TOP TIPS FROM OUR EXHIBITORS FOR PLANNING YOUR BIG DAY
If you have a particular idea in mind that you can’t find on the website, ask your stationer if it’s possible. It often is and may not even cost you any more to have a totally bespoke set of wedding stationery that’s unique to you. Pennie Cooper | Be as precise as possible - Suppliers offering a bespoke service are an excellent choice but try and be as precise as possible regarding the music for the night as it helps the supplier really give you what you want. It’s important to state the types of music you don’t like as well as the sort of music you do like - there’s so much great music out there it’s easy to avoid any music or particular songs that you aren’t keen on! Beach Mercer | When choosing your venue, it is important to consider how the day will run in different weather conditions- many venues have beautiful gardens, but there may be little space inside for a drinks reception in the event of bad weather. As you look around, try to imagine where you will have your photographs, both inside and out, and ask the Wedding planner at the venue what their “wet weather plan” is. Hannah Solomon | |
Use favours as place settings to bring colour to the table, to tell people where to sit and also a lovely personalised gift from the bride & groom. Offer alternative fillings from the usual sugared almonds or chocolates. June Gadd Gadd’s Special Cakes and Stationery
| What Does A Man Wear? Certain styles suit certain people. A chisel chinned male model versus us mere mortals may look good in that flashy little number found in a magazine but it may not suit you. Do try and have an open mind about your suit style as well the colour and do try on as many as you can assist by a professional, experienced company. Pink Waistcoats? Ok guys it is your wedding as well but I doubt it was you who chose the colour scheme. Regards to your men’s outfits it is good form to co-ordinate with the general colour scheme but this can be fairly feminine. Fear not, many independent formal wear specialists now offer more manly designs whilst still co-ordinating with the modern colour schemes and styles. Service With A Smile. Yes please, wouldn’t that be nice! The modern shopping experience can be cold and impersonal. Wedding services should be anything but that so do try and choose services to help your wedding whose products are deserving of your choice and whose staff are experienced enough and actually care about the biggest day of your life. How Much? Remember that most services you choose to assist your wedding are just that, a service. Product is one thing but without a decent service or experienced or competent sales assistant, you may not actually get what you want. Choose a company that offers experienced and decent service; you can not put a price on that. Dress Up Or Dress Down So you wear designer labels when you go out or decent suits for work, why then think about wearing something cheaper for your wedding? I say take your wedding as an opportunity to dress up for the day both in style and quality. The bride will be, why not you? Stephen Bishop | Choosing lingerie: How many sets of lingerie will I need? The answer can be anything between 3 and 5 sets. I would always advise brides to consider wearing something comfortable under the dress. Spare stockings are essential and a spare string or brief will keep you feeling fresh. If you change for the evening reception you will also need suitable lingerie. Then you will want something really special for the wedding night such as a luxurious basque. And don’t forget to purchase some fantastic fashion sets for the honeymoon and silk chemises for bedtime When do I buy my lingerie? Try to buy your lingerie as early as possible, remember a dress can fit far differently with alternative underwear. Essentially once you have chosen your dress you need to find your lingerie before having any fittings, as this will drastically alter your shape. Whatever you do don’t leave it until last minute, I know of too many brides who rushed to buy lingerie late that failed to provide the comfort and shape on the day Sue Parker
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Don’t leave choosing your rings to the last minute. Every ring is made to order and if you are short of time, you will also be short of options. Trust your jeweller on the sizing of your rings, especially the Groom’s. When you are not used to wearing rings, it is tempting to choose a size too big and then it’s lost before the honeymoon is over! Julia Fleming | Choosing your photographer: 1. Don’t compromise on service – you should feel important and at ease from your initial enquiry onwards. A photographer should want to work hard at getting to know you. 2. Consider a company that offers 2 photographers – this equates to twice the coverage, and twice the memories captured. 3. Ask for, and follow-up, references. A good photographer will be happy to provide these. 4. Look for a company that pushes boundaries and is innovative with their style – Brides deserve so much more than a one-size-fits-all approach. 5. Some photographers offer a pre-wedding shoot. This is a great way to get to know your photographer better and will also allow you to become more comfortable in front of their lens - A good photographer will put you at ease and capture your true essence | Deciding on the best cake for you can seem like an epic task when there are is so much to choose from.Never be afraid to be a bit creative to help your cake stand out from the crowd! I would suggest choosing a key colour ,style or theme that runs throughout the Wedding, maybe a ribbon, lace from a dress or an image from your stationary. Take this along to your cake designer and using that element, let them create a cake totally bespoke to you. Simplictity works better than overcomplication. Rachel | |
Before your wedding day, step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with a new, exhilarating experience. It will help you feel more confident inside, so you will be able to relax and enjoy your red caret moment on the day! Choose any activity from sky diving, rock climbing or even making a pop video, but we recommend a BOUDOIR BRIDE photo shoot in one of our all female photography studios. Not only will it give you bags more body confidence it will give your favourite man on the planet a gorgeously private wedding gift! If you want to go for the BOUDOIR BRIDE challenge, do it today! Meet us at all the National Wedding shows in 2010, or visit www.fyeoportraits.com Alexandra Burns | My advice is that you should never be afraid to ask your cupcake or cake provider to tailor make your design for you. If there is a pattern on your dress or a motif on your invitations that you are fond of, it can look amazing to have the same design carry through to your cupcakes and cakes Harpreet Baura | When choosing a wedding videographer always ask to be sent a demo or sample dvd of a wedding the company has produced for a previous client. This dvd will give you an idea of the quality of the videography. This is what you are paying for at the end of the day. The quality of videographers work varies a great deal as do the prices. The more you pay for your wedding video does not guarantee you better quality. Judge the quality of their work yourself.
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My top tip for any bride is to ensure that they have a tub of MAC translucent powder with them at all times during their wedding day to ensure that their face stays shine free all day long which is immensely important as they will be having their picture taken all day and the last thing they want is a shiny face. A bridesmaid should be delegated this job.
| When marrying abroad it’s really important to choose the right location as well as the right season to make the most of that location. For example Italy is known as one the most romantic countries in the world. Italy combines beauty, culture and elegance, offering varied landscapes with stunning locations and most importantly good weather. Each season has their charms but summer is the most popular time, mainly as there is the chance to enjoy the sunshine and the pleasant climate. Summer is perfect for beach or garden weddings. It is also a good time of year for some of Italy’s more unusual venues, including boats, vineyards and agriturismo. | Choosing your cake: Make sure you do your research. Look at lots of pictures, get plenty of ideas and don’t be scared to show them to your chosen cake maker. Spend lots of time liasing with them, listen to their advice and taste their product but above all inject your sense of humour and style into it. It’s yours after all.
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Why not leave the videoing of your wedding up to your guests - it’s a great way of gaining personal, engaging and funny footage created by those closest to you - your friends and family! Shoot It Yourself wedding videos start from only £500 making it totally affordable AND not cheesy or exactly the same as everyone else because it’s shot by you and edited by us! Andrea Wiseman | With a little imagination there is so much you can do to create a wedding that you will love, and your guests will remember forever. Guests will not usually know everyone they are seated with and it is nice to have a few ice breakers to keep them entertained and talking - things such as name meanings printed on their place cards, little boxes of table trivia, or even designing a quiz based on the bride & groom would go down well. Rebecca Gregory | Choosing a videographer: Every wedding videographer will have their own style, so pick one that’s right for you and that you like. A good wedding videographer will also adapt their style to fit yours, whether it be how they film on the day, or how they edit it afterwards, so make sure they’re willing to listen and take on board your thoughts and preferences. Russell Jones | |
Obviously not everyone can make your wedding day, so being able to show those people the events of the day is very important. Why not think about putting your wedding video onto Facebook, YouTube etc so no matter where in the world someone is they won’t miss out.
| Choosing your wedding dress: 1) Choose a colour that flatters your skin tone, there is more of a choice than simply white or ivory! For example diamond white, oyster, pearl, gold or silver are popular colours. 2) Choose a shape that flatters your figure, and that means be open minded and try lots on until you find the shape and style that you are happy with! Lots of girls change their mind about style when they start trying them on! 3) Choose a dress that will be comfortable for the venue you have chosen, and the time of year. 4) If you have a strict budget, find out the price of the dress before you try it on to avoid disappointment 5) Have fun! | For a great hen do make sure that you absolutely enjoy it. It is always a worry when you have a lot of different people together on the same night and you will never be able to cater for every taste. However, your guests will get the most pleasure out of watching the hen having a fabulous time whatever you are doing so bear this in mind, don’t worry about everybody else and have a great night. Hazel Ford
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Shoes: If you find a pair that feel just perfect on your feet but lack in embellishment, do not feel discouraged, we’ve got a solution for that. We often customise shoes, we can add a silk bow, silk flowers, rich Swarovski crystal embellishment, glass or freshwater pearls or even cover whole of your shoes in stunning feathers. To avoid blisters use a hand cream to moisturise them throughout the day.
| If you’re finding it difficult to pick a colour theme but want to send the invitations out, why not go for elegant neutral shades of ivory, silver or gold and then you can add splashes of colour later on when you organise the table stationery. That way you can relax knowing that the important invites are posted and then can take your time playing around with colours. Jill Hembling
| Taking care of your wedding jewellery: To keep your Wedding jewellery tarnish free, it is important to look after it and keep it in the jewellery box it came in or invest in a jewellery roll/box to keep it in the best condition. Try and keep your jewellery in separate compartments to prevent tarnishing and scratching damage. Margaret Roberts | |
Wedding favours: Miniature cupcakes in tiny favour boxes can double up as place settings. Attach place settings to each special favour allowing them to become dual purpose as well as adding life and colour to a whole reception venue. | Keep your diamonds sparkling: The most successful and cheapest way to clean your diamond engagement or wedding rings is to use toothpaste and a toothbrush. Toothpaste is the most effective substance which everyone has at home and by putting a small amount on your brush, it not only brightens your stones but the brush will loosen any dirt or soap usually stuck to the back of your diamond, leaving your ring looking sparkling and new again. Have a go it really works! Sara Taylor | It is always worth trying different colour shades in bridal dresses and then looking at shapes/styles to establish what compliments your skin tone. Bespoke Bridal dresses are a great option, giving you complete control of colour, fit and style. Jessica Farringdon | |
1. Try to order your invitations well in advance.A good tip is to work 10 weeks back from your “posting out” date and that is when you should be ordering your invitations. 2. Guests lists change! And tea spills! So when ordering allow for approximately 10% extra in your numbers to allow for any changes, early declines or smudges!! 3. Don’t ever be afraid to ask your stationery company any questions you have – no matter how trivial they may seem! If you are unsure of wording, grammar, spelling and etiquette a good stationery company will advise you every step of the way and make tricky problems like excluding children from your wedding to dealing with plus one’s a dream - keeping everyone happy! 4. Many of you will have a colour scheme and will want everything to match. A good stationery company will go that extra mile to ensure you get as near a perfect match as possible, however, don’t stress too much if it’s not spot on. If you see a guest wandering around with their invitation trying to match it up against the chair sashes and the bridesmaid’s dresses we’ll eat the Mother of the Bride’s hat!!!! | When choosing a photographer my advice is to remember that you are not just paying for a package, you are investing in an entire experience, a service and a final product that will last a lifetime. The style and the experience of the photographer is the most important, as well as the overall quality of the work. This should be top on your list of priorities. He should also be able to work with you closely and provide a package that will meet your needs. | Combine ‘thank you’ gifts with your theme Why not double up and give your bridesmaids colour co-ordinated accessories as their ‘thank you’ gifts on your big day? Gift boxed and personal it not only themes their accessories to link in with your wedding day look, but makes the perfect keepsake they will always treasure. Julieann | |
Buying your dress: 1. It’s recommended to make appointments in advance of your visits to bridal boutiques, especially if you would like to try dresses on, this will ensure that a consultant is available to assist you, that a fitting room is available and seating for your bridal party. Appointment time will vary from shop to shop, it’s likely that you’ll spend 1-2 hours at each boutique. 2. Try not to cram too many appointments into one day, too many appointments will add up to dozens of dresses and your head may be in a bit of a spin by the end of it. One carefully chosen boutique in the morning and another one in the afternoon with a lovely lunch in between is a great pace and enjoyable balance. | Wedding Designing The best weddings are those that are personal to the Bride & Groom because you’re reminded how important the day is to the happy couple and that you’re fortunate enough to be sharing it with them. To create such an inspirational celebration clear your mind of ‘on-trend’ thoughts and think about what makes you as a couple special. How or where you met? A hobby or interest? Your favourite film; book; show; cuisine, era? As a theme starts to emerge keep the designing simple but be mindful of your theme in all aspects of your wedding plan. Attention to detail is the key to achieving the day of your dreams. And this applies equally to modest and intimate weddings as well as the more grandiose affairs. Take time sourcing accessories, tableware and entertainments. Remember what is often over looked highlights the care and attention you have devoted– both of which should be supplied with abundance for your partner and guests. Karina Rook, | When choosing a venue, be sure to think through all the possible weather combinations and make sure the venue will still be perfect. Too many people make their venue decision with a gloriously sunny day in mind and don’t think about how well it would work in the pouring rain. | |
When choosing your cake you want it to not only look great but taste delicious, shop around and don’t be afraid to ask you chosen cake designer questions such as: What types of ingredients they use? For instance do they use free range eggs and is the flour organic? These may seem small details but will make a massive difference to the finished cake. Do they bake the cake fresh or are they frozen? Also ask for samples, this way you know exactly what you’re buying and avoids disappointment on your big day when the cake is cut and served to your guests. | Choosing your florist: It’s hard to believe, but all florists are different! Many florists have shops & some have small studios. Before searching for your ideal florist, try to get an idea of what you would like. We have a very distinctive style at Roley flowers & our brides can connect with this upon seeing our work. It is important that your florist can demonstrate their ability & events such as the national wedding show are just perfect for this. Portfolios do not offer the same feedback as getting up close. You need to smell & touch flowers in order to appreciate their individual characteristics & charm. Last, but no means least, have a budget, but be realistic. | Going abroad for your wedding? The wedding planner needs to understand you as a couple, your relationship and your personalities, this enables the wedding planner to design your day around you and reflect you and your relationship. This information can be in the form of little anecdotes about you and your relationship, how you met and also elements of your relationship which are special. What are your interests as a couple? Do you enjoy food, long walks, adrenaline-pumping activities, music? Are your holidays normally romantic getaways, culturally filled city breaks, art and architecture inspired or surrounded by nature? How do you want your wedding to look? What atmosphere would you like to create? These are the key foundations on which to start building the theme of your dream wedding away. | |
Why pay for expensive 3 course set meals at your venue when you can get great food and create a great atmosphere with other options. For example get a hog roast for the main and a chocolate fountain for dessert. Cheaper and much more fun! Chocolate Melting Pot |
