‘A whirlwind of love, chaos, emotions, hard work, and creativity,’ is how one of the contestants described her experience of being on BBC Two’s The ultimate Wedding Planner.
Yasmin, a florist from Plymouth, is one of eight aspiring wedding planners taking part in the series currently on screen on Tuesday evenings.
Another contestant, Toby, a former dancer from London, also hails from Devon – he still goes back to his family home in Lynton and Lynmouth on the North Devon coast as often as he can.
Yasmin and Toby, along with the other six contestants are tasked with taking charge of the design and guest experience for six real-life weddings.
From tablescaping, incredible floral centrepieces, hand-crafted aisle runners, personalised set menus, and bespoke themed installation builds, to spectacular firework displays, acrobatics, choreographed dance troops or incredible light displays, each week the planners have just three days to make the couples’ wildest dreams a reality.
They face a demanding task with the couples’ having some ambitious wish-lists, ranging from a 1950s’ vintage Hollywood glamour wedding to a Caribbean-infused autumnal fantasyland, a regal regency extravaganza, a sustainable farmyard festival, and a millionaire’s garden party.
The three judges are hospitality expert Fred Sirieix, craft and business guru Sara Davies and wedding planner to the rich and famous, Raj Somaiya.
‘I saw a social post in a local supplier’s group for the show and I thought what a great opportunity,’ says Yasmin. ‘I was very much in the headspace of "if I don't get it, I haven't lost anything," but then I got the call and here we are!
‘I was unapologetically myself throughout, so I am really hoping my passion and commitment shine over my quick mouth and tendency to ruffle feathers. Either way, this will definitely be a show worth watching.’
Toby says the whole experience was ‘a crazy ride’.
‘I always had in my mind that wedding and event planning could be a natural progression for me when my stage career came to an end. I feel that a wedding shares the same core elements of a production show and all the things I'm passionate about - creativity, extravagance, people, emotions and stage presence!
‘I wanted to dive into the industry and the show not just because weddings make everyone so happy, but I knew it would challenge me in ways I hadn't been challenged before while providing me a platform to demonstrate some of my creative style off-stage and make a meaningful difference to the most important day of someone's life.
‘The whole experience changed my life and gave me clarity for a clear path ahead. It was such an emotional journey with many ups and downs. I'm excited but also anxious about it airing - I'm sure I'll be cringing like mad.’
Ultimate Wedding Planners will comprise of six weekly episodes. beginning on Tuesday 8th August on BBC Two at 9pm and will also be available on iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
