Christmas Opening Hours

The Endless Love offices will be closing on Thursday 24 December and will re-open on Monday 4 January 2010.

Wishing you all the best for the festive season.

Caroline.

Christmas Floristry Workshop

I recently attended a floristry workshop at my sister-in-law's new venture; Half Penny House in Needham Market, Suffolk - website coming soon.

During the workshop we learned how to put together a Christmas table centre piece. I was really surprised by how much work and how much time it took to put together the arrangement. It really helped me to understand the work put in by florists and how much time it actually takes to create a beautiful arrangement. I thought i was finished, and then continued to work on my centre piece for another hour!

Here's a picture of the finished product - what do you think?

Half Penny House sells all kinds of wonderful things for the home and runs numerous workshops from sewing to painting!

If you would like to know more, please contact Nicola Gouldsmith on 07887 511081.

Book Review: Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf

I've just finished re-reading 'Diary of a Mad Bride' by Laura Wolf. I read it the first time when I was planning my own wedding in 2005. It's a light hearted view of the wedding planning process and will have you laughing out loud.

If you're looking for some light relief from planning your wedding - I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Enjoy!

Love Quotation

'There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved'

George Sands

Photographer Supplier Focus - BDi Creations

This month I met up with Garry and Mel from BDi Creations at their studio in Stowmarket. Garry has been a photographer for over 20 years and is well established in the wedding industry. Their style of photography is very relaxed and informal. There will always be two photographers present on the wedding day to ensure no special moment is missed. They will be with you from getting ready, right through to your first dance to capture all the memorable moments of your special day. There are lots of examples on their website www.bdicreations.com, including one of my favourites:

They include an engagement shoot in their package whereby the bride and groom to be can go along to the studio and enjoy a relaxing photo shoot and be treated like a celeb! They will even throw in a makeover for the bride to be. This is a great opportunity to get used to being in front of the camera and to get to know your photographers.

Wedding packages are around £1,500 and can be tailored to meet your requirements. Contact Garry or Mel on 01449 770311 or 07816 925326 to discuss. You can also email them at bdicreations@hotmail.co.uk.

Ideas for your table plan

Are you struggling to decide where everyone should be seated at your wedding? Why not try something different? Here are some ideas:

• Table Name Cards - the most formal. Name cards would be places at each place setting telling guests exactly where they should sit.
• Escort Cards - very popular in the US. Guests would pick up their name card at the entrance and it would have a table number on the reverse. You decide which table everyone sits at and they decide where on that table they will sit.
• Free For All - very relaxed. There is no table plan and guests can sit wherever they like.

It's your day - have the wedding that you want!

Christmas Mood Board

Christmas is fast approaching so I thought I'd put together a Christmas mood board to get you in the festive mood...




I love the Christmas bauble place card holder, might even use that for my Christmas Day table!

Money Saving Tip

Shop in the sales! December and January are great times to do some shopping for your wedding. Fairy lights can be found at bargain prices just after Christmas, as can decorative candles, vases and other table decorations.

Happy Shopping!

Venue Focus - Woodhall Manor

I was lucky enough to meet up with Faye from Woodhall Manor last month. Woodhall Manor is a beautiful wedding venue just outside Woodbridge, Suffolk.

The Manor House is privately owned and dates back to 1566. Nestling in nine acres of landscaped grounds and beautiful walled gardens, Woodhall has recently been lovingly restored with exquisite attention to detail. The house retains all the atmosphere and charm of a sixteenth century building, whilst the 12 en-suite bedrooms have all been individually decorated to a truly exceptional standard with every modern convenience.



There are three main areas for weddings:

• The Manor House
• The Walled Garden
• The Banqueting Suite & Long Bar

The Manor House is used for smaller weddings of up to 40 guests and is licenced for your ceremony.

The Walled Garden can seat up to 250 for an outdoor wedding ceremony, or if you would prefer an indoor ceremony, the ceremony room in the Banqueting Suite can accomodate 120 people.

The Banqueting Suite can seat up to 120 guests for your Wedding Breakfast and the Long Bar holds up to 250 for the Evening Reception with built in stage, lighting and sound system for your Band or DJ.

All catering is in house and a 3 course meal starts from £35.00 per person.

You will have exclusive use of the venue for your wedding and all events are tailored specifically to your requirements.

To find out more about Woodhall Manor please visit their website www.woodhallmanor.co.uk or give them a call on 01394 411288.

Love Quotation

'A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person'

Germaine Greer

Endless Love – featured service

This post will feature our On the day co-ordination service:

Everything is booked and the planning is complete. You want to day to flow effortlessly. We can take the stress out of your wedding and co-ordinate the whole day. All you have to do is enjoy yourselves.
We will:

• Meet with you two weeks prior to your wedding to discuss the full details
• Devise a timed plan of the day
• Provide unlimited email and telephone support to the wedding party
• Work with your chosen suppliers to ensure your day goes to plan
• Provide etiquette advice where required
• Experienced Wedding Planner present on the day for up to 9 hours to co-ordinate all activities

On the day co-ordination costs just £350 - a small price to pay for a completely stress free wedding day. Contact us for more details by calling Caroline on 01473 681201 or 07906 705191.

Top tips for your top table

Why not break the tradition of a formal top table? Here are a few alternatives:

• Sweetheart table – just a small table for two, the bride and groom
• Bridal party table – long top table but with no parents, just the bride, groom, bridesmaids, best man and ushers.
• Centre table – instead of being at the front of the room, have a round top table in the centre of the room with all your guests around you.
  

It’s your day – have the wedding that you want!