Every now and again on the James Crockford Photography website, we are going to use our blog to tell you about some lovely people we know, that we are proud to work with and our first interviewees are the lovely Bonne Fête – a company that provides affordable and unique wedding reception decorations and themes. Let’s find out more about them…
“My name is Amanda Plester or Mand, Mummy, Mango or Moose T, depending whose calling me! My company is called Bonne Fête and we specialise in styling venues for weddings and special occasions. I spent most of ‘corporate’ working life organising events for Camelot, operators of the National Lottery; before I had a spell running their office in Trafalgar Square and handing over winning cheques to multi-millionaires!
My route into the wedding industry started when I became a freelance Events Organiser in early 2003, when my eldest daughter was three months old. Looking back, I think I must have been a little bit mad due to the sleep deprivation! The success of my freelance work meant that I was able to start an e-commerce site selling packaged table settings for special occasions. I began to receive more and more requests from brides and party organisers who wanted to hire, rather than buy, my stock. Consequently, the Bonne Fête Hire site was launched in the Spring of 2008.
One of our most popular products is a pressed glass candelabra with crystal droppers. It was part of our launch collection in 2008 and is still being booked for weddings into 2012.
I am a huge fan of Prettywild, the stationery company. Suzanne Osborne is such a talented designer and her work is meticulous. My guilty pleasure is paper-crafting, so I appreciate every single cut and embellishment that goes into her work.
Social media is massively important to building our brand and I follow many great designers, stylists, bloggers etc including American blogger / stylist / editor, Heather Bullard and find her blog really inspiring; particularly her travels collecting (and selling) vintage finds. Plus it’s an excuse to escape to warmer climes!
I have been fortunate enough to work with and style some incredible weddings including the weddings of a Premiership footballer, ex-international cricketer and Opera Diva, to date. All of our couples are extremely special but Dougie Brown and Amelia Whiteman’s wedding was particularly special because Amelia’s group, Elysium III, performed Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’, operatic style and it reduced me to tears. In fact, their first CD comes out next month which I am very excited about!
We’re often asked what we think will be big for the coming season and this year we think that marquee and ‘alternative’ venue weddings still appear to be increasingly popular and the trend towards homemade DIY details, which is completely up my street! I’m sure there will be more of a move towards guests seated on long tables end to end, rather than traditional rounds too.”
Now for some photography related questions if you don’t mind…
How vital is photography to your business?
Crucial. When I launched both my e-commerce and hire businesses it was definitely the professional photography that resulted in the coverage in both the national wedding and lifestyle press.
…And your personal life?
Equally as important. Our home is full of photographs of friends and family and they give me real pleasure; especially the ones of my children and the old black and white ones of their great-grandparents.
Think back to an early image of you – describe the picture and what you were doing at the time.
I’m not exactly doing much but it fascinates me because I can see both of my children in this one photo and I vividly remember the tan dungarees and that plastic 80′s style hairclip!
Working with other businesses within the industry is great for reaching a wider audience. Why have you chosen to work with James Crockford Photography?
I met James in 2008, at one of the first big weddings that I styled, and I was immediately struck by how professional and friendly he was; then a few weeks later I saw the images of the wedding and I realised how equally talented he was. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
How would you describe James Crockford Photography?
Natural, emotive and comical …… the dogs not the brides!
If James Crockford Photography is known for its relaxed and stylish approach to photography, how would you hope others would describe you?
Beautiful, affordable venue styling.
Your IP Address is:
38.107.179.222
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Focus on…Bonne Fete
Every now and again on the James Crockford Photography website, we are going to use our blog to tell you about some lovely people we know, that we are proud to work with and our first interviewees are the lovely Bonne Fête – a company that provides affordable and unique wedding reception decorations and themes. Let’s find out more about them…
“My name is Amanda Plester or Mand, Mummy, Mango or Moose T, depending whose calling me! My company is called Bonne Fête and we specialise in styling venues for weddings and special occasions. I spent most of ‘corporate’ working life organising events for Camelot, operators of the National Lottery; before I had a spell running their office in Trafalgar Square and handing over winning cheques to multi-millionaires!
My route into the wedding industry started when I became a freelance Events Organiser in early 2003, when my eldest daughter was three months old. Looking back, I think I must have been a little bit mad due to the sleep deprivation! The success of my freelance work meant that I was able to start an e-commerce site selling packaged table settings for special occasions. I began to receive more and more requests from brides and party organisers who wanted to hire, rather than buy, my stock. Consequently, the Bonne Fête Hire site was launched in the Spring of 2008.
One of our most popular products is a pressed glass candelabra with crystal droppers. It was part of our launch collection in 2008 and is still being booked for weddings into 2012.
I am a huge fan of Prettywild, the stationery company. Suzanne Osborne is such a talented designer and her work is meticulous. My guilty pleasure is paper-crafting, so I appreciate every single cut and embellishment that goes into her work.
Social media is massively important to building our brand and I follow many great designers, stylists, bloggers etc including American blogger / stylist / editor, Heather Bullard and find her blog really inspiring; particularly her travels collecting (and selling) vintage finds. Plus it’s an excuse to escape to warmer climes!
I have been fortunate enough to work with and style some incredible weddings including the weddings of a Premiership footballer, ex-international cricketer and Opera Diva, to date. All of our couples are extremely special but Dougie Brown and Amelia Whiteman’s wedding was particularly special because Amelia’s group, Elysium III, performed Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’, operatic style and it reduced me to tears. In fact, their first CD comes out next month which I am very excited about!
We’re often asked what we think will be big for the coming season and this year we think that marquee and ‘alternative’ venue weddings still appear to be increasingly popular and the trend towards homemade DIY details, which is completely up my street! I’m sure there will be more of a move towards guests seated on long tables end to end, rather than traditional rounds too.”
Now for some photography related questions if you don’t mind…
How vital is photography to your business?
Crucial. When I launched both my e-commerce and hire businesses it was definitely the professional photography that resulted in the coverage in both the national wedding and lifestyle press.
…And your personal life?
Equally as important. Our home is full of photographs of friends and family and they give me real pleasure; especially the ones of my children and the old black and white ones of their great-grandparents.
Think back to an early image of you – describe the picture and what you were doing at the time.
I’m not exactly doing much but it fascinates me because I can see both of my children in this one photo and I vividly remember the tan dungarees and that plastic 80′s style hairclip!
Working with other businesses within the industry is great for reaching a wider audience. Why have you chosen to work with James Crockford Photography?
I met James in 2008, at one of the first big weddings that I styled, and I was immediately struck by how professional and friendly he was; then a few weeks later I saw the images of the wedding and I realised how equally talented he was. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
How would you describe James Crockford Photography?
Natural, emotive and comical …… the dogs not the brides!
If James Crockford Photography is known for its relaxed and stylish approach to photography, how would you hope others would describe you?
Beautiful, affordable venue styling.
Your IP Address is:
38.107.179.222
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.