Category Archives: Fun

What to do if it rains at your Wedding?

Posted on by

Unknown

If your wedding is just around the corner you’ve probably been refreshing the 10-day forecast every other hour. The last thing you want is bad weather on your wedding day, but sometimes it’s simply unavoidable and it’s important you have a Plan B.

This means if that dreaded rain cloud does appear on the weather forecast, you can still relax and enjoy your wedding day as you’ve already got a back-up plan in place. Note – this is much better than having a breakdown on the morning of your wedding because your ceremony is based outside and it’s pouring with rain.

Prepare your photographer

A good wedding photographer will have a back-up plan for bad weather. However, it’s always worthwhile showing them around the venue before the big day so they can see possible areas to shoot if photographing outside is impossible. This will save a whole ton of time on the day! Photographers can also take some seriously romantic shots in the rain if you’re brave enough.

Always accessorise

Stock up on some pretty umbrellas and colourful wellies! Supply your guests with a box of brollies (they might not be as prepared as you) and match the colours to the theme of your wedding day. This will also look fab in your wedding photographs.

Choose a summer wedding

If you know this is something you are really going to stress about, to the point where it takes over and you end up dreading your big day, choose to have a summer wedding as it’s way less likely to rain.

Have a back-up plan

If you’re planning on having an outdoor ceremony, always book a venue that has a back-up option if it rains. It’s extra helpful if you have the option to switching to an indoor ceremony at the last minute, if not, ensure there is cover if it does rain!

Avoid any make-up disasters

If you want to keep your make-up looking perfect for the whole day, including if it rains, set your foundation with a primer. Wear waterproof mascara and water-resistant foundation, just to be extra safe!

Embrace it

If it rains on your wedding day, there’s not much you can do about it so simply embrace it! Do not let it stop you and your hubby enjoying your special day. It also makes for some seriously romantic photographs in the rain…

How do you buy a gift that says everything?

Posted on by

A groom may want to write a poem for his bride about all the things he loved about her – right down to her not being the best singer in the world, but loved to hear her sing as it meant she was happy.  You may have been through tough times, but against all the odds, you made it to the altar and are looking forward to the future together.

Sometimes words are not enough and writing something for a bride who had been told she that only had a short time to live, she may want to write a poem for her groom thanking him for sticking by her, and loving her through tough times. Or writing something to be read at the reception, thanking all their friends and family who helped her to put the wedding together so quickly. This of course can be a very precious keepsake.

Little details make the difference, so in each case try to weave your personal memories and feelings into something that you are proud to deliver, either written down, or read aloud.

How is a poem useful when used in a best man speech?

Poems are incredibly useful when used as best man speeches. Often the best man doesn’t have a lot of public speaking experience and it can be daunting, and so it can be nice to have the rhythm of a poem as something to focus on while they are trying to deliver their speech. Also, for a best man, what they really want to do is be there for their friend in the run up to the wedding, so having a poem to be used as their best man speech frees up their time to really be there for them. Then all they need to do is practice their poem, present on the big day and then sit back and take all the praise for their clever delivery! Perfect!

Best Man poems can contain all the regular things you would put into a best man speech, so humorous tales from the groom’s younger days, and how he met his bride and what his friends think of her, messages from friends who can’t be there and thanks you’s and so on. They can choose to have their full wedding speech as poem, or just a small part, perhaps to be used as the crowning glory and rounding off their speech.

Poems can be presented as gifts in a number of ways, as the main gift where the sentiment is in the words, or as thank you poems for the bridesmaids to go alongside any other little gifts that you may give them. They may want to simply write it into a card, frame it with a photo, record themselves reading it and then share it on YouTube, or have it transcribed into calligraphy.

The usual things people complain about at a Wedding

Posted on by

Sometimes certain things won’t impress everyone, and we’ve put together some of the most common complaints from wedding guests, just so you know what to expect, or what to avoid…

The invitation

From the inconvenient date at the top of the invite, to the lack of mention about a plus one or the ‘No children, please’ at the bottom – the wedding save the dates and invitations can be a source of great irritation to those receiving them. But at the end of the day, your wedding is YOUR day – if you don’t want children there, you don’t want children there. And that is that.

The waiting around

You’ve had the big day planned out for a while now – every hour, every minute, every second almost, but have you thought about the guests? There are lots of times during a wedding day that guests can be left waiting around, whether due to disorganisation in the wedding planning or the vendors. Think about it though: whilst you’re off with your groom and the photographer taking amazing shots for your wedding album, will your guests be happy? Will your guests be okay with you pushing back the three-course meal because you want a pianist to perform at the reception?

The seating arrangement

No matter how hard you try to do a seating plan that will suit everyone, often it doesn’t quite work out. Even your last resort of placing those two certain people on opposite ends of the table could lead to a complaint! And the same goes for when you haven’t put them with someone they want to be with. Don’t stress too much about this though, after all, it’s only for the meal time – they can pick and choose who they do and don’t hang around with for every other part of the day!

The wallet

Forking out extra cash is never seen as a good thing, even to the richest of people! Ensure your wedding day has no unexpected or hidden costs that they’ll have to empty their wallets and purses for, otherwise you might find your reception tables filled with grumpy guests. They’ve paid for your wedding gift, they’ve paid to get here, and they’ve most likely paid for a brand new outfit (not that we’d complain about that!). If you’re worried about how people will react, let people know about things with a little note in the invitations or similar.

The food

Isn’t it strange that once you seat certain people in front of a fancy three-course meal that they suddenly turn all ‘foodie’ on you? Complaints about the food almost always happen, but sometimes it can’t be helped – one person can have very different tastes to another person! The best you can do is make sure you satisfy everyone’s dietary requirements. Those vegetarians won’t be happy if a plate of roasted lamb and gravy is presented to them

The music

Let it be known that, as much as people pretend that dancing isn’t their thing, wedding guests love a bit of dancefloor action. Even the essential dad dancing involved in every wedding is a treat! Make sure you’ve got a playlist, band or DJ that will get people going, and end the evening with a bang!

The lack of appreciation

Whether those you’ve invited have travelled far or not, they will expect to have a little conversation with you at least. Only getting a glance of you as you walk down the aisle just won’t cut it! Plus, a thank-you card after the big day through the post will avoid any complaints about you and your groom being ungrateful about them attending your big day.

How to choose your guests for your Wedding

Posted on by

When it comes to wedding parties, there are many different schools of thought. There are those couples who want every single important person in their lives to stand up at their wedding. There are those who feel obligated to invite anyone for whom they’ve stood up in their wedding party. And then there are those who think wedding parties are just plain ridiculous.

Most people, though, fall somewhere in the midst of these opinions. The average bridal party size is eight (four on each side), but that doesn’t mean you have to fit the “norm.” Here are some tips on how to choose your wedding party:

1. Think about your overall event size. If you’re having a 25-person or less wedding, having a large wedding party would just be awkward. Scale down your party in accordance with your event size.
2. Are you having a formal or casual wedding? For the most part, casual weddings are more suited to smaller wedding parties, where formal weddings can support a larger one.
3. Try to keep it balanced. While it’s perfectly fine to have more women than men (or vice versa) in your wedding party, do your best to keep it close to balanced so it doesn’t look odd in photos. If you find yourself with a large difference, consider narrowing down your wedding party to just one or two on each side to keep it under control.
4. Start with siblings. Especially if you’re having a small wedding party, invite siblings before you invite friends. Your family has always and will always be a part of your lives, so they should come first.
5. Consider their circumstances. Being in a wedding party requires a significant investment of time and money. Make sure that your invitation to serve as a wedding attendant won’t be a hardship on anyone.
6. Remember there are other ways to honour people. If you have a lot of people you want to stand up for you at your wedding but there isn’t room in the wedding party, consider inviting people to serve as ushers, guest book attendants, gift collectors, speakers, singers, or other important roles on your special day instead.
7. Pick people you can rely on. Your wedding day party is meant to include people who do more than just stand beside you and smile for pictures. You’ll need to rely on them for any number of things before and during the wedding. Choose your party accordingly.
8. Consider how long you’ve known them. Once you’ve asked your family, it’s time to consider which friends you’d like to ask to stand up for you. I recommend beginning with the friends you’ve known the longest, the ones who have been there with you through thick or thin. Those are the friends who are most likely to help you out when you need it, and who will remain a part of your life after the wedding.

These are our quick tips on choosing your wedding party, but the fact is, there aren’t any hard and fast rules. Do what works best for you and your wedding.

Save money and help you impress on your big day!

Posted on by

Happy talk

Build up the hype and get your friends talking before the wedding day by creating unique save the dates and invitations. A budget saving craze in the US right now is for couples to shoot a short film telling the story of their relationship revealing the date of their wedding, and then email it to friends and family!

Music to our ears

Have a unique wedding ceremony by incorporating different types of music. To save money, how about asking a friend play the guitar at the ceremony and have everyone in the congregation sing along to your favourite song? It’s a nice twist on traditional hymns and will be a special moment to remember.

Time for tea

Rather than serving a traditional three-course meal at your wedding, think about mixing it up a little. Serve a dish at each table for guests to share and enjoy. Think about a bespoke wedding menu to fit your budget.

Creative cakes

Tiered wedding cakes continue to be popular at weddings, but it’s great when couples look to do something different. Think about money saving options like cupcakes, cake pops and pick and mix stands. They’re often cheaper than a tiered cake and can be personalised, too.

Trendy transport

Drive off with your new husband in something unusual. Think about leaving in style in a fab vintage sports car or be unexpected and save money by arriving to your wedding with your bridesmaids on classic bicycles!

Fab focals

Think about working with focal points in your wedding venue to make them part of the style or theme. One example could include filling a fireplace with large white lanterns, and making a post box out of a wishing well where guests could safely post their cards and gifts.

Bright ideas

Invest in some lighting to help transform your wedding venue from day to night. It doesn’t have to be expensive, a few uplighters and coloured ceiling washes can make a huge difference. Think about some great lighting designs for my events that really add the wow factor but don’t blow the budget.

Take care

From flip flops for sore feet, pashminas for cold shoulders, fans to cool down in the heat and personalised ponchos for festival-style rain – all these budget saving but very effective ideas show your guests you have really thought about them, too.

All together now

Think about communal areas at your venue and how you can personalise them to make them unique to you. Think about high gloss banners to hang on top of signs at a wedding venue to announce the couple’s wedding. These spaces are perfect for guests to mingle and get to know one another. Think about candles, perfumes and essential toiletries in the bathrooms for a personal, thoughtful and simple touch.

VIP guests

Make guests feel special by re-creating the VIP areas you see in trendy clubs. Place a chilled bottle of Champagne and vodka on the tables in the reception room for guests to enjoy – it really makes an impact and can help save on the bar budget!

Keeping the children happy

Posted on by

Keeping older children happy on your big day can be somewhat of a challenge, but here are some wedding entertainment ideas that they can bring along to maximize ‘smile satisfaction’ for 6 to 12 year olds…

Snakes & Ladders, Ludo, Draughts, Chess, Monopoly and Guess Who, to name but a few. These fantastic family favourites are played with a group of children and, wherever possible, a member of staff who oversees the game, as well as injecting extra fun into the proceedings. The object of the game, more often than not, becomes to beat ‘Miss’ at the game.

Arts and crafts are a must for this age group. Producing a number of handmade items relating to the wedding that they can take home always goes down well. We supply a large selection of craft activities such as badge making, door hanging signs, wooden craft boxes, drawing, scratch art and wooden spoon puppets.

Hoopla Hoops, Skittles, Blind Man’s Bluff, Bubble Disco, Hall Games, What’s The Time Mr. Wolf, British Bull Dog, I dropped My Keys are all huge favourites when it comes to more active games. These games can be played anywhere… Great if it starts raining and you have to move proceedings inside.

Older children love to return to games they had when they were younger. Play-Doh is always the outright winner here! They get great pleasure from kneading, stretching and moulding the Play-Doh; it’s a very calming activity in fact. On top of this, they can then produce a model of their own design, which is incredibly rewarding for the child, providing tons of conversation, laughter and joking around as a result.

Story time… why not get a group of children together and start a story going, for example you could start them off about a story of an ‘alien living on the moon’, each child will be asked to follow on the story after two sentences. Their imagination will run wild and the story can be as imaginative as they like and great fun too!!

Don’t be conventional

Posted on by

1. Walk Down Memory Lane
Make the guest feel like integral parts of the day by incorporating them into the décor — in a gallery of meaningful photos. Why not hang pictures of the bride and groom with friends and family along the walk from the ceremony to the reception. It’s a fun cocktail party conversation starter.” As guests take a leisurely stroll and find pictures of themselves with you, they can reminisce and socialize.

2. Break the Ice Creatively
When you enter your reception for the first time as husband and wife, don’t just take a conventional arm-in-arm stroll. “Run. Skip. Dance. Swoop in on a rope swing! Brainstorm with your groom about the most creative, appropriate way to make a big impression. This is a great way to break the ice and set up for a fun vibe for the rest of the event.
3. Play Party Games
How about the menus being puzzles, so each person got one piece of the puzzle at their place setting, then everyone had to put the pieces together to get the full menu description. Crossword puzzles are fun for the back of a program or if you have guests going on a long bus ride to get to the wedding reception venue.

4. Be Entertaining
Guests always love the energy of a live band but tend to want to hear the original artist sing their favourite tunes. As a compromise, a bride may hire a dance band but also play DJ music during the breaks, or she’ll arrange to have live music during some parts of the event and recorded music during others.

5. Surprise them!
Love poems from a book makes a wonderful, lasting guest favour that’s much more meaningful that a bag of sugared almonds! If you buy in bulk, you might get a discount — contact your bookseller directly. And don’t forget to add a personalized bookmark thanking your friends and family for sharing your big day with you.”

Under Your Wedding Dress

Posted on by

What are you planning to wear under your wedding dress? A pretty matching two-piece, sexy Basque lingerie or maybe shapewear to hold you in? Consider your wedding dress style, body shape and remember to factor in comfort. Here are some pointers to help you make the best choice when it comes to choosing underwear to wear on your wedding day and how to avoid doing what I did when I accidentally flashed mine at all my guests in church…

When you’re wearing a bridal gown, whether a heavy duchess satin meringue with layers of underskirts or a slinkier number, it’s important to find the right underwear. So where do you start?

Here’s what to consider;

How to support and make the most of your bust whatever size you are

Where to find the right bra if your gown is strapless or backless

Whether to wear tights, stockings and suspenders or hold-ups

What style of knickers for comfort and/or style

How to flatten your tummy and shape your hips to create smoother lines under your gown

How to narrow your waist to create more of an hour-glass figure

Whether to wear a garter or not

Bra and knickers

A bra and knickers (or just the knickers) is likely to be the most comfortable option. It’s worth trying on several different types of bras with your wedding dress before you decide on one, considering how it feels as much as how well it supports and how pretty it looks.

The good news is there is an underwear solution for every gown, whatever the cut. You can find strapless, backless, multi-way, low-front and low-back bras, bras to support, maximise or minimise or push-up breasts to create cleavage. You don’t have to wear white either; with the right dress you could wear a pastel shade or even a darker shade of underwear, only to be revealed on your wedding night.

Strapless and backless bras

Strapless dresses are still very much in vogue and many are gorgeous and flattering but they do differ greatly in their construction. Some are made with inner support for your bust while others will need a good strapless bra to be worn underneath.

Backless or low-backed gowns can be worn without a bra for the few of us who are brave enough but a clever multi-way bra is, for most of us, a much better option.

Knickers or G-string

The knickers you choose have to be comfy. Don’t be tempted to try something different on your wedding day such as the delicate derriere dental floss fashion’ of the G-string, just to impress the man you have already impressed

If you’re used to G-strings then fine but if not, trust us, this is not the day to try one out for the first time.

Basques and corsets

A sexy alternative to the separates is a one-piece Basque or corset. Some will support your bust and pull in your waist and tummy but not all so it is worth trying these on with your gown, ideally before buying. Most come with suspenders attached, just add knickers and stockings. You could look stunning in the right corset or Basque.

Shapewear

If you want a flatter tummy, slimmer hips and/or a lifted bottom then consider shapewear. It can make a real difference and doesn’t have to look like a Bridget Jones wet suit. Shapewear is not all beige, some is now silky, lacy and sexy as well as shaping.

Garters, stockings, tights and hold-ups

You don’t have to wear anything on your legs but nylons can make your shoes more comfortable. There are pros and cons as tights can be hot (and arguably unsexy at the end of the night) while sexier stockings can be fiddly with suspenders and hold-ups can feel tight and don’t always hold up all day.

If you don’t mind suspenders then stockings are a good option and one your groom will enjoy helping you take off at the end of the night. Wear a garter if you want to – when will you ever get to wear one again?

Why brides wear a garter

Posted on by

Are garters a thing of the past? A recent poll had a mixed reaction. It seems some of you love them, while others think they should be consigned to the dustbins of history.

So how do you wear them and what should they look like? Garters are often ivory and blue silk, satin or lace – ivory to match your dress and the pale blue to be your ‘something blue.’ They come in old fashioned lacy Edwardian or racy contemporary styles in all colours and widths, with ribbons or crystals or, if you’re superstitious, a lucky 6pence in a matching bag stitched to the garter. You can even get edible candy garters for the naughty child in you! Garters should be worn mid-thigh and were originally designed to hold up silk stockings by tying a length of silk or cotton around the top, before the invention of elastic, or nylon, or tights for that matter!

Garters for every size of thigh

For slim or sexy thighs they provide an ideal photo opportunity for the wedding album. And for sexy plus-size brides there are plus-size garters out there to fit every thigh. About a Bride offers plus-size bridal garters in dress sizes from 18-54. Yes 54! So there’s no excuse if you want to wear one!

Embroidered keepsake garters

Sweet Nothings Lingerie and Silk Garters both offer a bespoke service where you can have a garter made in your chosen style, colour and fabrics. A biker bride could have a leather garter made, another bride may prefer to have a personalized garter embroidered with her new married name and the date of her wedding to have as a keepsake long after the wedding.

Tossing the garter

These days many brides have two garters, one to treasure as a keepsake of the wedding, the other for her new husband to (ahem) ‘toss’ to the male guests at the reception. Traditional folklore has it that the groom removes the bride’s garter and throws it to his single friends after the wedding in much the same way that his new wife throws the wedding bouquet, but this strikes a startling image of a hapless male struggling to get the darn thing off. No, once slipped onto a sexy thigh, we think it’s better left there for your new husband to peel off later, much, much later.

Invite Your Mum to the Hen party

Posted on by

Have a great relationship with your mum and soon-to-be mother-in-law? Wonderful. But do you love your mum and she’s your best friend. She just called and asked if she can come to the Hen party – now what? Well, there’s no right or wrong answer here. It all comes down to your relationship with your mum and if you and your friends are comfortable with the idea. If your first thought is “Of course!” then the answer is really simple — invite her along! Traditionally, having mums in tow hasn’t been the norm, but recently, an increasing number of brides are having them along for the fun. Simply put, it’s your wedding and you should have whoever you want at your Hen party whether it’s going to be raunchy or relaxed.

But if you’re uncertain or downright against your mum attending, then you may need to handle the situation a bit more carefully. First of all, it’s totally okay to say “no” to this request (in the nicest way possible of course), even if you’re not having the heavy drinking, sex toy gift-giving, all-night clubbing kind of bash. Here are more tips for how to tell mum she’s not invited to the Hen.

Be honest.

This is our advice for just about anything where feelings and relationships are involved. Instead of giving a vague response like “We’ll see!” or putting a decision off until later, just be upfront about the fact that you only want your friends and bridesmaids at the Hen. She’ll probably be completely understanding if you list your reasons you’d rather not have her there. And if you get some pushback, try and talk it out and even offer an alternative. Which brings us to our next point…

Plan a two-part Hen party.

Dinner, a cooking class, spa treatments and crafts are just a few of the family-friendly of the ways you can start off your Hen Party. Then that night or later on in the night, plan to do all the things you’d want to without your mum. This way, she feels like she’s part of the gang and you can still have a parent-free night later on. This is also a great idea if you have underage family members you also want to include.

Schedule a mother-daughter date.

Think about the reasons why she might be asking to come — maybe she feels like she hasn’t had the chance to spend enough time with you lately and is feeling left out. If that’s the case, you could set aside some time for just you and her to catch up and enjoy each other’s company.