Styling + Set Up | On the Day Coordination | Partial Planning | Hire a Bridesmaid
Devine Bride is run by Laura Devine – hi! I’m a wedding planner based in East London and run a multi award winning blog as the backbone to my website offering planning tips and advice.
My tag line is ‘pick + mix wedding planning’; couples can pick and choose which elements they need help with, and we’ll take it from there.
I have personally planned and worked on some 170+ weddings and events to date, and I know what’s worked, what’s not, and what’s fun! It’s a celebration after all!
From planning power hours to partial planning, help on the day to hire a bridesmaid, and everything in between! I’ve planned and styled a goth wedding in an industrial metal works warehouse but also an ex fashion editor’s pretty Chiswick marquee wedding too. I’ve planned a wedding at the Love Actually church followed by the most elegant Christmas reception, but also many a warehouse party wedding. My speciality is difficult dry hire venues. Whatever your concept or budget, I strive to make it happen, with the best trusted suppliers on board.
I tend to help couples who know what they want and what they are doing, who are generally quite creative and non-traditional, but just need a hand to bring their vision to life, hone in on the finer details of the planning, and make it all happen on the day.
For peace of mind, I am also:
-Fully insured
-Level 2 Emergency First Aid trained
-Level 2 Fire Safety & Fire Warden trained
Good to Know
I try to chat with couples on Facetime or Skype for their initial consultation, but also love meeting for drinks anywhere we can make it work around my crazy self employed weekday schedule, and around seeing my husband.
I love working with fun couples on bespoke weddings.
I only take on a few full planning and partial planning packages a year to be able to focus on them fully, and give them plenty of planning time.
The rest of my bookings are made up from a mixture of my pick + mix services.
I don’t work on commission. Ever. Working on a commission basis promotes favouritism, and my aim is always to match the right supplier to the right client – for the client’s needs and wants only.
I’m not a fan of traditions, hierarchy’s, or anything that doesn’t promote equality.
I’m also not fond of chair covers.
I don’t wear black at weddings as guests usually think I’m the caterer!
I usually wear a smart colour so I’m easily found and identifiable, by guests and staff alike, however my aim is to blend in as if I were a guest (dress code wise).
I hate clipboards and headsets and don’t use them at weddings!
-@threebestrated Wedding Planners in London 2020
-Exhibitor: Most Curious London 2020
-Exhibitor: Un-Wedding London 2019
-Exhibitor: Most Curious London 2018
-Recommended Supplier: Rock My Wedding
-Speaker: The National Wedding Show 2017
-Contributor: The Scottish Wedding Directory
-Nominee: The British Wedding Awards 2018
-Winner: Your London Wedding ‘Wedding of The Year’, UKBA17, The Wedding Blog Awards 2016
Press and accolades
Devine Bride was a finalist at The British Wedding Awards 2018, Wedding of The Year with Easy Weddings 2018, and The UK Blog Awards 2018. Devine Bride won highly commended in the Wedding and Events category at the UK Blog Awards 2017, won Wedding of the Year 2017 with Your London Wedding Magazine, and won Best Rising Star at the Wedding Blog Awards 2016.
Devine Bride has been featured in Perfect Wedding Magazine, Wedding Ideas Magazine, Your London Wedding, Zexy Premier Magazine (Japan), Scottish Wedding Directory, Tie The Knot Scotland, Easy Weddings, Bridal Buyer, and, a personal favourite of mine, The Motherwell Times (my hometown paper!).
I used to write regularly for the Scottish Wedding Directory, and was formerly a contributing writer for Vows and Venues.
I have also had my own wedding featured in Wedding Ideas Magazine, Your London Wedding, the Scottish Wedding Directory, Ultimate Wedding Magazine and Easy Weddings.
Press
A bit more about Laura Devine…
I’m Glasgow born and bred, but live, work and play in London. In fact, Scotland meets London was the theme for my own wedding (some years ago now).
Before I started my business in 2015, I worked at a family run perfume house, and before that I earned my organisational stripes in merchandising and operations roles for a TV shopping channel, a high end Japanese fashion chain and a luxury global skincare brand. When you put my experience together with my degrees (Product Design from the Glasgow School of Art and Fashion Marketing from the London College of Fashion) it’s a wonder I didn’t start planning weddings sooner.
Now over 170+ weddings and events later, it’s fair to say that there’s not much I can’t coordinate. But although I have vast experience in operational business strategy, project management and budgeting, I have no formal training in wedding planning. I’ve learned on the job, learned from my clients, and learned through freelancing and partnering at different venues to continuously keep up with the field. I approach my business from a client’s point of view – as a partner rather than a supplier. I’ve been through it (myself, and as a bridesmaid three times), so I know the ups and downs and the stresses – as well as a lot of tricks.
Ultimately though, it’s all about making people happy – and I love that.
Great Loves
After my husband, my greatest love is travelling. It’s the only thing you can buy in life that makes you richer. Travelling used to be our biggest extravagance. That and wine, where ever I go (Saint-Émilion and Mendoza have been favs so far).
However since we moved up to Walthamstow, renovating our house has taken over our lives, and our finances…!
I’ve lived in London for over 12 years now and love the food and restaurant scene here. Finding new places to go for brunch on a Sunday after a wedding on a Saturday is one of my favourite things! But dinner at Morito in Hackney would be my perfect date night.
I love working in the wedding industry because I love making people happy, there’s no better feeling.
Smaller Loves
Other smaller loves include Crosstown doughnuts, bad 90’s dance music, cheesy electro music, and partying in general!
TV Shows of Choice
Mindhunter, Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Crown, and Gogglebox.
Drinks of Choice
Prosecco for every day, a Margarita if I’m feeling fun.
A vodka or gin if I can’t decide – but always with lemonade, never with tonic!
www.devinebride.co.uk