Few people are awaiting the royal wedding as anxiously as Joanne Brown. The owner of Celebrations firmly believes that this wedding will set trends for years to come, as did the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana many years before.

“I’m pretty sure the dress is going to be completely different to what Diana wore – still absolutely romantic looking but I think it’s going to be more chic and timeless type of dress and I think again that is just going to be trend-setting for many years to come, as Diana’s was, so we’re really excited,” she says.

The company started small, but has grown to encompass a 20,000 square foot warehouse, an in-house floral team, carpenters, and everything else needed to put together the fairytale wedding you’ve always dreamt of. Joanne says this became necessary when she found that many of the things she needed to put together the perfect wedding were not to be found on island, so she either had to bring it in of have it made.

“It’s about the completeness of service – from the day the engagement happens, we’re there to help you, to guide you, and also ultimately to bring to fruition your dream. Our goal is to go beyond your expectations,” says Joanne.

Although Joanne loves working with local weddings, much of the growth she has seen over the last couple of years has come in the destination wedding market.

“The size of the weddings has grown – it’s usually three to four days, and a whole set of events – it’s the welcome party, the rehearsal dinner, it’s the brunch after the wedding, it’s the wedding. When it first started, 12 was the average, then it went to 35, it’s now at 60 as the average wedding, which is absolutely amazing. It just shows you that the trend is so strong for people to go away and experience a location and it’s so much nicer, it’s like a holiday and you can make it what you want,” says Joanne.

Having been in the business for many years, Joanne says there are a couple of basic things couples can do to make the planning process easier.

“They should sit down and think about the size of wedding they want, because that is the nucleus that you build on. It determines where you have it, everything else,” she says.

She also advises that once you have a approximate numbers, you start putting a list of names together, as people often find that once they start working on that list there are many more people who need to be invited than they originally anticipated.

“The next thing is if together you can figure out what type of wedding you want – is it more casual, very laid-back, or am I looking for something more formal, am I looking for something with a theme? You may not come up with an answer, but it is something you should think about,” she says.

Many brides spend so much time dreaming about their big day that they have many different elements they want to put tougher, without a clear picture of their own wedding.

“That’s where we come in, to help pull those pieces together and then from that build something that’s really theirs, because every wedding is really special to that couple. It’s their taste, it’s their style – it’s a reflection of the bride and groom,” says Joanne.

Another thing to consider is the time of year, as the weather can have a significant impact on your wedding.

“When you’re selecting your date, think about that, because you want the experience to be good for you as well as your guests.”

One of the trends Joanne has been noticing has been a return to the romantic, timeless and classical look in weddings.

“This year in particular they’ve gone back to white weddings – they want everything done in white, so that might just be an evolution of the romantic look. That is very classic, very timeless, and the romantic look with all the candles is a very beautiful look and makes a wonderful statement. Very much retro inspired weddings with modern touches,” says Joanne.

There has also been a move towards themed weddings, with the eco theme being particularly strong.

“Using local items is also very strong, and we’re trying to bring it more to the forefront, because we feel there is so much that can be done. Beautiful pieces of driftwood, for example off the beach designed with fabulous orchids – what is more beautiful with lots of candles surrounding it and that’s just incredible and unique. It’s off our beaches, it’s eco-friendly, it’s things like that that I think the brides are becoming more and more aware of,” she says.

Joanne is also working on designing wedding collections in order to bring a dream wedding within reach of any budget.

“You can take any part of it and by so doing you’re able to fit any budget. It is a great way to go not only for our local brides but also for our destination brides.”   WH

For more information, call 949-2044 or visit celebrationsltd.com