Introduce yourself…
I’m Chloe, owner of White Button Weddings. I’m wife to Tim, and Mummy to two little boys, Arthur and Hector, and soon to be a little girl as well! Life is hectic but I love it and thrive on the variation that my roles as wife, Mummy, daughter, friend and wedding planner bring me.
My main team mate is my Mum and best pal, Sarah. She is incredible- super creative, seems to have endless energy and is a constant positive support. Everyone loves Mum, she’s such a joy to have around on your wedding day and is just great at getting stuff done. Although I always introduce her as Sarah, by the end of a wedding she is always just ‘Mum’ to everyone.
What are a few of your favourite things?
I love jaffa cakes (like really love them!), cooking, family time, quality time with friends, travelling, interiors, the sunshine and country pubs.
Tell us about where the magic happens – where’s your HQ?
HQ is a garden office at our home in Bedfordshire. I love it in there – it’s a little escape from what is often a chaotic home. It’s lovely and cozy in the winter and in the summer I fling open the doors and the sun shines in. I make myself comfy in there, put the music on and get working 😊
How and why did you start up your business?
WBW was born from a passion for creativity and crafting exceptional events, a love for working with people, and an enthusiasm for project work. I have worked in weddings and events since leaving university (a long time ago). After working in events and parties in the motorsport industry I was asked to plan a client’s wedding. One led to another and eventually WBW was started. For me, it is the most perfect job I could wish for. I get to work with amazing suppliers and fab couples. I find it an absolute pleasure to be part of people’s special day and take so much pride in each and every wedding I work on.
What do you love most about your job?
I love working with people and the creative aspect of the job. Seeing a wedding evolve from what is sometimes just a tiny idea into such a special day for a couple. It’s the look on their faces when they turn up to the venue on the day when it’s all set up and ready that really brings me the most satisfaction. Every couple are different, every wedding is different and I love that each one is a project in itself which has a starting point, a planning phase and an execution phase. A wedding is constantly evolving and has an end result which I find really rewarding.
What makes your work unique?
White Button Weddings offer an all-encompassing service, we are not just planners. We have exclusivity to some beautiful plots of land, we can plan every aspect of a wedding, work on the styling ourselves and we also offer a full day before and day of the wedding set up and management service.
Apart from our ‘Wedding Management service’, we don’t have set packages. We are firm believers that each wedding should be totally individual and therefore our quotes are as well. We meet with couples, discuss their requirements, and go from there.
What kind of couples are ‘your couples’?
Anyone who needs a bit of support with any aspect of their wedding, and we’re here to help. Over the years we have naturally found ourselves more and more involved in planning outdoorsy weddings that couples are planning from scratch. I love this because the wedding can often start with a field or a plot of land and then the venue is built up from there. It’s really rewarding and I love bringing lots of different suppliers together to produce an unforgettable wedding.
What would be your advice for couples looking to plan a wedding totally unique to them?
Don’t get bogged down with what you feel you should have, but think about what you really want, what reflects both of your personalities, and your tastes and likes. Write a plan of what your ideal day would look like – what kind of venue, what sort of food, perhaps a loose theme or colour scheme and go from there, sourcing suppliers to suit what you want rather than finding a supplier and working with what they offer.
Places like Instagram and pinterest can be great for inspiration, but I sometimes find that couples see a trend and then end up pretty much copying a wedding they have found. When I sit down and run through with them what they actually like, dislike, how they want their wedding to feel etc it doesn’t always match with what they are looking at. A wedding isn’t just about the look, but it has to have the right atmosphere to suit you. Realising what you want and like as well as what is ‘you’ is key to creating your own unique and personal wedding.
What inspires you?
The couples I work with inspire me. I’m quite a naturally nosey person and finding out about how people met, what they love to do, their families and their lives often gives me so much inspiration and a great starting point to start planning their wedding.
I also love colours, fabrics and textures and often just a little offcut of fabric can be the start of a theme for a wedding.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
I wouldn’t say there is one moment but I’m chuffed to have been able to build up my own little business that I’m really proud of and enjoy working on every day. Although White Button Weddings is my business it’s also my hobby and I feel proud to be able to enjoy what I do so much.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt?
I have definitely learned over the years to go with my gut. I think working on your own a lot of the time you don’t necessarily have a team of people to bounce ideas off of like you might in an office environment and so it’s sometimes easy to doubt yourself. I think I’m a lot stronger now than I was when I first started WBW and have learned to go with my gut and believe in my ideas and decisions.
In your opinion, what makes a great wedding?
The atmosphere is 100% the most important factor in my opinion. You can have all the wonderful flowers and amazing food but it’s the atmosphere that brings the wedding to life and makes it a wedding to remember. It’s all the little elements put together that help to create this – comfort for guests, the look, plenty of drink and food and some great entertainment!
What exciting bits are in the pipeline?
We have just signed a contract to run all weddings at The Gardens at Polehanger. It’s a beautiful country garden plot of land with water, power, car parking and accommodation on site. We can’t wait to get going!
We have some really fab photo shoots in the pipeline as well as some slightly different events such as a Jazz Brunch. Keep an eye on our Instagram for our latest news and events!
LINKS
Website Link: www.whitebuttonweddings.co.uk
Email: cs@whitebuttonweddings.co.uk
Photos thanks to
