Courier March 2010
After a career in the hospitality industry, the last 17 years spent in hotel general management in four and five star hotels, including The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells and Buxted Park, Andrew Salter knows a thing or two about organising a great function. So, he has launched his own business, Andrew Salter Weddings & Events.
As a well-known face in the local business community and the current chairman of the West Kent Region for the Lord's Taverners, Mr Salter already has many contacts in the area, so he is now busy networking and spreading the word about his new venture.
Mr Salter said that weddings typically take 220 hours of organisation – time which most busy couples today simply don't have.
While he has many years' experience of organising events, Mr Salter has spent a few months thoroughly researching the wedding industry and has also taken time to complete the Alliance of Wedding Planners course, which lays down strict codes or ethics within the wedding planning industry.
“My background of four and five star hotels has focused strongly on hospitality standards in terms of service and overall attention to detail," said Mr Salter.
Mr Salter said that he has chosen his name as the brand, as clients will be working with him from start to finish. He can source every aspect of the wedding – from bridal wear to florists and from entertainment to speech writers.
“Choosing the wedding venue itself can be one of the most time consuming elements of organising a wedding and I can offer help with finding that unique venue for the reception," said Mr Salter.
Following the wedding consultation, Mr Salter provides the couple with suggestions of up to three suitable venues based on their preferred dates, number of guests, budget, theme and criteria. He can also accompany clients to any initial meetings at the venues to discuss their wedding plans.
Andrew offers three types of package – The Full Package, in which he takes over the whole process from initial planning to managing everything on the big day itself; The Twelve Weeks to Go Package, in which he offers the last minute co-ordination of the wedding, as well as attendance on the day to ensure everything runs like clockwork; and the Wedding Day Management Package, aimed at a couple which has planned and designed their own wedding, but needs an experienced professional to take over the running of their day.
In addition to wedding planning, Mr Salter is also offering event management – organising any type of event from a wine tasting dinner to a birthday party or from a stag/hen party to a wake.
“Many companies don't have the time or the skills and experience to organise a corporate event – whether that's a teambuilding day or a residential offsite conference," said Mr Salter. “I can take over the organisation and make sure it works like clockwork."