Mandy Dineley

Kate & Bens Wedding, they are a gorgeous couple. They asked me to write two pieces for their wedding ceremony, one about their story, how they met, the fun parts, the proposal and all the lovely happy details in verse form of how they came to be a couple. They also asked me to write a more traditional verse, about love and what the wedding ceremony means. To have both pieces in the ceremony read out by their friends was just so lovely and brought their guests closer to their love story and gave the ceremony such a personalised feel.

Warm, detailed, fun, romantic, whimsical

That I listen and deliver exactly what the clients want. Also that I care about my clients and love weddings as I am a romantic myself and know how important every little detail is on a wedding day.

To have what you want and not to be influenced by others or to compare too much as it can get confusing and often what they have in mind is usually the way that works for them. Also it isn't about how much you spend, its about the love, always about the love X

One thing I loved that once we were all given a second hand book as a table gift for each guest, it was eco friendly and thoughtful and if the books are chosen for each guest, how lovely is that.

We speak via email or via the phone, I then send examples, ideas via email on how it works to work with me etc , then I send out a form or two, which helps them with prompts on what they might want to include, say and how, the tone etc. When we get the first draft, the couple check the work and it goes on until it is exactly what they want. Sometimes its all complete really quickly and sometimes it takes a little longer. We work together and its all very relaxed and easy for them. It is a lovely process, I liken it to looking at all the old photographs of you as a couple, it triggers such lovely moments all captured in a written piece.

I have been asked to write a tricky invitation where the couple could not afford to invite and pay for their much wanted guests. So I was asked if I could write a verse asking in a lovely way if their guests could to pay for their own meal, as a present to the bride & groom, so that they could all be there on the day.

Pace yourself and don't get too hung up on every tiny detail, some things matter and some things don't.

Create a file on everything you are planning and paying for, have sections with images etc to remind you what you have booked and what you need to finalise. I had a Lever Arch File and its so lovely to look back on, like a wedding scrapbook.

Well it has to be my wedding, my husband and I were both in the music industry, which is where the song writing etc comes from, so my favourite moment is when I sang to my husband and when he organised to have two of his friends perform a gorgeous song for me during the speeches, it was magical.