#BREAKINGBRIDAL: GEORGIE DUDDY OF “AFTER THE ROCK WEDDINGS”
GET CONNECTED:
@AFTERTHEROCKWEDDINGS
WWW.AFTERTHEROCK.COM.AU
A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON…
The low down on the business of After The Rock…
After the Rock makes weddings stress free, ridiculously fun and a total reflection of you as a couple. We are the producers of the best day of your lives together thus far. In it’s simplest form, we are wedding planners.
Your journey that has led to where you are today…
A lot of sweat, sleepless nights, blistered hands and feet, oh, and blood (those paper cuts from packing invitations are brutal!) That’s the truth, but the resume looks like this: I completed an Arts Degree at Sydney Uni and moonlighted at TAFE doing an Event Management Advanced Diploma whilst working 2 part time jobs. I started a corporate event management company at the age of 21 while I was studying and working part time and sold it 7 years later. After a year of travel, falling in love and planning my brothers wedding for him – I knew I wanted to launch into the world of weddings in a big way and disrupt the idea of what a wedding planner was. Essentially turn the wedding industry on it’s head a little!
The pioneering moments of your career…
Starting my own business at 21 was a huge one. It was a VERY steep learning curve for the first 5 years! I could say the pioneering moment was when we landed our first major client after pitching against the biggest event managers in the business, the multiple awards won or that time we hid a tractor that was a gift for a client in the event space without anyone knowing and revealing it at the right moment. However, the most career-changing moment was deciding to sell my first business, even though it was incredibly successful. It was the hardest yet best decision to make to really follow my dreams.
An average day at ATR office looks like…
There is no average day at ATR! My day personally starts with meditation, some form of exercise, a smoothie and preparing a daily productivity planner. Wanky AF but the truth! Then my day is determined by that planner. I could be in online consultations with Brides for 5 hours in the day, mocking up floor plans, cultivating moodboards, visiting florists/venues/décor hiring companies to discuss an upcoming wedding, putting together budgets, negotiating on every element of a clients wedding, writing a new blog post, glued to my desk emailing or developing a new online program. My days often turn into nights with evening consults, a launch or industry event or late night Pinterest/Instagram/blog trawling if I feel like a binge of inspiration.
The best business advice you ever received…
I read A LOT… and listen to audible business books and podcasts on the daily. To narrow it to just one piece of advice is incredibly tough! So I will go with the one that I find helps friends the most when they are starting a business. It’s actually from comedian Ricky Gervais and it was a simple tweet. It said “The best advice anyone gave me was – No one else know’s what they’re doing either.” I think that quote gives you the freedom and permission to just GO for it – And it’s the truth! In an ego driven world it’s hard to see the ‘real’ from the ‘edited’ and behind every wonderful business/shoot/Instagram photo there is a whole heap of trial and error and journey. We often compare others ‘showreels’ to our cutting room floor. Comparing yourself to anyone, especially as you will never know their true story, is a sure fire way to let the fear get in the way and never get started.
Always having a knack for great aesthetic and branding…
A ‘great’ aesthetic is completely subjective, but I appreciate the compliment!! I just put things together that please my eyes, heart, mind and make me feel good. I take influence from everywhere, whether it’s in wedding styling, fashion, design, architecture. I think for me it all comes down to hours and hours of absorbing content and imagery and a whole heap of experimentation. Also, surrounding yourself with the best in the business. Whether you are inspired from afar – like following your favourite bloggers or Instagram feeds and taking influence – or actually working with them directly, you too can be a curator and make beautiful things come to life.
Working on taking a wedding concept and turning it into a reality…
To be quite honest, a lot of the time it comes down to budget.
Getting the essentials locked away, finding out the couples main priorities and seeing from there, how we can really create the most impact for their investment.
It’s a process that starts with a million ideas and once we have the main concept, I keep manipulating and making small changes with it until they are bursting with excitement of what we are creating. Throughout the process there are SO many elements to consider. I have multiple meetings with a number of suppliers and work on how we can bring it to life and how they can all work together with my team to make it happen. It takes a village to raise a wedding!
THE NEW AGE “BRIDEY”…
Best advice to those planning their own wedding…
- Don’t try to do everything at once! There is a process and order to planning that makes the planning stress free and fun.
- Pick a day and time to work on your wedding and do a little every week.
- Keep a constantly updated budget – even if you think you suck at numbers – to avoid budget blow outs and nasty surprises
- Get EVERYTHING in writing from your venue and suppliers. A phone conversation or meeting should always be backed up with an email summary.
- Make the decision. Trust me, you will feel a whole lot better after you have made it rather than ‘umming and ahhing’ all year – then missing out on your favourite venue/photographer/florist/make up artist etc. Regret is the pitts!
- And of course… Get some advice! Ideally from a professional wedding planner – even if it’s just a consult or two. We have had many dress rehearsals… you only get one shot at this.
Pinch me-moment for After The Rock…
Vogue Brides. Getting the call up from them to contribute was a dream. And waking up one morning in the most beautiful chateau in the South of France to produce a wedding – I thought ‘is this real life?’ – that was a pretty spectacular ‘pinch me’ moment!
Advice you would give on nailing their own style…
A lot of brides come to me with complete Pinterest/Instagram burn out. They get so overwhelmed trying to find their own wedding style, pinning and saving so many different images that they end up just copying someone else’s wedding or having such a mix of styles it just doesn’t all work together on the day. The first step is opening up your wardrobe. What do you wear that makes you feel amazing? What colours? Absorb your surroundings – What flowers make you light up? Where was your favourite holiday? What restaurant do you go to that has the best atmosphere and has vibes of what you want on your wedding day? Look around, start taking note of things that really light you up. The more you explore who YOU are as a couple, the more you will be able to make authentic decisions and find your own unique wedding style.
How they need to remain cool, calm and collected…
Plan well. Start early in the piece. Don’t just think ‘it will all come together,’ do the work or enlist the help of a professional to do it for you. When it seems really hard, just remember why you are doing this – it’s all about love. Take time out to go to gratitude and list 5 things you LOVE about your future husband-to-be, your family, your life in general. It works every time.
Your favourite moment from a wedding you have worked on…
For me, it’s ALWAYS the moment where they pronounce the couple husband and wife. It trumps everything. True love fills the air and everyone is ecstatically happy in total unison.
Quirkiest moment you have come across at a wedding you have worked on…
I seem to weed out the nutty brides before taking them on as a client. For example, one bride answered my survey when asked ‘what do you want guests saying about your wedding when they leave at the end of the night’– her response was ‘that it was the best wedding they have ever been to… and the dogs were the most in love pair they have ever seen’. Ah yeah, you read that correctly… she wanted me to plan her dog’s wedding.
What is next for After The Rock?
We have so many incredible weddings coming up over the coming 2 years (yes, some couples plan their weddings up to 2 years in advance these days!), a number of really exciting collaborations working with the BEST in their fields, and some new programs for bride-to-be’s to access all across the globe. The best is yet to come!
FOR THE BRIDES-TO-BE:
Wanting to learn how to style your own wedding?
Today is your lucky day! Georgie is hosting a free webinar aka an After the Rock Masterclass this Saturday 18th March at 9:30am AEDT and this is your opportunity to learn:
- How to find Your personal wedding style and why you need to ditch Pinterest/Etsy/Your favourite wedding blogs to do this.
- The step by step process to bringing your ceremony and/or reception ‘together’ – the professional stylist’s secrets.
- How to inject those personal elements through styling, even if you are 2 weeks out from your wedding – and why at least one ‘talking point’ is an absolute must at your wedding.
- The top 3 areas that you CAN save and the 2 areas you should really invest in when it comes to styling your wedding.
All of this professional planner information delivered directly online to you in the comfort of your own home… and it’s free for you to sign up and listen in!
