Show notes:
Join me live at the 30th Anniversary of Guides for Brides. Last week I was invited to a special sustainable party at the Bodleian Library in Oxford to celebrate 30 years of Guides for Brides.
I interviewed some of the event suppliers and guests to find out about how they made the event fully sustainable and how we can all learn from that. I also got the exclusive on a brand new wedding industry initiative – ‘The UK Wedding Association’.
This special episode was also filmed and you can watch it in full over on youtube.
Discover more about The UK Wedding Association
Thanks to all of the guests on today’s episode:
Alison Hargreaves – Guides for Brides
Michelle Miles – The Sustainable Wedding Alliance
Melissa Bennett – Oxford Fine Dining
Claudia Fox – Green Fox Bakery
Perry Bushell – The Bodleian Library
Libby Clark – Libby Clark Photography
Ashleigh Beechers – Magical Memories Photobooths
Tim Sentance – Boujee Music
Oliver Couchman – Revilo Twist
Nikita Thorne – Guides for Brides
Huge thanks to James Walton for the tech support – That Event Company
Time Stamps:
01:57 – Sustainability in the Wedding Industry
09:48 – Sustainability in Wedding Planning
17:40 – Sustainability in Wedding Venues
22:20 – Sustainable Practices in the Event Industry
Transcript:
Becca Pountney
00:00:00.240 – 00:00:36.250
Today I’m recording live from the Bodleian Library in Oxford at a party to celebrate 30 years of guides for Brides. This is not just any party. Guides for Brides have gone all out to host a fully sustainable event to prove that it absolutely is possible.
I’m going to be chatting to some of the suppliers, guests and the Guides For Brides team to find out how they’ve made it happen and to inspire you. I’ve also been told Guides For Brides are making an exciting announcement this evening, so I’ll try and find out more later in the episode.
So, first of all, this evening, I’m joined by Alison from Guides For Brides. Alison, tell me a little bit about the event that’s happening tonight and why we’re all here celebrating so 30 years.
Alison
00:00:36.250 – 00:01:21.760
Of guides For Brides.
So quite a momentous occasion and we were meant to be celebrating 25 years of guides to Brides had great plans for that, but of course that fell into 2020. We only started planning this, in fact, about six, eight weeks ago. It was a very much a sort of, it’s going to happen, let’s do it.
And after last time, just being so disappointed, not being able to go ahead with our plans, being able to go, right, let’s hit the button, let’s go. So, yeah, really nice to be here and especially in such an amazing building.
And it just shows how quickly you can pull these events together because it’s as big as a wedding reception, it’s as complex and all of the suppliers have just pulled together and absolutely no, no stress, just got it sorted.
Becca Pountney
00:01:21.760 – 00:01:30.960
And 30 years is an absolutely momentous achievement in itself. There’ll be people listening, wedding business owners who weren’t even born 30 years ago, which is a terrifying thought.
Alison
00:01:31.120 – 00:01:57.050
I mean, when you think back to what we were doing then, we didn’t have the Internet, so there was no email marketing, there was absolutely no social media. I mean, it was miles before that.
But the whole idea that you could be running a business without having the Internet to be able to, to market it and I mean, just the world felt very, very small then. So, yeah, it’s very, very different. And, yeah, we’re excited for the next 30 years.
Becca Pountney
00:01:57.450 – 00:02:06.650
Now, tonight’s ethos of this event is all built around sustainability. So just talk to me about where the idea came from, why you’ve decided to go down this route this evening.
Alison
00:02:06.970 – 00:03:52.800
We are constantly talking about sustainability and we thought it was actually time for us to really test it, live it, live those values ourselves. And easy or difficult it was to run a completely sustainable event and we were really surprised how much thought needed to go into it.
Just so many little touch points that you automatically say, okay, the menu cards are going to have this on or we’re going to be serving this wine, or will we have meat or fish or vegetarian?
All of those little touch points, every single one of them, we were able to make much more conscious decisions on and really just showcase what, what is possible.
Because what we would love after tonight is for all of the wedding businesses that are here today just to question a little bit more about what could they be doing to offer their couples a slightly more sustainable service. It’s not about, you know, going all out, that’s incredibly difficult, but just being slightly more sustainable and the benefits are huge.
I mean, Kirsty’s flowers, for example, they were slightly freaky out at the brief. Flowers are perhaps one of those really, really hard things for them to do and they got creative and they’ve created these amazing paper flowers.
And when we walked in, straight away we went, hang on, these look just like the ones that were being tipped at the wedding MBA as being on trend for the future.
So through their own, they’ve never seen those images, but through their own creativity, they’ve come up with something that is fabulous and sustainable and people are going to love them. So I think it’s really challenging suppliers to go, can we go one step further? Can we manage this without any, any cut flowers?
But we want it to be pink.
Becca Pountney
00:03:53.200 – 00:03:59.920
Amazing. Well, we’ve got just under 30 minutes until the party starts, so I’m going to let you go. But I cannot wait to see what we achieve this evening.
Alison
00:04:00.080 – 00:04:01.120
Thank you, Becca.
Becca Pountney
00:04:02.400 – 00:04:04.560
So introduce yourself, tell us who you are.
Michelle Myles
00:04:05.040 – 00:04:09.920
So it’s lovely to be here. My name is Michelle Myles and I’m the founder and CEO of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance.
Becca Pountney
00:04:10.160 – 00:04:13.680
Tell me then, Michelle, what has your involvement been with tonight’s event?
Michelle Myles
00:04:14.480 – 00:04:47.910
So I was really excited, had a call with Alison back in the beginning of the year talking about how they were going to be celebrating their, their birthday and how that sustainability is clearly an up and coming issue for so many businesses in the wedding industry and that they would love to be able to highlight how you can put on a sustainable event, but also to try and educate some of the businesses that they work with in what they can do to become more sustainable. So what’s the best way to put it?
I suppose consultant spoke to them about what we could be doing at the event, but also how we can try and raise awareness through the event and.
Becca Pountney
00:04:47.910 – 00:04:51.750
How have they decided on which suppliers to use for tonight’s party?
Michelle Myles
00:04:52.550 – 00:05:34.530
So if you take a look around the room, you might find a few of the Sustainable Wedding alliance members here. So we’re really lucky that our membership has absolutely taken off in the last couple of years and Oxfordshire is a real stronghold for us.
It’s where I’m based. But also we tend to find that if we start working with one venue in a local area, we tend to start working with those suppliers too.
We actually work here with the Bodleian Library. And so a lot of the suppliers that also work here are members of the alliance.
So I’ve got to say, a lot of them are friends, a lot of them are accredited members as well as members and have been with us on a journey for at least four years.
Becca Pountney
00:05:34.610 – 00:05:43.810
And it must be exciting for you to see them actually doing what they do, because you’re not normally there to see them on a wedding day. So to see them all in one room actually putting on the event must be really exciting.
Michelle Myles
00:05:43.890 – 00:06:22.600
Yeah, absolutely. And it’s really lovely because I didn’t know any of the details of what was happening today. I knew who the suppliers were going to be.
But to be able to walk into a room that, you know, normally I see in a very different light, to be able to see it dressed like this, is absolutely amazing.
I think everybody that has brought something to the event today has really, really showcased what they can do and is absolutely busting the myth that sustainability has to be boring or rustic or include wood as an example. So it’s really wonderful to see such an amazing look and great to see, see the use of pink. It’s really an underused color, in my opinion.
So really lovely to see.
Becca Pountney
00:06:22.600 – 00:06:30.560
So, for the listeners at home, obviously they’re not here this evening to be able to enjoy the event. What’s one thing that you are hoping inspires them about tonight?
Michelle Myles
00:06:30.560 – 00:06:58.520
I think the community coming together.
I think that events like this really show that there is an appetite for businesses wanting to know more, how can they take on their sustainable journey. It isn’t daunting and it isn’t. It isn’t a style. It’s about taking conscious choices.
And I think that everybody coming here tonight is either already on that journey or hopefully we want to start that journey quite soon and hopefully we break down some of those barriers for people to currently getting started.
Becca Pountney
00:06:58.760 – 00:06:59.719
Thanks, Michelle.
Michelle Myles
00:06:59.800 – 00:07:00.280
Thanks.
Becca Pountney
00:07:01.080 – 00:07:03.080
Tell me who you are and what you do.
Melissa Bennett
00:07:03.560 – 00:07:06.640
My name is Melissa Bennett. I am the managing director for Oxford.
Becca Pountney
00:07:06.640 – 00:07:09.960
Fine Dining and what are you contributing to tonight’s event?
Melissa Bennett
00:07:10.450 – 00:07:24.930
So we are supplying all of the food, should be having lovely canapes, delicious bowl food. And all have been considered carefully, given the impact locally and globally on each of the ingredients and produce that we have.
Becca Pountney
00:07:25.330 – 00:07:32.930
Okay, so tell me, what makes the food that you’re serving tonight different to maybe the average wedding or party that you might cater for?
Melissa Bennett
00:07:33.330 – 00:07:54.910
Well, we have a fully conscious collection menu. So our menus, every ingredients and all the produce within that menu is measured for its carbon footprint and the impact on the environment.
So everyone gets. Every dish gets a measure. So when the clients get to choose, they can do so based on the impact of the environment.
Becca Pountney
00:07:55.230 – 00:07:57.510
And is it a vegetarian menu that we’ve got this evening?
Melissa Bennett
00:07:57.510 – 00:08:23.890
No, we have meat on the menu, which is obviously quite surprising, including red meat. We have lamb, which has come from Blenheim. So the Blenheim palace lambs, royal lambs today.
So when we do consider red meat, it is always considered on a local basis. Other produce can be national and international. Is considered on a much smaller scale than it used to be, say, two or three years ago.
Becca Pountney
00:08:24.370 – 00:08:29.890
And are you seeing that most of the events now are starting to think about this, or is it just the minority?
Melissa Bennett
00:08:31.810 – 00:09:10.029
It is a small minority at the moment.
But having the conscious collection menu, we’re finding that we are educating clients that come to us for their general catering anyway, general weddings. And then we have the conversation about the conscious collection menu. We have Sea Change Wine, which is about ocean impact, which we push heavily.
And Oxfordshire sparkling wine as well, as opposed to Prosecco, is also considered in all of our quotes. If it’s a budget constraint, then people potentially do go down to Prosecco, but we always put Oxfordshire Sparkling Forward as the first option.
Becca Pountney
00:09:10.740 – 00:09:20.420
Amazing. And if there are people listening, maybe there’s other catering companies listening and they want to just get started.
One thing on their sustainable journey, where would you suggest that they start?
Melissa Bennett
00:09:21.140 – 00:09:48.670
I would suggest waste management. It was the first thing we looked at, especially following our meeting with Michelle from the Sustainable Wedding Alliance.
It was the first thing that we knew we could change and impact the the largest and the fastest.
And actually, it was amazing because it did help us financially and it helped our souls as well, because we realized just the amount of waste that we were producing on certain things.
Becca Pountney
00:09:48.910 – 00:09:52.910
So what happens now with your waste? So if there’s any food left over tonight, what will happen with it?
Melissa Bennett
00:09:52.910 – 00:10:13.610
Staff. Staff are the first thing. And we don’t over cater, so we used to over cater all the time in the fear of running out.
And now we’re very open with our clients to let them know that when the food does run out, it does run out. And we will not over cater just for the sake of, you know, saving face. It has to be, you know, a real, real impact consideration.
Becca Pountney
00:10:13.850 – 00:10:17.370
Well, I’m very excited to taste your food very shortly. Thank you so much.
Melissa Bennett
00:10:17.370 – 00:10:18.890
You’re very welcome. Thank you.
Becca Pountney
00:10:19.370 – 00:10:21.530
Okay, tell me who you are and what you do.
Claudia
00:10:21.690 – 00:10:26.890
My name is Claudia. I run Green Fox Bakery and I make wedding cakes.
Becca Pountney
00:10:27.050 – 00:10:29.450
So what has been your contribution to tonight’s event?
Claudia
00:10:30.310 – 00:10:40.710
There is a cake which is right by the front door, which hopefully everybody is standing right in front of right now. But it is there for everyone to have a look at. Hopefully no one will crash into it.
Becca Pountney
00:10:40.790 – 00:10:48.950
So for the listeners at home, just describe your cake to us because obviously they’re not here. They can’t see it and they can’t taste it. So tell us more about what is going on.
Claudia
00:10:49.110 – 00:11:16.720
So it’s four tiers and it’s got like a big spacer in the middle of it, so it’s quite tall. And it’s done like that simply for the effect of height.
So from a sustainability perspective, lots of couples want the height of a cake without the size of the cake. So I put spaces in the middle. It creates like this kind of like floating tier effect.
So we’ve got two tiers, floating device in the middle, and then another two tiers on top.
Becca Pountney
00:11:16.720 – 00:11:19.080
And what flavor is it? Because that is the most important question.
Claudia
00:11:20.040 – 00:11:27.730
It is sadly mainly fake. But there is a carrot cake in the middle. We just have to figure out which tier it is.
Becca Pountney
00:11:27.730 – 00:11:38.010
Is it being cut later for people to try? Okay, well, we can have that to look forward to. So just tell me then, what makes this cake sustainable?
What makes it different to any other wedding cake that you may provide?
Claudia
00:11:38.410 – 00:12:14.540
So I am very meticulous about my supply chain and that’s really where for me, the sustainability side of things comes in. So I know down to the cow where my butter comes from. I’ve actually reduced a huge amount of butter in my cakes to lower carbon emissions.
I also only use suppliers that have very stringent packaging policies. So there’s no plastic in my kitchen, Everything’s recyclable, reusable. The cake.
Today, I use flowers that are silk flowers so I can reuse them over and over again for different clients. And I try to always drive my electric car.
Becca Pountney
00:12:15.030 – 00:12:30.950
Nice. Me too. That’s my one claim to fame. I came here within my electric car today. That was my Sustainable contribution to tonight’s event.
Okay, so if there’s cake makers listening at home that haven’t even thought about their sustainability journey, where do you recommend they start? What’s the first thing you did?
Claudia
00:12:30.950 – 00:13:16.150
There’s some really easy fixes that you can do. Things like changing all the light bulbs in your house to LED light bulbs, really straightforward.
Even within business premises, you can do the same thing. Switching your energy provider is a huge one as well. So making sure that you’re with a green company with like proper green credentials.
The other thing to do is just look at where you’re wasting things. So if you’re in a premises like mine, I work from home, so my house, so I can pretty much eliminate waste.
But if you’re in a more commercial space, how is recycling dealt with? How is waste transported? All of those sorts of things. But light bulbs, easy straight away. 80% reduction in your carbon emissions.
Becca Pountney
00:13:16.230 – 00:13:26.230
And what are you finding out there when you’re talking to couples about their cakes, Are they genuinely interested in the sustainability part or is it more of a trying to educate them on it?
Claudia
00:13:26.230 – 00:13:50.560
It’s quite 50 50. Most people that find me find me because I’m sustainable, so I’m probably skewed slightly more that way.
But I do think people are thinking about it, but it might not be the forefront of their thought process.
It might be a background thought, but the feedback I get is, oh, we’re so glad that you told us about that because now we feel a little bit better about our wedding carbon footprint.
Becca Pountney
00:13:50.640 – 00:14:05.410
And I think that’s what makes this so important for us as industry leaders. We need to talk about it because the couples don’t understand.
But actually when we start talking about it and educating and explaining the simple changes they can make, that’s when we all start making a big difference.
Claudia
00:14:05.410 – 00:14:06.970
100%. 100%.
Becca Pountney
00:14:07.130 – 00:14:07.930
Thank you so much.
Claudia
00:14:07.930 – 00:14:08.490
Thank you.
Becca Pountney
00:14:09.210 – 00:14:11.130
Tell me who you are and what you do.
Perry Bushell
00:14:11.130 – 00:14:24.490
Okay. My name is Perry Bushel. I am the commercial director of Bodin Enterprises.
And that means that I look after the shops, the publishing, the venue hire, the filming, the licensing tours, digital, etc. Etc.
Becca Pountney
00:14:24.570 – 00:14:25.010
Wow.
Perry Bushell
00:14:25.010 – 00:14:26.330
All the commercial stuff that we do here.
Becca Pountney
00:14:26.930 – 00:14:27.570
Busy man.
Perry Bushell
00:14:27.570 – 00:14:28.450
I am busy.
Becca Pountney
00:14:28.610 – 00:14:36.210
And you’re looking after this beautiful venue where we are having the party this evening. So how did you end up getting involved in tonight’s event?
Perry Bushell
00:14:36.450 – 00:14:47.650
Well, obviously we do corporates all the time and we do weddings all the time. We did 51 weddings last year and guide surprised. We’ve been working with them for years and they wanted a venue so we were happy to help them out.
Becca Pountney
00:14:47.970 – 00:14:57.560
So what is it that you’re doing here at the Bodleian to make your venue more sustainable? Because we know tonight’s event is all about being sustainable. So just talk to me about some of the things you’re doing here.
Perry Bushell
00:14:57.560 – 00:15:49.760
Sure. Well, we are fortunate that we’re part of the University of Oxford. University of Oxford has a stated aim to be carbon neutral by 2035.
We’re also within the gardens, libraries and museums of Oxford, which includes the Ashmolean, the History of Science Museum, Botanic Gardens, and we’ve actually got our own sustainability manager, already been around for the last couple of years. We’re also driving towards Net 0 by 2035. We’re doing things like carbon benchmarking our own events.
So if we have a wedding, we’ll measure the carbon footprint of it to give us a baseline to see how we can go lower. We’re part of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance. We’re quite lucky. We have a very old building, so we haven’t had to build anything.
It’s been here 600 years. That’s quite fortunate. And some of the other things you’d think would be a disaster for us as a venue.
For instance, we have no parking whatsoever, but actually everyone has to come by public transport, so it’s another big tip for us.
Becca Pountney
00:15:49.840 – 00:15:57.520
And are you finding the couples that get married here? Is there an interest in what’s going on with sustainability or is it still an educational piece?
Perry Bushell
00:15:57.520 – 00:16:22.050
Well, I think a great many of them are interested in being sustainable, yes. And certainly when we encourage them, you know, we always use local suppliers, if we can. We use seasonal produce, we use blooms which are in season.
We encourage them not to over dress because we don’t need to, because it’s such a beautiful space, which means we don’t have a lot of waste at the end of the day. And certainly we find that most couples are interested in that message.
Becca Pountney
00:16:22.290 – 00:16:35.690
And I know there’s going to be some venue owners or people who work in venues listening who probably think this feels like an impossible task. So do you have one small step that they could take if they wanted to start moving towards being more carbon neutral?
Perry Bushell
00:16:35.690 – 00:16:57.500
Sure.
To be honest with you, I think the easiest thing is to use the people in your locality, so your local suppliers using local produce which doesn’t have a load of food miles with it. Because we did used to use quite a lot of London caterers at one point, and we still do if a couple insists upon it. But 99 times out of 100.
We can use someone within 10 miles of this building.
Becca Pountney
00:16:57.580 – 00:16:58.940
So that’s a really simple change.
Perry Bushell
00:16:58.940 – 00:17:03.340
It’s a really simple change. You’ve got people that you can use locally, then you should do so.
Becca Pountney
00:17:03.420 – 00:17:07.100
Amazing. Well, thank you so much for hosting tonight. I can’t wait for the event to get started.
Perry Bushell
00:17:07.180 – 00:17:08.580
You will pleasure.
Becca Pountney
00:17:08.820 – 00:17:10.580
Tell me who you are and what you do.
Libby
00:17:10.740 – 00:17:12.860
I am Libby from Libby Clark Photography.
Libby
00:17:12.860 – 00:17:14.420
And as the clue is in the.
Libby
00:17:14.420 – 00:17:15.700
Name, I’m a wedding photographer.
Becca Pountney
00:17:15.860 – 00:17:16.900
Whereabouts are you based?
Libby
00:17:16.980 – 00:17:18.500
So I’m based in the middle of Wiltshire.
Becca Pountney
00:17:18.580 – 00:17:24.260
Okay, so not too far away from here. What’s your involvement in tonight’s event? Are you out there taking photos? No,
Libby
00:17:24.260 – 00:17:25.780
not tonight. No, I am here purely as a.
Libby
00:17:25.780 – 00:17:27.060
Guest and actually having some fun.
Becca Pountney
00:17:27.140 – 00:17:34.100
Oh, that’s nice. So you’re out here. So. Okay, so I haven’t been out to the party yet. So tell me what’s going on out there? What am I missing out on?
Libby
00:17:34.340 – 00:17:35.500
There’s a lot of mingling going on.
Libby
00:17:35.500 – 00:17:38.900
And that’s about it so far. But I have only been here for about 10 minutes. Okay.
Libby
00:17:38.900 – 00:17:39.780
Yeah, give me time.
Becca Pountney
00:17:40.980 – 00:17:48.580
Okay, so tonight’s event is all about sustainability. So are you doing anything in your own wedding business to try and become more sustainable? Oh,
Libby
00:17:48.580 – 00:19:03.420
absolutely, yeah.
So I’ve been working with the Sustainable Wedding alliance for a few years and I am now sustainable myself and carbon neutral. So I’ve limited my travels so avoid my carbon foot footprint in that area.
A lot of my business practices take into account sustainability and yeah, it’s something that’s very much at the forefront of my business and what I do. So if there’s other photographers listening, they may think, well, we’re quite sustainable anyway. They may not really understand that.
They’re probably as further they could go. So what’s one piece of advice you’d give to a photographer listening if they’re thinking about becoming more sustainable? Look at your travel.
Definitely look at your travel because that is the, the biggest place that we have an impact because there are people that travel all over the uk, they stay in hotels. That’s going to be adding to their carbon footprint as well. That’s probably the main thing to consider.
And then from there you can kind of go backwards and start looking at your supply chain and start kind of drilling into what you could be doing.
A very, very basic example is buying quality kits and looking after it, not buying cheap lights and going, ah, fine, if they break, I’ll just buy another one for a 10. No, no, buy something that’s quality and look after it. And then you’re not adding to, you.
Libby
00:19:03.420 – 00:19:05.460
Know, the air miles and everything from that.
Becca Pountney
00:19:05.700 – 00:19:07.900
Buy cheap, buy twice. Exactly that.
Libby
00:19:07.900 – 00:19:08.340
Yeah.
Becca Pountney
00:19:08.500 – 00:19:09.260
Thank you so much.
Libby
00:19:09.260 – 00:19:09.580
You’re
Libby
00:19:09.580 – 00:19:10.020
welcome.
Becca Pountney
00:19:10.740 – 00:19:20.830
I’m back with my next guest and the party has now started, so I’ve got my Prosecco in hand and it is buzzing out there.
So let me introduce my next guest. Tell me who you are and what you do.
Ashley
00:19:20.830 – 00:19:35.390
My name’s Ashley and I own a photo booth company called Magical Memories photo booths and we’re based in Oxford. Yeah, my husband’s here as well. I’ve left him outside.
Becca Pountney
00:19:35.470 – 00:19:39.230
Oh, he’s manning the photo booth. I haven’t made it to the photo booth yet, so I must.
Ashley
00:19:39.230 – 00:19:40.510
Oh, you’ll have to come and have a go.
Becca Pountney
00:19:40.510 – 00:19:49.730
I will. I’ll have a go in a minute. So obviously tonight, event has been built to be sustainable.
So as a photo booth company, what are you doing to make your business more sustainable?
Ashley
00:19:49.970 – 00:20:00.370
So for us, we find waste management. So less ink and less paper. So we would do photo booths that are just digital only.
Becca Pountney
00:20:00.930 – 00:20:06.130
So then tonight, is your photo booth paperless? It is. So how do we get our photos?
Ashley
00:20:06.290 – 00:20:24.280
So all your photos will be sent by. So once you’ve had your photo taken, you will have the option to airdrop or you can do email or put in your telephone number.
It will be sent directly straight to your mobile. And then after the event, the whole link with all the photos will go to the guests, the host.
Becca Pountney
00:20:24.680 – 00:20:31.520
Fantastic. So are you seeing out there couples? Are they interested in this no printing option or are they still wanting things printed?
Ashley
00:20:31.520 – 00:20:31.880
Yes.
Ashley
00:20:31.960 – 00:20:32.280
No.
Ashley
00:20:32.280 – 00:20:55.250
There is a really large amount of people that want digital only. And because we offer, with digital, you can have it all day, so your day guests and night guests get to enjoy it. So not just your evening guests.
So if we were to do printed, we’re only there for a short period of time. So now we offer the whole all day digital only and it makes more sense for guests.
Becca Pountney
00:20:55.250 – 00:21:09.050
Well, that’s really interesting then, because you’ve basically developed a business model to try and encourage people to choose the sustainable options. Yes. Incredible. And actually, to be honest, now, if I go to an event and you print off a photo, it gets stuck in my bag and never to be seen again.
Ashley
00:21:09.130 – 00:21:10.010
Yeah, exactly.
Becca Pountney
00:21:10.090 – 00:21:13.050
I want it on my phone because I want to be able to post it on social media.
Ashley
00:21:13.130 – 00:21:26.090
That’s literally what everybody wants to do, is directly straight to social media and that’s it. You don’t go and put it on your fridge anymore or, you know, it does end up in the drawer. So, yeah, digital only is the best way forward.
Becca Pountney
00:21:26.250 – 00:21:35.630
Fantastic. Well, I think it’s really interesting that you’ve offered that package to encourage people to go that route.
And I think that’s something people at home can learn from. And I’m definitely going to have a go in the photo booth later.
Ashley
00:21:35.630 – 00:21:36.710
Brilliant. Thank you.
Becca Pountney
00:21:36.950 – 00:21:39.190
So tell me who you are and what you do.
Tim Sentence
00:21:39.670 – 00:21:47.510
I am Tim Sentence from Bougie Music. We’re a live music agency. We provide high energy, interactive live bands for weddings.
Becca Pountney
00:21:47.750 – 00:21:51.590
Fantastic. And tell me, what’s your involvement in tonight’s event? What have you done?
Tim Sentence
00:21:51.910 – 00:22:04.410
We’re providing the live music, unsurprisingly, We’ve got a roaming band here called the Rock and Strollers. So they’re unplugged, they’re acoustic, they roam around the event, they take live requests, they just sprinkle music around as they play.
Becca Pountney
00:22:04.570 – 00:22:07.610
Is there a limit to their live requests? Will they play Spice Girls for me?
Tim Sentence
00:22:07.690 – 00:22:14.090
Spice Girls is fine. There’s definitely a limit somewhere. But whether you can find it or not, that’s the game, right?
Becca Pountney
00:22:14.090 – 00:22:18.490
That is my goal. I’m going to see if I can get them to play a Spice Girls song by the end of the night, because that is my favorite.
Tim Sentence
00:22:18.490 – 00:22:19.690
Okay, I’ll send them a warning.
Becca Pountney
00:22:19.770 – 00:22:26.540
That is my favorite. So, obviously, tonight’s all about sustainability. So what is it that makes you as a business and your acts more sustainable?
Tim Sentence
00:22:26.860 – 00:23:27.890
Well, live music is relatively sustainable anyway. Obviously, there’s an element of power that is involved in amplifying the band.
But we do have some acoustic bands like we were just talking about with the rock and strollers. And also music and lights these days are very low energy requirements. So all of our equipment is modern and low energy consumption.
We also do as much as we can in the terms of the planning to make sure that we’re as sustainable as possible. So we have a travel plan for each wedding that combines lifts and sharing and that sort of thing.
We have multiple musician hubs around the country so that we can get to each wedding with the least amount of travel. And also, we don’t have any single use products in our performances at all. So no paper set list. It’s all digital, no charts.
We have Bougie music branded water bottles instead of plastic water bottles. So as much as we can to reduce the impact. And thankfully, the music itself is completely sustainable as well and reusable.
Becca Pountney
00:23:28.050 – 00:23:38.370
And it sounds amazing out there. They’re doing a great job. Do you think there’s interest from couples that you’re speaking to?
In the sustainable elements of your business or are you seeing that they’re not particularly engaged?
Tim Sentence
00:23:38.770 – 00:24:01.210
I think there’s definitely some interest.
I think that live music is maybe not one of the things that they are most aware of for sustainability because it is naturally relatively low energy anyway and there’s only so much we can do in terms of actually traveling around. But yeah, it’s definitely something that I tend to talk about with couples when I speak with them before booking and after booking.
It’s something that they’re becoming increasingly aware of.
Becca Pountney
00:24:01.450 – 00:24:12.210
Fantastic. Well, I’m looking forward to trying to get them to play a spy skill track later this evening. And an exclusive for the podcast listeners.
You are actually coming as a guest for a full episode very soon.
Tim Sentence
00:24:12.530 – 00:24:16.930
Are people going to be able to handle that level of suspense? I’m not sure. Yeah, I am. I’m very excited.
Becca Pountney
00:24:17.170 – 00:24:22.010
Well, keep listening because we are going to talk and we’re going to go into a lot more detail about Tim’s business.
Tim Sentence
00:24:22.010 – 00:24:22.690
100%.
Becca Pountney
00:24:22.850 – 00:24:24.850
Tell everyone who you are and what you do.
Ollie
00:24:25.090 – 00:24:39.300
My name’s Ollie. I’m a magician and event host or MC for weddings. So I do the toastmaster bit with the magic as well.
Entertaining everybody in the drinks, wedding reception, turnaround evening, wherever, and yeah, being an extra best man basically.
Becca Pountney
00:24:39.380 – 00:24:41.780
So tell me, what’s been your involvement in tonight’s event?
Ollie
00:24:42.180 – 00:24:51.620
So I’ve been going around doing close up magic in the drinks reception as people arrive while they’re having canapes, breaking the ice for everyone. So if they don’t know each other, it’s a little bit easier to have a chat and mingle.
Becca Pountney
00:24:51.780 – 00:24:58.820
Obviously the focus tonight has been about sustainability and hosting a sustainable event. So where does your business fit into that?
Ollie
00:24:59.220 – 00:25:32.620
So in a couple of ways really.
So the first thing I’ve done to really try and be sustainable is I’ve actually started working with the company to plant trees for bookings that come in just as a small little thing to help planning my routes efficiently for driving to places. But the biggest thing that everyone thinks of is the playing cards.
So I work with a company called Bicycle with their cards and they’re eco friendly, they’re manufactured in a way to be sustainable. Actually, my partner does this more than I do. When I get home, all the decks of cards are like half ruined.
I try and put together the deck so I can go out again with that same deck rather than having to to get a new one each time obviously for saving the environment that way as well.
Becca Pountney
00:25:32.620 – 00:26:15.400
Now, talking about playing cards, I actually have a Pack of playing cards at home that are reused.
So when I went to Las Vegas, I don’t know if you know this, but in Las Vegas, obviously they use a lot of playing cards at the casinos and they cut the corners off and then sell them in the shops as souvenirs. And so you buy a pack of playing cards that are X from the casino. Casino cards, yeah.
The corners have been cut off, which may not be great for magic, but for playing cards at home with my kids, it’s fantastic. So I’m glad that you’re also thinking about that because playing cards is probably not something I’d ever thought about in terms of sustainability.
So if there’s people listening, maybe there’s a magician or an entertainer listening at home and they’re thinking, oh, I never really thought that there was something I could do towards sustainability other than the playing cards. What’s the sort of first steps they could take on their journey?
Ollie
00:26:15.480 – 00:26:41.740
I think it’s the same as making a magic trick, really. You’ve just got to think outside the box. And if it’s not possible at that point, then how can it become possible? That’s what magic is.
It’s making the impossible possible. So it’s the same with the environment side of things. If you’re thinking, how can I do that slightly differently?
Can I change maybe the container for the cards, the box? Or can I change what I’m wearing? Maybe go to a charity shop, reuse your clothes, things like that.
There’s lots of different ways you can sort of incorporate it. It’s just thinking outside the box is all I’d say.
Becca Pountney
00:26:41.980 – 00:26:49.030
Now, I love a bit of magic. I’m going to put you on the spot here. Are you able to do anything for me at this table? Because I. I didn’t see any of it out there.
Ollie
00:26:49.030 – 00:26:53.430
Let’s do it. Do me a favor and just name the first playing card that you think of.
Becca Pountney
00:26:53.430 – 00:26:56.070
Okay? Do I have to say it out loud? Say it out loud. Queen of hearts.
Tim Sentence
00:26:56.470 – 00:26:58.670
Queen of hearts.
Becca Pountney
00:26:58.670 – 00:26:59.190
No way.
Becca Pountney
00:27:00.870 – 00:27:03.830
Okay, well, now that looks like it was staged, but it definitely wasn’t.
Ollie
00:27:03.830 – 00:27:04.670
It definitely wasn’t.
Becca Pountney
00:27:04.670 – 00:27:07.710
Well, that’s pretty cool. I love magic. So thank you so much for being here.
Ollie
00:27:07.710 – 00:27:08.870
You’re welcome. Thank you so much for having me.
Becca Pountney
00:27:09.030 – 00:27:16.160
Night is starting to draw to a close. We’ve had a fantastic evening, but I’ve been joined by a friend and a special guest. Tell everyone who it is.
Nikita Thorne
00:27:16.320 – 00:27:23.680
It’s Nikita Thorne here, head of strategy at Guides for Brides, and I think it’s the third time I’ve been on the podcast. Is that a record?
Becca Pountney
00:27:23.760 – 00:27:31.720
That is, in fact a record. Michelle Miles is trying to get that record too, but no, I believe you are holding the record of the most appearances.
Nikita Thorne
00:27:31.720 – 00:27:34.160
I will trust that I will always be able to hold that record.
Becca Pountney
00:27:34.240 – 00:27:35.040
We’ll have to keep.
Nikita Thorne
00:27:35.840 – 00:27:39.520
Every time Michelle Miles gets on this podcast, I’m going to be on again.
Becca Pountney
00:27:40.010 – 00:27:56.330
Fantastic.
Now, I said earlier in the introduction that as well as celebrating 30 years of guides for Brides, that I’d been told there was going to be a special announcement this evening about what’s next in the Guides for Brides world. That announcement has now been made and so I’m very excited for you to reveal it to everyone.
Nikita Thorne
00:27:56.490 – 00:29:07.460
Yes. So we have launched today, 12th of May, the UK Wedding Association. And it is the next step we are taking.
It’s a not for profit, so we are essentially allowing the industry to be able to showcase what they can do for couples, to encourage people to showcase their trust, their professionalism, as well as their sustainability standards.
So, essentially, we took our Wedding Safe platform, which we created back during COVID and we thought, you know what, there’s got to be another way for us to make this an exciting thing that people can take away with them. Because, you know, Covid was what, five years ago now? So it’s been a while and there’s been a lot of learning since then.
And the point of Wedding Safe during COVID was to essentially help the industry showcase that they knew what they were doing. Not necessarily to regulate, but more to be able to give couples the confidence that they needed to book the right people. And so.
So the UK Wedding association is development of that and we’re really excited to launch it today. I think it’s actually officially gone on Companies House today, so it’s really exciting.
Becca Pountney
00:29:07.700 – 00:29:10.420
And I believe an initial website is already live.
Nikita Thorne
00:29:10.420 – 00:29:13.780
It is, yes. It’s ukweddingassociation.co.uk.
Becca Pountney
00:29:13.860 – 00:29:47.070
Amazing. I’ll make sure I put the link in the show notes. I think it’s really exciting.
I know this is just the beginning and I can’t wait to hear more about what’s going to be involved.
But I know that in the industry, and I’m sure a lot of people listening know that it’s difficult because anyone can start a wedding business and there isn’t much regulation and we see couples finding people and they think it’s a good deal.
And actually this is a way to help those of us who are doing the right things to, you know, showcase what we’re doing in a way that our couples can see what we’re doing and trust in what we’re doing and we can be proud of the steps we’re taking.
Nikita Thorne
00:29:47.150 – 00:30:49.380
Absolutely. I think there’s a benefit there to being able to showcase what it is that you can do.
What you bring to table, whether you’re a new business who’s been around for like, two weeks, but you’re actively making sure you’re following all the right processes, or you’ve been around for like, 30 years, like us, you want to be able to showcase to couples that you can be trusted, that you’re professional and that you’re taking steps to have a sustainable business. And, of course, sustainability isn’t just about being eco conscious.
It’s about sort of all of these other elements to running a business that will be there for a long time. And it’s going to be really exciting when this is developed a bit more.
Obviously, it’s a launch today and we’ve just started it, so there’s more to come. But, yeah, we’re very excited to be able to bring it to the industry. It’s definitely been a long time coming.
And when Alison was talking about wanting to adapt Wedding Safe into this new concept, it was all about giving back to the industry and being. Being there to be able to showcase, showcase what businesses can do to couples and help them to choose the right people.
Becca Pountney
00:30:49.540 – 00:30:56.180
I think it’s a great initiative and I cannot wait to find out more. Maybe you’ll have to come back on the podcast and tell me about it anytime.
Nikita Thorne
00:30:56.820 – 00:30:57.940
You know, you’ve got me.
Nikita Thorne
00:30:58.100 – 00:30:58.820
Actually, do you know what?
Nikita Thorne
00:30:58.820 – 00:30:59.700
We should do it in Vegas.
Becca Pountney
00:30:59.780 – 00:31:26.750
We should. Live from Vegas. So that’s a wrap on this evening’s event. It’s been such a great evening.
Meeting some amazing suppliers, catching up with friends and seeing what it’s like to put on a fully sustainable event and proving what’s possible. It’s also been really exciting to hear from guides for brides about what’s been going on for the last 30 years and what they’ve got planned next.
And I’m really looking forward to hearing more about it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this special edition. Look out for the video clips that we’ll be sharing on social media too, and I’ll see you all next time.
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