So what sets apart a wedding styled and planned by Debra Mai Weddings? The couple. Ultimately they set the tone for everything we do here at Debra Mai and its all about them not fads and themes. Personalising the wedding to a couple is big on our agenda and most of the time the bride has the most input to the wedding plans but we are equally attune about getting some input from the groom and what he'd like to infuse too - then ensuring it all comes together seamlessly. This way the wedding is a reflection of their style and personalities so what they like to eat, where they like to shop, travel destinations are important questions we ask early on. It can be as simple as what we did for a recent couple which was to print behind each guest's menu setting “fun facts” about the couple. “Did you know the bride does this at 4am in the morning”, “Did you know the groom was recently at...”. Guests loved and stole ideas from that wedding after.

How does the Royal wedding affect the wedding industry? The Royal Wedding has had a tremendous impact on the wedding industry as a whole. Instead of “what’s on trend”, bride’s and most suppliers that have anything to do with weddings on a regular basis now want to hear about the latest news from Clarence House! It will go down in history as one of the most memorable wedding of this century and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was still inspiring wedding designs for years to come.

With talks of Kate Middleton planning to go DIY for her wedding makeup, has any one of your brides ever tried doing her own wedding make-up?

Fortunately not! Many people are great at doing their own make-up on a day to day basis, but it’s completely different when the cameras are on you. High definition cameras aren’t so forgiving, so we always encourage our bride’s to go pro when it comes to hiring a make-up artist. We did have a bride do her own hair styling once, but she was a professional hair stylist and the end result was utterly fabulous.

I've had the pleasure to work with your team on a number of occasions and always wanted to know, what do you guys carry in that little black bag?!

Thats our wedding emergency kit. Its a small case where we take along basic essentials and not so obvious tools to help rescue dramas that may happen on the day. So anything from split bridesmaid dresses to aisle walk music suddenly not working, we've got a remedy to fix it. We did have one situation a few years back that would have been a little tricky to fix on the day. A very well know London patisserie supplier (whom I shan't name!) thought they had delivered a wedding cake a few days before the wedding already. Thanks to our regular supplier checks in the weeks and even days leading up, this disastrous error was spotted and quickly rectified ensuring we definitely had cake to be cut!

What trends do you predict for the coming year?

With the news that Kate will be wearing the Queen’s tiara, I think popularity of tiaras may boom again, with brides wanting replicas of the headpiece. Bridal gowns will also take a lot of inspiration from her style, perhaps vintage refined elegance with sleeves or a somewhat moulded silhouette. When it comes to decorative details...gold! Nothing screams royalty like trimmings of gold from floral containers to cutlery and table settings. Invariably, I think anything Kate has at her wedding will set a trend in all aspects of the wedding industry and not just for weddings in London or the UK but all over the world.

For more wedding design candy, visit this London Wedding Planner at: www.debramaiweddings.com