On your big day, you will no doubt rely on your venue’s wedding co-ordinator to help make sure that everything runs smoothly. But what do they actually do? Jane Williams is Wedding Coordinator at Brandshatch Place Hotel & Spa, a four-star country house hotel in Fawkham, Kent, part of the award-winning Hand Picked Hotels collection. Let’s take a look at her typical day…
6.15am
Wake up, stretch and have breakfast – usually oatmeal and some fruit.
8.30am
Arrive at work and immediately check emails for new queries and respond to emails from current brides.
9.30am
I check that function rooms are prepared for show-round appointments, I may need to help setting up the room for a ceremony or wedding breakfast.
I like to ensure that everything is perfect and I believe in a hands on approach – so I visit each of the wedding rooms being used that day to help make the final touches
Other jobs in the morning include…
- Ensuring the relevant photo albums are available to show the brides of past weddings
- While every bride and groom likes to have a unique day, seeing photographs of other couples’ happiness helps them paint a picture of what their special day will be like at Brandshatch Place Hotel & Spa
- Prepare for wedding show-rounds by collating all the hotel information, wedding brochures, price guides and supplier lists
11am – 12pm
Wedding guests and prospective brides usually arrive about 11am and at Hand Picked Hotels, we like to welcome them with arrival drinks and Danish pastries or perhaps a cream tea. I have a meeting with the operational team beforehand to ensure the refreshments are timely and we really wow the guests.
Just before lunch, I meet with the hotel Toastmaster. Toastmaster Barry Sims is booked for all our weddings so I have to make sure they know the itinerary for the next celebration. At Brandshatch Place we only accommodate one wedding a day so staff can focus on one wedding couple at a time, and I can give that couple my undivided attention.
1.30pm
An important part of my day is making a few courtesy calls to each of these new brides or existing bookings to say congratulations, check requirements and offer couples a menu of our bespoke service and tailor-made packages.
It’s important that brides and their families know that I am their dedicated Wedding Co-ordinator and that I will lend a helping hand, advice and help them manage their big day. A highlight of my job is getting to know these couples better, hearing their love stories and cheesy as it sounds, helping to make their dream day come true.
The rest of the day is preoccupied with making emails and calls on behalf of new brides. I help to organise key meetings with suppliers, arrange food and wine tasting sessions, book rooms and even help with decisions on what colour chair covers and sashes should be. We believe it’s important to get even the smallest details perfect.
3 – 6pm
If there’s a wedding scheduled for the next day, the wedding party tends to arrive late afternoon, early evening the day prior. Check in is from 3pm and I always make a note of when the party is scheduled to arrive so that I can meet and greet them upon arrival, offer them a celebratory glass of Champagne and help reception get them booked in. We always upgrade the wedding party’s rooms where possible and my team and I like to go the extra mile to make them comfortable – a wedding card, some Champagne or some locally sourced chocolate fudge in the room for example.
This is when I introduce the bride and groom to their dedicated wedding manager who will run the wedding on the day and the couple have the opportunity to iron out some last minute logistics with the operational team.
I grab a quick snack before getting back to my emails before the end of the day – and by then I am exhausted! One last job before I head home is writing notes or calling newlywed couples to check satisfaction at Brandshatch Place Hotel & Spa and wish them well for the future. We always welcome the couple back to the hotel for their first wedding anniversary, too! One of my favourite parts of the job is knowing that I have helped make someone’s big day brilliant. I often receive lovely thank you cards from wedding couples and it gives me such job satisfaction.
6.30pm
It takes me about 30 minutes to drive home, which isn’t too bad, but I try and avoid leaving during rush hour so that I am not stuck in traffic. When I get home, I flop onto the sofa with a cup of tea and the TV on before having dinner – I love a good spaghetti bolognaise!
10pm
By the time I hit the pillow, I’m exhausted, but excited for the next day.
