Our clients say it best!

How proud we at Giles Sherlock Event Design were when we receieved the following testimonial & thank you letter from our clients Jagrati & Simon who were married at One Great George Street in London on 31st January 2009.

“From the moment we met Amanda, it was obvious that not only did we see eye to eye but that she completely and utterly understood exactly the type of wedding we wanted.

Ours was a particular challenge because we had an authentic Indian theme involving many traditions, superstitions and rules that we all had to follow. Amanda embraced all of these concepts and using her creativity, helped to achieve the most magical wedding we could ever have imagined. Her attention to detail and perfectionist nature, was exactly what we required especially as we required a high level of finish but didn't have the time to execute them due to work commitments.

Our trust in her was infinite and her loyalty to us as clients was exemplary. She showed amazing professionalism, support, friendship and inspiration. Her passion for the job she does is evident in her weddings and the fluidity with which she carries it out, seamless.

On the day, Amanda you showed such discretion but absolute helpfulness to anyone who might need it and we knew that we were in the best of hands. The combination of your skill and the relationships you have established with suppliers produced a magnificent outcome and we are still recalling all the special moments from all our days of celebrations, and we shall never forget them. You are our first new friend as a married couple!”

A change of scenery!!!

Giles Sherlock Event Design would like to invite you to view the updated imagery on our website slide shows - click HERE to be directed to our website.

At Giles Sherlock Event Design we constantly strive to keep our website fresh and captivating by regularly updating the beautiful images captured at our fabulous events. Thank you for taking the time to visit!

With special thanks to Sim Canetty-Clarke for your remarkable photography of Jagrati & Simon's wedding.

Giles Sherlock Event Design Live on Gail Garcaeu's Wedding Talk Show in California

Giles Sherlock Event Design is proud to announce that Amanda Sherlock was the special guest of Wedding Guru Gail Garceau's live California based radio talk show back in December 2008. In the wee small hours in London Amanda spoke with Gail in California live via telephone (with large cup of coffee in hand!!) about the difference in wedding cultures between the United Kingdom and the United States and compared tips & trends from both sides of the ocean! The interview was great fun and was thoroughly enjoyed by both Amanda and Gail and hopefully by listeners across the world! To listen to the show click HERE. Giles Sherlock Event Design would like to sincerely thank Gail for inviting us to be on her show. Thank you Gail!

It's all in the detail!

Close your eyes and imagine.... a glorious English summer day; a bride and her groom are surrounded by their loved ones under the shade of an ancient oak tree, beside a lake where the sunbeams dance off of the rippling water and the willow trees sway gently in the breeze. A marriage blessing brings tears of joy to all and after the couple have shared their 'first kiss', they lead their guests down to the lake side so that each can set sail to a little paper 'Wish Boat'. A string quartet fills the air with classical music as guests push their boats out on to the water and each make a wish for the happy couple and their future together. So very romantic! (Always ensure that children are accompanied by an adult - remember safety first!).

We've been Twittered!!

You can now keep up to date with the daily "goings on" at Giles Sherlock Event Design on Twitter! Join our following and pop by to say hello! You can find us under GilesSherlock or click HERE to be directed straight to our Twitter page. Looking forwarding to "Tweeting" with you all!

Weekend Wedding - Guest Gift Idea!

Having a weekend of wedding celebrations with guests coming from far and wide? Want to treat them to a delightful 'welcome basket' of goodies on their arrival? Well, for the perfect 'welcome basket' gift, look no further! These gorgeous 100% cotton, fine embroidered laundry and shoe bags from Sibona Decorative Textiles are just the treat! What a luxury they are and they beat keeping your worn smalls in a plastic carrier bag! Oh the horror of being stopped by customs without one! No frequent traveller (or elegant lady!) should be without a lingerie bag from Sibona!They come in different shapes and sizes. There are a variety of designs to suit ladies and gentlemen and they haven't forgotten younger travellers! These are the perfect travel companion. What better way to welcome your wedding guests!

The wedding that ignited the Giles Sherlock Event Design Spark....... Germaine's Dream June 2007 Wedding!

As you all know Germaine and I met as a result of me designing and co-ordinating her wedding back in June 2007. I am extremely proud of this wedding; not just because of the exceptional amount of logistical planning that was involved in making it run to my exact timing schedule but because of the happiness that the day brought to Germaine, her husband and their wedding guests - they will tell you personally that I by far exceeded their greatest expectations and that they never imagined that the day could be as breathtaking as it was. I am told to this day, that guests still comment on the celebrations that took place that rainy June day out at Eltham Palace and that same evening at The Dorchester and how some guests were so inspired that they were left aching to achieve something as spectacular for their own wedding celebrations. I am proud to present, the wedding of Germaine Giles, Co-Director of Giles Sherlock Event Design. It was a surprisingly chilly June day in 2007, coaches lined Park Lane waiting to ferry Germaine's wedding guests to the ceremony at the stunning Eltham Palace. I had designed The Grand Hall at the palace to emulate the cathedral style wedding that Germaine had always dreamed of; I sourced a company in New York to design a beautiful personalised aisle runner which was adorned with their wedding monogram; elegant overflowing floral designs by Lavender Green decorated the alter and bay trees in Versailles planters stuffed with white roses flanked the beginning of the aisle; the sweet violin tunes of the 'Dirty Pretty Strings' floated on the air and there we had it; a traditional English wedding ceremony fit for a Princess. The ceremony was followed by a cocktail reception in the Italian Drawing Room where traditional English 'afternoon tea' style canapes were served; mini cucumber & mint sandwiches, petit smoked salmon belinis, gorgeous little white ceramic pots of strawberries & cream, fresh miniature scones with apricot jelly and a selection of fine teas - Oh how darling it all was! After the first of the two Peggy Porschen wedding cakes that were to be cut on that special day was cut, off back to Central London the bride and groom sped in their chauffeur driven Rolls Royce Phantom to prepare for the evening celebrations at The Dorchester. Before we knew it, the day had flown by and the 400 guests were arriving, dressed in their most glamourous attire, for what was set to be a truly outstanding occasion. The cocktail reception began and traditional sitar and tabla music set the romantic Indian mood swaying through the guests. They had no idea what was in store for them. As the doors to the ballroom opened and the guests saw the wedding decor for the first time, choruses of "Ooo's" and "Ahhh's" could be heard as I stood quietly beaming with pride from the sidelines! But it was when I saw Germaine and her husband's face that I truly felt that I had created something magical! A superb traditional Indian meal was served and then the "piste de resistance"; 12 traditional Indian dancers accompanied Indian chart topper Navin Kishore Kundra as he sang a number of Bollywood and mordern Indian songs which he had personalised with Germaine and her husband's names; it worked perfectly! It was an awesome show and the crowd were on their feet. The hairs on my arms stood up as the colourful display of dancing was reflected in the gold mirrored dance floor that I had brought in especially for the day; it all looked truly remarkable. Guests dined and danced; laughter and tears of joy flowed amongst them all. A dream wedding with memories that will last a lifetime; my work here was done!!

Dayna Decker

I want to share one of my 'life changing' discoveries with the world! Those who know me will know that sexy, chic & elegant home decor accessories are another passion of mine. Whilst in Newport Beach California last November for the Association of Bridal Consultants annual conference I came across the most delicious range of home fragrance products by a designer called Dayna Decker. Danya's candles and scented oil diffusers are by far the sexiest range I have ever come across; they have a wooden wick so not only do you fill your home with a heavenly scent (my favourite is the Opopnopax) but you can also relax to the sound of a crackling fire that the candle gives off as it burns. These candles are available in Space NK and Liberty's - rush out and grab one all you style guru's - I defy you not to fall in love with Dayna's products!!

Beautiful BollyOz Wedding!

Giles Sherlock Event Design is proud to present the beautiful wedding of Jagrati and Simon; Jagrati's heritage is Indian and Simon's Australian, so the wedding was a real amalgamation of both of their cultures; the mystic romance of India married with the cool, calm and collected charm of Australia. The gorgeous couple were a picture of love on their wedding day in Central London on a chilly blue day in January 2009. When Jagrati & Simon first met with me they told me of their original plans to celebrate their wedding with a traditional ceremony and reception in an Indian palace in Rajasthan; however after careful consideration they had decided that why not celebrate in the beauty of their own home town, London. They asked me to source a venue for them in Central London that would hopefully emulate the beauty and awe inspiring architecture of an Indian Palace; immediately One Great George Street sprung to my mind and after a site visit with the couple, it was love at first sight for them and a successful venue search for me!
The day was very busy indeed with a traditional civil ceremony at One Great George Street in the morning with the bride wearing a gorgeous Vera Wang gown, then it was all back to The Haymarket Hotel to change (both attire and culture!) as Jag, Simon and their guests prepared for the traditional Hindu ceremony that was also to take place at One Great George Street. Indian musicians and the amazing vocal talents of Nicky and Tanya Wells singing in the ancient language of Sanskrit performed during the ceremony and then also during the cocktail reception. Ladies adorned in beautiful silk saris of all kinds of vibrant colours, gents in traditional Dhoti; the scene was well and truly set for Jagrati & Simon's Indian Palace wedding in the heart of London! A mouth watering meal was served to guests in the Grand Ballroom after cocktails followed by a specially choreographed dance performance to a Bollywood love song by the bride and groom. With a truly fantasic wedding dream team on hand; photographer Sim Canetty-Clarke, Euphoric Flowers, all the banqueting team and Chef's at One Great George Street, Supersonic Band and not forgetting my amazing assistant on the day, Colette Zoil, their wedding day was a sweet success filled with delicious food, sumptuous decor and dancing until the moon shone brightly! It was an honour and a privilege to be part of your special day Jag and Simon and I am delighted to have made two lovely new friends! Long may your years be filled with love and happiness.

A Lavish Langham Affair!

What a wonderful evening was had by all last night at the re-launch of the Langham Hotel in London after it's £80m refurbishment http://london.langhamhotels.co.uk/en/. I was honoured to walk down the fluffy pink carpet and join the 500 guests in the stunning grand ballroom, including my truly fabulous friends and amazingly talented industry colleagues (with whom, it must be said, there is never a dull moment!!) Siobhan Craven-Robins http://www.siobhancraven-robins.co.uk, Lester Gethings http://www.noten.co.uk/index.htm and florist extraordinaire Simon Nickell of Euphoric Flowers http://www.euphoric.info/.

Sipping delicious Veuve- Clicquot champagne and rubbing shoulders with celebrities such as the lovely Bill Nighy, we thoroughly enjoyed the bubbly atmosphere, bumping in to old friends, sharing stories and laughing so hard our sides literally ached. We sure do know how to have a good time!!

With many thanks to The Langham, all the attentive staff and many congratulations on your beautiful hotel. I hope that I will have the opportunity to hold a Giles Sherlock Event at The Langham sometime in the future.

BLATANT PLAGIARISM

Giles Sherlock Event Design has this week fallen victim to blatant "copy cats" - awful, unprofessional novices that have literally taken the text right out of our website and are claiming it as their own. As one of the UK Networking Branch Directors for the Association of Bridal Consultants I strongly believe that this unethical and immoral practice needs to be taken extremely seriously to be stamped out.

On Tuesday morning (9th June) I received a very kind email from another professional wedding planner (one of us few it seems with morals and a creative mind of her own!) - Isobel Lamplough, who informed me that she had found a website who had word for word copied all of the text from our website and that they had also "hotlinked" themselves in to our pictures. When you hovered over the pictures on their website, a box with the words "Giles Sherlock" popped up!! The cheek of it!!

After a strong threat of legal action, within hours that "rogue traders" website was down. Thank goodness I thought but oh no, it didn't end there!!

Thanks to the sheer brilliance of http://www.copyscape.com/ Germaine and I did a worldwide web search of industry related sites and found up to 20 further websites of unprofessional wedding and event co-ordinators that had literally copied our original, creative text on our website word for word.

None of the websites had even tried to disguise the fact that they had copied our website. It's disgusting behaviour and it needs to be stopped. I have issued notice of legal action all of the companies that have breached our copy right and will hopefully see these sites amended or shut down with immediate effect. I'll keep you posted!

Chewton Glen - The Perfect Country Retreat

The Wedding Industry..... ahhhhh what a fabulous industry to be part of and how lucky we professionals are when a gorgeous country retreat such as Chewton Glen invites you to spend some quality time with them overnight to experience first hand their exceptional guest service.

This weekend Siobhan Craven-Robins and I were guests of Bettina and Katie from the Wedding & Events team at Chewton Glen for what can only be described as an truly luxurious treat.

We arrived at Chewton mid afternoon as the rain was steadily falling. We parked and made our way on foot down to the entrance of the hotel where, out of nowhere, 3 members of staff 'floated' up to us in a very gracious manner; one holding an umbrella over us and the other two taking our luggage which we did not see again until we were personally escorted to our rooms.

We were greeted inside by Ashley the Deputy General Manager who knew exactly who we were and seemed genuinely happy to welcome us to the hotel. We checked in and were shown to one of the lounges to have lunch whilst our rooms were being prepared. The decor of the hotel was just stunning - modern and contemporary but yet comfortable and 'homely' in a decadent country setting.

When our bedrooms were ready we were personally escorted upstairs (we were assured that all guests are) where we were introduced to two of the most beautifully decorated, spacious and comfortable terraced bedrooms with all modern amenities and luxurious 'country' style soft furnishings. We each had an enormous bathrooms with.... wait for it...... stunning Molton Brown products. Welcome treat of champagne and chocolates lay waiting for us - what a lovely personal touch. This was luxury personified!!

We indulged in a little swimming and relaxed by the pool before dressing for dinner (old fashioned girls that we are!) and headed down stairs for pre-dinner cocktails. Welcomed again by the friendly staff we were treated to a selection of canapes sent to us by the Chef to accompany our delicious champagne cocktails. Whilst we were sipped the champagne we were presented the menus to pre-select our dinner - what an excellent service..... oh but the best was yet to come.

We were seated for dinner and were approached by the Sommelier who was delighted by Siobhan's selection wine; a 2004 South African Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon. Just delicious.

Scallops for me and crab for Siobhan which we both followed with the most tender cut of beef I have tasted in a long while. The most delicious dinner that was beautifully presented and served with a sincere smile.

The next morning we were shown around the property and the beautifully kept grounds by the lovely Katie who talked us through all the possibilities for events at Chewton Glen. An outdoor gazebo surprised both Siobhan and I - lovely quaint little covered area licenced for weddings - a real plus for small wedding parties that want to achieve a real country experience for their wedding.

The whole experience was one that we will not forget in a long while and Chewton Glen has definitely taken a top spot on both of our list of recommended venues in the UK. Thank you team Chewton and how proud you should be of your venue. http://www.chewtonglen.com/