Georgia Rhodes
Apr 26, 2024
The Top 5 Wedding Tips To Know In 2024
In Conversation with Chenai Bukutu
We know planning a wedding can take all the fun away from your big day so we wanted to help our bride-to-be muses and ease the stress! To celebrate our latest Bridal Collection launch, we’ve invited luxury wedding planner Chenai Bukutu down to the Odd Muse HQ to offer her expert advice on all things wedding. Renowned for her timeless and tasteful planning, she’s named one of the top wedding planners in the world by Harper’s Bazaar & Sheer Luxe, only the best for our muses.
How do Brides find that ‘perfect dress’?
Choosing your dress for the big day can be an overwhelming thought, Chenai suggests always focusing on your own comfort and what makes you feel your best. Allowing yourself as much time as possible to discover that perfect dress is crucial, “the lead times for dresses vary based on several factors including whether you are having one custom-made gown or pulling something from an existing collection - more often than not, alterations will need to be made and you need to allow time for this.”
Allow yourself to discover styles or your bridal advisor in the boutique to pull some options you may have never considered before, you might just find ‘the one’. Chenai also stresses the importance of choosing your ‘try on crew’ very wisely, “too many opinions can hinder decision making - take someone whose opinion you value who you feel comfortable with.”
What are your thoughts on the rise of multiple wedding dresses for each special moment?
“I'm here for it! I love a costume change.”
Chenai explains that while it has always been typical for cultural weddings with more ceremonies or traditional celebrations to consider, weddings these days call for more than one look, especially those celebrating abroad. With the Odd Muse ethos in mind of timeless by design, Chenai recommends “selecting outfits and pieces that can be worn long beyond the wedding.”
What makes a well-planned wedding?
Giving yourself time to enjoy the process of planning, remember it should be a more enjoyable and memorable experience than feeling like a ball of stress. “ A well-planned wedding balances the couple's priorities with considered guest experience. The ingredients for a great party are simple: good food, great music and your best people around you,” explains Chenai.
“Preparation is key– start planning 6–12 months from your date.”
Within Chenai’s award-winning planning company, she always keeps the guest experience at the core of her planning process, “we want to make it easy for your guests to get to the wedding and ensure they have the time of their lives when they are there.” This entails ensuring there are clear and helpful communication for all guests on arriving at the location, key timings, ideas of places to stay, everything they can expect, and of course a dress code.
“Having a well-thought-out timeline of the day is key to creating a great flow for the wedding.”
As a well-esteemed wedding planner, what problems can arise and how can brides prepare to handle them?
“A wedding is an emotional and financial investment that should be approached with due care and planning.” explains Chenai. Her biggest tip? Do your own research before jumping into booking suppliers without a clear picture of their budget or priorities or hire a wedding planner to guide you through the process.
Building a vision that is unique to you for your wedding is crucial, “try not to incorporate all of the latest social media trends - my advice is to approach everything you want to include in your wedding with the same consideration you would a major purchase.
"a) Ask yourself if it is a dealbreaker for you
b) Will it elevate or improve the guest experience? If not, it's probably not something you should invest in."
What does hiring a wedding planner bring to brides to be?
Professional wedding planners help bring your envisioned wedding day to life. “Some planners like myself and my team specialise in full-service planning in the UK and abroad. We are experts in complex logistics, for celebrations that can sometimes span multiple days in exciting locations.” You can decide between those full-service planners taking you from the very beginning until after the wedding is over compiling the most trusted suppliers within your budget, to expert wedding coordinators providing their support closer to the wedding day ensuring the smooth running of your special day to the weeks leading up.
“Understanding from the beginning what level of support you need is key in helping you decide which service and planner is right for you. This is key- finding someone who is the right fit for your style and personality is also very important.”
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