Tag Archives: party

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.

What your bride wants to hear in your groom’s speech

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You popped the question, the date is now set, the venue booked, invitations are being printed, the stag weekend is in hand. Just that minor matter of a groom’s speech still to write…

You’re not at all anxious, but why is your fiancé? Here are some top tips on how to keep her happy on the big day…

Big up the bride

Although it’s good practise to mention the best man and your ushers, and make a bit of fun at them at their expense, always remember that your wedding day is about your bond with your bride, not your best mates.

Thank your new in-laws

If your bride chooses not to speak at the wedding, she probably won’t get the chance to thank her parents publicly for all they’ve done in helping to organise the big day, and indeed for all the help, love and support provided over the years. So it’s down to you to do it for her – and she’ll love you for it.

She’s your wife – don’t be shy mentioning it!

Nothing gets more of heart-warming cheer than the line “my wife and I…”. I agree it’s predictable and a little bit cheesy, but the novelty of hearing it for the first time never fails to make a new bride smile, or indeed every one of your guests.

Keep it original

Using the occasional predictable phrase, as above, is fine, but don’t get too reliant on these one-liners, or your speech could easily sound like an internet cut and paste job. Your new bride wants you to talk about her, so be creative and keep it personal.

Mention her looks

Dazzling, stunning, beautiful – however you wish to say it, make sure you comment on her appearance, and in a positive way. The expensive dress, designer jewellery, trips to the hairdressers, manicures and facials count for something!

Remember this is a celebration of love

It isn’t your chance to deliver a 10 minute comedy stand-up routine. So try to combine your witty one-liners with a good dose of sincerity. Why did you ask her to marry you? What is it about her that you adore? How has your life changed (for the better!) since you met her? Which of your bad habits does she have to live with?

Delete all stories of ex-girlfriends

However ‘understand’ your new wife is about your future and not the past, there’s a time and a place for mentioning the exes, and the groom’s speech isn’t one of them.

Direct your speech to her

Although you’re giving a speech to, what is often, a large number of people, you don’t always have to talk to the room. It can be far more meaningful and personal if, when you’re talking about your wife, you actually speak to and make eye contact with her. But remember to keep projecting your voice. Your wife will want the guests to hear what you have to say about her, even if you’re not addressing them.

Your wedding photography checklist

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You don’t want to forget anything. All those important moments need to be captured.

  • The Photos You Really Don’t Want to Forget on Your Wedding Day
  • Before the ceremony
  • Shots of the bride and bridesmaids getting ready
  • The bride and father in the wedding car
  • The groom preparing
  • Wedding dress hanging on a beautiful hanger
  • Wedding Shoes
  • Groom waiting (nervously!) outside venue
  • Shot of the bridesmaids
  • During the ceremony
  • The bride’s grand entrance
  • The guests’ faces on seeing the bride
  • The groom waiting at the altar
  • The ring exchange
  • The kiss
  • Register signing
  • Bride and groom leaving
  • A confetti shot
  • It’s traditional to have photographs of:
  • Bride, groom, best man and ushers
  • Bride, groom, and both sets of parents
  • Bride and groom as new couple
  • Bride and groom with bridesmaids
  • Bride and groom with brothers and sisters
  • Bride and groom with grandparents
  • Bride and her mother
  • Groom and his father
  • Bride and groom with friends
  • Whole bridal party and guests

 

Reception

  • The decorated room and table plan before the guests arrive
  • Bride and groom entering
  • Speeches
  • Cake cutting
  • First dance of the bride and groom

Of course, you can add to and amend this wedding photography checklist however you want. But these are the classic images to build around. Enjoy your big day!

Planning the perfect Hen party

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The Hen party is one of the events surrounding your wedding that you may be anticipating but not know too much about- which is why we are pointing you in the right direction that will help you, your friends, and your family know what to do when it comes time to plan your Hen party,

Although you are completely invested in your wedding planning with the help of your fantastic vendor team, your Hen party is one of the moments when you’re likely going to take a step back and let your Mum, maid of honour, or bridesmaids step in. While you might like a quick planning break, your party may be the first larger scale event that your closest ladies have planned, and they might feel a little overwhelmed. So to keep the panic at a minimum, here are eight of our best tips so your shower is one you and your guests will all enjoy and remember:

1. Don’t be afraid to offer a few suggestions.

Both you and your groom have already built up a rapport with a team of vendors you can’t wait to work with on your wedding day, so don’t be afraid to share their names. Although your best ladies might have ideas of their own, offering the contact information of the pros you love will cut their research time down to a minimum. Also, if you’ve been dreaming of a specific Hen theme, make it known and share your Pinterest board. Lastly, make sure to share the names and contact information of the ladies that must be included on the guest list. Then step back and let the others do the planning.

2. Decide if the Hen party is a surprise.

Traditionally, Hen parties were always a surprise; however, there are times when a surprise just isn’t in the cards. If the bride does not like surprises, fill her in on the bare minimum specifics – date, time, location, and a hint about what to wear. If none of these points sound like your situation, then surprise away! Whatever you opt to do, make sure to decide early on.

3. Contact a photographer.

Although the number of pros you opt to work with for a Hen may be far less than a wedding, a professional photographer is simply a must. And their calendars fill up quickly! Personal recommendations, chatting with the bride, and taking a peek at the guest lists are all great places to start in order to find a photographer. Let the hosts and guests enjoy the party rather than worrying about capturing every moment from behind a lens.

4. Choose your venues, theme, menus, and time.

One point influences the other, which is why they are often a package deal. Some of the most popular venues are country clubs, wine bars, restaurants, and private homes (gardens are a wonderful option!). If you are thinking about hosting the Hen party at a country club or restaurant, know that you’ll be working off of their menu options. A home allows you to completely customize everything from the colours and décor to the menu and length of the event. In terms of menus and times, plan your Hen party for brunch or lunch and have a length of at least four hours in mind.

5. Know your DIY limits.

Taking on a few projects as a group, such as décor design, menu planning and preparing, creating escort or place cards, or creating an event timeline (writing down the key moments that must happen during the shower and when will help you immensely) is completely fine. But, don’t feel as though you have to tackle every project without a professional. Know your limits whether that’s in regards to time, comfort, or creativity, and consult with a pro if you no longer feel comfortable or confident.

6. Games or no games.

Hen parties are known for their games, but sometimes they might not feel completely organic to the event you have in mind. Playing your own version of the newlywed game complete with the bride or groom answering fun questions about their relationship on video and guests voicing their guesses tends to be a great option. Another plan – create a ribbon bouquet for the bride to use at her rehearsal as a group. Leaving the games to a minimum will allow all of the guests, including the bride, to relax and mingle instead. Plus, it leaves more room in the event timeline in case lunch or opening gifts takes more time than you had initially intended.

7. Invitations!

Similar to a wedding, plan to mail your invitations at least 6-8 weeks in advance of the party, if many guests are traveling in from out of town, send the invites earlier to allow everyone time to make arrangements. Make sure to include all of the basics on your invitations – time, date, location, and what to wear.

8. Event lead up & day of…

If you hired professionals, make sure to confirm all of your plans and provide any additional details at least two weeks in advance. Attempt to complete DIY projects several days, if not a week, in advance (obviously, this excludes food and flowers). Know your rainy day plan – whether that’s moving to a marque or moving indoors, make your decision at least two days prior to the Hen party. Finally, allow more time than you initially thought necessary to set in terms of events, there’s no such thing as too much set up time. Finishing early just means you have time for a another glass of champagne.

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.

Winter Wedding Cake Flavours

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or your winter wedding, pick a cake that tastes like winter. What does winter taste like, exactly? Think rich flavours — and don’t be afraid to stray from the traditional white cake. Consider a caramel spice cake filled with caramel and a buttercream, or an orange chocolate cake with dark chocolate filling and decorated with flecks of orange. For a lighter cake with a taste that still reflects the season, go for a white cake with cranberry buttercream frosting and filling.

Wedding Cake Colour

Colour counts for every wedding cake, and nothing says “winter” better than a palette of whites, icy blues, and deep reds or rustic greens mixed with brown. Add a hint of winter colour with a simple chocolate ganache-covered cake trimmed in light blue, or an ivory buttercream cake trimmed in red. Or let the winter colours pop with an ivory cake covered in red sugarberries and green sugar holly leaves.

Wedding Cake Shapes and decorations

When it comes to a winter wedding cake, snowflakes, pinecones, and other winter elements made out of chocolate, sugar, or rice paper are an obvious choice. But you don’t have to go overboard with these decorations to get a wintery look. Instead, you can order a white cake with subtle white sugar snowflakes. The tone-on-tone look will up the elegant factor and still give you the same seasonal effect.

Wedding Cake Sides

Whether you’re already set on a wedding cake design or you’ve decided to take your wedding cake in a not-so-seasonal direction, consider serving a winter-inspired side with your wedding cake. Serve cake with black walnut ice cream; add a handful of mints to each plate; or indulge comfort-food lovers with warm chocolate pudding.

An Ideal 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, 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 wedding 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.

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.

Head Up the Head Table

A traditional head table is not round but long and straight, and 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

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. (How romantic!) 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.

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 Maud at table three and Aunt Lucy across the room at table 15. Trust us — they’ll appreciate it.

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!

Keeping the children happy

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Keeping older children happy on your big day can be somewhat of a challenge, but here are some wedding entertainment ideas that they can bring along to maximize ‘smile satisfaction’ for 6 to 12 year olds…

Snakes & Ladders, Ludo, Draughts, Chess, Monopoly and Guess Who, to name but a few. These fantastic family favourites are played with a group of children and, wherever possible, a member of staff who oversees the game, as well as injecting extra fun into the proceedings. The object of the game, more often than not, becomes to beat ‘Miss’ at the game.

Arts and crafts are a must for this age group. Producing a number of handmade items relating to the wedding that they can take home always goes down well. We supply a large selection of craft activities such as badge making, door hanging signs, wooden craft boxes, drawing, scratch art and wooden spoon puppets.

Hoopla Hoops, Skittles, Blind Man’s Bluff, Bubble Disco, Hall Games, What’s The Time Mr. Wolf, British Bull Dog, I dropped My Keys are all huge favourites when it comes to more active games. These games can be played anywhere… Great if it starts raining and you have to move proceedings inside.

Older children love to return to games they had when they were younger. Play-Doh is always the outright winner here! They get great pleasure from kneading, stretching and moulding the Play-Doh; it’s a very calming activity in fact. On top of this, they can then produce a model of their own design, which is incredibly rewarding for the child, providing tons of conversation, laughter and joking around as a result.

Story time… why not get a group of children together and start a story going, for example you could start them off about a story of an ‘alien living on the moon’, each child will be asked to follow on the story after two sentences. Their imagination will run wild and the story can be as imaginative as they like and great fun too!!

The evening Wedding reception

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The evening reception can be so important as this is when everybody comes together to really celebrate your wedding. This is the moment where you can bring in your wider group of friends who maybe haven’t been part of the day as a whole, work colleagues, family members who are maybe more on the periphery, and really throw a party to remember!

 

Now there are many reasons why you would want to do this at your wedding. Of course it’s going to be a lot of fun for you and your guests and is a great way to end the night. However, one of the overlooked aspects of this is the importance of really making your mark and having that incredible defining moment for everyone to witness!

Live Music

Having a big party at the end of the night is a great statement and will really imprint a memory for your guests so they will never forget you or your celebration. To get the party started there are many styles of entertainment you can look at depending on what atmosphere you want to create. At the very least there has to be music of some kind! Whether that’s via a professional DJ, a jazz band, a party band… there needs to be something there that people can enjoy listening and dancing to.

Children’s Entertainment

Further to this, if you know that there will be plenty of children at the evening reception it can be a good idea to have something in the early part of the night to keep them entertained. Whether this is a face painter, a balloon modeller or something along those lines, it can be really helpful to have some children’s entertainment so your guests can mingle and chat amongst themselves. After all, there may be a few who haven’t seen each other in a while and could do with a good catch up!

Break The Ice

On the other hand, there may be guests who have never met each other before and it can be really helpful to hire some kind of wedding entertainment that will help break the ice and set the tone for a great party as the night goes on. Entertainers such as magicians and caricaturists can be really useful for this as they create a buzz. They get a small crowd involved and watching that gets people laughing together and helps them get acquainted.

 

When Things Don’t Go To Plan

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Anyone who has been involved in the planning of any wedding will know that for a wedding to go 100% to plan is unheard of. Entertainment is perfect for covering up any cracks or mishaps throughout the day that you might not expect. Minor hiccups that could have initially been a big deal are all of a sudden completely brushed off and forgotten about once everyone is smiling and having fun.

Remember, when viewing your venue option, ask the wedding planner if there is a curfew for loud music or entertainment. You’ll find that quite a lot of venues have this in place, particularly hotels with other guests. If the curfew is ten o’clock and you always imagined you’d be partying through the night, perhaps find another venue that will be able to accommodate late celebrations. If all else goes wrong, you’ll want the party to be a success.

We hope you take this advice on board when you are in the first stages of picking your venue. Remember, if you are completely set on a form of entertainment, you need to make sure it’s doable before you finalise your venue! If you’re still looking for ideas for your event, we have plenty to browse through on Red Masque.

Toastmasters

Now if we’re talking about displacing stress on your wedding day, it’s about time that we mentioned the hero that we all need and deserve. Toastmasters. They will ensure a smooth and efficient running of your day, coordinating all elements of the day. This way you can relax entirely, knowing that your big day is in the safest of hands.

So it seems after all that it is possible to have a stress-free wedding. We wish you all the best of luck and remember to relax and take some time to enjoy your big day.