WHY, WHEN AND HOW DID YOU START HILDE? After over a decade of working as a producer in the media and design industry in Berlin and London, I realised it no longer aligned with my personal or professional aspirations. Determined to make a significant change, I took matters into my own hands in 2017 and embarked on a self-taught journey to create HILDE — THE biggest labour of love.
HOW DID YOU FIND THE PROCESS OF PLANNING YOUR OWN WEDDING? Like many others, my husband Rob and I found planning our own wedding to be a wonderful yet challenging experience. It's a universal truth that planning a wedding for the first time can feel overwhelming at times. In our case, we decided to elope and get married in San Francisco.
Following our wedding day there, we embarked on a road trip, where we explored the breathtaking national parks of the Western states of America and enjoyed the highlights of various cities along the way.
Upon our return to our old home in North London, we celebrated our marriage in an intimate and personal setting. Our back garden provided the perfect backdrop and with just 24 guests, we opted for the smallest marquee available, allowing us to create an atmosphere of cosiness and togetherness.
Our celebration was a true reflection of our personalities and backgrounds. We curated a day filled with our favourite foods, treats and wines. Good music filled the air all day long and we even had a little dance. What’s not to love!
“Look for those who align with your vision AND connect with them on a personal level”.
ANY WORDS OF WISDOM TO THOSE PLANNING A WEDDING? If possible, hiring a wedding planner is highly recommended, especially if you’re dealing with large numbers and a large team of suppliers. However, if that's not available to you, approaching the planning process with a methodical mindset can help ensure a smooth and organised experience. You basically want to treat it like any other significant life project or event and make sure you stay organised.
Budget –
Determine your budget early on and allocate funds to different aspects of the wedding. This will help guide your supplier research process and prevent overspending. A planner can help with this, even you can’t or don’t want to afford their full service.
Lead times –
Weddings are very complex matters and it’s wise to allocate sufficient time for planning – ideally between 6 to 12 months if you can. This timeframe allows for thorough research, decision-making, and good coordination with suppliers.
Project management –
Make a list of all the tasks you can think of, ranging from major to minor. Breaking them down into manageable portions will keep you focused and prevent overwhelming feelings. Prioritise and tackle the tasks step by step. It's also crucial to maintain a record of all agreements with suppliers. This will help you stay on top of your commitments and avoid any misunderstandings.
Before delving into design details –
Secure the venue, caterer, photographer and other major suppliers early on, before getting carried away with design ideas and the smaller details.
Curating your team –
Take the time to research and compare different suppliers. Look for those who align stylistically with your vision and, equally importantly, connect with them on a personal level. I cannot stress enough just how important good collaboration is!
WHAT'S YOUR APPROACH TO WEDDING STYLING AND PLANNING?
My wedding clients all have one thing in common – they want something that is meaningful and curated but nowhere near ‘wedding-y’, and I am actually quite proud of this. I have no interest in anything that feels cheesy, expected or ‘generic’ myself and love the little niche of people that I am lucky enough to plan and design with.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT A TYPICAL WORK WEEK MIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
No week is ever the same but a typical day starts with exercise and then consists of either or some of the following – emails, Zoom calls, in person meetings, administrative tasks, marketing, venue search and viewings, logistics or design planning, design related research and orders, event prep, prop making and cleaning, enquiries, proposals and of course all the administrative tasks in the world.
I also try and make time for the odd forest walk or solo café visit, to breathe, recharge, and think things through.
WHAT'S THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER AND WHY?
Whilst I loved being featured in places like Vogue, ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar – nothing beats the time I was able to go full time with HILDE. A very proud moment indeed.
WHAT'S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Business wise and coming from the ‘mainland’ myself, I would love to work across Europe more frequently, in particular Italy, France and Spain. On a personal level, I would love to learn one further language, witness the Northern Lights, travel to Cuba, Japan and build a life in a Mediterranean country one day. Let’s see!
Get in touch with Anne or see more of her work at HILDE here and follow the latest on instagram.
