Tag Archives: happy

Start as you mean to go on

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Between the food, the event space, the wedding 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.

An original proposal

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There are many ways that you can make a grand proposal to your loved one.  You may have the perfect one lined up but if you need a little help.  We have made some suggestions:

1. Love Letters

If your wife to be is a country girl at heart, the prospect of getting up and going outside on possibly a very cold day will certainly not faze her. The idea of going up in a helicopter and viewing the beautiful British countryside that she loves will definitely excite her though. Then, imagine her face when she views the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written across the hill…breath-taking! 

2. Enter Loversville

As its’ name alone suggests that the village of Lover (pronounced like Dover) is one of the UK’s most romantic destinations. Located just south of Salisbury on the edge of the New Forest this tiny village is an ideal place for couples to visit, if only to pose by the village sign for an amusing photo opportunity!

Also in Wiltshire, is the interesting heart shaped wood on Huish Hill near Pewsey. Created by Lady Keswick in 1999 as a memorial to her brothers the wood has developed nicely so that when in season it appears to look like a giant red heart. This phenomenon is due to the woods being planted with two varieties of Hawthorn which produce pink flowers. Totalling an acre in size, the wood is visible from the top of Huish Hill and is really spectacular!

3. Stopping traffic.

Why not show the world, or rather a high percentage of commuters, how much you love the woman in your life by proposing on London Bridge, during rush-hour?

OK, so it may not make you the most popular guy in London, but it will certainly win you an infinite amount of brownie points for the most imaginative and heart felt proposal.

4. Get a Cheer

Picture the scene, you’re having an amazing time at Glastonbury, it’s warm, the sun is setting and you’re watching your favourite band perform on the stage. And then you get engaged; now that’s quite perfect.

Imagine getting a cheer from 20,000 people after you have just got engaged, I think that would make it pretty memorable. 

So there you have it, some wedding ideas for the most romantic and memorable proposals. Take them as they are or with a pinch of salt, but whatever your proposal idea is, make it personal to you and no-one could say no.

There are countless ideas that you can feed from and hire something a little unusual to give your wife to be the proposal she so deserves…

Getting it right

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If you are experiencing these feelings, then you know you are marrying the right person…

You love waking up to them in the morning

Despite spending the entire night nudging him to make him stop snoring, you still love to wake up to their face in the morning. And that’s a good thing. If you can both look past the bed hair and the morning breath, you’re bossing those relationship goals.

You’re always excited to see them

Whether you’ve got fun plans to go away for the weekend, or just planning a cosy night in after work, you’re excited to see them. Number one: because you miss them, and number two: because you have fun together, even if you’re doing absolutely nothing at all.

You can’t imagine yourself with anyone else

Thinking of your past dates, you wonder how you did it. You just cannot picture yourself sitting across a candlelit table to anyone else but him or her. The fact you ever went on blind dates absolutely baffles you – you don’t even remember how to flirt anymore.

You miss them when they’re gone

Even if you have to go your separate ways for just a couple of hours or to go to work, you’ll miss them. Before they’ve gone, you’re begging them to stay and wondering why you both can’t just stay in bed forever; when you realise they (and you) actually need to go, an unnecessary number of goodbyes are said; as soon as they are gone, you’re not shy to send an ‘I miss you’ text the moment they’ve walked out the door, and several more times throughout the day.

It’s the little things

When two people know each other when, they know exactly how to tick each other’s boxes and make each other smile. It’s the little things like bringing your favourite chocolate home when he knows you’ve had a bad day, or you making sure you’ve got his favourite series on record (because you know that he’ll forget), that make a relationship that extra bit special.

You’re always on the same page

Spending the rest of your life with someone is a big commitment and it means you’ve got to be on the same page as each other. You talk about everything and know exactly what each other’s life plans are – so much so that you’ve either got the same life plans or that you’ve had to make compromises so they fit with each other. That’s love.

You’re each other’s best friends

You treat each other like you treat each of your best friends. They’re the first person you ring when something interesting happens or you’ve got some gossip to tell, and you can rely on them to respond in exactly the way you want.

So if you feel any of these things, you are indeed on to a good thing… 

How to include your Mum in the ceremony

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Mums teach us a lot. They’re by our sides through thick and thin, and, with any luck, have been the major helping hand in many of life’s biggest moments like planning a wedding. Sometimes it seems near impossible to pay Mum back for all her love and support, but she is your Mum. And because she’s your Mum, we guarantee she’ll be as pleased as punch from even the smallest of gestures. 

1. Have her walk you down the aisle!

Don’t think you need to find a male replacement for that Moment if Dad’s no longer in your life then the perfect choice will be your Mum, or if Dad is still around why not have both parents walking you down the aisle?

2. Give her a flower before the altar. 

Dad still doing the giving away? Take a Moment before you step onto the altar to give your mother a flower from your bouquet. Purposefully singling her out right before you say your vows will show her (and everyone in attendance) how crucial her support has been in getting you there. The gesture will become even more special if you tuck one of her favourite blooms into your bouquet and present her with that. 

3. Set aside a space dedicated to her memory. 

If your mother has since passed, place a framed photo of her and her favourite flowers on the chair where she would have sat.

4. Include Mum in the getting ready fun. 

Book her a seat next to yours while you and your bridesmaids are getting your hair and makeup done. Involving her in this girls-only tradition will let her know that you see her as a friend and confidant, which is the ultimate compliment.

5. Recreate a moment from her wedding day. 

Sort through Mum’s wedding pics and select a photo you find particularly striking. Surprise her by bringing the shot to your wedding and recreating the pose with your photographer—we guarantee she’ll be touched by the gesture.  

An Introduction to Wedding Fitness

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It’s no surprise that brides often feel a crazy amount of pressure to look good on their wedding day. Not only is there the worry of fitting into your dream wedding dress, but an endless amount of pictures will also be snapped over the course of the day.

Unsurprisingly, over 90% of 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 good news is that crash dieting is completely unnecessary – which is great seeing as it has no benefit to your overall health and is unlikely to give you the results you want anyway.

When Should I Start My Fitness Regime?

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to when you should start your wedding fitness regime. It really does depend on your starting point and how much weight you want to lose. 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 your wedding planning, 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.

Set Yourself Short Term Goals

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.

What if I’m Short on Time?

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 wedding dress. 

Reasons to have a photo booth at your wedding

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Your guests will love it. The wedding photo booth will be the highlight of the night and everybody will be really pleased with the photographs.

Suitable for all ages

It will be great to have something the children and grandparents could join in with. 

Nostalgia

Back in the good old days we never had cameras on our phones! To grab an instant picture of you and all your friends you had to walk into town and squeeze into a wedding photo booth. Now the booths may look more stylish but the concept is the same. And, of course, there are some fun props to make it even more memorable.

Talking point

Want your wedding to have something a little bit different? Well a photo booth will have your guests raving for weeks afterwards. 

Fabulous favours

Why give a traditional box of almonds when you could have a fun photo from the day that guests can look back on for years to come? One nice idea is to give them an empty key ring with a note to go to the photo booth later! 

Theme it!

Are you having a theme on your big day? Whether you want a winter wonderland, day at the beach or even just a colour we can bring the props to match your theme. They can even customise your prints to match and – if the budget stretches – they can even customise the booth itself!

Share the love

Not only will your guests receive a copy of the fun wedding photographs on the night, they will also upload all your ‘clean’ pictures to your very own Facebook album! This helps carry on the fun for weeks after the big day as friends and family tag, comment and copy their pictures.

Make sure your dancefloor is never empty

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Book a live band

A great wedding band will be experienced and know exactly which music to play to get your guests on the dancefloor, and how to keep them there! There are lots of different styles and sizes of bands to suit all tastes and budgets, making this decision especially difficult. Booking through a reputable wedding directory will help to guarantee great quality, and with our easy booking process, pretty much all eventualities are covered.

Dim the lights

This is extremely important, because you want your guests to feel comfortable and relaxed on the dancefloor. Having bright lights will make them too self-aware so bring the lighting right down. Ideally roving or flashing lighting will create an illusion of a busy dancefloor, which will encourage more guests to join in.

Get your timings right

The biggest mistake many brides and grooms make is for their evening reception is to start the entertainment too early. Your day guests will have just eaten dinner and your evening guests won’t be relaxed (or drunk) enough yet. Don’t be afraid to let everyone ease into the evening rather than rushing through and trying to force a good time – 9pm is usually the ideal time to start your band or disco.

Check your space

You need a dedicated dancefloor space but it can’t be too big or too small for the number of guests you have. A huge dancefloor will intimidate your guests while a tiny dancefloor will give the impression you are not expecting anyone to dance. Another point to remember here is that having the bar in a separate room will take your guests away from the dancefloor, leaving it looking a bit empty and sad.

Be present

As the bride and groom you are the stars of the show and your guests will generally want to be where you are – on the dancefloor having the time of your lives! You can also prepare or recruit some close friends who you know are more confident to be the first ones up and dancing, to help get the party started!

Unique weddings

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Brides across the country are striving to make their wedding unique. Research shows that this is the main cause of anxiety for 53% of couples in Britain planning a wedding. Almost two thirds of couples said that, although their wedding was the best day of their lives, their day lacked distinctiveness. The areas where bride and groom felt they could have added a more personalised touch was through their wedding decorations and what they served to guests.

Save the dates

Create a really unique save the date card by sending a customised beer mat. You can follow this up by sending invites on a personalised label on a beer bottle with details in a scroll inside.

Party favours

You can expand on your save the dates by decorating the tables with colourful beer steins or personalised beer labels. Additionally, visiting a brewery with your husband-to-be makes for a fun pre-wedding event; it can also be a chance to provide guests with a very special, personalised gift.

Welcome reception

A welcome dinner or drinks reception is a great way to break the ice between your out of town guests before the big day. The local pub is a perfect location for this.

Guest welcome packs

Create guides for your guests who are visiting from out of town. Include tips on local pubs and leave it in their hotel rooms. You can also include a local beer as refreshments for the rooms.

Venue

Use dried barley or fresh hops to decorate the wedding venue instead of flowers. You can also use them in your bouquet! For a really rustic feel, you could have your wedding reception in a brewery or a barley field. Another idea is to use vintage beer crates for seating or to sign your vows on an oak barrel.

Seating

Instead of traditional cards, use personalised beer caps or coasters to tell people where they are sitting. An even better idea would be to use actual bottles so that guests can enjoy a drink whilst they find their seats.

Food

Use beer as a main ingredient in meals, such as beer battered fish or steak and ale pies. You can also pair your dishes and canapés with your favourite beers. This way, your guests are introduced to a new beer match with everything they eat! You can also put a twist on a traditional wedding cake by using beer as a key ingredient. For the best of both worlds serve a chocolate wedding cake made with a stout beer. This decadent treat will definitely be something to be remembered!

Drinks

A beer inspired drinks menu is a really nice touch. Serve beer based cocktails using a brew you created or choose beers that represent special times in your relationship. For instance, a beer from the country where you got engaged or the beer you were drinking the night you met.

Toasts

If your fiancée is not a fan of champagne, serve beer during the wedding speeches. Ditch the bottles and serve beer to your guests in tasteful chalices. There are many elegant beers with signature glassware, such as Leffe which has a cork and foil top.

The honeymoon phase

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That time at the beginning when everything seems perfect and even their annoying habits seem painfully adorable to you. Well, it doesn’t have to be just a phase when there are so many years of adventure to come – so here are a few ways to make sure the fun continues well beyond your actual honeymoon!

Take care of something together;

Having a child or even getting a pet is a big commitment for newlyweds. But the shared experience of caring for another living entity can be an unparalleled bonding experience after getting married. If you’re the non-committal types, volunteer to raise a guide dog puppy for a few weeks (or perhaps adopt a fish!). Even tending to a garden together is enough to keep the relationship feeling fresh.

Surprise each other;

The best way to keep things exciting after the wedding is to delve into the unexpected. When he returns home from work, meet him with the first clue of a scavenger hunt! Hide some plane tickets underneath his pillow or suggest making cheese fondue to eat while you sit on the carpet, picnic-style! Make it so that every day you wake up wondering what new adventures are in store.

Plan events;

We’re not saying you need to throw a party every weekend to keep the spark alive, but even co-ordinating a dinner menu together or creating an itinerary for a weekend trip is something that can challenge and excite the two of you.

Start a project:

Whether it’s decorating your new home together or learning to play the piano, the act of creating is an uplifting experience that you and your new husband will forever pride yourselves in.

Travel:

Exploring new and exotic locations helps with self-discovery and growth – plus, seeing each other learn new things about the world can only make you fall deeper in love.

Explore;

You don’t have to look very far to find something new. That abandoned path in the nearby woods? Ask them to hike it with you! Finding beauty in unexpected places is an experience that will be even more astonishing when it’s shared with the one you love most.

Never stops trying for them;

You know that they love you with bedhead hair and smeared make-up, but it’s still a treat for them to come home to find you in your favourite little black dress and lipstick. That goes for him too, so tell him how much you love seeing him looking dapper in a suit with a pair of brand new loafers on. Then go ahead and get back into your comfy joggers.

Cringe-worthy moments

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While most aspects of planning a wedding are really fun and exciting, there are a few moments, which may leave you feeling uncomfortable. There are also aspects of the day that may make you feel a bit anxious. 

Telling your friend, she’s not your bridesmaid

Having to tell one of your friends that she isn’t your bridesmaid is probably one of the biggest hurdles in the planning stage of the wedding. The best way to let her know that you still care about her is to tell her quietly and ask her to do something else at the wedding, for example make a speech.

Inviting work colleagues to the wedding

If you don’t want to invite everyone in the office to your wedding day, that’s absolutely fine! It’s your day, just invite your closest work friends and be discreet. Ask them to keep quiet about it too and if you decide to invite everyone, try not to leave one or two people out.

Inviting your mum or mother in-law to the hen do

Inviting your mum to your hen do can be a hard decision. If you feel like you won’t be able to let your hair down, relax and have fun then don’t invite her. An alternative can be to do something a bit more formal to celebrate with your mum rather than taking her out with your friends. It’s important to make sure she doesn’t feel left out though.

Messing up the first dance

Every bride fears messing up the first dance, whether that means stepping on the groom’s toes or falling to the floor. It is definitely something that should be practiced a few times, it doesn’t have to be choreographed but take some time with it. If you really can’t dance, then just simply sway with each other and invite everyone to join the dance floor as soon as possible.

Going to the ladies’ room in your dress

This may be something that’s overlooked when choosing your perfect wedding dress, but essential on the wedding night. This is one of the main reasons you should be really close with your bridesmaids, it’s essentially their job to help you with potential problems like this on the night.

Photo angles

It’s a given that on your wedding day there will be hundreds of photos taken of you and you may be worried about not looking good. Try not to worry too much about this, you’ve paid a wedding photographer to take photos of you and they’ll know what angles look the most flattering on you. You can always have a chat with the photographer to ask for the photo you’ve always been dreaming about for the mantelpiece though.

Deciding between lingerie or supportive underwear

This can be a tricky decision because you want to feel the best on your wedding day but wearing tummy-tucking underwear with a non-VPL will be really forgiving when you’re wearing your dress. It’s definitely something to keep in mind; you’ll always have the chance to change quickly after the wedding reception.

Dealing with family feuds

Most of the time, relatives will be civil with each other at a wedding even if they don’t get on with each other. They love you and are there for you on your big day, they won’t be focusing on each other. If you are worried however, then make sure they aren’t sat on the same table or sat near each other at the ceremony. The more distance that can be created between them, the better.