Secrets Of An A-List Wedding Planner: Mark Niemierko Talks Celebrity Nuptials
[Photo: Mark Niemierko]
“Other than your funeral, your wedding is probably the only time everyone you know will be in the same room with you – so you want to do it right,” says Mark Niemierko, events planner to the rich and famous.
This is how he justifies why his clients can spend (literally) millions on their special day and why it’s important that he makes sure that the job is done perfectly.
Coming from a working class family in Essex and a background in TV production, events planner Mark Niemierko has worked and is working with everyone from celebrities to members of the Royal family.
He’s hands on with everything; from squeezing his brides into their Spanx to negotiating the budget with their rather anxious fathers. FYI, his minimum spend on a wedding is £150k.
Asked about his most extravagant wedding, the 35-year-old doesn’t even have to pause to recall this wedding that he planned around four years ago.
[Photo: Mark Niermierko]
“I did a wedding for a bride from a well known Hong Kong business family, and each of the 97 guests had two nights at Claridges – marking the biggest group booking in the hotel’s history. Oh, and each guest had a £300 Fortnum and Mason hampers in their room. I suppose I am so spoilt with my budgets, aren’t I?”
He says, as a result, he’s become an expert on everything from booking first class flights to the perfect pastry for canapés. Rather excitingly for us, he’s not shy about dishing the dirt on his famous clients who include James Corden and Rochelle and Marvin Humes.
“Rochelle made sure she watched Jeremy Kyle on the morning of her wedding – it was even in the running order – even though she’s asked me not to mention that since!”
[Photo: Hello!]
He says Rochelle and Marvin’s monochrome themed big day at Blenheim Palace was one of the hardest weddings he’s worked on, based mainly on the sheer size of the venue, but credits them one of the easiest couples to plan for.
“Marvin is one of the nicest people in the world; he could charm the gas meter – one of the most romantic things was when we were at Claridges.”
It was here, Mark says, that the budget went out the window.
“Rochelle would meet me there, get on her Spanx and try on her dress in the Royal suite. We were discussing something about the lunch plans when Marvin leaned across the table and said ‘Just give her whatever she wants’”.
[Photo: Hello!]
Similarly, James Corden was flexible with his budget when it came to getting the big day he wanted.
“James was the most hands-on groom I’ve ever had – we had one three hour meeting where we decided pretty much everything. He was so involved in the look and feel, but he’s so not try hard – they didn’t even have a cake.”
“Just two days before the wedding James phoned and asked how much a firework display would cost – and in that time we managed to arrange the most amazing display which was a huge surprise for Julia,” he told us.
Saying that, one thing Mark isn’t keen to talk about is the exact cost – saying that it’s ‘crass’ to discuss money.
[Photo: Mark Niemierko]
However, to put things into perspective, the average spend on a Niermerko wedding is roughly £250k and despite the big names involved nothing is ever given for free.
“We don’t do freebies, and celebrities are so used to getting things for free that they expect them. But people like Rochelle, Marvin and James are happy to pay to get the best day and the day that they want.”
However, the event planner will draw the line at some requests.
“One bride asked to arrive on a zebra before roller skating down the aisle – the story was that they met in Africa – I turned it down, I’m not quite sure what she had been smoking,” he tell us.
And sometimes he will admit that even he questions what his clients are spending their cash on.
“I had a bride that was obsessed with cats. One the day of the wedding my assistant had to go and collect the cat, put it in a wedding dress and take the cat to the Four Seasons to deliver to the bride alongside a bottle of Cristal.”
“Yeah, that was a total waste of money.”
However, Mark isn’t going budget any time soon.
“The extravagance doesn’t ever put me off – I work for amazing people. Life is too short,” he tells us, ending with:
“I like people to be themselves – they can have a sausage roll, but it’s going to be a Claridge’s sausage roll.”
[Photo: npower]
Mark Niemierko is working with npower to promote Macmillan Cancer Support’s ‘Summer Lights campaign, which encourages people to host a celebration to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer support.
To help raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, share your pics of you and your loved ones enjoying your #SummerLights event with @npowerhq and they’ll donate £5 every time someone tweets. View Mark’s video, which shows the creation of his two Summer Lights looks here.
