Questions couples ask us first

For full-service planning and venue scouting, most couples get in touch 10 to 16 months before the date, particularly for peak spring and autumn Saturdays; full planning is taken on from eighteen to six months out. For ceremony or reception coordination, booking 4 to 8 months ahead secures the date on the calendar, and the intensive work then begins six to eight weeks before the celebration.

A venue coordinator works for the property, looking after building access, house rules and any in-house catering or bar staff. Your Vestry Rose planner works only for you: managing the whole vendor team — photographer, florist, musicians, hair and make-up, transport and officiant — protecting the timeline from morning preparations to the final pack-down, and speaking up for your plans in every detail.

Never. Every core package is a flat fee or an itemised scope agreed in writing before you commit. Catering coordination and floral styling carry a “from” figure because both depend on guest count and season, and venue scouting is quoted for your date and numbers, but each exact amount is confirmed before anything is agreed. No referral fees are accepted, so recommendations stay unbiased and any trade discount goes back into your budget.

Absolutely. Many couples arrive having fallen for a venue and booked a photographer, then want expert help with florals, catering coordination or running the reception. The first consultation shapes the scope around what is already in place, so you only pay for the support you actually need.

Your lead planner — the same person who runs your consultations and ceremony rehearsal — is on site from the first vendor load-in until the end of the reception, with at least one planning assistant alongside depending on guest count and venue layout. The run sheet every supplier works from is issued fourteen days before the day.

Every outdoor ceremony or tented reception carries a fully mapped Plan B from the start, never a last-minute scramble. The studio checks indoor rain capacity, tent hold deadlines, flooring and power, then makes the weather call calmly with you and your vendors 24 to 48 hours ahead, based on the forecast and the rental windows.

No finished binder needed. Vestry Rose Weddings takes twelve weddings a year and holds one consultation open each week, so the first meeting is arranged in advance. Bring a rough season or date range, an approximate guest count and an honest budget range; a venue contract or inspiration photos are welcome too. The studio is on Marlowe Row, on one floor and level from the pavement.

After your consultation the studio places a complimentary fourteen-day courtesy hold on your date alongside a written proposal. A signed agreement and an initial retainer secure it, with the remaining payments split into simple milestones. Sending the contact form starts a conversation rather than booking a date, and if a confirmed date has to move, the retainer transfers without penalty to any open weekend on the calendar.