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!
   

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!

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

 

 

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?

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?
  

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 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 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