, you organize the entire wedding from A to Z. As a master of ceremonies, you are the point of contact for the guests and you arrange everything on the day itself, but not in the planning beforehand. Couples often ask a brother, sister or friend to be their master of ceremonies, but it is actually a very busy task.
As a master of ceremonies I only take certain tasks off your hands, such as making the wedding script, but only as a wedding planner I really arrange the whole wedding.”

Tips for your wedding

Do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning?

“Enjoy all the preparations and don’t stress! Everything will be fine. Do you worry about the weather, for example? Make sure there are two plans, for rainy and dry weather. You can’t control it! Is it raining anyway, try not to be sad about it, because it will be a beautiful day anyway!”

Your Weddingplanner for your wedding!

Have you become curious about what Lisanne can do for your wedding? View her portfolio with photos of real weddings, read the reviews and contact her via the personal vendor page of Your Weddingplanner!

All photography in this blog was provided by Jessica Photography