Category Archives: Ideas

Stylish Venues

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1. The Ned, London

Part of the super-stylish Soho House Group, The Ned was formerly home to Midland Bank, designed by Sir Edward ‘Ned’ Lutyens in 1924. This vast venue has six private hire rooms and terraces available for weddings, with capacity between 10 and 200 guests. And whether your guest list is big or small, with 252 1920s-style bedrooms, every single one of your guests can stay the night. In fact, why not make a whole weekend of it?

2. Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire

Set within 100 acres of historic parkland and listed gardens, Hedsor House makes for one picturesque wedding venue. The Georgian manor house blends the architectural design of the era with stylish contemporary features, featuring a number of spectacular rooms and spaces that will be entirely yours for the duration of your stay. Civil ceremonies can take place here, or you can opt for a religious service at the 12th century church that’s just 300m from the house.

3. Highclere Castle, Berkshire

Whether you’re a fan of Downton Abbey or not, this palatial castle in leafy Berkshire is fit for a celebration. Civil ceremonies take place in the Saloon, featuring ornate detailing, stone arches and a sweeping oak staircase just waiting for you to make your entrance. The food here matches up to the scenery thanks to the castle’s first-class in-house catering team.

4. Natural History Museum, London

One of the capital’s most iconic venues, the Natural History Museum boasts magnificent architecture and intriguing collections to backdrop your day. Its largest space, Hintze Hall, is perfect for a big celebration – make use of the atmospheric lighting and plenty of candles for a romantic celebration your guests certainly won’t forget in a hurry.

5. Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

Blenheim Palace’s 18th century baroque architecture, over 2000 acres of picturesque landscaped parkland and formal gardens make it fit for royalty. There’s six venue spaces here for different styles and sizes of wedding, from the Orangery to the Great Hall and the Long Library. Guest list exceed 300? Construct a marquee on the lawn that’s big enough for all your desired invitees.

6. The Royal Pavilion, Brighton

Just a stone’s throw away from the city’s famous beach, The Royal Pavilion is the jewel in Brighton’s crown. Built as King George IV’s seaside pleasure palace, there are two rooms here that are licensed for weddings. The palace’s gardens are yours to enjoy for post-nuptial celebrations and photographs – head back inside for a wedding breakfast for 60.

 

Getting the music mix right

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We all know that when it comes to creating the perfect atmosphere for your wedding, music plays an important part. But if you really want to personalise the soundtrack to your big day, why not consider a completely bespoke musical experience? Here are our top tips for creating bespoke wedding music that wows!

A string quartet playing Bohemian Rhapsody, for example sounds awesome. The traditional wedding march on electric guitar? Seriously cool. You can even see if your musicians will mix up their dress code and typical band setting – we once had a band who loosened their ties and set down their instruments before crowd surfing over guests!

Singing waiters may seem a bit cheesy to some, but they’re still great fun. Or you could try something similar – one of my favourite wedding gigs involved recreating the scene from the film Love Actually where the musicians sit amongst the congregation in the church and stand up as each instrumental section joins the wedding march.

When it comes to wedding entertainment, the sky’s the limit. Depending on your tastes you can choose from heavy metal, bandeoke (karaoke with a live band), reggaeoke (karaoke with a live reggae band), an opera performance, or even Burlesque dancers and fire eaters. Just decide on what’s going to make the day special for you and reflect your tastes, and go for it!

Combining Reggae with Charleston makes for a lot of fun, for example. Or mixing world music styles such as Sega and Mauritian traditional music. Speak to your band to see what’s possible. Depending on the preferences of you and your better half, don’t choose between them;combine them and make something totally unique to your personalities.

 

Perfect Wedding Reception Songs

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If you’re looking for wedding reception songs to get everyone dancing, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ve rounded up the most popular songs played at weddings, with plenty of classic anthems and unique tunes that will have all your guests singing along.

25 Perfect Wedding Reception Songs Guaranteed to Fill the Dancefloor

Music can make or break your reception, so we’ve teamed up with one of the UK’s best party DJs, DJ Platinum and wedding singer Dominic from Sweet Soulful Sound, to bring you this definitive list of love songs – stick to these top tunes and you’ll create the perfect party atmosphere.

5 of the best first dance songs

First dance songs are traditionally romantic and tend to say something about you as a couple. But remember, they don’t have to be slow like the five popular choices here.

If your wedding ceremony isn’t traditional, then why have a traditional first dance? Go for something faster, choreograph a professional dance – perhaps a tango – or just have a mass dance with your friends.

  1. At Last by Etta James
  2. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
  3. Let’s Stay Together by Al Green
  4. Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
  5. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith

5 of the best wedding reception floorfillers

The one thing a lot of wedding guests always comment on is the wedding entertainment. Keep them dancing all night, and give them great memories of your big day with these classic floor fillers!

Why not choose one of these songs to play after the first dance to encourage everyone onto the dancefloor?

  1. Dancing Queen by ABBA
  2. Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars
  3. Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
  4. Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon
  5. Mr Brightside by The Killer

5 of the best wedding reception songs to end the night

We always suggest that a bride and groom make their exit before the lights come on at the end of the night. Who wants to see messy reception tables anyway?

Choose a song to be played at about 11.30pm, dance with all your guests and then make your final exit. We love running out of the venue under a tunnel of sparklers – the perfect photo opportunity!

  1. Come On Eileen Dexys Midnight Runners
  2. Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
  3. Don’t Stop Believing Journey
  4. Ho Hey The Lumineers
  5. All You Need is Love The Beatles

5 of the best sing-a-long wedding reception songs

Your wedding video should capture all the special moments of the big day, and by that we don’t just mean the emotional, romantic bits. It should also capture those candid moments with you and your friends laughing and jumping around on the dancefloor, having the time of your lives. These songs will help you do just that…

  1. Valerie Amy Winehouse
  2. Celebration Kool & The Gang
  3. Can’t Help Myself The Four Tops
  4. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel Tavares
  5. My Girl The Temptations

5 of the Best Father-Daughter Dance Songs

Not every bride has a dance with her father, but we think it’s a tradition that’s worth bringing back for 2019! Show your dad just how much he means to you (and that he’s still the number one man in  your life) with a dance at the reception. The songs below all have a great sentiment behind them but Father and Daughter by Paul Simon is our favourite here at Wedding Ideas HQ…

  1. My Girl First The Temptations
  2. Father And Daughter Paul Simon
  3. Isn’t She Lovely Stevie Wonder
  4. When You Need Me Bruce Springsteen
  5. Ain’t That Love Ray Charles

Incorporating kids at your wedding

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Children at weddings? Do you invite them or not? It’s always a heated topic when discussing wedding planning and we’re here to help you make a properly informed decision. Read on to find out more…

Do you invite all kids? Just babies? Or just teenagers? What about if you’re having young flowergirls and pageboys? Can you then ban your friends from bringing their offspring (we think not).

In addition, you may have teenagers at your wedding too. They are easier to entertain (they’ll like chatting to friends and maybe even dancing if they consider the music cool enough) but you’re still going to have to bear their likes and dislikes in mind.

First off, let’s think about the young children. Very young babies aren’t such a problem – they’ll hopefully sleep and can be cuddled by everybody (something the grannies usually enjoy!)

However toddlers and under 5s can be quite demanding. Supermodel Kate Moss solved this problem at her wedding by having a marquee dedicated to children, with drama teachers and nannies on call.

Obviously that’s not something most of us can copy as we don’t all have a supermodel’s budget, but you can have children’s play areas on your wedding day – maybe a corner of the marquee or barn stocked with colouring books, toys and somewhere peaceful to watch a DVD. Overtired children can get tearful so if you can have a quiet chill-out area for them, so much the better.

If you’re having a Christmas wedding, you could invite ‘Santa’ to visit the young children and bring a gift – this would be good timing just after the wedding speeches when everybody is getting ready to party.

Finally, if you do employ childcare for the event, make sure that the individual is CRB checked beforehand.

Children of all ages – including ‘seen it all before’ teens will enjoy watching a good magician – particularly one who works the tables and does magic close up.

An experienced conjurer will gauge his tricks according to the age group he’s entertaining – you just have to look at the cult following of Dynamo to see that ‘how did he do that’ magic has never been more popular.

If you’re having a summer wedding and you’ve room outside, consider having a bouncy castle for the kids but alternate sessions for different age groups. An energetic 12-year-old boy let loose amongst toddlers will quickly result in tears and of course you’ll need to have a responsible adult to keep an eye on proceedings.

Garden games always go down well (but remember they’re largely weather dependent). You can hire giant games of Jenga, croquet and even old-fashioned fairground swings.

The trick to making sure kids have a great time at your wedding is to think about them beforehand, maybe consulting the parents as to what they like and have some planned strategies and entertainments.

 

Hair & Beauty for the big day

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Something old

Keep your hair healthy by trimming and conditioning regularly during the run up to your wedding, and don’t be surprised if your stylist wants you to wash your hair the night before. Just washed hair is often too soft and silky – hair behaves better for styling when it is a day old and means pins, veils and hair accessories grip better.

Flawless foundations

The prettiest bridal makeup always features flawless skin as a base, so your foundation must be a perfect match for your skin. You can add colour afterwards with bronzer, soft blusher and lipstick. Choose a lipstick and lip liner that will give your smile definition… especially with neutral or barely there shades. Contour and highlight carefully but don’t over do it – you can take a black and white photograph to check whether your contouring is too dark, if need be it can easily be toned down.

Eye it up

Your eyes are the most expressive part of your face and you’ll be amazed at the difference well groomed eyebrows can make since they quite literally frame your eyes. Neutral colours will enhance your natural eye colour, but don’t be afraid to use a little sparkle, which can look stunning on the most natural makeup. Individual eyelashes are great for lifting and accentuating the outer eye area, and don’t forget to add waterproof mascara!

Best of both

If you can’t decide whether to wear your hair up or down, why not have both? Ask your wedding stylist to add some curl or volume first, then create a soft, natural up style that can be easily let down later on in the evening. If you’re struggling to choose a hair accessory and have decided against a veil, a delicate hair comb or small spiral hair pins  can be added in to complement your hairstyle and add a subtle sparkle to your look.

On trial

Book your trial around six to eight weeks before your wedding. If you just can’t wait that long, ask your stylist for a consultation as early as you like so you can meet and discuss the look you’re aiming for. A Pinterest board reserved for bridal hair and makeup is a great way to show your stylist your ideas. Don’t wear black or bright coloured tops to your trial – a colour close to that of your wedding dress will mean you’ll get a much clearer idea of how your makeup colours will work on the day.

Flashy lashes

Eyelash extensions are becoming a really popular option and it’s something I often suggest to my brides. They can really open up the eyes and can look more natural than strip lashes, especially when applied so that they gradually increase in length towards the outer corners. The added bonus of these is that you get to keep them for your honeymoon!

Flowers everywhere

If you love flowers, ask your florist to wire tiny buds and sprigs that complement your bouquet so that your stylist can work these into your hairstyle. This creates a timelessly romantic look and can be a fresh and pretty alternative to more traditional headpieces or wedding hair accessories.

 

Wedding Planners

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There are a million incredible wedding and party planners, so when planning a wedding and hiring wedding planners, make sure that your planners do all the the things listed below. This will enable your big day and the run up to the big day to be as stressless a possible:

Certain criterias on your checklist should  include…

– Optional services, like day of planning, wedding PA’s, and complete planning. Making your planner available to fit your unique needs.

– Boutique and high style planners who have an artistic eye and stay current with the newest trends in weddings. No taffeta and puff sleeves for you!

– LGBTQ+and denominationally friendly and experienced services. Your wedding is all about you, your traditions, and your lifestyle.

– Openly communicative. Readily adaptable, with a wide range of vender relations. It’s important that your planner have good contacts so you can get the vendors that perfectly fit your vision.

– Easy to book and not so busy that your needs will come second to anyone else. Experience is necessary, but you have to be sure that you and your wedding is the main priority of the planner.

– Good value for money. Weddings aren’t cheap, but the right planner can save you quite a bit of money.

All of these criteria make perfect sense when choosing a wedding planner in London. It’s important that, ultimately, your day is stress free, fun, beautiful, and exactly as you’ve pictured it since you were a little girl. So here are our favorites to help you celebrate your special day in style!

 

Disney Weddings

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There are plenty of subtle ways you can incorporate Disney into your wedding day – whether it’s choosing Disney-inspired wedding readings, Disney love songs as your walking-in and walking-out music, or the most romantic Disney quotes weaved into your wedding speech at the reception.

Here are some of the most romantic wedding readings from Disney to use on your wedding day…

Tangled

“And at last I see the light,

And it’s like the fog has lifted,

And at last I see the light,

And it’s like the sky is new,

And it’s warm and real and bright,

And the world has somehow shifted,

All at once everything looks different,

Now that I see you…”

The Incredibles

“You are my greatest adventure.”

Monsters Inc.

“I wouldn’t have nothing if I didn’t have you.”

Beauty and the Beast

“Tale as old as time,

True as it can be,

Barely even friends,

Then somebody bends,

Unexpectedly…”

Cinderella

“So this is love,

So this is love, Mmmmmm,

So this is love,

So this is what makes life divine,

I’m all aglow, Mmmmmm,

And now I know,

The key to all heaven is mine,

My heart has wings, Mmmmmm,

And I can fly,

I’ll touch every star in the sky,

So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of,

So this is love…”

Tarzan

“‘Cause you’ll be in my heart,

Yes, you’ll be in my heart,

From this day on,

Now and forever more,

You’ll be in my heart,

No matter what they say,

You’ll be here in my heart,

Always…”

Alice in Wonderland

“You’re mad, bonkers, off your head!

But I’ll tell you a secret: all the best people are…”

Winnie the Pooh

“Any day spent with you is my favourite day. So, today is my new favourite day.”

The Princess and the Frog

“You’re the best thing I never knew I needed,

So when you were here I had no idea,

You’re the best thing I never knew I needed,

So now it’s so clear I need you here always…”

 

Wedding Times

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What Time Of Day Should You Get Married?

While 11am or 1pm remain the most popular ceremony time historically, sunset and candlelit weddings are pretty appealing too.  So, how should you choose what time to get married?

When you first meet with your wedding venue coordinator, you’ll be presented with options for the scheduled timings of a traditional wedding day. While they may be popular for good reason – a 1pm ceremony gives you plenty of time to get ready and take photographs with your bridal party – there’s nothing to say that your perfect day has to fit the same mould.

Over the last few years, here in the UK marriage laws have relaxed considerably. These allow for more relaxed schedules in turn. So, if you’ve been imagining a sunrise elopement with the dawn chorus or exchanging vows beneath the stars, they needn’t be pipe dreams anymore.

There may be times that are particularly sentimental for you as a couple. How about the time of your first date, of the proposal, or other relationship milestones, for example. You could use these to guide the time you marry too.

The time of year you choose to tie the knot will influence the time you choose to hold your ceremony. If you want a candlelit ceremony or to have your couples portraits at sunset, then you’ll be able to tie the knot much earlier in the day during the winter months than in the summer.

But, while moonlit ceremonies do sound very romantic, you must consider the practicalities of your chosen times too. Your wedding needs to be held at a comfortable time for your guests to attend and suppliers to set up. Thorough planning in advance will make many things possible, though.

Perhaps the set up can be completed the day before and accommodation provided for your guests…

There’s also the question of whether you want exclusive use. If you’ve chosen a wedding venue that is open to the public, then you may need to work around their opening hours to have the place to yourselves. You could encounter this if your venue is a country house with open gardens during the day, a gallery or a museum, for example.

There are benefits of marrying a little later in the day once the crowds have dispersed, though. A 5pm ceremony means you only need to cater for one meal, saving you a significant sum of money that could be invested on your honeymoon instead

On the other hand, if you’ve booked multiple wedding entertainment acts, then it makes sense to hold your ceremony earlier to give you time to enjoy it all. We’ve seen couples book everything from magicians and fire-breathers to photobooths, bands and bouncy castles. Some entertainment will be better suited to the daytime or evening. Anything for children specifically should be planned earlier in the day.

 

Mad Hatter Weddings

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Do you love that things are not conventional, do you love to have fun, or you just don’t want to grow up yet? Well, we have an idea just for you that is just Mad, and just like the Mad Hatter himself we’ve come up with some wacky idea for a Wedding Breakfast..

Tea

Earl Grey is the only tea to be served. It needn’t be high quality and can be of any origin, just make sure it’s Early Grey.

Sandwiches

There are three sandwiches which are appropriate for a Mad Hatters Tea Party; minted cucumber, egg mayonnaise and mustard cress, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. Cutting your sandwiches into heart shapes is cute, but would Alice approve of your allegiance to the Queen of Hearts?

The Chelsea Bun

The Chelsea bun is known predominantly for throwing, so get involved, it’s what Tea Parties are made for.

Shortbread

Height should not be discriminated against; therefore, shortbread is totally acceptable at the tea table.

Floristry

Wedding flowers perfection should be avoided at all costs. If you have a budget for plants, stick to twigs, decaying leaves and fungi.

Invitations

The maddest guests needn’t be invited, they will simply fall through the rabbit hole and stumble across your party by chance.

Dress code

Colourful, bold and avant-garde.

Hair code

No one is allowed to have similarities in wedding hair colour or style, other than that, anything goes.

Wedding Décor

Matching furniture is forbidden; the more quintessentially Wonderland, the better.

Guests

Be specific when choosing your guests based on personality, if they aren’t at least slightly crazy, they won’t fit in.

Hospitality

Being hospitable is essential. This can be achieved through planning a range of unrecognisable party games.

Weather

If you’re worried about being outside and it raining, it doesn’t matter too much as the best Mad Hatters Tea Parties are set in very little sunlight. For big budget tea parties, rain and mist machines are encouraged.

Seating

If you can’t get bums on seats, bums on anything is fine. Stools, shelves, giant mushrooms; anything goes.

Cheshire cat

One ginger cat is required as ‘purr’ its Cheshire heritage.

Timekeeping

This is banned as there is no time in wonderland. However, we would only suggest this tip as optional as if adhered to it can cause havoc, after all, you don’t want your guests to be late for this very important date.

 

Shedding some extra pounds

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Unsurprisingly, brides hope to shed extra pounds before getting married. However, perhaps more shockingly, as many as one in three will resort to crash dieting in an extreme bid to get their ideal bridal body.

The sooner you start the better. Don’t wait until the last minute to try and lose weight and then expect miracles.

You should be thinking about your diet and exercise plan as soon as you start planning a wedding, so that you don’t end up resorting to a crash diet in a bid to lose pounds at the last minute. Ideally you should aim to reach your weight loss goal within 4 weeks of your wedding, in time for the final dress fittings. That way you’ll be able to focus more on the finishing touches of the wedding planning rather than worrying about fitting into your dream dress.

Make sure you take regular exercise over the first four to six weeks for general fitness, then start to target specific areas such as your stomach, thighs and bottom. Keeping a fitness diary will also monitor your progress and help you to feel good about your achievements.

Finding the right kind of exercise regime to suit your needs and schedule can vary from a brisk walk to a full workout in the gym or an exercise video that you found online.

If you have a demanding work and life schedule that rarely allows you to fit exercise in, then try to make lifestyle swaps wherever you can. For example, ditch the car and walk to work or the shops and try to take the stairs instead of the lift – even just taking up small exercises like this will help you keep trim.

High intensity interval training (known as HIIT for short) is great for a busy bride. This consists of short bursts of intense exercise mixed in with small rests, which could benefit you more than a long session in the gym.

You need to start sweating and exercising alongside a healthy diet to make great changes to your body but this doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours on a treadmill.

Above all, have fun and don’t beat yourself up if it takes a while to get the results you want. Getting fit and losing weight healthily takes time, but stick with it and you’ll feel fabulous inside and out when you finally get into that dream wedding dress.