Tag Archives: love

Your ‘ex’ wedding guest

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Planning your wedding guest list can be stressful enough, without the added dilemma of whether to invite your friends or ex your husband to be does not approve of.

Be sensitive

Ask yourself why specifically you want that person at your wedding. Often people invite people because they are part of a friendship network and if everyone else is going then why not invite them? It is not unusual to stay good friends with an ex-partner, and inviting people to your wedding is a lovely gesture!

Honestly is the best policy

Being completely honest with your other half is important from the very beginning, and the sooner you approach the subject, the better. Make him feel completely comfortable, and ensure that you aren’t demanding your ex has to come, but rather asking if he would be happy with the idea. An ex might feel snubbed if they’re not invited, but in some cases, people may not have been invited to spare their feelings.

Think sensibly

Make sure you think about how you and your ex ended, was it friendly? Was it recent? Worst case scenario is your ex ruining your big day by drinking far too much and saying something offensive. People should only invite people to weddings if they think that person will be a positive presence at the wedding.

Your husband-to-be

There is a chance that your h2b will say no. It is as much your day as his, so it is only fair that you take his feelings into consideration! After all, your ex is an ex for a reason. Every case is individual, sometimes we have enough trouble when the couples’ parents are divorced or remarried without the added pressure of exes being invited too! As long as the couple have discussed it and have both agreed that they are comfortable with it, then there is no problem!

Dos and Don’ts

  • Do invite your ex with a guest

  • Don’t spend a long time chatting with your ex

  • Do sit your ex with people he or she gets on with

  • Don’t dance with your ex

  • Do take control of the situation and keep your h2b as busy as possible!

  • Don’t introduce them to people as your ‘ex’

How to stay well before your wedding

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Being stressed with wedding planning on the run up to your big day can wreak havoc on the immune so follow some advice on how to stay cold and flu free this winter…

Eat well

Eat foods that are good for the immune system – a healthy plant based diet containing broccoli, cabbage, red fruits such as blackcurrants and strawberries, carrots, turmeric and onions contains plenty of immune protecting chemicals.

Relax and reduce stress

Stress harms your ability to fight viruses and has a huge impact on the immune system. The best thing you can do to reduce stress on your wedding day is to plan ahead. Make a schedule for getting everything done and stick to it!

Green tea

Green tea which is rich in many chemicals that have been shown to have health protective properties.

Wedding workout

Getting some gentle exercise such as walking, swimming or cycling for half an hour daily can be very helpful both physically and mentally. But beware that excessive exercise such as that undertaken during extreme training sessions for competitive sporting activities can reduce the immune response.

Sleep tight

Be sure to get enough beauty sleep, because not getting enough lowers your immune function. The body needs a good seven hour’s kip to help build itself up. Poor sleep over a long period can decrease the immune function very quickly.

Limit alcohol

Take it easy on your hen do because drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is also bad for your immune cells, which get disorientated and confused just like us!

Herbal help

Take Echinacea at the first sign of feeling run down to help support the immune system to fight off colds and flu.

It helps the body fight the symptoms of these infections by supporting the immune system, helping to maintain the body’s resistance.

Why Every Bride Should Wear a Garter

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Are garters a thing of the past? A recent poll had a mixed reaction. It seems some of you love them, while others think they should be consigned to the dustbins of history.

So how do you wear them and what should they look like? Garters are often ivory and blue silk, satin or lace – ivory to match your dress and the pale blue to be your ‘something blue.’ They come in old fashioned lacy Edwardian or racy contemporary styles in all colours and widths, with ribbons or crystals or, if you’re superstitious, a lucky 6pence in a matching bag stitched to the garter. You can even get edible candy garters for the naughty child in you! Garters should be worn mid-thigh and were originally designed to hold up silk stockings by tying a length of silk or cotton around the top, before the invention of elastic, or nylon, or tights for that matter!

Garters for every size of thigh

For slim or sexy thighs they provide an ideal wedding photography opportunity for the wedding album. And for sexy plus-size brides there are plus-size garters out there to fit every thigh. About a Bride offers plus-size bridal garters in dress sizes from 18-54. Yes 54! So there’s no excuse if you want to wear one!

Embroidered keepsake garters

Sweet Nothings Lingerie and Silk Garters both offer a bespoke service where you can have a garter made in your chosen style, colour and fabrics. A biker bride could have a leather garter made, another bride may prefer to have a personalized garter embroidered with her new married name and the date of her wedding to have as a keepsake long after the wedding.

Tossing the garter

These days many brides have two garters, one to treasure as a keepsake of the wedding, the other for her new husband to (ahem) ‘toss’ to the male guests at the reception. Traditional folklore has it that the groom removes the bride’s garter and throws it to his single friends after the wedding in much the same way that his new wife throws the bouquet, but this strikes a startling image of a hapless male struggling to get the darn thing off. No, once slipped onto a sexy thigh, we think it’s better left there for your new husband to peel off later, much, much later.

Your journey is about to begin

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Your journey has now begun and you are both on your way to being Mr & Mrs. but before you walk down the aisle or have that romantic first dance, you need to have the ever so popular engagement party! The engagement party is the time to get all your friends and family together to celebrate the brilliant news. Many questions surround engagement parties such as who organises the party, how close after the engagement should the party be, who should we invite etc. Well, here are some ideas…

Set the date- This is the most popular question… When is the right time for an engagement party? Well firstly, when you are engaged is a good start, but I figure you already know that! So the most popular time frame for an engagement party is within the first 4 months of your engagement. This is because there will still be such excitement and this is the calm before the storm of wedding planning. Go show off that new engagement ring, dance together as an engaged couple and enjoy the planning of the engagement party.

The Guest List- Firstly, do not invite guests to the engagement party who will not be invited to your wedding. This has happened before and can be quite rude. So make sure that the guests at your party will also be partying with you on your wedding day. The guest list can be as small or big as you like. Many futures brides and grooms prefer for the engagement party just to be close family and the full bridal party. Others want all their loved ones there, which can be very fun as you can then decide who is going to be that crazy friend at the wedding, which uncle will do the embarrassing dance first and which mum will cry first… yes these are some of the things to look forward to.

Invites- State clearly that is an engagement party, and not your wedding! You would be surprised at how often this happens. Also tell your guests the venue, time and dress code if applicable. Your engagement invites should represent what you and your fiancé are like as a couple so if you are having a formal engagement party, your invites should portray this. But if it is non-formal and more of a knees up then your invites do not have to be as formal. I know I know, but it is the small detail which makes all the difference!

Decorations- This is the part you can have loads of fun with. You could go and buy some engagement banners and balloons and have the balloons filled with helium for table centre pieces. These can be found very easily from any party store. You could also print out loads of photos of you and your fiancé from the day you met to the present day and place them around the room, your guests will love looking at these and it will bring back some beautiful memories. You could choose a theme for your engagement party and play on this. Even get your guests to dress up so your party really will be unique.

Entertainment- Your engagement party is overall the first steps towards your wedding and therefore it is a reflection of your wedding day. Your entertainment can be kept simple with a DJ and a few fun family games or you could go all out and hire a live band. Live bands are a great source of entertainment at an engagement party as they can talk to the crowd and really get them involved. You could also find some unique entertainment ideas such as a fun casino, caricature artist, a magician and even hire out a photo booth. The world is your oyster when it comes to your engagement party entertainment.

Overall just enjoy it all. This is you and your fiancés first official party as an engaged couple and that is all that matters. It is all about celebrating this massive milestone in each other’s lives and also spending it with your friends and family.

Confetti Confessions

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How many times have you been to a wedding where the bride and groom expect guests to shower them with confetti, yet no one has any? Were you supposed to take it with you, or has someone supplied it, until that one organised person pulls out a small cardboard box with paper confetti – it’s hardly the confetti moment the newly-wed couple were expecting!

Don’t let this be the same for your wedding;

Who buys the confetti?

Years ago, guests did bring it with them, however now couples want confetti to match their wedding theme to ensure it looks great in their photographs. With petals being natural, you have a wide variety of colours and petal types to choose from.
Will churches/venues allow confetti?

Churches/venues tend to now stipulate that no confetti is allowed unless it is biodegradable. This is due to the traditional paper confetti being difficult to clean up and harmful to wildlife. Natural petal confetti is 100% biodegradable and eco-friendly.

Where is confetti thrown?

It’s a good idea to go and have a look to see where you would like your confetti moment to be. You could take your photographer, as they will be able to tell you the best spot for lighting. Once you’ve decided where your confetti will be thrown, you can choose your confetti. If you are having your confetti moment against a wall, lighter and bright colours work well to ensure they stand out. If it is going to be in an open space, bolder, darker colours work really well.

Make sure your guests know how to throw

This might sound ridiculous, however, you only get one chance to capture that magical moment. Your confetti shot will be the most natural of the day as you aren’t posing thinking about the photographer, which means you want it to be as perfect as possible. Many couples now leave a sign next to their confetti, or have their ushers/bridesmaids explain to guests, telling them to grab a handful and throw up high when the time comes. The last thing you want is confetti in your face; throwing it high will ensure it flutters gently to the ground, which will look great on your photos.

Maximise your confetti

Natural petal confetti is great for decorating your wedding venue or using as a romantic petal path aisle for you to walk down. Order extra confetti and scatter petals around your table centrepieces; not only will it add colour and texture to your tables, it is perfect for making your table décor look more than what it is, especially if you’re on a budget.

How to plan a bridal shower

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The big day is almost here and things can get a little stressful and hectic. Planning a wedding can take up months of a bride’s life and can leave her feeling more relief to get the day over with than excitement for the day to come. Because of this, it is important for the bride to take a day off. A day to relax, eat cake, spend time with friends and family, play games and receive some gifts. Throwing a great bridal shower will be just what the bride needs to regain some of her sanity after months of wedding planning.

Plan Ahead

Usually the maid of honour, bridesmaid, mother or sister will be responsible for throwing the bride her bridal shower. It does not all have to fall on one person though. It is actually a good idea to have two or three people assist in the planning and covering costs. You should allow yourself about 6-8 weeks to plan the shower. Some of the first things you need to work out: What kind of party will this be? Formal or casual? Where will it be hosted? Your home, someone else’s home, a restaurant, a park, etc.? Will there be a theme? Sometimes it can be fun to have a gift theme; such as, lingerie, travel items or kitchen ware. Once you have these basics nailed down, send out the invitations as quickly as possible. Purchase generic ones and fill them out or have specialty invitations printed that match the theme or colours you have chosen. This is a special day to be shared with people that are special to the bride, so have her help with the guest list.

Entertain (and Maybe Embarrass) Her

Primarily, bridal showers are about both relaxing and getting gifts that are both fun and useful for the bride and groom. However, it is also important that everyone, both the bride and the guests, have a lot of fun. The most popular form of entertainment for a bridal shower are games. There are lots of resources online with lists and lists of different games to play. It’s important to choose games that match your bride’s personality. If she’s a shy person by nature, don’t pick the games that will embarrass her and make her uncomfortable. If the bride does not want games at all and wants the shower to be more of a party, then book entertainment. For a larger party, you might want to hire a jazz band classical ensemble or strolling violinist to provide background music as your guests mingle. It would also be interesting to hire an impersonator of one of the bride’s favourite celebrities for a meet and greet and to take photos with the guests. If the location for the shower is appropriate for it, perhaps you could hire a comedian or hypnotist to put on a short show for the guests.

For a smaller bridal shower with just a handful of guests, you might instead want to consider something other than a party. Take the bride and small group to the spa for the day, go antique shopping or maybe even plan an entire weekend out of town somewhere the bride loves or has always wanted to visit. Really, it all comes down to what the bride wants, so it’s a good idea to keep her involved.

Filling in the Details

No matter why time of day you have chosen for the shower, you must provide refreshments. Of course, the most important food to be present is the cake. Hire a cake decorator to design a cake that matches the theme or wedding colours. If the time of the shower lands between meals, then cake may be all you need in regards to snacks, but be sure to provide beverages as well or an alternative treat for those crazy guests that might not like cake. If budget allows, have the shower over a meal and hire a caterer to plan the menu and a waiting staff to handle all the work involved. If the caterer does not provide a bar service and you do want drinks provided, you might want to hire a bartender to serve cocktails, wine or champagne. Or to spice things up a little, hire a cocktail waiter! The guests can be entertained by juggling, flipping and magic tricks while also enjoying professionally mixed drinks!

Once you have all your ideas and plans in place, it is time start putting them into action. Set the scene with some great decorations that match the theme you’ve chosen, or if there is no theme, then just decor or flowers that match the wedding colours. It is also a good idea to provide some sort of party favours to give to the guests as a thank you for their attendance and contribution to the bride’s special day. Some good favours for a bridal shower would be candy, candles, picture frames or for smaller gatherings, something personalized for each guest. One fun idea is to have each guest take a picture with the bride-to-be and have a copy of the picture for both the bride and for the guest. You could have the photos printed on the spot, perhaps in a photo booth style set up, or just have them printed after the shower and the bride can send each picture to the guest with their thank you card. You can handle all the picture taking yourself, assign it to another guest, or for a bigger event, you may want to hire a photographer to be there so that everyone can focus on the fun and no one has to worry about capturing it all through a lens.

If all of this sounds like a lot to take on, you could always hire a party planner to handle it for you. However, with the right resources, and maybe a little help from friends, you can do it yourself and have a lot of fun doing it!

5 basic party planning rules

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It’s natural to stress over all aspects of an event but if you follow these five basic event planning rules, you’ll be a brilliant event planner in no time! So whether it’s your first time booking entertainment for an event or you’re an old hand, here are a few tips that it’s always worth remembering.

Make a List of Entertainment Ideas

This may seem like a no-brainer but always make a list of the entertainment ideas you have in mind for your party or event so that you don’t get side-tracked when looking at all the other event entertainment which is out there! There are a lot of superb entertainment acts out there but not all of them will be suitable for your special event. As such, it’s best for event planners make a list of the sort of thing you’re looking for even if you have quite a broad spectrum.

Get the latest exciting acts.

One of the most important things about being an event planner is that you need to know what is available on the market. After making your list of entertainment ideas, it’s now time to look out for any other acts the people seem to be excited about and consider the date as well. Make sure you get the latest exciting entertainment act.

Budget Wisely

Decide on a budget far in advance of when you sit down to allocate the funds to each part of your event or wedding. Entertainment can be pricey, as can each part of event planning, but shrewd event planners are the ones who do not waver from their initial costings and ensure that they are getting a good deal. Musicians in particular vary widely in price but rest assured we at Red Masque only advertise the very best acts who have excellent reviews.

Give Yourself Some Time

People like to plan early so don’t leave it until the last minute before booking the entertainment for your event. Some of the most popular acts are already being requested by event planners for weddings late in 2017, so don’t delay if there’s a piece of entertainment you just have to have! It’s better to book sooner rather than later as this also gives time to deal with any possible song requests or dealing with venue difficulties like sound limiters.

Think About Everything Else

Well, once you’ve hired wedding entertainment, it’s time to focus on other things. Event planning is all about juggling tasks and assigning time to each of them. Once your entertainment is booked, start thinking about how to improve your venue by picking a nice theme. Then onto the catering and flowers. It feels like it’s never ending but it doesn’t have to be. So book your wedding entertainment early and then allow yourself some time to think about everything else.

The best day of your life…

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It’s all about you

Your wedding day is a literally a day where you and your partner can embrace each other. Everything on the day is for the both of you; everyone is there to celebrate your love and marriage. Most importantly, it is a day to celebrate the start of your lives together!

The dress

Choosing your Wedding dress is possibly the best part of the wedding planning. It’s what every girl dreams of! It’s one time you can buy a really expensive dress without having to justify the price tag.

Wonderful company

One of the best things about the wedding is being able to spend a whole day with your closest friends and family. It’s all about love, laughter and celebration!

Pamper time

Although the morning of wedding is pretty stressful, it’s also a chance to be pampered by professionals whilst drinking champagne with your best girls. You can get your hair and makeup done professionally while you sit back, relax and think about married life!

Hen do

You may find it hard to get all of your best friends together at the same time to catch up and have a party. However, your hen doo is the perfect time for this! And what better reason to meetup to celebrate the fact you’re transitioning to married life. There are many ways to have a hen do, rather than going all out with sashes and tiaras, you could have a more formal affair where you dress up and have a sophisticated cocktail party.

Romantic honeymoon

Whether you decide to go to a hot country, go travelling or simply rent a quiet cottage in the countryside, a romantic getaway directly after your wedding is the perfect way to start married life. It gives you both a chance to let your hair down after months of planning the perfect wedding and look back on your memories.

Dream wedding

Everyone has an idea in their head as to what they want their wedding to be like, whether it’s princess Wedding, boho-inspired big day or a Disney themed affair, we’ve all been dreaming about the idyllic wedding since we were children. Now you’re a bride, you finally get to plan every single aspect of it, even from choosing what kind of cutlery you want! Although wedding planning is stressful, it’ll be completely worth it.

Love of your life

You know what the best bit of being a bride is? You get to marry the love of your life: your soulmate, your bestfriend and your love. If that’s not the best thing in the world, we don’t know what is?

Wedding Smart Apps

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Here are some Free ‘Smart Apps’ to help plan your Wedding…

Wedding Snap – Free

This handy app means you won’t miss a single photo from your big day, as it gathers guests’ smartphone snaps and compiles them in an online album that can be viewed in real time anywhere in the world. Plus, the live slideshow function also means the pictures can be shared during the reception itself, which adds a nice personal touch.

 

WeddingHappy – Free

When it comes to organisation, WeddingHappy is great for making sure nothing is missed. The app remembers your wedding date and keeps you on track to ensure everything gets done on time, as well as helping out with which tasks to tackle when. A one-stop shop to wedding planning ease.

 

Colour Inspector – Free

The days of carrying around colour swatches are over with this app that turns your iPhone into a colour detector. You can rest assured that everything you choose will be ‘on brand’ and nothing will be sticking out like a sore thumb

 

The Colour Genius – Free

This clever app from L’Oreal picks the perfect cosmetics for any attire, making sure that months of careful outfit planning isn’t ruined by bad makeup – great for passing on to your mum and bridesmaids.

 

With Apps that are free, there is no excuse for you not to plan the perfect Wedding!!

Get your man involved

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Society has lead us to believe that a groom’s only involvement in a wedding is to have a raucous stag party, show up to the wedding, and enjoy a tropical passion-filled honeymoon.

As we move away from old and antiquated ideals, men are becoming more involved in their wedding day, and the responsibility of planning a wedding no longer needs to fall solely on the shoulders of the beautiful bride.

The modern groom has taken on more and more responsibilities in preparation for the big day, however this doesn’t mean that you need to include him in every single aspect or detail. It is important that you find ways for your groom to be involved so you can work together for your dream wedding.

Don’t include him in everything

We know there are a lot of details and decisions to be made when planning the perfect wedding day, however many of them are far more important to you as a bride. While a groom might be excited about attending a cake tasting, he probably won’t be as thrilled about picking out table linens or dress designs. This doesn’t mean all grooms will be checked out when it comes to the details, but if you have a reluctant groom, don’t overwhelm him.

Tell him about any issues you’re facing

Most men have a desire to fix things; sometimes they even fix things that don’t need to be fixed – as you probably well know. However, if you are facing any issues, it is best to run it by your partner as you might be surprised by how engaged he becomes when he is asked about his opinion regarding any issues you’re having!

Respect that you care about different aspect of your big day

Don’t feel discouraged if your hubby-to-be isn’t as vested in everything that you think needs his full attention. It’s best to present a list of what needs to be done rather than let him choose what he is interested in. This doesn’t mean let him off the hook when it comes to being involved in the wedding planning process, just don’t let yourself get frustrated if he isn’t chomping at the bit to go pick out flower arrangements.

Embrace his creative side

If you have a husband who is handy, artistic, or loves music, finding a way to involve him could be easier than you think. Incorporating what he is passionate about into your wedding will be a great way to assure that you have an engaged groom. Let him book the band or DJ. If you’re groom is a tool smith, let him build something that can be incorporated into the ceremony, as it might even save you some money as well.

Make sure his input is valued

The most important step in this whole process is making sure that your groom feels as if his opinion is valued. If you ask him for his opinion and continually shoot it down, he will more than likely lose interest in playing a role in the wedding planning process. Make sure to encourage his ideas and find ways that they can be included in your wedding.

If you have a reluctant groom, try following these steps and encourage him to be more engaged! It will make your big day even more special knowing that you’ve worked together to make your dream wedding.