Use our free online planner to plan your wedding

Wedding Assistant know it is hard to find retupable wedding suppliers that are local to you and also are available for your wedding date. It can be hard for you to know if you should trust a company, are they new or have they got bad reviews, it can all get stressful especially if you find a company and then they are fully booked!

Our online wedding planner allows you to submit your date to verfied and trusted suppliers so that you will only get quotes from the best suppliers in your area that can help you on your big day, this will save your hours of pulling your hair out scrolling through website after website online.

You will recieve quotes for you to compare directly to your inbox and you will be able to compare and pick the best company for you.

We have suppliers such as Picture Blast Photo Booth hire that offer photo booths for weddings and events. Using our online wedding planner will allow PictureBlast to send you quotes for all their photo booths for you to compare with other suppliers. Or do you need a wedding venue of your dreams? We have a range of wedding venues from country houses to mordern hotels and everything inbetween for example if you are in Coventry have you seen the amazing Strawberry Bank hotel? Do you need a wedding band but do not who would be the best or are you after wedding ideas for keeping your guest entained during the evening? let us help you now.

Our form is simple to use and will cover all the elements of your wedding with one easy simple request. Then sit back and relax as our system does all the work for you of being your online wedding planner.

To get started click here to use our online wedding planner

online wedding planner

Online Wedding Planner

Online Wedding Planner

Use our online planner to plan your wedding

Wedding Assistant know it is hard to find retupable wedding suppliers that are local to you and also are available for your wedding date. It can be hard for you to know if you should trust a company, are they new or have they got bad reviews, it can all get stressful especially if you find a company and then they are fully booked!

Our online wedding planner allows you to submit your date to verfied and trusted suppliers so that you will only get quotes from the best suppliers in your area that can help you on your big day, this will save your hours of pulling your hair out scrolling through website after website online.

You will recieve quotes for you to compare directly to your inbox and you will be able to compare and pick the best company for you.

We have suppliers such as Picture Blast Photo Booth hire that offer photo booths for weddings and events. Using our online wedding planner will allow PictureBlast to send you quotes for all their photo booths for you to compare with other suppliers. Or do you need a wedding venue of your dreams? We have a range of wedding venues from country houses to mordern hotels and everything inbetween for example if you are in Coventry have you seen the amazing Strawberry Bank hotel? Do you need a wedding band but do not who would be the best or are you after wedding ideas for keeping your guest entained during the evening? let us help you now.

Our form is simple to use and will cover all the elements of your wedding with one easy simple request. Then sit back and relax as our system does all the work for you of being your online wedding planner.

To get started click here to use our online wedding planner

online wedding planner

Will new laws allow you to marry at home?

Will new laws allow you to marry at home?

COVID-19 restrictions forcing couples to cancel have made a legal body think twice about “archaic” marriage laws.

With wedding venues and churches being forced to close for month many couples have had to put their weddings on hold for now.

The Law Commission wants to see changes in England and Wales to marry at home, gardens, outdoors – and even remotely.

Some of the laws that were hightlighted date back as far as the 19th century, the Ministry of Justice said it wanted the law to change to ensure it “better reflects modern society” It described the current laws as “ancient” and “unnecessarily restrictive” and stated that this had led to weddings becoming more expensive.

Many couples have told Wedding Assistant that they just wanted to get married and the lockdown made them realise that they did not care about all the “bells and whistles.”

While rules have changed in Scotland and Northern Ireland, in England and Wales couples must choose between a civil or religious ceremony with an officiant and certain wording, with no option for a legally-binding ceremony reflecting other beliefs.

With the law changes that the Law Commission are suggesting you would be able to get married anywhere you wanted, this could be at home or up a mountain and it would be legally binding. Getting married at home would typically save a couple up to £3,000.

Most couples must have their weddings in a registered building – either a place of worship or a licensed venue – and cannot marry outdoors, meaning many had been forced to be postponed due to venues being closed.

But under changes, proposed by the Law Commission, people would be allowed to marry legally “anywhere”.

Weddings could also be permitted via video call during any future national emergency, such as another pandemic.

Are face masks to stay?

Are face masks to stay?

Who would of thought that face masks would be a wedding accessory, we may not want to but they could be here for the near future.

We will be the first to admit that we never thought that wedding face masks would make their way into bridal fashion.
Face masks are more than likely become standard practice for weddings for the near future due to the impact of Coronavirus on weddings.

Their primary function will be to be a precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. However this does not mean you have to have totally compromise on style. You will still want to look your best and this means a mask that matches your outfit.

Everyone from high-end bridal designers to mainstream retail stores to Etsy sellers have jumped on the face mask “trend,” giving brides, grooms and guests plenty of rather fashionable options to wear. Of course, none of these masks are medical-grade and should only be worn as a precaution. However, many are machine washable and include a pocket to add your own filter.

You can get quotes for bridal wear, mens wear and facemasks here

Why do we ask you to display our badge?

Why do we ask you to display our badge?

This is simple, we want brides to see that you are a member of wedding assistant so when you get leads and you contact them they can be sure that you are a trusted company.

The link to us allows us to see your website and allows us to verify your business and website are legit. Without the link you will not be verified and you will not receive leads.

There is a simple code that can be added to any website even wordpress, wix or godaddy etc

We have a web development team that can assist you on adding your badge if required.

Where do we get our leads?
Only 5 Suppliers
Where did the idea of Wedding Assistant come from? 

Only 5 suppliers per an area

Only 5 suppliers per an area

We want to create a service that works for both the supplier and couple. We do not want to fool people in to signing up and passing leads to as many suppliers as possible – this is just does not work for either the supplier or the bride.

If you are one of 5, for instance you a DJ in London, every time we get an enquiry for a DJ anywhere in London we will only ever send the lead automatically to you and a maximum of 4 other DJs if all the slots are full. This means that you have a good chance of converting the lead but also means that the couple is spammed with too many emails and it becomes confusing for them.

This may seem like we are limiting our income once the trial is over or that we are only doing it for the trial but we believe that 5 is just the right number, too many and you have a less chance of converting, any less and some brides may not receive quotes if the suppliers are already booked.

 

Where did the idea of Wedding Assistant come from?

Where do we get our leads?

Why do we ask you to display our badge?

Where do we get our leads from?

Where do we get our leads from?

Good question, after all you are signing up for the sole purpose of getting leads from couples looking for your services.

There are 3 main ways that we get the leads, the first is we have over 47,000 landing pages for every service in every town. We are working hard every day to SEO and improve the position of these pages on both google and bing. A unique offering that we offer couples is that they can select to have quotes also for secondary services. For example if a bride discovers our website by googling “bridal wear Ampthill” they ultimately are looking for bridal wear but at the end of the simple to use form they can opt in to any of the other 26 services at a click of a mouse making it easy for a couple to get supplier quotes easily from one simple and easy to use form.

We also feed data from other wedding supplier websites, the main example is that if a couple enquiry on a pictureblast.co.uk for a photo booth, once they have submitted this form they are asked if they need any of the other 26 services that Wedding Assistant offers, this is super easy for a bride.

The third is marketing, we have a full time marketing team that have mutliple avenues for advertising to brides, these include Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram. We have a large marketing budget so you do not have to.

Once our system receives an enquiry from a bride be it for one service or twenty seven it is automatically sent via email to the suppliers that are in the same area. For example if a bride is in Coventry and requested “Mobile Bars” this enquiry would be sent to maximum 5 mobile bar providers in the West Midlands.

 

Where did the idea of Wedding Assistant come from?

Only 5 suppliers per an area

Why do we ask you to display our badge?

 

Where did the idea of Wedding Assistant come from?

Where did the idea of Wedding Assistant come from?

The idea of Wedding Assistant came around long before COVID, we looking at how we get leads for our photo booth company, we looked at the platforms out there that might help us get more leads and we looked at bride behaviour on our websites to see how they interacted around the site.

This is where the idea came in to our head that maybe the current style of directories are now not as effective. Does a couple want to spend hours searching through suppliers and checking availability? We though surely it would be more simple to have a system that allows customers to only be quoted by available and respectable companies!

We also looked at directories and it appeared that if a bride wanted to enquiry for multiple services they would have to fill in multiple contact forms on the same website! This is not a fun way of planning your wedding and is so time consuming. Why is there not a service where a bride can apply for quotes for multiple services with just one form?

We sat down and thought about it for a few hours, we also thought that on our photo booth business website we also get brides that only we only ask if they want a photo booth quote, why not help them and our supplier friends by asking if they need anything further.

The next thought was is this idea something that can be built, we called our web developer and through ideas at them. It was a mess of ideas for a while but as we talked we came up with the thought that the simple ideas are sometimes the best!

The idea was – ask brides what services they need with one simple and easy to use form and then we would simply instantly send this lead to local trusted suppliers.

We evolved this idea to make a big improvement, we only wanted that lead to to 5 suppliers maximum, we do not want to have a race to the bottom or spam our customers with 100s of leads as that does not solve the problem we believed was there.

It took 6 months to build and test the website, the design changed multiple times but now we have the final product that is ready to help wedding suppliers. We also created a way to make 47,000 landing pages, feed leads from our wedding websites and SEO concepts to get the leads.

The additional of the 5 suppliers max per an area per service allows the bride to only receive a maximum of 5 quotes if everyone is available, we imagined that the bride would get 2 or 3 quotes back and this allows the bride to explore and compare. Saving time and money!

We also understand that this is a new concept and mix in the COVID pandemic so we decided we want to prove that this is the best directory out there so we are allowing a full 12 months trial, cancel anytime and no contract so we can prove to you that this will help your business grow.

So join up today for free to get free wedding leads, we are also offering you the chance to add a blog and get a SEO rich back link and all you need to do is add our “recommended by Wedding Assistant” badge to your website.

Where do we get our leads?
Only 5 Suppliers
Why do we ask you to display our badge?

What will weddings look like in 2021?

The new “normal” – COIVD weddings 2021

The start of a new year and 2021 has begun with another lockdown. Lockdown across the UK has resulted in weddings and civil ceremonies/partnerships being very different with several restrictions in place.

Wedding ceremonies are still allowed to take place in England but they come with strict rules and can only take place in exceptional circumstances. Wedding receptions however, are not allowed in any part of the UK.

Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister has said he has “hope and belief” that both mass testing and the introduction of the vaccination will result in couples able to get married “in the normal way” by Summer 2022.

What are the wedding rules around the UK?

It seems like a long time ago that very tough restrictions were placed upon wedding ceremonies during the first national lockdown that began 23rd March 2020. Since then there have been various changes to this along the way.

Currently, due to the latest lockdown the regulations in place by law are that weddings are currently not allowed to take place anywhere in the UK, this is much stricter than previously.

However, there are some exceptions to this:

In England, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies should only take place in exceptional circumstances, for example, due to one of the couple being terminal ill/ receiving palliative care. In this instance, 6 people can attend and this does not include those who work at the place in which the ceremony will be conducted.

In Scotland, wedding ceremonies can take place in approved venues. The maximum number of attendees is determined by the buildings capacity, this is based on social distancing guidelines being adhered to and each venue will differ slightly.

In Northern Ireland, up to 25 people can attend a ceremony; although events with more than 15 people do require a risk assessment. As well as this, guests must wear face masks.

For further detailed information on the rules in place on weddings; please see the official GOV website
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships

Things to consider if getting married in 2021

Everyone has an image of their perfect day when it comes to getting married and with the current harsh restrictions in place there are various things to think about. If you cannot have the day you dreamed of with the current regulations the best option would be to postpone, rather than cancel.

Planning a wedding online for any couple can be very stressful without the pandemic to contend with throwing things up in the air. With so much uncertainty suppliers want to work with couples to ensure that they can have the day they always dreamed of.

Many wedding based suppliers have had their livelihoods turned upside down with no indication as to when they will be able to return, causing financial uncertainty and the possibility that the business may unfortunately be struck by the pandemic and be forced to close forever.

It is a very challenging time for all involved. However, supporting wedding suppliers during these times and making plans for the future will be the key to create a wedding day to remember. Enabling businesses to continue to provide their services with years of knowledge and experience in the industry to ensure that you have the perfect day.

All companies in the wedding industry have faced a very turbulent year and suffered huge financial loses but still want to help ensure your wedding is magical. Therefore, contact them and discuss worries and concerns and they will be happy to provide possible options to suit everyone.

For example, if the wedding was a Saturday or in peak season and the venue cannot offer an equivalent date that you are happy with. Then possible options would be a reduction in remaining fee for a different date or an upgrade, as a thank you for custom and to add a little something extra to the day.

Refused refunds and now risk losing thousands of pounds

Many couples have been left shocked after a Birmingham event company started the process of liquidation.

Asian Weddings

Monsoon Venue Group, in West Midlands, caters for Asian weddings. Since the pandemic the company has struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic.

However customers say they been refused refunds and now risk losing thousands of pounds.

In a statement on its website, the company said it had “exhausted all avenues” to sustain the business.

The company stated on their own website that it had exhausted all avenues to sustain and continue the business.

It pointed to the “devastating impact of Covid-19 on the wedding industry” and said the decision to appoint insolvency practitioners had not been taken lightly.

In the meantime, Monsoon Venue Group said it had ended “all means of contact with the business” leaving bride and grooms wondering what it means for them and their dream wedding.

A statement from the appointed Insolvency Practitioners stated that a new statement will be published towards the enf of January. If you are affected by this you can contact them directly at karina.sullivan@btguk.com

Before Covid-19, British Asian weddings were traditionally lavish affairs, with multiple events that would often attract 300 or more guests. However restrictions cut guest lists to no more than 15 over the summer.

Last month, Labour called on the government to provide more support to the wedding industry, saying it had been “left out in the cold”. As of yet most of the wedding industry is being told that they are not being forced to closed but without wedding being allowed are left without an income.

Coronavirus: How are weddings working around the UK?

Weddings are on hold for now

Lockdowns across the UK mean that weddings and civil partnership are currently very restricted.

Lockdowns across the UK Mean that weddings and civil partnerships are currently very restricted.

Receptions are not allowed in any part of the UK, while ceremonies in England are only allowed to take place in exceptional circumstances.

Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister has said he has “hope and belief that both the mass testing and the start of the roll out of the vaccine will mean that couples can get married “in the normal way” by summer of 2022.

What are the wedding rules around the UK?

It seems like a long time ago now but weddings were first banned during the first national lockdown that began on the 23rd March 2020.

Due to the latest lockdown the rules are that weddings are not currently allowed to take place anywhere in the UK, this is much stricter than it has been for the last few months.

But there are some exceptions to this:

In England, wedding and civil partnership ceremonies should only take place in exceptional circumstances, for example, if one of the couple is seriously ill and not expected to recover. Up to 6 people can attend, not including those who work at the event.

In Scotland, wedding ceremonies can take place in approved venues. The maximum number of attendees is determined by buildings capacity, to allow social distancing between households.

In Northern Ireland, up to 25 people can attend a ceremony; although events with more than 15 people require a risk assessment. Face masks must be worn by guests.

What should I do if I am due to get married soon?

If you feel your day will be too different from what you wanted, it is generally better to postpone rather than cancel.

Brides should be understanding that most of their suppliers will have had their businesses stopped overnight and will be struggling to keep their businesses alive. Behind every small business is a person that works hard for a wage to feed a family.

Many companies may have lost significant sums of money, so aim for a solution that works for everyone; this would be normally a postponement for new date without any fees or a fair deal that does not include exchanging money.

For example, if the wedding was on a Saturday or in peak season and the venue can’t offer an equivalent date its generally reasonable to ask for a fee reduction on remaining balance, or an upgrade.

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