Wedding Butler

  Remember when a cardboard box was a rocket ship or a racing car? When the end of your garden was a prehistoric world? When swimming at the local pool was actually swimming across the Channel? Remember when dreams were so much simpler? “Cause every night I lie in bed The brightest colours fill my head A million dreams are keeping me awake.” When you take those million dreams and apply them to your wedding day, does it really need to get so complicated - and so expensive? Actually, no. Even Cinderella’s fairy godmother made use of a pumpkin and some handy rodents. Everyone dreams of their wedding day - how it will be, how it will feel. We tend not to dream about how much it will cost. It’s so easy to get carried away with spending, or get frustrated that you can’t afford everything you want. You can fly to the moon - just not necessarily on a Swarovski‑encrusted rocket ship. And maybe not in an Amazon delivery box (although you’ll probably have plenty to spare). Whate...

  Having worked freelance around London before my move to the Midlands, I’ve had the opportunity to work at some huge events some VVIP events, luxury hotels and even had some royal guests.  To be honest, even the National TV Awards, the Brit awards, it all became a bit, well...normal   A few years ago, I was asked to look after an actual celebrity wedding – but there was a twist.   Three-day takeover of a Country house hotel in Shropshire with events on each day, guests bussed in from a nearby hotel.   The Bride and Groom are actors; the bride’s father was a famous child star in the beginnings of Bollywood.   Looking back, it feels almost surreal to see that Bride and Groom on the red carpet at the premiere of his new Netflix show.   The wedding itself though wasn’t all Hello magazine and OTT security; it was a typical (albeit three day) family wedding.   Nobody had any airs and graces, nobody thought they were better than anyone else. ...

I was chatting with a colleague recently about “the old days”, and you’ll often hear me talking about “old school” when it comes to hospitality. Let’s face it, I’ve been doing this for a while. But it struck us that there are certain tasks many of our younger colleagues have never done - and never will. It’s just an age thing. “Cash out” is probably gone, as is walking through a crowded bar or nightclub carrying a till drawer, locking yourself in an office, or even - as in my first pub - a change room with bags of coins counted out and lined up. Thinking back, there were plenty more things from those days: carrying matches, the “proper” way to change a dirty ashtray, the old method of pouring a Guinness (yes, the training has changed). iPads for orders didn’t exist, and stock‑control tills had a button for every single item… somewhere. And then there were the kitchens - where shouting and throwing things was normal. No CCTV. Bouncers before SIA training and badges. And some venues didn...