I sat down (virtually!) with expert island wedding planner Anett Tarcsay, owner of The Wedding Company to ask all the questions you have ever wanted to ask a wedding planner! Anett is a creative destination wedding planner who really believes in the magic of weddings. Originally from Hungary, Anett studied interior design in Sydney before starting her own business in wedding planning. Couples who hire Anett have wild dreams for their wedding day and want their wedding planner to make it come true with unique and creative touches. Couples who work with Anett want much more than someone ticking a checklist.

Q: Hey Annett! For anyone completely new to the wedding world, can you explain what a wedding planner does?

A: Wedding planners make couples wedding dreams come true by over exceeding their wedding expectations and creating a design that they couldn’t imagine themselves. Wedding planners are the brides’ best friends. We make sure that no details are missing & the wedding is special to the couple which comes through the location, venue and every part of the design. Wedding planners take every wedding as equally important and put lots of hours into each wedding, so when it comes to the wedding day everything is perfect!

Q: I have to be honest, the first wedding planner I thought of when writing this interview was Jennifer Lopez in ‘The Wedding Planner’! How like the movies is the life of a wedding planner? What does an average day look like for you?

A: Ohhh Gosh! I love that movie! I should really watch it again. Well, every day is pretty much different as you’re not sure what to really expect. Even though I like planning my days in advance I can get a call or email and it takes me in a different direction. I am very strict with my morning routine though and need to set my mindset for the day to have a very productive and successful day. Therefore I get up around 6.15 am in the morning, have my meditation and go for an hour – to – two hours walk with my dog at the beach while I am listening to some podcasts or audiobooks. When I get back, I get ready for work and follow my schedule, unless it changes because of an important meeting. It can be a lonely journey especially during the off-season so I try setting up meetings with suppliers and couples all the time…I love socialising. I am a work machine so I pretty much work every day simply because I love what I do!

Q: When a couple is looking to get married, what is the number one question they should ask you when enquiring?

A: What style of wedding planner you are!

Q: How important is it to discuss a wedding budget in that initial meeting? If not then, when should a couple bring it up?

A: In my opinion, it is very important to discuss the wedding budget in that initial meeting, so I know instantly the type of wedding I am planning and can associate with the suppliers I can contact to work with.

Q: How involved do you personally get with a wedding? Do you offer bespoke services or pre-planned packages?

A: I only offer tailored-made services. I have a price guide which I send to my couples after their first contact. However, I personalise all of my final offers. I believe every couple has different needs, therefore my final proposals are tailored to their requests.

Q: I noticed you have recently niched into ‘island weddings’ – this is so exciting! What made you take the leap?

A: Yes, I did! Thanks for noticing. And I tell you what I feel so connected with my business, my direction and my audience since I niched down. I have a secret obsession with islands, this is one of the reasons I became myself an islander and moved to the Channel Islands. When I was only planning to set my wedding planning business up 5 years ago, I wanted to have my company so I could design island weddings. But I never did because I was scared as I didn’t know how to approach it. When The Wedding Company was born at the end of 2019 I still felt unsure how to pursue my dreams, but when I joined a course called the Six-Figure Business Map by Jai Long at the end of January this year, it helped me believe that there was a way to specialise my services for islands only…so this is exactly what I did.

Q: Vendors… Who are your current favourites?

A: Every vendor is my favourite especially if they are as crazy as me when it comes to creativity and creative projects. I love working with all of them as they all have a different style. I believe the best way to get to know all the vendors is to work on styled shoots with them.

Q: Do you attend the wedding and make sure everything goes to plan?

A: Even though the couple doesn’t request my day coordination service, I love popping to the venue if I can do it physically (so they are on the same island as me) just to check everything is perfect and goes as planned. I am kind of a perfectionist when it comes to the decor and venue set up.

Q: What has been the most unique wedding you ever planned?

A: Every wedding is unique. But one of my favourite stories is a wedding that I was planning 4 years ago for a couple where the bride was in Sydney and the groom in London during the planning period. I was working for a destination wedding company in London at that time and the couple booked us in just a couple of months before their chosen wedding day. They had a big wedding in numbers and a huge budget to work with, so the pressure was on! However, I enjoyed every minute of the planning and lots of phone calls with the groom. Funnily enough, I was working on the wedding details with the groom and not the bride. I became a very good friend during these three months with them so, in the end, I decided to go and coordinate their wedding day which was in Santorini even though we had a coordinator based there. It was fantastic and a huge success!

Q: Do you have any favourite wedding themes for 2021?

A: Yes, I love outdoor weddings ~ on the beach or in a garden! Unfortunately, we have lots of rain during the summertime on the Channel Islands, so this is not something that is very popular here… but most of the islands I work with are perfect for weddings outside.

Q: Finally, what are your top 3 tips for couples who are starting their wedding planning?

A: My 3 tips for couples who are starting their wedding planning are to start early – so you can truly enjoy the planning process as it is so much fun, Get organised from day 1 – it makes the planning easier, also, hire a Wedding Planner! It helps you with the little details that can be otherwise missed & keep you on track.