WIN A SPA DAY FOR YOU AND A FRIEND AT GRAYSHOTT SPA...

De-stress from wedding worries and treat yourself to the pampering you deserve with a day out at the award winning Grayshott Spa. All you need to do is answer the questions below for your chance to win...

Your day will included a delicious 3 course buffet lunch, use of all the spa facilities including the swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, relaxation, sauna and steam rooms, tennis courts, gym and exercise classes.  For more information about Grayshott Spa visit www.grayshottspa.com

How to enter:

For your chance to win a day for two at Grayshott Spa just answer these two simple questions:

1. How many years does the Queen celebrate on the throne this year, the year of her Diamond Jubilee?

1. Which gorgeous heritage property, and wedding venue, was used as the setting for the period drama Downton Abbey?

Email your answers to: info@thegreatbigevent.com with ‘Competition’ in the subject line. Closing date 28th April 2012. 

For full details of our wedding services please visit www.thegreatbigevent.com

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:  The winner will be the first correct entry drawn on 30^th April 2012.  Entrants must be 18 or over.  The prize is a mid-week Grayshott a La Carte Day for two people to be used Monday-Friday.  The winner will be notified by email.  The prize must be accepted as offered and is non-transferable, non-redeemable and cannot be used in conjunction with any other.  There can be no alternative award, cash or other.  One entry per household.  By entering this competition you are agreeing to the terms and conditions and your email address may be used for further promotional mailings from The Great Big Event Co and Grayshott Spa.  The organisers' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The promotion will be governed by English Law.

Engagement photo shoots.

With Spring officially started, the wedding season will be kicking into action very soon. This week we wanted to focus on an increasing trend we are seeing in our weddings and that is our newly engaged couples are marking the occasion with an photo shoot.

All this beautiful weather provides photographers with fantastic light and spring flowers to make the shoot even more spectular. We caught up with Greg from Just Imagine Photography for his expert experience as to the benefits of an engagement shoot...

"An engagement shoot is a win win situation.  Whether you feel comfortable in front of the camera or not, you will get something out of it.  For those who are nervous about being the focus of attention it is an assurance that it is not as frightening or awkward as they thought it would be and for everyone else it's still a good opportunity to get to know your photographer a bit more.  Explore ideas with him/her in an environment which is safe and friendly and not time restricted.   There is no better way to help make you feel more comfortable with and engaged in your wedding photography and it will help you to relax on your wedding day ensuring you get the most out of the experience." Greg - Just Imagine Photography

If you are interested in a engagement shoot we're sure Greg at Just Imagine Photography would be happy to discuss your requirements further.

Also if you are in the throws of organising your wedding and need alittle help then please do take a look at our wedding planning packages. Our dedicated wedding planning team will be more than happy to discuss how we can help.

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

t: 0845 459 9812/4

2012 Party Season Kicks Off

Saturday saw our first big party for 2012 and it was an amazing night. The party was to celebrate a family 50th.

Our DJ was Bill Sood, had everyone dancing...so much so, that the dance floor was not big enough for our hearty 90 guests.  We hear that the last guest departed at 05.00am!  The best thing about Bill is that he really did make the party swing. He had a playlist and he ‘read’ the crowd so well! 

The food was a selection of canapes served with prosecco by our team to a hungry group of party goers followed by a wonderful 3 choice hot bowl food menu.

The menu was cooked by Alexander our wonderful chef who produced the most amazing sea bass dish amongst melting lamb and Singapore noodles!

Dessert – homemade miniature doughnuts with dipping chocolate sauce & Chocolate tiramisu cups! Yummy.

From invitation to dismantle – the whole party was Glitzy – All the ladies dressed in the most amazing glitzy party frocks and one gentleman was all silver glittery suit with a silver glittery hat!!

Gilly and the team really enjoyed this family 50^th party...

Best wishes,

Gilly, Romilly, Sindy and the team

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com

e: info@thegreatbigevent.com

t: 0845 459 9812/4

How to plan a wedding...

So our last blog was on the subject of how to ask the big question, now assuming the proposal has been asked and the answer was 'YES" then the next logical question is "how to start planning a wedding"?

Now, that is something we are very good at here at The Great Big Event Co. We just love a good wedding and with our team of wedding planners, caterer and exclusive venues we can help we all or part of your wedding planning.

I caught up with our top wedding planner and founder of the The Great Big Event Company Gilly Botte last week and asked her top tips for successfully planning your wedding:

• Savour the moment and enjoy the time of being ‘newly engaged’
• Definitely buy out the magazine racks for the most up to date ideas and happenings – brides, weddings
• Relax whilst you browse the mags (with a coffee or a glass of wine, at home in your favourite armchair). 

Make notes such as:

• What do I want for my wedding?
• Where?
• Who?
• How much?

Then share these thoughts and wishes with your other half before you invite the world to make comment on how you should do it.

Create your joint priority list.

THEN...

My next bit of advice is to really fully establish what sort of money you have to spend on the day and from there, get help with your budget planning. You will have to be prepared to compromise on all sorts of ways, but remember, the ‘priority list’ and work with that as much as possible.

That should set you up for a great wedding which you have control over and which you can get excited by.

If it all seems alittle over whelming then please download our wedding planning guide here.

Of course if you would like to speak to Gilly without commitment then please do call on 0845 459 9812 or email.

The beautiful engagement photographs in this blog are courtesy of Just Imagine Photography who we have had the pleasure of working with during 2011. Our next blog will focus on the growing popularity of engagement shoots and will feature more of Just Imagine fantastic work, in the meantime  please do take a look at their website: www.justimaginephotography.co.uk

Best wishes,

Laura, Gilly, Romilly & the team.

w: www.thegreatbigevent.com
e: info@thegreatbigevent.com
t: 0845 459 9812/4

The big question...

With Valentines day fast approaching there will be some of us expecting, hoping or longing for a marriage proposal! That got us thinking about the whole proposal issue, it must be a terrifying event to plan, where, when & how to proposal are all crucial to the moment because lets face it, if your proposal is success you could me re telling that moment for years to come - no pressure then!

But the thing is it really doesn't have to cost a fortune often the most imaginative or creative proposals that work the best. Last year we loved the You Tube sensation of Adam King proposing to his girlfriend on a London commuter train, with the help of his friends in a choir.

OK we don't all have the friends in a choir that are willing to sing on a packed commuter train, but the idea of doing something personal and unique will bring some very special memories.

For those not expecting a proposal we hope you have a lovely Valentines.

Best wishes,

Gilly & the team

www.thegreatbigevent.com

Why Gilly loves a party!

I have been arranging amazing events for some time now and offers an insight into some of the interesting private and corporate events undertaken over the past few years.

Cool parties and major family celebrations are my absolute love!

They get my heart beating fast, my mind races and I need to drop absolutely everything I am working on at the time so I can really pull myself together to listen & hear what the client is saying at the end of the line!  This happens every time I get that call. 

Straightaway I see the party happening in my mind and that is the foundation for me. When I meet clients face to face to further discuss their plans, I have to hold myself back so that once again, I hear what they want and then I take the brief from there.

I often find myself waking up first thing in the morning with a complete visual insight into what a client event will actually look like on the day/evening and often that’s exactly as it is...  Funny this seems funny...but it just reaffirms that I am a visual interpreter rather than a wordsmith!

The best events are those, where the clients really want to enjoy the occasion and share with friends/family/colleagues – they set the scene from the outset!  I do the rest to make it happen and stay cool.

Things that make me smile!

·         Meeting a client for the first time and seeing their face relax as soon as they start to share their ideas and feel a sense of comfort as they release their hopes

·         Being No 1 on an existing clients call list when they have an important family occasion to plan!

·         Making a client laugh...out loud and get excited by ideas.

·         Eliminating any concerns about political correctness.

·         Creating a Buzz before the event

·         Wowing clients and their guests

·         Seeing a family raise their glasses without saying much ... just before the first guest arrives and feeling that warm fuzzy and buzzy feeling of achievement

·         Watching guests arrive at the party all ready to enjoy

·         Watching a husband, partner, father, mother, see each other all dressed up to the nines just before their event starts and look at each other in that amazingly unrepeatable way

·         Seeing appreciation of the guests as they taste the food, see the décor, watch the show, listen to the music...just savour the moments.

·         Knowing the client is happy.

Best Wishes 

Gilly Botte

Founder & Owner of The Great Big Event co.

Merry Christmas & Thank you.

Our last blog of the year... 

Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas

2011 - In summary

This time last year we were just getting ready for 2011 with a relaunch of our brand and services.  We had completed a busy year with Weddings and Vintage Events and were about to undertake the growth of our posh parties service.  

Since then...WOW! What fun we have had over 2011 with some lovely client events which we are proud to have created.  

We have upsized our catering contracts and are now offer catering beyond 500 seated with both TGBEco parties and weddings and Vintage Days.  

We moved out of The Medicine Garden in Cobham and into our new work places and hot spots London - Oxshott - Farnham - Guildford – Godalming. 

Our key areas of London and the South East; we opened up in Barnard Castle, Co Durham through our Vintage Days catering service.  All in all, a busy year!

We hope that with your continued support through 2012, and with all that we have to look forward to; we will be busier than ever before.  

There’s a lot of celebrating to be done in and around the South East in 2012...

• Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 
• TGBEco Celebrating the Olympics summer event
• 2012 – GAMES

Rebrand 2011 took place in February when we relaunched our online presence with a new look. We took the ‘Company’ out of The Great Big Event and softened up with the Co!  We hope you like?

Some of our loveliness

TGBEco would not be successful without our teams of professional freelance contracted teams;

Without all their hard work, enthusiasm, and continuous innovative ideas around food, parties, styling and planning, TGBEco parties and TGBEco weddings would not be able to present such great parties or weddings.  

Thank you to our team of cooks and chefs headed up by our very own founder Gilly Botte;

Jackie, Ellie & Ali

David G

Kevin K

Alexander

And of course, we shall not forget our amazing front of house and service teams!!! Thank you to them for all their team work and expert management and co-ordination on the event.

Beverley, Caroline, Ads...to name our core team players! Thank you again.

Thanks to the in-house marketing, event planning, finance and project management teams too!  

Romilly, Amanda & Laura

Merry Christmas & Best Wishes 

for a prosperous 2012

^{With best wishes to you all and Thank You!}

Gilly Botte – Founder and M.D. Terry Willat – General Manager