Behind the Scenes at Endless Love

As 2011 comes to a close I thought I'd give you a sneak peek behind the scenes at Endless Love and the reasons why I haven't been updating my blog as often as I'd like to be.


In May this year I gave birth to my second child, my son Rufus. This explains the main reason I've been away! Bring up two children as well as running a business is hard work and takes a lot of planning - luckily I'm pretty good at that! I co-ordinated a wedding in July for the fabulous Tori and Lukasz (look out for an upcoming blog post with more details on that wedding soon). Then I decided to take a couple of months off to spend time with my family. In October I was back and busy working on, and taking part in a photo shoot for the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners - look out for pictures on the blog very soon. In November I was invited to view a new venue in Suffolk, Bruisyard Hall. Do take a look at the website, its a great new wedding venue.


So, what's next?


So far I have plans for a new networking event in January, a photo shoot in February, an awards ceremony in March and some major changes to my website and blog - who knows what else...


Happy New Year to all my blog readers.
Caroline.x

Merry Christmas

Wishing all my blog readers a very Merry Christmas and all the best for a Happy New Year.

I hope to have the opportunity to work with you in 2012.

Caroline.x

Wedding A-Z: Y is for Your Day

I'm sure most of your married friends have told you that your wedding day will fly by! It's true. There's so many people to catch up with, they will all want to congratulate you - it's not surprising if you find yourself thinking 'Where's my new wife/husband?' regularly throughout the day. If you are getting married and holding your reception at the same venue, it's difficult to find some time alone together. However, I think its important that you make time to get away and spend a few precious moments together on your wedding day.

Here are a few ideas of when you can get away:

• Directly after the ceremony - ask the registrar to direct your guests to a different exit to you
• Before the wedding breakfast - ask your wedding planner to ensure all of the guests are at their seats before you make a grand entrance into the room as husband and wife
• Before the evening reception - take a few moments to get away and freshen up together before welcoming your evening guests
• Anytime - get together in a corner of the room and just watch all your friends and family having a great time

Your wedding day is one you will remember forever - make sure you have a few special moments that you can reminisce about together.


Photo credit: Ross Dean Photography
   

Wedding A-Z: W is for Wedding Planner

78% of Brides who have just got married wish they’d had a professional to help plan their wedding  (source: Brides Magazine)

So, why hire a wedding planner?

You work long hours and don't have the time
The average bride spends the equivalent of 6 full time working weeks planning her wedding. Hiring a Wedding Planner means you have one dedicated contact point who will be with you from the initial consultation right through to your wedding day.

You are hiring professionals to do everything else
Hiring a Wedding Planner is becoming the natural thing to do, 26% of UK Brides do. Why not get someone in who has done it lots of times before and has the experience of making the common mistakes, so already knows the solutions! A Wedding Planner will not panic when a problem arises, they will simply look at it logically and come up with a solution.

You will save money
With a keen eye for detail, a Wedding Planner will help you set your budget and more importantly help you stick to it! Wedding Planners work with venues and suppliers on a regular basis so can negotiate discounts and savings on your behalf.

You are really organised and don’t need any help
For really organised brides a wedding planner is an essential investment, especially on the day. Whilst you are at home getting ready the morning of the wedding, you can relax in the knowledge that your wedding planner is making sure everything is as you have requested. The napkins are in the right place, the chairs are positioned correctly, the cake has arrived, the florist has worked her magic with the table decorations and the caterers and venue are prepared for your arrival. You can enjoy the day without worrying about anything.

Creativity
Whether you want a traditional wedding that adheres to the conventional etiquette or a unique, wacky original design – a Wedding Planner will give your wedding the 'wow' factor.

Your venue includes a wedding planner in their price
On-site wedding co-ordinators know everything there is to know about their venue and can recommend suppliers. An independent and professional Wedding Planner will provide a personal, bespoke service that is specifically tailored to you.

You will not be stressed
Hire a Wedding Planner to deal with all the stresses of your wedding so you don't have to. You make all the decisions, we do all the hard work.


To find out more about hiring a wedding planner visit www.endless-love.co.uk.
  

Wedding A-Z: M is for Money Saving Tips

Weddings are costly affairs with the average spend at £19,265 in 2009 (source: You and Your Wedding magazine).

Here are my top ten tips for saving money on your wedding:

1. Set a budget and stick to it – use a budget planner to keep track of your budget, and ensure you have at least 5% put aside as a contingency.
2. Use local suppliers – by using local suppliers you will eliminate the additional costs that may be added for travel and delivery.
3. Get married on a week day or out of season – a lot of venues offer a discount for a non-Saturday wedding, and getting married ‘out of season’ i.e. October – April can reduce the cost too.
4. Use seasonal flowers in your bouquets and decorations – flowers that are not in season can cost up to twice as much as those that are. Work with your florist to choose seasonal flowers and keep the costs on track.
5. Serve your wedding cake as dessert – wedding cakes can cost as much as £500-£600, serving your cake as dessert can dramatically reduce your catering costs.
6. Think carefully about your guest list – around 40% of your budget will be spent on the reception; consider a smaller, more intimate ceremony and a big party in the evening.
7. Make your own playlist – instead of hiring a Band or DJ, create your own playlist and use an mp3 player, ask your guests to suggest some tracks when they RSVP.
8. Make your own invitations – you can buy everything you need to make your own invitations at a craft shop. Cut back on postage as well by hand delivering them where you can.
9. Shop around for your wedding attire – look in high street stores as well as boutiques and don’t try on anything that is out of your price range. Once you find your dream outfit, ring around other suppliers to see if you can get a better price.
10. Hire a Wedding Planner – wedding planners work with venues and suppliers on a regular basis so can negotiate savings and discounts on your behalf which can significantly reduce your costs, as well as covering the fee to hire a wedding planner!

 

If you would like help planning your wedding, visit our website to find out how Endless Love Wedding Planners can help. We offer a range of services from a bespoke hourly advice session to full wedding planning, including on the day co-ordination. Contact Caroline Gould on 01473 681201 or 07906 705191 for further information.

Wedding A-Z: I is for Intimacy

Have you thought about your wedding night?

The first night you spend together as husband and wife can be very meaningful and romantic.  It can also make you feel under pressure to have great sex when you are actually completely shattered and just want to sleep! 

Here's just a few top tips for enjoying your wedding night:

• Take your time and set the scene
• Spend some time talking about the day, share some of your favourite moments
• Pack a bag - make sure you have prepared for your wedding night and the day after.  I know a bride who ended up wearing her wedding dress the day after her wedding as she forgot to pack a change of clothes!
• Have a snack - its likely that you will have spent your wedding day celebrating and catching up with all your guests, you may not have eaten very much!

Just remember that the only people who know what happens on your wedding night are the two of you so please don't worry about it!
   

Getting Married Again

Second marriages are becoming more and more common. Planning your second wedding (or third, or forth even) will be a very different experience to doing it for the first time. You are probably that bit older and wiser and want to get better value for money. You will also want the actual wedding day to be different to your first. Perhaps your first wedding signifies a marriage that failed so what better reason than to make this wedding completely different.

There are several things you need to consider though:


Do you/your partner have children? Do you want them to be included in the ceremony? Do you want a big wedding or would you prefer to keep it low-key?

You may want to place more emphasis on the actual ceremony this time around, as it might feel more important to you or you might want to get away from it all and get married abroad.

Lots of venues have a civil ceremony licence, so the days of a church wedding and hotel reception are definitely over. You can even get married in Snape Maltings Concert Hall, or for a historical feel how about Christchurch Mansion or Kentwell Hall?

There are so many different ways you could get married, if you are getting married for the second time and want a break from planning it – hire a wedding planner to deal with the stresses so you don’t have to. By hiring Endless Love, you make all the decisions and we do all the hard work!

Photo credit: Gorgeous Bride

Royal Wedding Preview

I'm sure you haven't failed to notice that there is a very big event happening in London tomorrow!  The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton takes place at Westminster Abbey at 11am, but there will be lots happening all day.

The Official Royal Wedding website has released detailed timings for the day as follows:

8.15 -9.45am The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.
From 9.50am Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries, the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
10.10am The Bridegroom and Prince Henry of Wales leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.15am.
10.20am Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
10.20am Mrs. Michael (Carole) Middleton and Mr. James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27am.
10.25am Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.30am.
10.35am The following Members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40am: The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugenie or York, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
10.38am The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42am.
10.40am The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.45am.
10.48am The Bridesmaids and Pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55am.
10.51am The Bride, accompanied by Mr. Michael Middleton, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.
11.00am The Marriage Service begins. The Marriage Service will be relayed by audio speakers along the Route.
12.15pm The Carriage Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by The Queen’s Procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.
12.30pm The Bride’s Carriage Procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
12.40pm Members of the Royal Family and Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
From 12.40pm Other guests for the Reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1.25pm The Queen and the Bride and Bridegroom, together with their Families, appear on the Balcony.
1.30pm Fly Past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Miss Catherine Middleton, accompanied by her immediate family, will spend the night before the wedding at the Goring Hotel. This was the Middleton family’s personal choice.
All arrivals at Westminster Abbey are at the Great West Door unless otherwise indicated.

The wedding will be shown on various big screens in London as well as extensive coverage on all the main TV channels.  I've already booked my seat on the sofa in front of my mun & dad's new big screen TV - my 3 year old daughter is most excited to see a real life princess getting married!

Where will you be watching the Royal Wedding?
   

Wedding A-Z: G is for Groom

It can be very easy to get so absorbed in planning your wedding that you forget about your groom!  Make sure you are including him in at least some of the planning - here's a few suggestions:

• Get him to view venues with you - it's important that you choose a venue that you both like
• Ask his opinion on flowers and colour schemes
• Ask him to research Bands or DJ's
• Ask him to help choose the menu

Direct him over to the Staggered website as well - it's a wedding website developed especially for men.

Their tag line sums it up for me: Weddings, Blokes, Sorted!

Enjoy!

Choosing the Perfect Dress

Part of my job involves going along with brides to search for their perfect dress – as a wedding planner, I can provide a no nonsense, impartial opinion and relate that to how the style of dress will fit with the overall theme and design of the wedding, as well as how well the style suits the bride.


The first thing most brides to be will do as soon as they get engaged is buy a stack of wedding magazine and start turning the page corners of the wedding dresses they like. A pattern will soon emerge and there is likely to be a style of dress that you continually go back to - but try not to set your heart on something purely based on a picture. Think about the outfits you have in your wardrobe and try to go with a similar style to your favourite dress. It’s your favourite dress because it fits you well and you feel comfortable in it.

Keep an open mind when going to try on dresses, and remember that the dress designers fit brides in wedding dresses every day so they really do know what they’re talking about – ask them for their opinion.

A strapless full gown doesn’t suit everyone, yet it is one of the most popular styles of wedding dress. You can still feel like a Princess in other styles. For example; if you are slightly larger in the bust area (like me!), you could really benefit from some structure and probably some straps to help you feel more secure (particularly for dancing!).

Most importantly you need to feel comfortable, the last thing anyone wants to see at a wedding is a bride constantly pulling up her dress or fiddling with the straps …and you just want to enjoy the day. Dress designers can work wonders with a needle and thread, my underwear was sewn into my dress when I got married so I didn’t have to worry about any unruly bra straps!

Good luck with your search for ‘The Dress’, if you would like a no nonsense impartial opinion when dress shopping contact us to find out how Endless Love could help you.

Wedding A-Z: F is for Food

Deciding what to serve your guests to eat is a tough decision.  Do you go for something you like? Or, do you try to please all of your guests by choosing a menu that will (hopefully) suit everyone? 

 

 

Here's a few things to think about when choosing the food for your wedding:

 

• What time is the wedding ceremony?  If you are getting married at 3pm most guests will likely have lunch before they leave home, however if the wedding is at 1pm they may not have time to eat beforehand.
• Will you serve a formal sit down meal or a more informal buffet style?
• How many times will you feed your guests? Will you have a sit down meal in the afternoon followed by a buffet in the evening?
• Will you be serving anything else? i.e. canapes?

 

Here's a few ideas to 'mix it up' when it comes to food:

 

• Why not have a candy bar?  Guests can help themselves to your very own pick n' mix sweets, the candy bar can easily be themed to match your wedding colours, or simply to include the sweets you like.
• Serve bacon rolls at around 11pm - we did this at a wedding I planned last year and they went down a treat!
• To keep the costs of a 3-course meal down, serve canape's with the reception drinks and follow it with a main and dessert course.

 

What will you serve at your wedding?

 

 

Picture credit: Talbooth Catering

 

 

Endless Love in the Press - A Royal Wedding in Suffolk

Have you seen the latest issue of Pure Weddings magazine?  It features an article I have written about the royal wedding - here's the article:


Prince William and Kate Middleton will be married at Westminster Abbey on Friday 29 April, followed by a reception at Buckingham Palace – but how would I plan the wedding if it were to take place in Suffolk?


Venue
One of my favourite venues in Suffolk is Hengrave Hall near Bury St Edmunds. I think it would be perfect for a Royal Wedding in Suffolk. There is a private church in the grounds and the main house is just a stones throw away. With sumptuous accommodation and a great selection of rooms which would be exclusively yours on the day – it’s the perfect location for a royal wedding in Suffolk.

Food
I think a traditional drinks reception would suit Kate and William with champagne and canapés served on the west Terrace – maybe with a great duo act like Mango Acoustic providing some background music, accompanied by garden games on the lawn.
This would then be followed by a traditional sit down wedding breakfast. Talbooth Catering do all of the catering at Hengrave Hall and I think they could create a bespoke menu fit for a Prince!.

Transport
It has already been announced that Kate will be going against royal tradition and will be travelling to her wedding in a car, rather than the glass carriage. The great thing about the venue I have chosen is that the bride and groom can get ready there as well (in separate rooms of course), so would be able to walk through the beautiful grounds of Hengrave Hall straight to the church.

Dress
For Kate it has to be a bespoke gown made just for her. We are very lucky to have a fabulous designer here in Suffolk who has made dresses for royalty before, Clare Perkins from Silk Rose. Clare’s design for Kate is a high regal lace neckline with long finely beaded lace sleeves, a bias cut silk bodice that flares out at the thigh. With lace godets inserted all around the bottom of the dress and a cathedral length train at the back this dress would make anyone feel like a Princess.
I would love to see her bridesmaids in shorter gowns with some fabulous shoes, maybe in a gentle spring lemon colour.

Suits
I think the men should go for something traditional, perhaps black or charcoal morning suits for William, Harry and their father, Prince Charles. It would great to see the groomsmen taking on the colour of the bridesmaids too.

Design
I think the overall design of the wedding should be traditional with a modern twist. There will be certain things with a royal wedding that can’t be compromised, like the guest list for example, but there are lots of areas where Kate can have the freedom to choose what she wants.


If you would like help planning your wedding, visit our website to find out how Endless Love can help. We offer a range of services from a bespoke hourly advice session to full wedding planning, including on the day co-ordination. Contact Caroline Gould on 01473 681201 or 07906 705191 for more information.

Wedding A-Z: E is for Emergency!

In the past you may have heard me talk about my wedding day emergency kit.  This is my box of tricks that contains everything I might need on a wedding day to resolve any kind of problem that may crop up.  This is something I naturally bring along if you hire me for On the Day Co-ordination, to ensure I am well prepared for any eventuality.

Now I don't expect all Brides to have quite as extensive a kit as I do, but there are certainly a few essentials I would recommend throwing in a bag and leaving at the venue 'just in case'.

• baby wipes (great stain removers)
• chocolate
• deodorant
• hair grips
• hairspray
• hand held mini fan
• hankerchiefs
• mints/breath spray
• paracetamol/asprin
• party feet
• plasters
• safety pins
• scissors
• sellotape
• sewing kit
• stain remover
• sting relief
• tampons, panty liners etc.
• tissues
• white chalk

What's the one essential thing you have in your emergency kit?

Guest Book Cheat Sheet

Are you one of those people who knows exactly what to write when the guest book lands in front of you?  Or are you like me?  You really want to write a meaningful and memorable message for the bride and groom but as soon as you have the pen in your hand you go completely blank!

Why not give your guests a steer in the right direction with a cheat sheet to get them started, here are some message inspirations:

The time is .......... and I'm feeling ..........
In three words I see the bride and groom as ..........
The highlight of the day so far for me has been ..........
My favourite memory of these two together is ..........
My crystal ball tells me that in five years time these two are ..........
To guarantee they live happily ever after, the best marriage survival tip I can offer is ..........
A personal message to the bride and groom from me ..........
My name is .......... and my relationship to the bride and groom is ..........


What did you last write in a wedding guest book?


Photo: UK Greeting Cards
   

Wedding A-Z: D is for Dance

Your first dance as a married couple is an opportunity to show your personality and love for one another and traditionally gets the party started.

So what will you do for your first dance?  Do you have a 'song'?  Some couples have a particular song that means something to them and their relationship together.  Whilst a slow love song might seem the most obvious choice it is perfectly acceptable to choose a more upbeat number.  If you want to you can even take lessons beforehand and hire a professional to choreograph a routine for you.

Take a look at Best Wedding Dances for some great examples of first dances.  However, make sure you get a cuppa before you visit - you will be on this site for hours!!

For song suggestions, you can check out sites like You and Your Wedding or First Dance UK for 'top ten' lists.  I decided to do a poll of my family and friends and this is their list of first dance songs:

Marylin Monroe - I Wanna Be Loved By You

Elton John - Your Song
The Beatles - I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Lonestar - Baby I'm Amazed By You
Ben E King - Stand By Me
Bon jovi - Always
Delta Goodrem - Fortune & Love
Texas - So In Love With You
Tom Baxter - Better
Ronan Keating - Superman
Frank Sinatra - Fly me to the Moon
Extreme - More Than Words
Take That - A Million Love Songs
My first dance was 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Frank Sinatra.  My husband and I took dance lessons and we did a Foxtrot.

What will you do for your first dance?
  

Come and Meet Endless Love

Endless Love will be exhibiting at the Suffolk Wedding Show this weekend - here are the details:

Sunday 27th February 2011

Wherstead Park, The Street, Wherstead, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 2BJ

11.00am - 3.30pm

Free entry!

Endless Love will be in the atrium at stand number 27, come and meet Caroline and have an informal chat with her about how she can help you plan your wedding.

We will also be launching a very special discount offer on our forthcoming Wedding Planning Workshop which will only be available to Suffolk Wedding Show visitors so come along and find out more!

We look forward to meeting you there.

Don't forget to read my top tips for Getting the Most out of Wedding Fairs before you go!
  
   

Wedding A-Z: C is for Ceremony

Choosing the type of wedding ceremony to have is one of the most important decisions you will make.  Forget about the dress, the beautiful flowers and the colour scheme for a moment and take some time to think about the serious commitment you are making to one another.  There are many, many options when it comes to the marriage ceremony so I have included the most popular below:

Church of England

The Church of England has its own website dedicated to weddings that will give you all the information you need to know about planning a church wedding.  See the Your Church Wedding website for more information.


Civil Ceremony

You can marry in a civil ceremony at any Register Office ceremony room or at any licensed approved premises.  For civil marriages you do not have to marry in the area in which you live.  The ceremony is conducted by a registrar.  See Getting Married in Suffolk and the Celebrate in Suffolk brochure for more information.

Please click on the links for more information about each of the above.  Unfortunately I don't have enough hours in my week to research the many different types of ceremony available and all of the detailed requirements for each one - however as soon as I have a new client it's one of the things I love learning more about.  For example: I planned a wedding for a Polish bride last September and learnt an awful lot about Polish wedding traditions! 

Contact us now if you would like to find out how Endless Love can help you plan your wedding.


Picture Credit:
St Mary at Stoke Church, Suffolk Churches
Civil Ceremony, Seckford Hall
  

Wedding Planning Workshops

Would you like to plan your own wedding but don't know where to start?

Come along to our interactive workshop that will give you the knowledge and tools needed to plan a stress free wedding on budget.

Sunday 13 March 2011

9.00am - 12.30pm

Ufford Park Hotel, Golf & Spa

You will go home knowing how to have a stress free wedding, how to save money, how to work with suppliers and much more. Below is an example of a mood board:

Everyone that attends the workshop will make a mood board for their wedding, a great keepsake and a great place to start thinking about your theme.

Just £50 per person or £75 for two
Places are limited | Refreshments will be provided

"The fee for the workshop was small compared to the money we saved"
Kathryn Quinton, Wedding in July 2010

If you would like to know more about the workshops, please call me on 01473 681201 or 07906 705191. You can also contact me via my website http://www.endless-love.co.uk/.
  

Wedding A-Z: B is for Budget

Weddings are costly affairs with the average spend at £19,265 in 2009 (source: You and Your Wedding magazine).  One of the most important things you will do when planning your wedding is setting your budget - you may have some money put aside for your special day, now is the time to think about how much you feel is reasonable to spend on all the elements of your wedding. It may also be worth setting up a dedicated wedding bank account to start saving.

Here are my top ten tips for saving money on your wedding:


1. Set a budget and stick to it – use a budget planner to keep track of your budget, and ensure you have at least 5% put aside as a contingency.


2. Use local suppliers – by using local suppliers you will eliminate the additional costs that may be added for travel and delivery.


3. Get married on a week day or out of season – a lot of venues offer a discount for a non-Saturday wedding, and getting married ‘out of season’ i.e. October – April can reduce the cost too.


4. Use seasonal flowers in your bouquets and decorations – flowers that are not in season can cost up to twice as much as those that are. Work with your florist to choose seasonal flowers and keep the costs on track.


5. Serve your wedding cake as dessert – wedding cakes can cost as much as £500-£600, serving your cake as dessert can dramatically reduce your catering costs.


6. Think carefully about your guest list – around 40% of your budget will be spent on the reception; consider a smaller, more intimate ceremony and a big party in the evening.


7. Make your own playlist – instead of hiring a Band or DJ, create your own playlist and use an mp3 player, ask your guests to suggest some tracks when they RSVP.


8. Make your own invitations – you can buy everything you need to make your own invitations at a craft shop. Cut back on postage as well by hand delivering them where you can.


9. Shop around for your wedding attire – look in high street stores as well as boutiques and don’t try on anything that is out of your price range. Once you find your dream outfit, ring around other suppliers to see if you can get a better price.


10. Hire a Wedding Planner – wedding planners work with venues and suppliers on a regular basis so can negotiate savings and discounts on your behalf which can significantly reduce your costs, as well as covering the fee to hire a wedding planner!


If you would like help planning your wedding, visit http://www.endless-love.co.uk/ to find out how Endless Love can help. We offer a range of services from a bespoke hourly advice session to full wedding planning, including on the day co-ordination. Contact Caroline Gould on 01473 681201 or 07906 705191 for further information and to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.
 

Wedding Planning Workshops

Would you like to plan your own wedding but don't know where to start?

Come along to our interactive workshop that will give you the knowledge and tools needed to plan a stress free wedding on budget.

Sunday 13 March 2011

9.00am - 12.30pm

Ufford Park Hotel, Golf & Spa

You will go home knowing how to have a stress free wedding, how to save money, how to work with suppliers and much more.

Just £50 per person or £75 for two

Places are limited | Refreshments will be provided

"The fee for the workshop was small compared to the money we saved"
Kathryn Quinton, Wedding in July 2010

If you would like to know more about the workshops, please call me on 01473 681201 or 07906 705191. You can also contact me via my website http://www.endless-love.co.uk/

Wedding A-Z: A is for Attire

Part of my job involves going along with brides to search for their perfect dress – as a wedding planner, I can provide a no nonsense, impartial opinion and relate that to how the style of dress will fit with the overall theme and design of the wedding, as well as how well the style suits the bride.


The first thing most brides to be will do as soon as they get engaged is buy a stack of wedding magazine and start turning the page corners of the wedding dresses they like. A pattern will soon emerge and there is likely to be a style of dress that you continually go back to - but try not to set your heart on something purely based on a picture. Think about the outfits you have in your wardrobe and try to go with a similar style to your favourite dress. It’s your favourite dress because it fits you well and you feel comfortable in it.

Keep an open mind when going to try on dresses, and remember that the dress designers fit brides in wedding dresses every day so they really do know what they’re talking about – ask them for their opinion.

A strapless full gown doesn’t suit everyone, yet it is one of the most popular styles of wedding dress. You can still feel like a Princess in other styles. For example; if you are slightly larger in the bust area (like me!), you could really benefit from some structure and probably some straps to help you feel more secure (particularly for dancing!).

Most importantly you need to feel comfortable, the last thing anyone wants to see at a wedding is a bride constantly pulling up her dress or fiddling with the straps …and you just want to enjoy the day. Dress designers can work wonders with a needle and thread, my underwear was sewn into my dress when I got married so I didn’t have to worry about any unruly bra straps!

Good luck with your search for ‘The Dress’, if you would like to ready my story of how i found my wedding dress, click here to read my post on it from August last year.  If you would like a no nonsense impartial opinion when dress shopping contact us to find out how Endless Love could help you.


Picture credit: The Wedding Place

Questions to ask your Wedding Planner

If you are getting married in 2011 now is the time to start thinking about hiring a wedding planner. Hiring a wedding planner can be a significant investment of your wedding budget. Here are just a few questions you should ask wedding planners when considering who to hire:

How long have you been planning weddings? How many weddings have you planned?
You should not expect a big number here! If a wedding planner is going to assist you in planning your wedding, do you really want them to be planning lots of other weddings at the same time? To plan a wedding well takes a lot of time; researching, negotiating and finding the suppliers that are just perfect for the client and their budget. You should be suspicious if your wedding planner says they plan over about 10 per year. Most wedding planners will only have around 3 or 4 in progress at any one time as there will be an awful lot of detailed work involved with each one. As some of you will know my background is in hotel based wedding co-ordination. During this time I would often have around 40 weddings on the go at any one time, but please remember that I was only dealing with the things that happened at the hotel and I had a massive team of staff that ran the events on the day (sometimes two at a time!). Having worked on a large number of weddings like this means that I really appreciate the care and attention that is needed to produce beautiful, unique events from start to finish, and can really focus on every detail when I am only working on a couple at a time.

What experience/qualifications do you have?
Anyone can set-up in business as a wedding planner, it’s really important that you interview potential wedding planners to find out what makes them the right planner for you. Ask about the training courses they have undertaken and organisations they belong to. I trained with the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) and since I launched Endless Love I have been an associate member. This means I adhere to the UKAWP’s code of ethics:

Respond to enquiries within 48 hours.
Respect client confidentiality.
Disclose all suppliers that they have a vested interest in.
Always pass discounts and/or commission onto the client.
Ensure their Public Liability insurance is up to date.
Never give client details to any third party unless for the sole purpose of the wedding.
Respect copyright of all planners, co-ordinators and related suppliers.
Represent each client fairly and honestly.

How do you keep up to date with industry news and wedding trends?
You will find most wedding planners are very active in the world of social media, with twitter accounts, facebook fan pages and blogs (like this). Do some research in advance of meeting potential wedding planners; take a look at their website, follow them on twitter, become a fan of their page on facebook and read their blog. All of this will help you get to know them and find out more about their business.

Are you married?
If a wedding planner is married themselves the will have had the unique experience of what it’s like to be the Bride and deal with all the stresses of the wedding day. Hiring a planner (even just for the wedding day) means you can have a relaxing and enjoyable morning getting ready with your bridesmaids as your wedding planner will be at the venue making sure everything is set-up as you wish and that any problems are resolved quickly and efficiently, usually without your knowledge of anything going wrong.


All good wedding planners will offer a free consultation so you will have the opportunity to get to know them before you make a decision. Your wedding planner will become a big part of your life over the next year or so – it’s important that you like them and get on with them!

To find out how Endless Love could help you plan your wedding, contact us now to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

Photo credit: Ross Dean Photography
  

Where to start...

Were you lucky enough to get a marriage proposal as a Christmas present? My congratulations to you if you are newly engaged and about to embark on the exciting journey of planning your wedding.


In this post I'm going to give you a few pointers as to the first things you need to do now that you're engaged.

 

1. Tell People - you can put a formal announcement in the press if you wish, but most people ring around family and friends to tell them their exciting news.
2. Set a realistic budget - you may have some money put aside for your special day, now is the time to think about how much you feel is reasonable to spend on all the elements of your wedding. It may also be worth setting up a dedicated wedding bank account to start saving.
3. Draft a Guest List - it will be difficult to book a venue (and ultimately set a date) if you don't know how many people are going to be there. Some venues will only be licenced up to a certain number and you don't want to cram all of your guests in. Likewise, you wouldn't want your 80 guests to be lost in a room big enough for 300.
4. Must Haves - any newly engaged couple will have ideas of what they want to happen on their wedding day. Now is the time to talk to your partner and agree on a few 'must haves' that are important to you both for your wedding and will take priority. It may be that your cake is a certain flavour, the bride's mum does the flowers, or you go somewhere really special for your honeymoon...

Visit my blog weekly for lots of planning tips, advice, inspiration and supplier features.

  

If this all seems too much, you can hire a Wedding Planner to guide you through the entire planning process - see our website for more information on how Endless Love can help you have a stress free wedding day and planning experience.  Including information about the next Wedding Planning Workshop on Sunday 13 March - the perfect way to spend a morning; learning everything you need to know to plan your wedding.

  

Happy Planning!

 

Photo Credit: Tiffany & Co.