What’s it like to be a Serendipity Bride? Blog Takeover

Tell us about your wedding journey, when did you get engaged?

Jacob and I met when we were 16 at high school, in Liverpool. After 6 years together, we got engaged in February 2017 and it was truly magical. I think we both knew we would marry from a young age; we were and still are, so in love. At the time of our engagement, I was doing master’s degree and Jacob had just started a graduate scheme at a tech company. So, we didn’t have much in the way of savings behind us, so decided to plan a long engagement and save up to get married on a very special date – 4th June 2021 – our exact 10-year anniversary which landed on a Friday. Perfect!

During this time, I dreamed of SO many different styles of weddings. From country manor houses to wedding barns, to the chic lakes of Como in Italy, to a tranquil waterfall elopement in Bali. It took us time to be clear on exactly what we wanted and after gaining several quotes from venues and adding everything we wanted up, we quickly become overwhelmed. But we knew most importantly that we wanted all our family and friends there to celebrate with us so we decided to go back to our roots – Liverpool. We knew we wanted it in our home city, but the only well-known venues were not very us. We are quite quirky, a love to be a bit different so when we discovered Liverpool Town Hall we were blown away by the historical beauty on our doorstep and the contrast of the modern twist on a historic building at Oh me Oh my, with it’s rooftop terrace overlooking our city of love completely won us over.

When on your journey, did you book Serendipity Events?

Not long after booking our venue, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. As the lockdowns and wedding cancellations went on and on, we were struggling with planning any of the wedding at all. We were absolutely devastated at the time, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Firstly, it meant that we met the amazing Serendipity Events, to whom I could not have done my wedding without, and it gave us an extra 18 months to save and make our wedding dreams come true!

On our first call with Serendipity Events they leapt to the rescue, quickly advising us on how to postpone our big day and get the best deal for us for our day in terms of date, contracts, and cost-savings. This was before we even booked them!

Why did you decide you wanted a wedding planner?

Honestly, to begin with, I did not even think of getting a wedding planner. I was very naive and believed that Jacob and I could do it all on our own. I also believed that the wedding co-ordinator at our venue would help with everything. But this is not the case at all. You can ask questions about the venue and other related matters, but it was at times difficult to get a response in a timely manner or any wider support when I needed it, due to them prioritising their venue logistics and other clients. They also didn’t have any idea about theme, décor, suppliers, or anything else about our day, so trying to share my vision was at times, difficult.

Originally, I planned to book all suppliers on my own and manage them on the day, sort entertainment, do all stationary, décor, you name it by myself. But it became very apparent how complex, stressful and expensive planning a wedding was, especially due to the scale of ours with 200+ guests across two different venues! It quickly became a full-time job on top of my already stressful career.

My first thought was where on earth do I begin? Who do I get to help who wasn’t needed on the day?
How much will this all cost? How do I know I can trust this supplier I found on instagram?
I also had some many mad ideas and cute little details I wanted to incorporate, however, after costing this all up and trying to put it together, it was overwhelming.
I felt very alone and lost.

I had been to a Serendipity organised event a while back and loved the detail that had gone into the event and could never forget how amazing it looked. I took the plunge and enquired. I quickly discovered what I had been missing all along – support, expertise, knowledge, help!

I discussed what I had done so far (which wasn’t very much), about our postponement, what we were looking for, our themes and ideas, all about us! I sent over my Pinterest board with literally hundreds of images. Anna and Sophie quickly identified that I needed on the day organisation across the two venues, partial wedding planning and full styling including stationary design that matched all our décor and management of suppliers. They instantly saw where I could save money and how I could make the most of everything. After that initial conversation, a new spark was ignited in me, and I was so excited for my wedding journey with Serendipity.

What were the biggest benefits of having a Wedding Planner & Stylist?

Wow, where do I begin. First off, they sent me a dreamy wedding proposal and full planning checklist. This was a gorgeous brochure that literally brought our day together perfectly and a holy grail to-do list which broke everything we were doing together down into manageable chunks. In a matter of weeks, these ladies were able to capture our day in one document better than I could the entire year I was trying to plan it on my own. I could finally see my vision clearly, they got it spot on! It even included things I didn’t even think about!!! It broke down all costs and even where I could cut costs if I needed. A lot of it was also completely bespoke for our day, something I thought was so out of reach for our budget but they made it really reasonable!

They gave us time to go through it as a couple and then we had an amazing call to go through it together and discuss what I wanted more of, cut out or changed. They covered every single detail, therefore, a huge benefit was that all my styling matched perfectly. From flowers to décor, dessert, favours, signage and invitations. It all came together beautifully right down to the uniform font, colours, designs – you name it!

Another huge benefit of having a wedding planner, is that Anna and Sophie were always at the end of the phone. I had so many questions from logistical queries, contract issues, supplier sourcing concerns, wedding etiquette, the timeline of the day, even crying about family politics and how to deal with that! All my questions were answered quickly, I felt so supported, they gave me invaluable advice and it was so comfortable and easy speaking with them.

One of the biggest concerns I had was how to make the most of our décor across both venues and how we could move everything, including guests, from one venue to the other without losing the flow of the day. I was also worried about how to make sure the timeline ran smoothly so everyone was entertained throughout and who was going to set everything up exactly how I envision it while I was getting ready. Having Serendipity events to do the ‘on the day organisation’ was an absolute god send. It’s such a hectic, emotional and exciting day, it gave me complete peace of mind knowing that they who knew our wedding inside and out and were there to ensure everything looked perfect and ran smoothly. Absolutely everything was taken care of, meaning Jacob and I could thoroughly enjoy ourselves without worrying about anything at all. And oh my, looking back at our day it was the best money we ever spent!

Another huge benefit is that Serendipity Events are like a one-stop shop for ANYTHING you want for your wedding, and if they don’t have it in-house, they’ll make it for you or know someone who does! And ALL within budget! Serendipity designed and printed all our stationary using inspiration I found from all over the place, they supplied all our décor and created all the little details you wouldn’t know where to start with. If I had to go to individual suppliers for all these bits and pieces it would have been mis-matched, the cost would be through the roof and not to mention unmanageable on the day.

They are upfront and honest and will advise you on what is best for you and your budget. For example, I wanted lots of pampas grass and fresh blush roses for my florals, but the reality of having fresh flowers across all our backdrops and installations would have been very costly. Serendipity advised that it was best to use fresh flowers for the main things such as bouquets, but on certain installations and signage etc… they could design flower sprays with false flowers that would look the same but at a fraction of the cost! On the day, you couldn’t even notice, and it all looked so beautiful!

Serendipity Events had our best interests at heart. They ensured that everything we did, we did for us and our budget. No one knew our day better than they did. Especially in the run up to the wedding, Serendipity had my back and ensured that we had the wedding of our dreams. And we did!

Thank you ladies - you’re the best!

Lizzie Devine