Luxury wedding planner gives her tips for a stress-free wedding day

Ever wondered how celebs and influencers get those perfect, instagram-ready weddings that seem to go without a hitch?

They get a wedding planner of course.

And when it comes to wedding planners, Kristina Kempton is one of the very best.

We chatted to the event organiser to the stars, 41, on planning celebrations, budget tips and how a Shetland pony can be your flower girl.

Do you have trouble sleeping the night before a wedding?

No, because our schedules account for every last second, so I have faith that we’ve got it all covered.

I hit the ground running and that means a very early start. Recently we had a wedding with 30 people but we had to start at 5.30am to build the setting.

We had 97 crew and a full Covid testing regime in place. A lot of our couples tend to have been together from a very young age. These ones met at 16 and were getting married aged 27 so they want their dream wedding.

We’ve arranged weddings and parties for England sports stars, society figures, families with links to royalty, high-profile people in the music industry.

They are all high-net-worth individuals who want the same outcome – a really lovely celebration. We understand their likes and dislikes and what is important to them.

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Are weddings struggling with fewer guests?

The events industry has been on its knees. Until Covid I had my busiest period ever but lockdown meant loads of people started planning their weddings because they had the time, and it’s made us all appreciate events and celebrations.

Restricted numbers mean you have to choose your guests wisely and with fewer people there. Often, the bride or groom feel more able to express themselves
in a speech or even cry so it’s a more emotional experience.

In fact, the first wedding we did this year after Covid was the most emotional we’ve ever done.

We’d had to move it a few times, then it started to rain, but we had the most resilient couple ever and when they finally got to that moment of exchanging vows it was a massive wave of emotion for everyone, even for the florist.

Were there signs you would do this growing up?

I used to organise parties for people when I was younger and I studied interior design after school. I worked in investment banking holding high-scale events across the world to celebrate big deals.

It gave me great experience of dealing with different people and learning how everyone’s definition of luxury is different. As far as themes and weddings go, some couples want completely white weddings, others want a festival style.

We’ve had the carousel from outside Somerset House in London moved to someone’s house in a village, and I’ve had food trucks and a full festival. It’s quite simple to hire a fairground and circus performers.

One recent client wanted to celebrate his wife’s birthday with a surprise party, and we had Ronan Keating singing.

What has been your biggest wedding?

We built a mirrored aisle for one and in Clevedon, Somerset, we covered the entire dining room ceiling with flowers.

One venue in Yorkshire was very dark so we had a floral chandelier made from over half a ton of flowers as the centrepiece.

When we hire famous singers they often have their own team and a list of personal riders, which are things they want. I find people with money don’t want to wait long.

Some ring and ask if we can host a themed party in just 48 hours. I can do it but I prefer more notice.

Any tips for a bride on a budget?

It’s all about being personal so if you can’t afford monogrammed napkins for your guests, try just having them for the people on the top table.

Or tie beautiful ribbon around the napkins in a big bow, and perhaps pop a peony or rose inside – little touches like that add to the look. Try personal name settings.

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What advice do you have for anyone who wants to be a wedding planner?

Anyone who shadows us is always gobsmacked by the amount of work involved. Our clients like very floral-heavy weddings and a very luxe feel, so find your target market and build a team you can rely on.

I was doing a wedding at the end of May with floral chandeliers and peonies were due to arrive on the Thursday.

You need time for them to open but a new bank holiday was announced in Holland, meaning the flowers had to arrive early.

My florist turned their entire warehouse into a hotbox and put every single flower inside to get them open, then chilled them so they were ready for the wedding.

If I hadn’t had such an experienced florist, we would have been faced with dead flowers or blooms which weren’t open on the big day.

Mistakes, you’ve made a few?

We had a wedding with beautiful flowers crammed on tables alongside candles. It looked spectacular but then halfway through I was admiring the flickering light when I realised half the flowers were on fire.

I shouted, ‘Move the candles!’ and we all leapt forward. Luckily there was no real damage but we had to pull off a few burned flower heads.

Are more people inviting their dogs to the service?

Definitely. Dogs are as much part of a family as a flower girl. A lot of people choose venues such as Clevedon, which allow dogs.

In fact, the Four Seasons in Hampshire even have a miniature Shetland pony called Dougal who can take part wearing a flower crown. He’s very cute.

When it comes to full-sized horses, I’m helping a groom who wants to ride a horse to his ceremony. He’s determined to do it!

Check ur Kristina’s Instagram and website for more.

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