Tag Archives: big

Ideas for wedding gifts

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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.

Winter Wonderland Weddings

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There’s something magical about winter and in particular, a winter wedding. As the public flock to various winter-themed events and Christmas markets, it’s difficult to know quite how your wedding can capture that Christmassy atmosphere without becoming tacky and whilst also seeking to retain all of the magic that makes December such a wonderful time of the year to get married. Yes, it’s a lot colder than if you had a summer wedding but with these fabulous acts, you’ll be sure to have a great day. 

There’s nothing quite as gorgeous a carousel. A free standing aerial rig, two acrobats perform a choreographed show or ambient performance for the whole family to enjoy. Coming with an ‘Ice Garden’ theme and able to be used for acrobatic or aerial silks or hoop, this is a stunning slice of entertainment for your big day. A mesmerising, relaxing affair, it is sure to take a bit of the stress off ahead of the best man’s speech!

You could go for the usual wedding band or DJ for your wedding reception, but what with the festivities of the season taking hold, it might be a somewhat unique idea to hire a brass band to perform Christmas classics for the room. Feel free to join in with some of your favourite Christmas carols or sit back as husband and wife and just enjoy the occasion. A chance to really put your mark on your wedding day without necessarily being too overtly Christmassy!

Scariest stag night ideas

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If your man is an adrenaline junkie looking for something a little bit more adventurous than a night on the tiles…

The Bull Run

Available to stags in Madrid, this event takes the bull by the horns and pits the guys against some terrifying beasts. Running with the bulls is one of the most famous events in Europe, and it’s a sensational idea for a stag party. The event is steeped in tradition and the experiences on offer come with either a mentor or a tutor to ensure both your safety, as well as that of the animals.

This is a great way to embrace the culture of another country in a completely fun and novel way. Events come with a Spanish meal, so your groom will have enough energy to get out of the way of the horns!

Bungee run

If the groom is a big kid at heart, this classic event will take him right back to his childhood. Now he and his mates are all ‘grown up,’ no doubt there’ll be an added element of competition. The point of the event is to run as far as possible before the bungee hurls you backwards. In the process, the competitors have to place a baton as far along the belt as possible. The bouncy castle arena makes the going unstable as the guys run for the end, and this will inevitably tee up some quality tumbles. 

Sumo Wrestling

This fun-fuelled event pits fellow stag group members against each other.  The guys are separated into two teams and thrown into head-to-head competition. The winning team will be determined by the amount of wins they get under their extremely large belts. In some locations you can theme your evening with a trip to a Japanese restaurant, where sake will undoubtedly be on the menu.

The Kidnap

(Before you decide this would be great for your stag night, please make sure he is not of a nervous disposition). Available in Eastern Europe, the event involves a group of ‘soldiers’ ambushing the group and hijacking the stag, and whoever else is in the dark, at (fake) gun point and bundling them into the back of a van, where they are then taken off to a derelict prison. After some intimidation through mock torture, they reveal the hoax and let everyone go. 

An alternative scenario is where the stag is handcuffed and a bag is thrown over his head. He’s then bundled into the back of a car and taken away. When they stop, he is walked into a building where he is then chained to a pole. The bag is then removed to reveal a lap dance club and the rest of the group, who are probably pretty happy with themselves by this point.

These are pretty extreme scenarios, we do think however, it would be best to drop a few subtle hints to the groom beforehand, so at least he knows ‘something’ is going to happen. This is not for the faint-hearted, but that’s the whole point of these scary alternatives.

How to choose your guests for your Wedding

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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.