30 Days to Go

Checking the To Do List

As the days are ticking closer and closer to our big day, I’m getting more and more concerned that we have got everything ready.

Like most brides, I want our wedding to be perfect. I don’t want anything to go wrong or be forgotten, so with a month to go, I am checking and rechecking my To Do List.

picture from ohsobeautifulpaper.com

Going over my To Do list really helps me to calm down and realised that everything we have to do is manageable.

To Film or Not to Film, That is the Question

To Film or Not to Film, That is the Question

Hiring a videographer is becoming more and more popular, however, does your budget stretch that far? With some videographers charging upwards of £300 is it financially viable? A hefty chunk out of any budget… at my wedding £300 equates to 6 meals, or a wedding car and a half, or 30 pairs of wedding shoes! (I had them made to order in China, soooo comfortable!)

And think about it, really, as much as your friends and family love you, how many of them will sit for 2 hours and watch your lovely but long wedding video? I love weddings (could you guess) and I could sit to watch wedding videos but with the best will in the world, I couldn’t last 2 hours! And if it does cost £300 I would want it to last 2 hours at least!

An alternative is to ask a guest to video your wedding. At my bessie mate’s wedding, her sister who was a bridesmaid videoed a lot of the wedding. A cousin later used the footage to mix in with still pictures when creating a wedding video. That video was a very manageable 30 minutes, just perfect! The video clips added a very personal touch to the still photos and brought the video to life. I do think there is a lot of merit in videoing a wedding.

Most cameras these days have a video option. My camera does, as does my phone!   (I wouldn’t suggest using a phone camera as the image quality isn’t suitable for TV standard.)  With this option on most cameras, any of your guests could be a potential videographers, and so many easy to use video editors available such as Windows Video Maker which is free with windows, or iMovie which is free on Apple Macs (and better than Windows Video Maker, if only it worked on PC’s) then anyone can make a wedding video.

I recently made a video for my niece and nephew’s christening, and I also made a video for my friend’s wedding before that. Even people who aren’t that good with a computer could put together a very effective and meaningful wedding video using these simple to use editing programs.

For top tips on videoing your friend’s wedding, see Jake McMillian’s blog.

However, if you do decide to hire a wedding videographer, there are some very professional videos out there. Some photographers offer videography as part of their service. That would mean that your photographer and videographer would be working in sync and produce a much better product. Alternatively, your photographer might be able to recommend a videographer they have worked with before, or your venue may be able to recommend someone who has impressed them in the past. Often, if a service has been recommended through another person, you may receive a discount on their services.

To answer the question of ‘to film or not to film’… I think you should film, but not hours and hours of footage. Think of your audience, who will watch the video? Film key moments in the wedding, touching moments that you will want to remember for the rest of your marriage: walking up the aisle, exchanging the rings, walking down the aisle, some moments outside the church, the speeches, cutting the cake and the first dance.

If you do know any good videographers to recommend, please post them as a comment in my blog. Alternatively, if you know any good tips for videoing a wedding, post those in the comment box too!

My Venues - Key Questions

I've started to build some ideas for looking at venues. I was convinced there were almost no nice wedding venues in the West Midlands but after lots of searching (and some help from my mum!), I've found quite a few!

There are lots of different types of venues: country grandeur, city chic and quirky unique. I'm going to blog about all these different types of venue, linking in to venues all around the UK which fit into these ideas, but personally I'm looking for a venue with country grandeur. I want the long drive, the rolling hills, the grand country house with all the history and beautiful, romantic architecture.

Before I go to these venues, I've got my Bride Ideas notebook on me and a space to jot down some questions ready to ask the wedding coordinators. Here are some of my ideas for questions to ask:

• Maximum capacity
  This is an important question because it also says how many people you can invite. If you're having a 300 guest wedding extravaganza, a venue that only holds 60 guests isn't going to work for you.
  Also ask how those guests are seated. A venue that recommends 60 guests but can hold 100 may use long tables instead of circle tables. If you have your heart set on circle tables, this type of venue wouldn't be for you.
  
• Exclusive use
  Are you happy to share your venue with another bride? Some venues are exclusive because they don't have room for another wedding, other venues charge for exclusivity.
  
• Car parking
  This might sound like a boring question, but you will have a lot of people attending your special day. Making sure they have sufficient space to park their cars is just one small step into making the day enjoyable for everyone.
  
• Confetti
  Does the venue allow confetti to be thrown? Is it certain types of confetti? Are you allowed to sprinkle confetti on the tables? Some venues are listed and don't allow confetti to be thrown.
  
• Staying over
  After a long day, you may want to collapse into a hotel bed with the prospect of a hotel breakfast the next day. Can you stay over at your venue? It would mean putting off the tidying up, moving things about and final payments until the next day.
  
• Bride and Groom Room
  Is there a room the bride and groom could have a private five minutes? It's a busy day, you might want five minutes to just take a break. If you can stay over, this might be your hotel room, or if not staying over there might be a spare room for a sit down and a drink.
  
• Quiet spaces
  At the end of the night, when the music is loud, is there a place your older guests can go to be quiet? When looking for venues, I have discounted venues that didn't have a separate room or space for my older guests. Not everyone likes loud music, and to have a good atmosphere at your wedding it's important to make sure everyone has a good time. At my friend's wedding in the summer, guests were standing outside or sitting on the garden furniture outside, would that be possible for your guests?
  
• Menus and Prices per Head
  Ask for some sample menus to get some good ideas of the type of food you will get for your budget. Look at the prices per head and what that includes. Per head, your price could include red carpets, drinks, canapés, and a room for the night. Compare that to other prices where drinks are separate or extra.
  
• Carriages
  Some venues have carriages at 12:30, others will go to 1:00am. Some venues, such as hotels, will have carriages at 12:30 but allow you to continue the party in the hotel bar until you feel like going to bed.
  
• Cancellation policy
  Of course we are not going to cancel but if we do, how much of the deposit will we lose? Things happen, make sure if anything does happen that you know what costs you will need to pay. Read all your terms and conditions!
  
• Payment Dates
  There will probably be dates when you need to make certain amounts of payments with a final payment the morning after your wedding, if you sleep over.
  
• Marriage licence
  Do you want to get married at your reception venue? You will need to make sure that the venue has a marriage licence so that this is popular.
  
• The less common things:
  If you'd like fireworks at your wedding, Chinese lanterns or an arrival by helicopter, remember to ask your venue if they allow these.

I'm taking these questions and ideas with me as I go to visit venues and I'll write a review of the ones I'm going to see. I'm only looking for myself in the West Midlands, but I'll try to recommend venues all over the country. 

Wedding Books

There is a sea of wedding books out there. Some are helpful, some are not. It depends what kind of help you need. 

My Recommendations:

• The Wedding Companion
  A ring binder folder filled with information and spaces for you to write your own information. I'm using mine to keep all my suppliers contracts, wedding insurance and printed out emails. Tanya's information is interesting too and provides a few hints and help.
  Buy it on Amazon
• Bride Ideas
  An invaluable organiser, ready for keeping notes no matter how many ideas you have. It's a coil notebook with pre-set places for bridal notes. I find it really useful for comparing venues, suppliers, looking at different quotes and deciding on the best one to go with.
  But it on Amazon
• Wedding Babylon
  A frank and honest look behind the scenes of the wedding industry through the words of a wedding planner.
  Buy it on Amazon

These are the books I actually own and use myself, but there are other books you could buy or borrow from a library: I've reviewed the books below, I think they're pretty good and fairly useful. 

Useful for keeping all your notes together:

• Wedding Planner - On Amazon
  
• Wedding Notes Theme Mini Notebook - On Amazon
  
• Wedding Planner: Journal for Notes - On Amazon

Guides to Planning You Wedding

• Beautiful Weddings: Hundreds of Stylish Ideas for Your Big Day - on Amazon
  
• The Ultimate Wedding Ideas Book - on Amazon
  
• Creative Wedding Ides (Everything (Weddings)) - on Amazon
  

The sea of wedding books out there, it's difficult to decide which ones to buy. If you want the most up to date information, the magazines are the best to buy. The books are nice to keep, to put with all your wedding things after it's all over. 

Check List

We've set a date! We have chosen a date for our wedding. This all makes it seem that little bit more real. Fiancé didn't think we needed to set a date just yet but I pointed out that things need to get done and he relented. He says he can see how much it means to me! Next Easter I will be Mrs Wong!! Eeeeek!


Right, so we need to get things sorted! I've thought of a check list just to get my ideas in my head. There are lots of check lits out there, you can google search for some ( google search ) or there are loads in the wedding magazines, but I've prepared one here. A users guide to preparing for a wedding.


To start with:

• Talk with my fiancé about the type of day we're going to have: is it a big do/a small do? Is it here or abroad?
• What type of ceremony are we going to have? A church or a civil ceremony?
• Decide on the budget
• Start looking at venues - when you know venue capacity, you will know how many people you can invite!
• Start attending wedding fayres! Even if you don't book anyone from a fayre you can see different suppliers and see different styles. Some suppliers take cakes, bouquets and samples to fayres so you can get a really good idea

Then (about a year before):

• Ask your friends to be bridesmaids, but have a real think about it. Make sure you know who you want, girls who will be there for you no matter what!!
• Book your ceremony!
• Look at photographers and choose one
• Begin looking for the dream dress!
• Start thinking about your guest list - make some notes, group people by must haves, and maybes... this will be harder than you think!

Next (at about 9 months before):

• Start visiting venues and trust your gut! If you love the first venue, then book it straight away. If you have to look at 10 venues until you find the dream venue then so be it. 
• Try to order your dress about now, but some girls may find it harder to find the perfect dress, so don't worry too much
• Choose and book your florist
• After tasting some lovely cake samples, book your cake
• Order or buy your stationary
• Speak to your bridesmaids about their dresses, are you going to dictate to them what they're wearing or do they have a choice?

After that (at about 6 months):

• Order the bridesmaid dresses you discussed
• Book a honeymoon - yay!
• Book your transport, if you're using any
• Select a hair-dresser or makeup artist
• If you're having a church do, select some readings and who will read them
• Look into hotels for your guests
• If you're getting wedding rings made, start getting them made now

Then (at about 3 months):

• If you're not getting them made, look into buying them now
• Send out your invites!! - I like that bit!
• Think about what kind of wedding favours you want, and order them
• Make sure you have your wedding night accommodation
• Have some trials at your hair dresser and make-up artist

Next (at about 2 months):

• Confirm your menu with your venue or caterer
• If you have your RSVP's, you can start your seating plan
• Choose your DJ and think about what music you want, how about your first dance music?

Then (at about 1 month to go):

• Give all your suppliers' contact details to your venue so they can help if there's a problem
• You will have your finally dress fitting!
• Make sure your grooms men and ushers know what you want them to do
• Make sure all your stationary such as menus and place cards

2 Weeks to Go!

• Sort out your honeymoon clothes! Yay!
• Make sure your photographer has all your 'must have' photos
• Make sure you have everyone's thank you gifts all ready 

The Week Before

• Check everything is organised for your honeymoon
• Make sure everyone knows where they have to be, confirm times and details with key people
• Have your wedding rehearsal

The Day Before Your Big Day

• Sort out your nails, manicure at the very least! 
• Make sure luggage and everything like that is where you want it
• Sometimes you might need to take decorations to your venue
• Finally, make sure you relax! 

That's a lot to think about! I think it helps to have these things broken down into chunks. It's important to remember this timeline isn't set in stone. You don't have to do all of the things in the list but it is a guide to help organise things. 

Building Some Ideas

Free Spreadsheet to Download


I have put all my ideas down on a spreadsheet! I thought it would be a good to share with other brides. 

I started with a list of all the things we would have to pay for: the church (or civil ceremony), the venue, the dress, et. Then I realised that it wasn't in enough detail for me to track through exactly what we need to pay for so I made some more worksheets, and linked them through to the totals on the main page. 


I've found it useful so far. I was able to put budgets in for how much I hope things are going to cost, and when I start visiting suppliers I will be able to aim for these kinds of prices. I know roughly how much my wedding is going to cost so I think I can bring it in within budget! Here's hoping!


My budget I'm aiming for is £16,000, including £2000 honeymoon. I have absolutely no idea if it will come in at this sort of budget but I can cross my fingers and use my budget sheet to help me.