Holly Episkopou, founder of Wonderlust Events, has grown her company to become a team of three experienced planners, and while they mostly focus on planning destination weddings internationally, they also take on creative weddings in the UK. From the Wonderlust base in the Cotswolds, England, we discuss their projects which have been staged all across Europe, from the Greek islands to remote Italian lakes, as well as areas of the USA, Mexico, and the Maldives…
We’re based between London, the Cotswolds and Mallorca – this gives us a great launchpad to work in the UK, Europe, and all over the world…”
Holly Episkopou, founder, Wonderlust Events
C&B : “Holly, it appears that you have a really strong hold within the international events market; where and how did you first gain your experience?”
HE: “I started the business after planning my own destination wedding while working in the corporate hospitality and F1 events industries. This is where I gained my experience of how important attention to detail is when planning each event. The rest of the Wonderlust team started their careers as event coordinators for hotels and venues, bringing us an excellent understanding of what it takes to run complex and varied wedding days and furnishing us with a breadth of knowledge around suppliers and venues…”
C&B: “Which particular area of events do you specify – is it mainly weddings?”
HE: “Yes – we specialise in planning understated luxury and timeless weddings, mainly abroad, as well as creative, stunning weddings in the UK. We rarely plan one-day weddings but instead tend to plan two or three-day experiences…”
C&B: “We know that each occasion is a symphony of different suppliers and vendors; which do find yourself booking again and again and what are their particular strengths?”
HE: “We work a lot with Mirabeau Wine on our South of France weddings, and they are fantastic. Apart from that, we’re delighted to work with some exceptional vendors, and for each wedding, we like to find the right supplier for our couples, whether they are brands we’ve worked with a number of times or suppliers we decide to work with for the very first time…”
We believe our clients’ weddings should be so much more than a celebration; the event should be a life experience with their love story woven through it, so while we take the heavy lifting of planning off our clients’ shoulders, we constantly invite our couples to be part of their destination wedding plan to ensure it remains their own…”
Holly Episkopou, founder, Wonderlust Events
C&B: “The first step is always attracting the clients; how do you go about doing that and what follows?”
HE: “Often, the journey begins on Instagram via our account, @wonderlustevents. Most of our clients come to us looking for a completely bespoke planning experience, as each of our weddings is entirely bespoke. Clients usually come to us wanting elegant design, local, delicious food and culture, and meaningful, personal touches to elevate it far beyond ‘a few days away’. We get to know our clients, and we immerse ourselves in their love story, their tastes, and their passions. It’s a really personal thing to plan someone’s wedding for them, so we pride ourselves on being very warm and friendly planners and often gaining lifelong friends…”
C&B: “Yes, creating everlasting memories is a huge responsibility! Which would you say has been your most impressive project so far, and why?”
HE: “That would be the planning of a wedding at the Lux resort in the Maldives; such a beautiful, exquisite location with a spectacular backdrop that gave us so much creativity to work with. We used flowers, specialist lighting, and other decorations that framed the natural perfection of the island, allowing us to create a wedding like no other…”
“Each of our Wonderlust weddings is filled with our creative flair, style, and imagination; ultimately, tho’, every choice and every final decision is down to each of our couples. We educate around the choices they are making, so that when they stroll through their reception hand-in-hand, they won’t see a day someone else made for them; they’ll see a day they poured their hearts into making their own and a symphony of choices they made together…”
Between us, my team has thirty years of event experience, and Wonderlust Events has now been sculpting destination weddings for eight years…”
Holly Episkopou, founder, Wonderlust Events
Our list of dream venues and locations in the Uk includes LIMEKILN, Sezincote House, Estelle Manor, Langdon Court Manor and The Old Session House. Overseas we love Chateau Estoublon in Provence, Hotel Corazon in Mallorca, Finca Delica in Ibiza, Tonnara Di Scopello in Sicily, Amagatay Hotel in Menorca, Hotel Il Pelicano on the coast in the Tuscany region, Masseria Calderisi in Puglia, Kalesma Hotel in Mykonos, The Rooster Hotel in Antiparos, Sao Lourenco Do Barrocal in Portugal, Hotel San Cristobal in Todos Santos (Mexico), Luna Escondida in Mexico, Beldi Country Club in Marrakech…”
Holly Episkopou, founder, Wonderlust Events
C&B: “There are so many fantastic venues around the world that present the perfect location for a big budget wedding! Given free rein, what would be the dream project for Wonderlust Events?”
HE: “Our dream project would be a three-day wedding experience in either Marrakech, the Baja Coast of Mexico, or Palm Springs. We love a stylish, flower and candle-filled wedding where all the small elements of design matter to represent the love story of the couple. We’d plan a full orchestra at the wedding, followed by different entertainment options such as a large party band. We love organising epic pre and post-events such as a trip into the desert or a retro pool party so that the wedding extravaganza begins and ends with a bang! Ultimately, we love organising an unforgettable wedding day that guests talk about for years afterwards…”
CONTACT: http://www.wonderlustevents.com
