Wards-to-weddings move puts Alison in prize position

Alison Tinlin could be about to win her first award after swapping bed pans for church bells.

The former nurse has been short-listed as Britain’s best wedding planner, even though she’s being doing the job for less than two years.

She’s up for an industry “Oscar” in the 2011 Wedding Ideas Awards after being nominated by readers of Wedding Ideas magazine. It comes after Alison decided to turn her back on the medical wards at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley where she had worked as a staff nurse for 14 years, to launch her own firm, Plans and Presents. The mum-of-two said: “I actually enjoyed planning my own wedding and to be honest that’s when the seed was planted. “I decided to launch my own wedding planner and events business in April, 2009, and this would be my first award should I win.” Alison, who lives at The Hurlet in Glasgow, admitted it had been tough establishing herself as a wedding planner although she does organise other events such as birthdays and anniversaries. She said the nomination will give her national prominence although she’s already developed a reputation on social network sites for her trusted tips in making the big day go without a hitch. The 37-year-old businesswoman insisted getting the bride and groom hitched on time can be a lot cheaper than couples realise. “Everyone has a budget and you simply work to it,” said Alison who also reckons her skills as a nurse have helped her forge a new career. “Being a nurse is about being a good organiser, it’s about crisis management and dealing with relatives. “A lot of the skills I learned as a nurse I have been able to transfer to my work as a wedding and events planner.” And Alison is in little doubt that the title of Britain’s best wedding planner would be the icing on the cake. She’s been shortlisted in one of 16 categories which generated more than 8000 nominations. The awards ceremony takes place on Friday at The Brewery by the Barbican in London and will be hosted by television presenter Jenni Falconer. Rachel Morgan, who is editor of Wedding Ideas, said: “The 6th annual Wedding Ideas Awards will see the creme de la creme of the UK’s wedding industry honoured for their work with real-life brides -- the people who matter. “We send our congratulations to Plans and Presents for being nominated for one of these prestigious awards.”

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