Make your wedding personal to you

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1. 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 reception venue.

2. Walk Down Memory Lane

Make the guest feel like integral parts of the day by incorporating them into the wedding design — 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.

3. 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.

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. Love Poems.

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.”

Organise your seating plan

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If you’re having 50 guests at a buffet, you may or may not want to give people specific seating assignments. But if you’re having 100 guests or more and serving a seated meal at your Wedding venue, you’ll want to make sure everyone’s got a specific place to sit. Why? For one, people like to know where they’re sitting — and that you took the time to choose where and whom they should sit with. It’s also helpful if you’re serving several different entree choices, because the caterer and wait staff can figure out beforehand how many chicken, filet and veggie dishes a given table gets, because they (you) know who’s sitting there.

Head Up the Head Table

A traditional head table is not round but long and straight,when planning a wedding it’s generally set up along a wall, facing all the other reception tables. It may even have two tiers if your wedding party is large. Usually the bride and groom sit in the middle (where everyone can see them), with the maid of honour next to the groom, the best man next to the bride, and then boy/girl out from there. Flower girls or ring bearers usually sit at the tables where their parents are sitting, much to the relief of the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Decide to sit this way, or plan a sweetheart table for a little one-on-one time

Create a Paper Trail

If you’re feeling more low-tech, draw circles (for tables) on a big sheet of paper and write names inside them (make sure you know how many people can comfortably be seated at each one). Or you could write every guest’s name on a sticky note and place it accordingly.

Switch Things Up

But you don’t have to do it that way. All the bridesmaids can sit on the bride’s side, and all the groomsmen on the groom’s. Or maybe you’re not into being on display, or you don’t want your wedding party to feel isolated from other guests. Let your wedding party sit at a round reception table or two with each other and/or with their dates/significant others, and have the head table be a sweetheart table for the two of you.Another option: You two sit with your parents and let that be the head table, with the wedding party at their own tables.

Place Your Parents

Traditionally, your parents and your parents to be sit at the same table, along with grandparents, siblings not in the wedding party, but for one reason or another you might want to let each set of parents host their own table of close family and/or friends. This could mean up to four parents’ tables, depending on your situation — or have the divorced parent who raised you (or your partner) and his/her spouse/date sit at the table with still-married parents.

Remember, the parent-seating question is a flexible one. Set it up in whatever way best suits everybody. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to talk to the parents in question about it before you make your final decision.

Play Matchmaker

Again, all your University or school friends will be so pleased to sit at a table together. This especially works out well if you and your beloved went to the same school and have the same friends. It also gives them all an opportunity to catch up with each other, because they may not have seen each other for a while. But again — reception tables offer a great opportunity to mix and match your friends and your partners — who knows who’ll hit it off? Consider seating friends who don’t know each other (yet), but who you think will get along exceptionally well, at the same table — and the rest is history. It can’t hurt!

Tame Tensions

There may also be situations in which certain family members just do not get along. Maybe they haven’t spoken in years. Maybe the last time they saw each other there was a drunken catfight. Understandably, you want to keep them as far apart as possible. Think about these kinds of relationships (or lack thereof) before you even start making your chart, so you can take them into consideration in the first place and begin by seating Auntie Sue at table three and Aunt Vera across the room at table 15. Trust us — they’ll appreciate it.

Be money savvy

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Between the wedding food, the event space, the wedding photographers 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.

Same sex wedding guide

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Planning a Wedding is stressful enough. It gets even more confusing when most of the advice out there revolves around a bride and groom—and you’re both one of the above.

1. Get creative with your wedding party

Who says a woman has to have maids of honour and only guys get to nominate best men? Choose the guests you want up at the altar with you—whatever sex they are—and name them accordingly. You could have bride’s men, groom’s maids, a man of honour or a best woman, for instance, or give the whole gang a fun name like the “I Do Crew” or “Bridal Brigade.” Or skip the guests altogether and keep all eyes on you and your partner.

2. Don’t worry about what you “should” do

Instead of worrying about how to make your ceremony line up with (straight) tradition, view it as a chance to throw an event exactly your way, without any of the old-school “must-haves” that don’t mean anything to you personally. “Because many same-sex couples don’t have gendered roles in their relationship, they really have the freedom to reinvent the wedding.

3. Social media is your friend

Can’t visualize what your invitations, vows or any other part of your wedding should look like? That’s what Pinterest is for.

4. Put your own stamp on the ceremony

Many traditional wedding ceremonies feature a groom waiting at the altar for his bride to walk toward him down the aisle. So what happens if you’ve got two grooms or two brides? It totally depends on what you and your partner feel comfortable with. Some ideas:

  • Walk down the aisle one right after the other.

  • Walk each other down the aisle, perhaps arm in arm or holding hands.

  • Walk in unison down separate aisles leading to the altar.

  • Flip a coin before the ceremony to decide who proceeds down the aisle first.

5. A planner may be worth the money

Though a wedding planner isn’t in everyone’s budget, a coordinator can help you save time by steering you toward venues and officiants that he knows to be inclusive of same-sex weddings.

6. You can still have your own pre-parties

There’s no reason you have to forego a party with your best mates just because you’re both stags or hens. So go ahead and plan your own celebration, whether it’s a weekend in Amsterdam or a trip to the seaside. One thing that’s really common is two partners having separate parties on the same night and then meeting up at the end.

7. Vet your honeymoon destination before you book

Once you’ve come up with a list of dream destinations—particularly international ones—do a little research first and cross off any that don’t afford the same legal protections and cultural acceptance that same-sex couples have here. That way, your honeymoon can be just as blissful as the wedding itself.

Keep children entertained at your wedding

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Paper Chase

Download colouring pages, word searches, crosswords, spot the difference from the internet, make sure you give out with crayons or coloured pencils to avoid mess to clothes and tableware.

Silent Scavenger Hunt

Create a tick sheet of things to listen out for or observe during the wedding – what colour are the bridesmaids’ dresses, wedding flowers, what songs were sung, did the best man remember the rings, how many were wearing hats.

Book Corner

Have a range of books to cover differing ages of children at weddings. Put on tables or set up in a corner with bean bags – great for sleepy ones later in the evening too.

Box of Tricks

Create boxes of simple toys such as bubbles, board games (travel ones are cheaper and smaller), jigsaws, and play dough – hassle free distractions for children without the need for too much adult help.

Children Only Room

Create a child-only space with TVs/DVD players, games consoles, books and board games. Children at weddings also love dressing up, craft activities/painting, sand trays and play dough.

VIP

Create tasks for children involved in the wedding to earn VIP badges – roles can range from marshalling guests to the right place to holding their wedding bouquet up the right way for younger bridesmaids.

Outdoor Games

Organise walks around the grounds or do nature searches using small bags to collect what is found. Also provide simple sports equipment such as balls, Frisbees, or cricket sets.

Entertainer

Wedding entertainers for children are a more expensive option when planning your wedding to go smoothly. Although they’ll keep little ones busy, you will need to provide another room for the performance. Be aware, though, that unlike a crèche, parents will still be responsible for supervision of their children.

Babysitters

Babysitters work well if the wedding venue is being held in a hotel. The babysitters can look after individual children or families in their hotel rooms bringing some basic equipment and also putting the children to bed.

Mobile Crèche

The most expensive option but it really is the ultimate answer, and many opt to share the costs with parents. A team will bring all equipment; will be responsible for your children and their entertainment for the whole wedding and even into the night with a sleepover.

 

Get Wedding Party ready

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When you’re preparing for the biggest event of the year, managing your time and planning your look is really important. With all the organising that goes into making the day perfect, you might actually forget that this is a time of celebration! Whether you’re the bride-to-be or an honoured guest, here are a few tips to help you to adopt a positive attitude on your way to getting wedding party ready!

Be honest about your budget

Even if you’re not the bride, being part of a wedding can be expensive. A new wedding dress, wedding accessories, gifts, travel expenses – it all adds up. Before you buy your out t or even RSVP, it’s a good idea to be honest about your budget and what you can afford. Don’t go dress shopping “just for fun” and end up falling in love with the designer gown – this goes for brides, too!

Write down all your to-dos

This one goes without saying for the bride-to-be, but don’t think as a wedding guest that you don’t have a lot to get sorted! From hair and nail appointments, to finding the perfect gift, wedding dress and accessories to match, it’s a great idea to make a compact to-do list so that you’re not panicked at the last minute.

Practice those wedding picture poses

Hate how you look in photos? Many people become self-conscious and slouch over as soon as a camera appears. It might sound silly, but spending some time in front of the mirror practicing picture-perfect poses will give you extra confidence on the day. Holding a smile for endless pictures can actually cause you to frown, so remember to try and keep your smile natural.

Have your nails professionally done

Naturally, everyone will want to see your hands on your wedding day! Showing off your beautiful new wedding ring means that people will notice if your nails aren’t up to scratch – the same goes for bridesmaids who are holding bouquets. Take time to moisturise your hands in the week running up to the main event and get a chic matching manicure to your dress or accessories.

Avoid crash diets

Adding ‘clean’ foods to your diet, like fresh veggies, as well as cutting out or limiting your consumption of processed foods, is a great way to look and feel healthier. Avoid crash dieting – it can put a stress on your body and cause your metabolism to go into starvation mode, while also adding unnecessary feelings of guilt during an already stressful time.

Avoid last-minute treatments (facials, Peels, etc.)

Waxing, facial peels and other intensive skincare treatments can cause short-term in inflammation and irritation, so doing these one or two nights before the wedding is a bad call. To give your skin some time to recover, make sure you have all your treatments done at least a week before the event. This will ensure your skin is radiant and ready in time.

Experiment with hairstyles

Everyone’s hair is different and what suits one bride or bridesmaid might look disastrous on another. Check out some simple hairstyles in a magazine or online and try them out to see what suits. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit – if you usually go straight, try some loose curls for an elegant look.

Wear natural-looking wedding make-up

Painting on too much bold makeup will make you stand out in wedding photos – and not for the right reasons. If you love a bold lip colour, balance it out with light foundation and simple eye makeup. A natural-looking glow can be achieved with a good exfoliator, primer and highlighter.

Get to know the rest of the wedding Party

Especially if you’re part of the main event, spend a little time getting to know the rest of the party before the wedding. This is a great way to break the ice and you’ll all feel much more comfortable dealing with any last-minute stresses together on the big day!

Break in new shoes

Wearing new shoes that haven’t been broken in can mean taking them off before the night is through. If you find some new shoes that are perfect for your wedding, make sure you spend a few days walking in them around the house so that they’re nice and comfortable in time for the celebrations.

 

Get a good night’s sleep

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Every bride wants to look radiant and healthy on her wedding day, and getting regular, good sleep is a major contributor to getting this! When planning a wedding it’s vital to get some good sleep and here’s how…

Say no to champers

Although lots of people claim that alcohol helps them fall asleep more quickly, it actually reduces REM sleep – the stage of sleep associated with deep dreaming. Losing out on REM sleep can cause drowsiness when awake, so it’s best to avoid it altogether during the run-up to the wedding. Swap alcohol for herbal teas and non-caffeinated soft drinks, which also help with hydration.

Avoid coffee and other stimulants

Caffeine is obviously well known for keeping people awake, but many other snacks and drinks also contain caffeine, such a chocolate, tea and cola drinks. It is best to steer clear of food and drinks containing stimulants, or make sure they are consumed early in the day, as even in moderate doses, they can block sleep neurotransmitters, causing insomnia.

Light exercise

Although time is always tight in the weeks building up to the wedding, you should allow herself some light exercise every day. Avoid too much strenuous activity later in the day though, because this is more likely to cause you to wake up in the night!

Eat foods that contain tryptophan

If you feel you need an energy boost, it’s best to snack on foods that contain tryptophan. This is an amino acid, which is required for the production of serotonin in the body, which in turn produces melatonin – a hormone that helps with sleep. Yoghurt, bananas, milk and eggs are all high in tryptophan.

Put that phone away

Although the days before a wedding can be frantic with so much to do and so many people to contact, brides should try to avoid using their phone, tablet or laptop late at night. Gadgets like this emit blue light, which is said to delay the production of melatonin, so keeping the body awake.

Turn off the TV

38% of people watch television to wind down before they sleep. However, this can actually harm the sleep cycle because watching TV before bedtime encourages you to stay up later than you would naturally.

Listen to sounds that aid sleep

If you’re anxious and finding it particularly difficult to get to sleep at night,try one of several devices or apps available that generate white noise. White noise devices work two ways: by blocking distracting noises, and by producing soothing sounds that are relaxing and help to induce sleep.

Sleep naked

It’s always tempting to wrap up in cosy pyjamas on cooler nights, but going to bed naked can have several benefits when it comes to getting our beauty sleep. Studies have shown that having the wrong body temperature at night can stop the dozing off process, while not allowing the body to regulate its temperature – by wearing clothes, for example – can prevent people from reaching the deeper stages of sleep.

Turn the bed into a sleep haven

Don’t compromise on comfort – make sure your bed is as comfortable as possible, even if it is just to change the bed linen for something luxurious, or swap a thick duvet for clean, cotton sheets to ensure she has a cool and calm night’s sleep before the wedding.

 

Things not to do when proposing

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We love to hear a good proposal story, and we’re sure you do too. But there are some things that just make us cringe at the thought of. If you’re thinking of proposing soon, here are the things NOT to do…

Get ahead of yourself

Popping the question is a big moment in any man’s life. No matter how confident you are, you’ll want to know the answer you’re going to get, not just assume it. It’s sensible to test the water before going ahead and proposing – talking about the possibility of marriage isn’t ruining the surprise!

Lose the box

No matter what kind of proposal you have prepared, whether it’s tying the ring to a puppy’s collar or hiding it in your fiancé-to-be’s ice cream in a restaurant, make sure you keep the box. Without it, it’s kind of like a cup of tea without milk, a burger without a bap, or, just an engagement ring without the fancy box.

Forget to practice

Even though the words ‘Will you marry me?’ seem simple enough, the moment you’re actually asking the question will make you aware that it’s a little more difficult than that. Getting the proposal right is all about good timing, wording, and minimal hiccups – so practice, practice, practice!

Tell too many

The thoughts of you marrying this girl might have started up from the first date you had, and your friends probably started getting sick of it. But do you know what? That’s okay. What’s not okay is going on and on about your proposal plans, so much that you don’t know who you’ve told and who they will tell. Keep it a surprise from your friends as well as your girlfriend.

Go public

The whole flash mob idea may be great to watch on YouTube, but it’s a different story when it’s actually happening to you. Most brides that we know certainly wouldn’t enjoy this public display of affection. Keep the proposal to yourselves, and shout about it after!

Get impatient

If you’re on a romantic holiday with the intention to propose on the last night when you’ve planned to go watch the sunset (just an idea for you all!), don’t be tempted to blow this plan just because every time you go for a change of t-shirt, you see the engagement ring hiding away in the suitcase. Wait for the right moment, and keep patient. It will all come together in the end.

Be empty-handed

… or, perhaps, you don’t have a ring. This isn’t a good idea for a proposal because it makes it seem unprepared and a spur of the moment thing. (If it was a spur of the moment thing, we hope it was a previously-thought-about-spur-of-the-moment thing.) We know it shouldn’t be down to a piece of jewellery, but…

So hopefully your proposal story will run, or did run smoothly! Hopefully you’ll be planning a wedding very soon!!

 

Background music for your event

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When it comes to ensuring the mood of your Wedding there is nothing like carefully cultivating each and every part of it. From the flowers to the canapés, it’s important to have everything the way that you want it when planning your dream wedding. With this in mind, we thought we’d delve into the different sorts of background music for your wedding venue.

Guitar

Booking a guitarist for your wedding venue is that you can choose the style that you’d like them to play. From gypsy jazz to classical right through to contemporary acoustic, there is a whole host of options to go for with this hugely versatile music option.

Harp

Undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the instruments, a harpist for your wedding adds a touch of elegance to proceedings. Whether playing in order to welcome people to your wedding venue or as background music with wedding food a harp is a stunning accompaniment to any special occasion and is sure to impress guests!

Violins

Performing either acoustic or electric violin can naturally change the atmosphere of your wedding. Violinists are able to perform a host of superb pieces from classical right through to modern pop! The violin is known for its versatility, allowing a background performer to not just play in a corner of the room but whilst strolling throughout your special day.

 

Why you should have a photo booth

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They’re Great Fun

It seems like an obvious thing to state when hiring wedding entertainment – all of it is fun! – but a photo booth will give you more fun than many other forms of entertainment through the sheer amount of silliness and laughter you’ll hear coming from the booth over the course of your wedding evening. It’s not a singular activity and people tend to visit the booth in large groups for a photo. Upon seeing the props available for their snap, even the most camera shy love to get involved as you take your four photos. And that fun and laughter we mentioned? It keeps other people at your wedding interested in the booth as well.

The Guest Book

Perhaps the main reason to have a photo booth at your wedding is for the guest book that comes with it. Once your wedding is over and upon return from your honeymoon, you’ll finally be able to have a look through your photo booth guest book and take in the photos. If pressed to write a message, many guests might struggle to know what to say but when delivered in the form of a photo that can be captioned, you’ll find some truly lovely thoughts from your nearest and dearest. Friends and family alike will have contribute to a unique wedding gift that you can treasure for the rest of your lives.

The Wedding Photographer Can’t Photo Everyone

A great reason to hire a photo booth for an evening and one of the main points as to why it’s a must have at your wedding is because wedding photographers simply can’t photograph everybody in attendance. Some don’t like to be photographed for whatever reason whilst others might just keep missing the photographer as they come round. With a photo booth though, you can rest assured that you’ll have at least one snap of your guests to enjoy. Sure, they’ll probably be sporting ridiculous fluorescent glasses or have a random bowling pin in their hand, but at least you’ll have a photo!

 

Memories forever.

Perhaps the number one reason for having a photo booth at your wedding (and in fact, the number one reason for doing anything at all in life) is the happy memories that it creates. Not only do wedding guests create photos for your guest book but they receive a strip of their photos as well. They could even send a digital copy to their email address if they so desire. So many people will see these photos over the next few years and so many people will ask questions as to where it was taken. Your wedding will live long in the memory thanks to just a few photos taken at a photo booth. They really are a wonderful addition to your wedding day.