Category Archives: The Big Day

Don’t make these mistakes!

Posted on by

SummerWedding1

Mistake 1: Not dealing with debt

Money is the number one thing couples fight about. Set up a financial plan to conquer any debt.

Mistake 2: Alienating your friends

Having separate interests is key to a successful marriage, so tag along on your friend’s nights out.

Mistake 3: Neglecting the bedroom

Did you know that over 60% of newlyweds are in a sex rut! Initiate sex, even if you don’t feel like it. If you get in the habit of having it, you’ll start wanting it (and liking it) more.

Mistake 4: Outlawing the in-laws

Did you know that 50% of couples have a problematic relationship with their in-laws? Even if your spouse is moaning about his family, resist the urge to join in. Stay neutral at all times!

Mistake 5: Letting yourself go

Take pride in your appearance and weight even if you’re ‘off the market’ now – you and your partner will feel better for it, trust us!

Mistake 6: Becoming baby-obsessed

The average couple has a child within three years of marriage. Savour the moments and the travel you can do now!

The ‘after the wedding’ to-do list

Get your dress professionally cleaned and store in a cool, dry place.

Leave helpful reviews about your various wedding suppliers.

If you wish to change to your married name, do them all simultaneously to avoid confusion.

Check your tax situation as a married couple – you may be entitled to tax relief in some situations.

Send thank you notes for wedding gifts – aim for 10 a night!

Finalise your wedding album and video – if you leave it too long, you may forgo it!

Discuss finances: should you have a joint bank account?

Figure out things like joint health insurance plans and discuss changes to life insurance details

How to avoid wedding shoe mishaps

Posted on by

Say goodbye to sore feet, blisters and sinking into the grass!

Every bride-to-be must, at some point, get the fear of falling. Tripping as they walk up the aisle, slipping as they walk on the grass – the fear of being the next wedding fail on YouTube! But have no fear. Follow these top tips and you’ll be gliding elegantly down the aisle in no time…

Relax!

When you are tense and nervous, you are more awkward and therefore clumsier. We know this is easier said than done but this aside, it’s your wedding day, your friends and family are there to see you get married to each other, and they want the best for you. Smile, look directly into your partner’s eyes and take a deep breath.

Go for comfort

Ouch! There is nothing worse than limping around with sore feet because of ill-fitting or cheap shoes. Please remember that comfort is key here – pick a pair from a reputable seller of professional bridal shoes. The biggest secret of wedding shoes is they are designed to be the most comfortable shoes you will ever wear. Most shoes purchased off the high street do not have these extra added comfort features as they have cushioned lining and extra insole padding. Shoes with leather linings are also really comfortable as they mould to the shape of your foot, enhancing the comfort. 

Think about heel height

Linking in with tip number 2, don’t choose your wedding day to be the first time you decide to wear 6-inch heels then totter around like a bride on stilts with your bottom sticking out and sore feet to boot! That’s not a good look and you are likely to fall over, too.

Get some practice

If you want to wear heels and you’re not used to wearing them, then you’ve got to practice! Firstly, relax, then walk slowly, lean back – it may feel unnatural, but you are compensating for heels you have so lean into them. Shoulders back, don’t swing your arms but keep them at your side, one foot in front of the other, heel to toe, head up, smile and glide!

Avoid that sinking feeling

Your photographer beckons you onto the grass for those all-important couple shots – but wait! No bride wants to be sinking into the grass, so luckily we have the perfect solution. We know of the perfect solution: Clean Heels, as featured on Dragon’s Den, feature a large disc on the bottom to give your stilettos more circumference to stop them sinking in.

The right dress length

Make sure you get your wedding dress altered wearing the shoes you’re going to be wearing on the day. And remember, if you kick your shoes off later in the evening, your dress will become a trip hazard! If your dress has a train, make sure you know how to bustle it up before you start dancing.

Don’t get drunk

Sure, you’ll have the odd glass of champagne to celebrate the big day, but no one wants to see a drunk bride wobbling all over the dance floor – and falling flat on her face! You won’t have had a lot of practice walking in these shoes so do yourself a favour and stay away from the booze.

Survival tips for anxious bride

Posted on by

Weddings are a pretty big deal and they can be kind of scary if you’re feeling anxious about being a bride. Are you stressing about being the centre of attention? Dreading speaking to vendors? Avoiding all the nosy questions? Don’t worry, we’ve found a way to cope with the stress of it all…

It’s ok to not be ok

Getting engaged is pretty amazing, but once the initial excitement is over, it’s not uncommon for brides to feel overwhelmed. There’s a huge amount of pressure for everything to look perfect and to get everything ‘right’. And then you get the added anxiety as you know you should feel happy about planning the most important day of your life, but in fact, when you think about it your heart drops. Is that normal? Of course it is. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad bride or you’re getting cold feet – it’s a pretty stressful time so be kind to yourself.

Long engagements

As soon as you get engaged, people tend to start asking you the date of the wedding almost immediately. Don’t feel pressured to immerse yourself in wedding planning straightaway if you don’t want to – give yourself plenty of time, there is no rule about how long an engagement should be. Discuss with your partner about how long you need to plan the wedding and whether or not you want to tie the knot ASAP. Don’t put yourself under extra stress if you don’t need to.

Accept help

If your friends and family offer a helping hand, accept it! Not only will they enjoy being part of the planning process, it’ll make your job a whole lot easier. If no-one is offering, ask for help! People often don’t want to offer help as they’re worried about getting in the way, but they’re usually more than willing to help out if needed.

Apologise for bridezilla moments

You will probably become a little bit of a bridezilla in the lead-up to your wedding day. Whilst this is completely acceptable, your groom-to-be may not agree. In fact, chances are your groom is going to get the wrong idea and think you’re terrified of marrying him. Make it clear to your husband to be that you’re freaking out about the catering or flowers – not about getting married.

Being in the spotlight is scary

If you’re a pretty anxious person anyway, being in the spotlight probably isn’t your idea of fun. However, it is a vital part of any wedding. Even if you’re dreading being the centre of attention in the lead-up to the big day, when it comes to it you might actually surprise yourself! You’re in the limelight for all the right things, so simply make the most of it. If you really can’t face walking down the aisle on your own with all eyes on you, why not break tradition and get your hubby to walk down the aisle with you?

It’s fine to be selfish

It’s probably the one time when it’s socially acceptable to be incredibly selfish – especially the week before the wedding. It’s completely ok to say no, ignore the constantly ringing phone, or conveniently ‘forget’ to reply to that text. Don’t even feel bad about it. Direct it to a helper, such as your maid of honour or your mum. They’re here to help out!

You’re going to be great

When the big day arrives, you’ll probably be a bag of nerves mixed with excitement. But as soon as you walk down the aisle into your hubby’s arm, everything will fit into place and you’ll forget about everyone else in the room. Your wedding day will whizz by, so make the most of it and enjoy every second.

If you really are getting cold feet, make sure you’re marrying your best friend!

Don’t forget the lighting

Posted on by

Many people forget about lighting when they are planning their wedding reception –

“Wedding Lighting is a key area that people find difficult to get right, yet it is so important in creating a stunning atmosphere and making sure that you and your guests feel comfortable, relaxed and have a good time.”

Night and Day

If you are planning an evening reception, look at the room that you are going to use for the reception after dark, as well as in daytime. You can then see how the fixed lighting in the room works and think about what lighting you need for your reception to add the right atmosphere. Uplighters might be the perfect solution to bring the room to life at night.

Dancefloor divas

If your reception is a venue where the dancefloor, tables and chairs are set up in different parts of the same room, use different coloured lighting to separate the two areas and build up the atmosphere. Make sure your dad’s moves are in the limelight while he’s busting his moves! (…or keep him and those moves in the dark.)

Mood setting

Coloured venue lighting really adds atmosphere to a room. Use different colours to really set the mood for each part of the evening – from the welcomes drinks right through to the meal and dancing. This can be pre-programmed and done at the touch of a button if you use an intelligent lighting system.

Light the way

If you expect your guests to use outdoor space in the evening, ensure that steps and uneven services are well lit to avoid accidents. Create a magical atmosphere by hanging lanterns in your venue’s outside space, or if you are on a budget, why not try tea lights in old glass jam jars and use them to light up the paths or shrubbery?

Great lighting can be set up around any size of budget – think about what you want to do first, talk to your venue and then take advice from an event planner or lighting designer. Even the simplest of lighting schemes can impress your guests if they are done right.

What to pack for your Honeymoon

Posted on by

After you’ve said “I do,” you can finally stop stressing out about place settings, wardrobe mishaps, invitations, and everything else related to wedding planning, and you can focus on relaxing a bit. We’re talking, of course, about your honeymoon!

A fitting reward after walking down the aisle, many couples agree that the best part about getting married—aside from starting a new life together with the one they love—is getting to jet off to somewhere new (or somewhere you already love!) and spending some down time with your brand-new spouse. As you plan and pack for your vacation, though, don’t forget these five essentials.

1) Cameras, Chargers, Memory Cards, and Batteries
You’re going to want to take no fewer than a million photos, so make sure you bring everything you need to make sure you can. Along with your camera (or phone camera), you’ll want to make sure you have all of the components and accessories that it requires, like charging cables, memory cards, batteries, and the case so that it stays safe when you’re not using it.

2) First and Last Day Outfits, Plus More
Chances are you’ll take the most photos on the first and last full days of your honeymoon, so plan to bring outfits special for the occasions. Whether it’s a fancy dinner, a night of dancing, or a highly anticipated show that you’re doing, plan to wear something that you absolutely love and that looks great on you. Past that, you’ll want to make sure you bring a variety of outfits to choose from depending on your plans. Make sure you have swimsuits or warm jackets (depending on your destination!), something for upscale locales, and perhaps most importantly, comfortable shoes that you can walk in for hours to sightsee.

3) Backup Plans for Itinerary Interruptions
Even if you’re the type of couple who prefers spontaneity on vacation, you’ve probably got some things you definitely want to do during your trip. Unfortunately, we all know that even the best-laid plans can fall through, so it might not be a bad idea to come up with a few backup plans just in case. For instance, if the special restaurant you really wanted to see doesn’t have a reservation or is unexpectedly closed, or the weather is bad on the day you wanted to take surfing lessons, you’ll want to make sure you have something else to fall back on lest you have to scramble to come up with a last-minute activity.

4) Luggage with Enough Room for Souvenirs
No matter where you vacation, you’ll probably end up picking up some mementos to bring back home either to remember your trip or to give as gifts to loved ones. When it comes time to fly home, it can be a real let-down to realize that all of your things won’t fit in the bags you brought, and you’ll have to decide whether to leave things behind or find an emergency second bag, which you’ll probably have to check at the airport (which can be costly, depending on the airline). Make sure that you either pack light enough that there’s some room left over or that your bag is big enough to accommodate all the things you want to bring and then some.

5) To Enjoy the Moment and Be Present
This one’s intangible, but when you’re on your honeymoon, it’s important to remember to really relax and enjoy yourselves. That means letting your work emails go unanswered (even if you have to force yourself not to check or take it off of your phone for the duration of the trip), unplugging from social media (it’s okay to post a picture here and there, but make sure you’re not spending your whole trip trying to snap the most Instagram-able shots. Take the opportunity to really connect with your new spouse and enjoy your time alone together!

Life after the Big Day

Posted on by

As your wedding day approaches, it’s only logical to start thinking about all the things you have to do to prepare for the day. But it’s a good idea to squeeze in some time to work on the details of your life after the wedding, and organizing your finances with your partner should be on that list. (We know it doesn’t sound fun, but hear us out!) One of the most popular options newlyweds choose is to open a joint bank account together; you’re already sharing everything else, so merging your finances together almost seems like a no-brainer. But is it really the best choice for you and your partner?

Money is a touchy topic for a lot of people, so discussing the nitty-gritty details of your financial status with your soon-to-be spouse might not exactly be painless. That said, despite how difficult it may be, it’s a good idea to make the money talk a priority before the wedding, if you’re considering opening an account together, start by reviewing salaries, bonuses and the like. Then move on to sharing your credit ratings, assets, student loans and other parts of your financial portfolios. If you’ve already done a check of each other’s financial baggage (and you’re both comfortable with what you’ve found), that’s great! But double-check that you haven’t glossed over anything—it can sometimes take multiple conversations for all the little details to be covered.

You already feel like you’re on the same team. But before you open a joint bank account together, make sure you’re both taking a joint approach to your finances as well. It often doesn’t work when newlyweds add money to their personal bank accounts first, then put the remaining cash in the joint account.

Instead, pool all of your and your soon-to-be spouse’s income into the joint account first, and give out an “allowance” from that lump sum to spend each week. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your own account on the side. But ideally, your joint account should be more of a communal money pot in which you both initially deposit your entire salary—then get to dividing it up for food, phone bills, mortgage payments and savings. “There’s no more ‘your income’ and ‘their income’ once you’re married. It’s ours’

If you and your soon-to-be spouse are working toward post wedding financial goals, like a deposit on a house or retirement, opening an account together might actually help you reach them. For starters, it’s easy to keep track of how much you’re saving when your money is in one account. And because you both have shared participation in the account, you both have equal responsibility for making it successful. Most importantly, though, having a joint account will make it easier for you to talk about money with your partner. When you’re both able to see how much you’re each contributing every week, you’re more likely to talk about your finances in a healthy, constructive way.

To toss or not?

Posted on by

What if your friends want you to toss your wedding bouquet, but you want to preserve it as a keepsake?

Ask your florist to create a smaller “tossing bouquet ” that resembles your bridal bouquet. The tossing bouquet should be placed on the cake table to enable you to find it easily. Many florists automatically include a tossing bouquet in the budget, but never assume.

Although the bridesmaids and groomsmen don’t need to have flowers that replicate yours, they should complement your bridal bouquet style (bold and contemporary, French country, and so on) and color scheme (pastels, jewel tones, etc.). One lovely look is to create tightly packed nosegays of roses with a slightly different shade for each bridesmaid.

Nosegays in the same color but using a different flower for each are also pretty. Consider adding a touch that reflects the ambiance of the location, such as shells at the beach or berries, acorns, and oak leaves for a fall wedding.

You don’t have to be conventional on colour schemes

Posted on by

Every bride seems to have a colour scheme or wedding theme in mind but are they really important? And, if so, how do you choose one that’s right for you?

As soon as you think of planning your wedding, for some reason the need to get a colour scheme sorted presents itself. Do you pick red because of the season? Why do we feel the need to focus on one or two colours, though?

A lot of people often have a colour in mind, which nine times out of ten develops into something else as time passes and they get more inspired. It would be much more lovely to keep colours eclectic and use your venue as a lead for your colour scheme.

Having a summer wedding? Go with a pretty floral look with your stationery then you can pick and choose accents from it to match your theme as a whole. Doing things this way will save you hours of time and money searching for that ‘one’ colour of bridesmaid’s dress or exact shade of flower.

Close your eyes and think of a feeling rather than searching with your eyes, conjure up hazy summer days, beautiful autumnal sunsets or a spring time landscape and dream up your colour scheme that way!

My most important piece of advice would be to always be yourself – if you have a perfect colour that is ‘you’ and that’s all you need – go for it! If you don’t, there is no rule for you to stick with one or two colours.

Remember… your wedding, your way! Enjoy every minute of planning your perfect day.

The importance of a good videographer and photographer

Posted on by

One of the most important questions you’ll ask yourself when picking your wedding suppliers is ‘how much does it cost?’ and ‘can I get it cheaper elsewhere?’. Like most budget-savvy brides you’ll be keen to know that you’re getting the best price. But when it comes to wedding videography, cheap and cheerful can be risky.

A wedding is a live event and we don’t get any re-shoots like in the movies. This is where the skills of a good videographer come in handy. It is possible to unobtrusively film someone’s wedding, and create a film that is great to watch over and over again.

A good editor will be able to craft your story into an entertaining and watchable film that you can proudly share with friends and family. So many couples have their wedding filmed, and it ends up gathering dust on the top shelf. You really want to spend your money on something that you’re going to watch for years to come.

At the other end of the spectrum in wedding videography, you have the ‘film your own wedding video’ companies, an idea which originated from Shoot It Yourself in 2009. While this is certainly cheaper than hiring someone to film your wedding for you, as you don’t have to pay for a videographer to be there on the day, it is still a professional editing service and you get what you pay for.

Some people don’t really understand the concept; that whilst there is actually nobody present at the wedding, the company prep, maintain and deliver the cameras and go through all six hours of footage to find the best clips. It’s the same amount of time, energy, attention to detail and skill goes into editing a ‘self-shot’ wedding video as it does a professional wedding video.

On the other hand, there are those couples who are looking for something less formal, that captures the big personalities of their family and friends.

There are, of course, hundreds of wedding videographers to choose from but with so much time, effort and money spent on your wedding day, we would recommend that you choose a reputable company with a proven track record. Remember, there is no such thing as a good cheap wedding video and if a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is!

Your wedding photography and videography are two of the most important things to get right on the big day, as they will capture precious memories that you cannot repeat again.

Ideas for wedding gifts

Posted on by

Between the food, the event space, the photographer and the band — you may have spent a large part of your savings on your wedding. If you were lucky enough to receive wedding gift money from friends and family, you can really make this money work for you. Instead of using your cash for a trip to the Caribbean or on a new car, consider the following suggestions:

Start an emergency fund. We know it doesn’t sound as glamorous as a spa package, but starting an emergency fund and help to combat stress when something unexpected comes up. Whether it’s a sudden boiler breakdown or car repair, this saved cash will help if times get tough. It’ll also make you feel better to know there’s a bit of a cushion. We recommend opening an account that offers quick access and storing away £1,000 — you can always add to it.

Pay some bills. You’ve just planned a huge event and you’ve paid your fair share for it, so don’t feel guilty about using some of your gift money for your monthly bills, or even prepaying your mortgage if you have one. If you’ve been carrying around some unwanted debt — credit card, or car loan — consider paying off some of it. Having trouble deciding which to pay off first? Start by paying off the loan with the highest interest rate.

Watch it grow. It’s a smart idea to save and invest a big chunk of your gift money — this way it can gain interest and over time make money for you. It could be your deposit on a home or a nest egg for retirement. A financial adviser can help make sure you’re putting your cash in the best account for you, whether that be a tax advantaged plan, like a traditional ISA.

Invest in your home. If you’ve been looking for a place to call your own, your wedding money may make a nice deposit payment. As you probably know, the larger your deposit, the less interest you’ll typically end up paying on the loan.

Already have a nest? You could make updates and improvements to your current place, which can potentially increase its property value.

Look into life insurance. Now’s the perfect time to take out life for you and your new spouse. Pushing a plan to the side any further will make it more difficult to attain. Thankfully, this isn’t a huge investment, just a smart one.