When a stationery expert meets a wedding authority, organisational magic happens. Introducing the 2022 version of the Together Journal x An Organised Life Wedding Planner. All your dreams, details and dates in one beautiful book and your mind at rest.
This iconic collaboration between
An Organised Life and Together Journal has been newly released even better than before. The 2022 version of the wedding planner contains:
Extra pages for notes and planning
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Special post-pandemic advice for crisis management, flexibility, smaller weddings and elopements
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New and even more beautiful design
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More robust binding for easier transportation
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In addition to the classic shades of black
and ecru, a beautiful dove grey is now available, exclusive to Together Journal
Pre-order from today and planners will be sent out from Aprl 4th (next week).
See planner at the TJ web shop now
If you ever feel overwhelmed or shambolic, here’s a tip: make yourself a herbal tea (or something stronger) and take a leisurely scroll through the Instagram account of Beck Wadworth & An Organised Life. We promise a quick fix of her streamlined aesthetic will have a soothing effect. Within minutes you’ll be breathing deeper, decluttering your mind, making focused to-do lists and just generally feeling much more optimistic.
The queen of life-changing stationery, Beck launched her business An Organised Life almost a decade ago, hitting the market at that perfect moment when smartphones had taken hold and our minds had turned into pinball machines. Her ethos cuts right through the noise: clear out the dross, keep it simple, choose quality over quantity in all things, prep and plan your life meticulously and that way make more room for the fun stuff.
Naturally, this is exactly the kind of influence you need on board when you’re planning a wedding. After all, it’s probably one of the biggest logistical enterprises you’ll ever undertake — a fact that wasn’t lost on Greta Kenyon. The founder and editor of Together Journal — the coolest authority on all things wedding related — Greta is a longtime admirer of Beck Wadworth and her products.
“I was using her diaries before we met,” says Greta. “I just loved how well designed they are, they’re like an accessory that you’re happy to walk around with or pull out at a meeting. I’ve also bought the monogrammed ones as gifts for clients and staff.”
As a juggler of family life and tight deadlines, Greta appreciates the value of organisation. But also, through her inside view of the wedding scene, she knows that behind every magical day
lies months of planning — and sometimes a fair dose of angst. “There’s so much to do and it can actually be incredibly stressful.”
For a long time, Greta had been thinking about how she’d love to create the ultimate wedding planner. Meanwhile, Beck had been mulling over the exact same thing. A chance meeting at an Auckland function saw the pair hit it off immediately. A coffee date was arranged and — boom — the unrivalled AOL x TJ Wedding Planner was born.
“We were 100 percent on the same page,” says Beck. “Once we started the conversation there was no stopping us.”
Greta agrees: “Beck and I are both probably a little bit OCD when it comes to spreadsheets and having everything all mapped out. Together it was almost like we were on steroids,” she laughs. “No stone was left unturned.”
They embarked on a solid year of research, talking to every kind of vendor — from florists to caterers, suit makers, photographers, skincare experts and more — drilling down and getting their inside tips on all the details they see overlooked. As a result, each of the 14 chapters of the planner starts with an invaluable checklist. But, like everything about the planner, the vibe of the tips is understated. They’re simply suggestions because your wedding will be utterly unique and, let’s face it, no bride or groom-to-be wants to be bossed around.
Beck and Greta are both very au fait with the mindset of excited but stressed-out soon-to-be-weds. Greta (married and a mother of three) was a wedding photographer before launching Together Journal. While Beck (currently expecting her first child) has spent the past five summers attending a whirl of friends’ weddings. “Which has been incredible,” she says. “There’s nothing better than love! But I’ve watched some of my loved ones feel overwhelmed — sometimes by the sheer volume of tasks at hand and sometimes because of the unknown and feeling out of their depth.
“This was one of the core reasons I wanted to design the ultimate wedding planner. Greta and I wanted to take away some of these pain points we’d seen first-hand and provide a thorough, user-friendly planner that would help reduce any stress and fear. To give couples all the tools they need to plan their day, no matter how big or small their celebration.”
One of the biggest challenges couples face is timing. What to do first? Find the perfect venue or start planning the dress? How long does it take
to get a suit fitted? “Timeframes are key,” says Beck. “And sometimes couples aren’t aware of how long x,y or z may take. Our wedding planner provides you with thorough checklists from 12 months out and all the way to the actual day.”
And, if the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that those plans can change. The newly released 2022 version of the planner makes use of those lessons with advice on factoring flexibility into your plans, knowing your rights around things like deposit returns, adhering to health regulations and everything else you might need to know during a pandemic or should an extreme weather event or anything unexpected strike. It also includes more focus on smaller weddings and elopements — a growing trend in recent times for not so mysterious reasons.
Designer Karen Walker, who stocks the AOL x TJ wedding planner online and in her stores says her clients love it. “It’s so extraordinarily thorough – nothing’s going to be forgotten. It’s also extremely lovely and will be a wonderful keepsake for any marriage story.”
When it came to the aesthetic, Beck and Greta were in total agreement. Both prefer beautiful minimalism over frou-frou. The planner comes in black or ecru (embossed with gold) and the latest release is available exclusively through Together Journal in a soft dove grey (embossed with silver). In keeping with the inclusive spirit of Together Journal, the planner could be used by a bride or a groom. “And there’s also no assumption in the planner that a bride will be marrying a groom or a groom a bride,” says Greta. “That was a big thing for us because when we launched none of the planners on the market seemed to be inclusive.”
And neither is any other planner so deeply researched, so spacious (there are loads of pages to scribble thoughts and ideas and create mini visual mood boards) or so chic.
The AOL x TJ planner makes the perfect engagement present as you’re not just gifting a beautiful object but also a major reduction in stress. Equally, purchasing one for yourself is the ultimate act of self-care. You’ll have a source of stimulation and reassurance to keep by your side in the months leading up to your most special day — and to treasure for all the years that follow.
Available at togetherjournal.com anorganisedlife.com and selected resellers worldwide. Purchase from Together Journal and receive a complimentary copy of issue #26 for a limited time. Link here to buy.
