From weddings to pooch-pampering

When the whole wedding market suddenly fell from underneath Perthshire planner Wendy McArthur’s feet, she realised it was time to leave her 21-year-long career.

At her wedding planning peak, Wendy would do 40 events a year.

But with only two weddings in total in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid restrictions, the 51-year-old realised it was time for a change.

Now based just outside Auchterarder, she has started Utopia Doodles specialising in dog grooming.

With six dogs, Wendy was also looking for a new business that would allow her to stay home with them.

She says: “My daughter is heading to university in September, which leaves me with six dogs and no dog sitter.

“After the wedding market fell apart, I was looking for an opportunity that put me back in control of my own hours and one that I could do from home, so that made me go for it.

“The girl who groomed my toy poodle also closed her shop and it left a bit of a local gap.”

Wendy started a dog grooming course before Easter and has just finished.

She has built a shed in her garden that will house her salon and while she is waiting for power and plumbing, there are already 14 pooches lined up for trims.

So far, the newly qualified dog groomer has tried her skills on her own poodle and is looking forward to meeting more four-legged clients.

“I can’t wait to get going and it has given me a whole new lease of life and enthusiasm,” she says.

“The wedding market had become stagnant in many ways, everybody was looking for discounts and budgets were tight.

“But it would be quite frustrating when they would pay £400 for a piper to be there all day, but wouldn’t pay me £1,000 to plan their wedding over a year.”

Straight out of university, Wendy worked at Gleneagles as a tennis coach and swimming teacher.

After two years, she moved on to work in sales and three years later became an events manager.

The hotel was approached by a couple asking for a wedding planner recommendation, but the team didn’t know anyone.

Wendy and her colleague Caroline thought “we could do that” and left the hotel in 2001.

After a few years, Caroline left the business and Wendy has run Utopia Scotland by herself for 19 years.

“I came into wedding planning very much with practical skills and knowledge and I find now wedding planners are all about the sparkle and not so much what won’t work.

“That level of advice I would give isn’t what people wanted to hear.

“I’ve still got three weddings to go, my last one is at Kinkell Byre St Andrews which is a venue I love and I’ve worked there more than anywhere else.”

As well as owning and grooming dogs, Wendy is also a licenced breeder of cockapoos and spoodles.

Once the Utopia Doodles salon is ready, she plans to start with two dogs a day for six days per week and work her way up from there.

Based at Hillhead Farm Steadings, Wendy hopes dog owners will take their pet out to be pampered and hit the tracks for a walk.

“I genuinely think it’s going to be a success and I should probably have done it earlier,” she said.

NEW PATH: Wendy McArthur has just completed training to become a dog groomer. Picture by Steve MacDougall.