Tag Archives: weddings

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 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.

 

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.

 

Winter Wedding

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So you’ve decided to tie the knot in winter, congratulations! Whether you’ve chosen it because it’s a fantastically festive time or so you can spend sensibly on wedding suppliers, you likely still have a few concerns.

Snow, chilly temperatures and red noses are all possible, so here’s your three-step winter wedding survival guide for an effortless and beautiful big day.

For you

  • Remember to purchase faux-fur wraps for you (and don’t forget your bridesmaids!) to keep the chill off. You’ll probably be outdoors at least for the photographs, and these fashionable wraps will make sure you’re cosy enough to enjoy them!

  • Tissues and makeup top ups will be your handbag essentials. Red noses and rosy cheeks might be commonplace in the colder weather, but you don’t want them colouring all your wedding photos. Reapply makeup regularly over any redder spots to keep your complexion picture perfect. These winter hair and beauty tips will be your best friend.

  • The colder weather, more muted colours and darker days will all benefit from a bit of brightening up. Choose sparkly embellishments on your dress and accessories to reflect the light and add some wintery charm.

  • On a more practical note, make sure you’ve got colour co-ordinated brollies and wellies on hand. If it’s wet or it snows, you’ll be perfectly prepared to stun in your photos still without getting soggy feet!

    For your guests

  • We all know and love the flip flop basket at weddings for comfy feet, but for winter weddings we recommend adding a blanket basket, too. Add a chalkboard sign encouraging guests to help themselves to make sure everyone stays suitably toasty.

  • Your wedding food can also help by offering winter warmer canapés and drinks. Think hot canapés like miniature fish and chips or steak and chip skewers as well as hot chocolate, mulled wine and s’mores galore.

    For your reception decor

  • Red, white and green, ice cool blues, glittering golds and ivory – whatever winter wedding styling you choose, decide whether you want warming tones or to celebrate the season’s iciness. Stick to one idea throughout for a cohesive reception style.

  • The days draw in quickly in the winter, so you’ll have more hours of darkness than a summertime wedding. This makes lighting an essential part of the winter wedding survival guide. Even if you’ll be embracing the atmospheric glow, ensure there are plenty of candles, fairy lights or alternative lighting available. This is also a great time of year to include fireworks or sparklers at your wedding because you won’t have to wait so long into the evening to do so.

Tips about Marquee weddings

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Marquee weddings are a popular choice this year for bringing chic wedding design touches, outdoors! With some clever wedding styling you can have the best of both worlds and create a confident, cosy environment that doesn’t have to be dictated by the weather! With everything, there are certain practicalities to be considered when executing an event successfully for a large number of people.

Don’t forget the extra’s

Before you set your heart on a marquee wedding, remember that there are a lot of extras that incur further fees. You’ll need to hire everything to go into the marquee, carpet, catering, kitchen equipment, furniture, flooring, wedding entertainment, lighting, cutlery, crockery, glasses and staff!

You can’t get married in a Marquee

In the UK only permanent structures that meet specific requirements can be licensed for weddings. You will need a licensed ceremony beforehand, then enjoy your reception in the marquee with your

loved ones!

Know your space

Make sure you’re aware of the size of your marquee. Ask the company for floor plans to make sure there is enough room to fit all of the tables, dance floor and any extra furniture with the wedding cake stand on. You’ll also need enough room for the waiting staff to get around the tables to serve your guests!

Never underestimate the heat

It always surprises people how hot it gets in a marquee full of people on a summer’s day. Bare this in mind for the sake of your guests, cake and wedding flowers! Provide fans or air conditioning units and start them up just before everyone arrives if it is a particularly warm day!

Autumn Weddings

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Planning a Wedding of your dreams? Autumn is the perfect time to get married. Something about this season just makes you want to curl up with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, and who better to do that with than your new husband or wife?

First Thing’s First: Indoor or Outdoor?

It’s tempting to have an outdoor wedding in Autumn, especially for those in the leafy areas. Keep in mind that while it is very beautiful, the Autumn can be quite chilly. Never fear- you can have both the comforts of home and nature’s beauty, whether you’re inside or out. Here’s how:

Outdoor Weddings

The wonderful thing about having an outdoor wedding in the Autumn is how simple the Styling can be on your part, while still achieving a breath-taking ceremony. The rich hues of red, orange, yellow, green, and brown decorate themselves. Warm, seasonal colours will surely pop against that perfect white gown. But, let’s talk colours later. The tricky part about outdoor weddings is weather. Wedding planning takes months and months of careful planning, and unpredictable weather changes can be a serious threat to your perfect day.

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Plan ahead. Schedule Wedding Suppliers ahead of time. In most cases, you can do this through the same service that provides your chairs and tables. Because weather is flippant and unpredictable, most vendors will have a reasonable cancellation policy for marquees, allowing you the freedom to make the call much closer to the date without scrambling to find a marquee at the last minute. Talk to your vendors. They want your day to be perfect, too.

Keep It Simple

With so many vibrant colours around you all of the beauty that nature has to offer- clean, classic decorations go a long way.

Lights. Consider using white string lights, vintage-style iron lanterns, or round paper lanterns to offset your colourful surroundings.

Sparklers are the new confetti and it’s no surprise why. Aside from being beautiful and inexpensive, sparkler send offs make for gorgeous wedding photos and by opting for sparklers over confetti.

Add seasonal Accessories. Chances are you will need to make some final touches. Depending on how classic or rustic you want your ceremony to be, the amount of decorations will vary. For a more rustic approach, consider decorating with bales of hay, bright orange pumpkins, and natural wood. For a classic look, all of these same ideas could still apply, but probably in smaller doses. Consider painting the pumpkins and using them as vases/centrepieces for a sleeker look.

Indoor Weddings

For those of you with indoor weddings, weather and temperature won’t be as much of a concern. But, to have a true autumn themed wedding, you will have to bring nature inside to you! Here are some recommendations that may help you achieve that Autumn look you’re searching for.

Let Mother Nature Inspire You

Natural wood tables and chairs. Going with a very simple and natural looking wood will bring the feeling of nature inside.

Leaves. This one’s a freebie! Bag them up and bring them inside to decorate. You can line the aisle with bright, multi-coloured leaves for an outdoor feel.

Make use of the pumpkin. They aren’t just for Halloween. Aside from the endless possibilities of seasonal pumpkin foods and cocktails, they make wonderful decorations. Paint them, spray them with glitter, carve your initials into them, mark them with table numbers, use them as vases or candleholders…

Regardless of Location…

Choose bridesmaid’s dresses and Bouquets that are rich in colour. Popular colours for autumn include burnt oranges, deep reds, golds, chocolate browns, and dark purples.

Take advantage of what the season has to offer by using autumn colours, serving seasonal food and drinks, and using your favourite things about autumn to create beautiful centrepieces, placeholders, and other decorations.

A bright white dress will pop against an autumn colour palette, for sure. But, if you’re going for a more vintage look, go for a creamy off-white dress instead.

Last, but certainly not least, enjoy yourself. We wish you a wonderful autumn wedding and the happiest of marriages!

Make your music work for you

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Music is a very personal to each individual and it will play a very important part of planning your perfect Wedding. You don’t have to be from a particular faith to enjoy a piece of music, just go what feels best for you. The Wedding ceremony music has to be right for both of you, and to have the right piece played, you will remember your wedding day for years to come.

To help you choose, this is a list of some wedding music that you might want to consider including in your repertoire:

Wedding Ceremony Music– The Common Requests

 

1. “Air in G” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (J.S. Bach)

2. “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9(Beethoven)

3. “Trumpet Voluntary” or “Prince of Denmark’s March” (J. Clarke)

4. “Clair de Lune” (C. Debussy)

5. “Hornpipe” from Water Music Suite (G.F. Handel)

6. “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (F. Mendelssohn)

7. “Canon in D” (J. Pachelbel)

9. “Allegro from Spring”, first movement theme from The Four Seasons (A. Vivaldi)

10. “Bridal March” from the opera Lohengrin or “Here Comes the Bride” (R. Wagner)

Favourite choices for Christian weddings:

 

1. “Amazing Grace” (American Folk Melody)

2. “Ave Maria” (F. Schubert)

3. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (J. S. Bach)

4. “The Lord’s Prayer” (A.H. Malotte)

5. “Simple Gifts” (Elder Joseph)

 

Favourite choices for Jewish weddings:

 

1. “Dodi Li” (N. Chen)

2. “Erev Ba” (O. Avissar & A. Levanon)

3. “Siman Tov” (traditional Israeli song)

4. “Sunrise Sunset” from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”

Favourite choices for Celtic weddings:

 

1. “Mairia’s Wedding”

2. “Star of the County Down”

3. “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”

4. “Skye Boat Song”

5. “My Wild Irish Rose”

Outdoor wedding venues

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Outdoor wedding venues give you so many more options when it comes to location and usually provides beautiful scenery. On the other hand, there are so many more potential problems and obstacles that can arise by having an outdoor wedding. This is mainly due to the fact that you never know for sure what on earth the weather is going to do. So here are some tips for planning an outdoor wedding.

Location

First you need to decide which location you want to have the wedding at. Have you had your heart set on a beachfront wedding at sunset ever since you were a little girl dreaming about your wedding? Or maybe you prefer a more rustic, woodsy setting. The options are endless: at the park where you shared your first kiss, in your back garden, or at the cinema, the list goes on and on!

Once you choose your wedding venue location, go through the proper procedures. Be sure no one has booked the area for another wedding or event. If the site is public property, get a permit to hold your wedding. Most parks and public beaches require a permit. Also, check with the council on what the rules and regulations are on rubbish removal, and if you can have candles, etc.

Prepare for the Weather

Once you have chosen a location, you will need to set a date. While setting the date, keep in mind of what the weather is like there during that time of year. The UK is a little unpredictable we know, but although it may be raining in the summer it’s usually a nice temperature.

Prepare accordingly for the potential weather and have a backup location in case the rain tries to spoil your day. One item that can really save the day is a marquee. A marquee can save you from light rain and can help shade your guests on a hot, sunny day. A marquee isn’t the cure all for all rain though; if it is a downpour, the ground under the marquee will get soggy and muddy. You’ll still want to have a backup, indoor location just in case. Another weather factor you need to take into consideration is the wind. When choosing wedding hair and makeup, relate to your hairdresser that you’re going to have an outdoor wedding. The stylist will be sure to give you a fantastic look that won’t be blowing away in the wind.

Accommodating Your Guests

Be sure to take care of your guests. If it’s going to be a hot day, have fans and bottled water available to your guests. Be mindful of your guests when you’re setting up the seating, etc. Make sure they’re not blinded by the sun the entire ceremony. It’s also nice to give them some notice in the invitation what to expect. For example, suggest they wear comfortable shoes for sand or soft ground or to bring sunscreen or a sun hat for a bright day.

Keep your guests in mind on a few other notes as well. With an outdoor ceremony, you’ll discover a lot of extra noise all around, whether it be the waves coming ashore or the wind blowing through the trees. Work with your band or DJ to get a wireless microphone or some sort of sound system set up for you.

Don’t Forget!

Here are some things you may or may not think about while you’re planning, but are important to help your day go as smoothly as possible. Have ample seating for your guests both at the ceremony and reception. There are a lot of wedding suppliers out there, and most of them also offer linens, chair covers and marquees. Linens and chair decor are great ways to boost the overall look. If you’re holding the reception outdoors as well, you’ll more than likely need to rent a dance floor.

An outdoor wedding is a beautiful way to have your special day. Keep in mind these suggestions when planning. Also, take tips and advice from any of your vendors (photographers/ videographers) who have worked outdoor events. They have the experience and know about situations that can arise.