Days to Go: 18

The Countdown Continues

It has been quite a while since my last blog post because we have been so busy! I have a rather busy job as well, so trying to do that and prepare for the wedding is making me super busy!

Picture from spaweekblog.com/tag/bridal/

(The post it notes are so so so true! My colleagues know! lol)

So many things have been done! It’s really exciting!

I can’t believe that it’s only 18 days away! I’m so excited,  I’m going to pop!

H2b and I have been a rather excited team, tackling all our tasks together. H2b is taking over from me when I need to do my day job and we’re working together to see what needs to be done, which is really nice.

It’s a very strange feeling to think I’m going to be a married woman in a few days! I mean, nothing will really change, except my name and my legal status, but it seems like such a huge thing to be married.

We have got loads of tasks for the wedding done….

Essential Questions

A Quick List of Essential Questions

This list is from You and Your Wedding. Print it out to save and keep as a quick check list of essential questions.

Your Venue

• Are they available on your date?
• How many guests do they accommodate?
• Is it close to your ceremony venue?

Wedding Fayre

Madeley Court Hotel Wedding Fayre

On Wednesday I was at a wedding fayre at Madeley Court Hotel.

I do like the wedding fayres at Madeley Court. They have a wonderful  atmosphere and lovely exhibitors.

When I first went to a Madeley Court wedding fayre they were offering a glass of champagne or sparkling wine to their guests. That was a really lovely touch. A glass of wine or any free refreshments really help guests to feel relaxed and comfortable in a venue.

It was a slightly smaller wedding fayre this time. There was just the one dress shop, KT Bridal (one of my faves!), an organic baker, the venue’s recommended photographers and cars, a fireworks display provider and a beautician. More often, the Mill is packed full with exhibitors and there are even more providers in the restaurant.

I do tend to go to the Madeley Court wedding fayres because it is a good idea to book local  providers. Also, your venue will have had hundreds of weddings, they will know the best suppliers and the ones they recommend will be at their wedding fayres.

And also, venues are often dressed the way they would be for a wedding, with an example of tables and table decoration. I like seeing the venues all dressed up as it gives and even better idea of how things will look on The Day.

It was a really good wedding fayre.

Adding the Wow to Your Wedding

Adding the *Wow* to Your Wedding

I’ve been thinking about my wedding reception. I want something ‘wow’ to happen. I’ve got a wow venue, I’m hopefully going to have a wow dress (will be looking for it in Easter) now I want something to make my wedding reception stand out from the others. But what to do?

My wedding venue have recommended a DJ to create a party atmosphere and set the tone for the evening. I wanted a wow DJ and our venue recommended this DJ because he provides a screen to display pictures (we are fond of photos), he has various lighting options and is very experienced. I’ll write more about that later when I’ve actually spoken to him at the wedding fayre on Sunday.

But as well as a DJ, I wanted something else. Something really special. At my friends wedding recently, she had a video booth stand where guests could go to record a video message of 30 seconds. At a wedding which serves alcohol I’m sure you can imagine that was an interesting activity. I remember using the video booth 4 times, but apparently I left many more messages than that! I thought it was a good way of personalising your wedding. It gives a unique element to your wedding.

Video Messages!

A number of companies offer the opportunity to record progressively drunken messages for your friends and family. It’s a touching way to share your love and best wishes with your loved ones – you could even record a message for each other to watch later at home. A lasting memory of how much your friends enjoyed your wedding reception!

Here are some suppliers that you can use in the West Midlands:

• The Dream Screen offers their standard price of £325 with optional extras ranging from £5 - £30. This was the company my friend used for her wedding and I thought they were pretty good. It’s a bit unfair to recommend this company but this is the only one I’ve experienced. It had a simple touch screen, a quick count down so you knew when to start speaking and a count down so that you knew how long you had left. Most companies probably offer a similar thing but this one was good, in my opinion. However, it is a substantial chunk of a wedding budget!
• Video Booth Systems offers a kiosk for £349. There is no limit on the number of messages your guests can record and you will then own an exclusive DVD containing personal greetings left for you on your wedding day. Services include:
• Delivery & Setup prior to your guests arrival and collection up to midnight.
• Personalised on-screen welcome message
• Table cards informing your guests of the video kiosk location.
• Professionally edited DVD of all your guests video messages within 10 working days.
• VidMe offers a similar service for £375 (plus delivery/collection depending on your area). The freestanding booth will be delivered to your venue and set up in good time, including personalised screens for your occasion. This can feature your chosen colours and themes to tie in with your wedding. They will also supply table cards for your guests to encourage them to leave their message.

Caricatures

To add a twist to your wedding, what about caricatures? Some artists can draw a very accurate drawings very quickly so your guests won’t have to sit too long, and they could have a memento to take home from your wedding. Some suppliers from the West Midlands include:

• Spitting Image, a man called Graham Davies. His pictures look fairly good, his drawings of Tiger Woods and Gordon Ramsey are very accurate.
• Magical Memories say ‘Not only will our wedding caricaturists leave your guests with the most unique gift that they will ever get, your wedding day will leave a long and lasting impression for everyone.’ You will need to email them for a quote but they look pretty good. They say that, ‘When your guests are waiting for their photographs to be taken, or after the speeches when things need livening up - a caricaturist can add the ideal entertainment.’

After checking Book-A-Caricaturist.co.uk, I have found…

• Steve Callaghan who charges £215 in Warwickshire, and helooks pretty good. I can’t draw so I really think it’s amazing that they can quickly sketch subjects on the spot! Steve’s website says ‘Caricatures are excellent wedding entertainment, filling those wedding reception lulls and providing wedding mementoes to help make your wedding day unique.’

Casino!

I’ve also seen casino nights that brides and grooms have offered to their guests by way of entertainment. They have held a casino night at my wedding venue, Madeley Court Hotel, where they held the dancing reception upstairs and the casino in the bar downstairs. It looked fairly fab! It would certainly add an element of ‘wow’ to your wedding and give your guests something to remember.

Here are some suppliers who offer casino weddings in the West Midlands:

• Andy Smith Presents: On Andy’s website he says, ‘All of my Casino tables are full size and are professionally built from the leading supplier in the UK. The cloths are made by John Huxley one of the leading supplier in the world. All the chips, cards and accessories have all been used in actual play in top Las Vegas Casino’s and hotels. Blackjack and Roulette are the most popular and requested casino tables at every Wedding Reception. All tables come with intimate lighting and set up professionally barrier roped together with floral features to create the look and atmosphere of an authentic Casino.’ A casino night from Andy Smith will cost you between £400-500 for three hours.
• Royal Casino Promotions is another company providing casino nights to weddings. Their website says, ‘We've got full size luxury casino tables, Vegas Backdrop, slot machines, large flame lights to enhance your surroundings, Vegas Girls, as well as various other add-ons.’ They suggest that you look at their packages but I didn’t spot a package link so you may have to email for prices.
• Spin 2 Win Ltd offer a similar service for £150 per table including a Croupier and 3 hours of play. Their website says, ‘Here at www.spin2winltd.com we offer all kinds of Fun Casino services including Black Jack, Texas Holdem Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Roulette and many more coming throughout 2011. And what's best is that we bring the casino to you! … We can manufacture customised "Fun money" to your own design and also suggest themes for your event (additional cost may apply). Take a look through the site and see how you we can add a touch of magic to your event.’

A Cultural Twist

Along the theme of gambling, my Chinese relatives would quite like a mah-jong table at our wedding. I went to a colleagues wedding in Hong Kong and she had mah-jong tables to the side, so I thought, “what a good idea! Lets copy it.” The venue has room for about 3 mah-jong tables, which would provide gaming for 12 people. That is interesting and unique, and also adds a bit of h2b’s culture to our very British wedding. (That’s me there playing mah-jong with my colleagues and friends.)

Without meaning to stereotype, how about a steel drum performance if your h2b is from Jamaica, or descended from people from Jamaica. Or how about an Indian dance performance if you or h2b is Indian. Many of your guests may not be from the same culture as you or your h2b, so a little insight into something typical from your culture would not only entertain but inform! However, saying that, I definitely would not have a maypole dance at my wedding!

Game Time

Also popular at weddings and with kids are the oversized games, such as chess and jenga. Jenga  is fun at the best of times, but oversized jenga is hilarious! Big Fun UK offer oversized Connect 4, Jenga, Snakes & Ladders, Twister, Noughts & Crosses, Chess, Draughts, Limbo and much more! The possibilities for silliness and for entertaining and kids you have at your wedding are endless! But check with your venue first as many venues offer oversized games as part of their wedding package. I need to check if mine does too!

However, I would discourage against any games that can be played with just one person, such as arcade games, as social games would be better for a wedding, like Jenga! Have I mentioned Jenga?

Whoosh and Pow

The ever popular fireworks! Fireworks would definitely add a bit of wow to your wedding. It might be an idea to only have fireworks if you’re having a late spring or summer wedding as your guests dressed up in their finery won’t want to stand out in the cold. The only thing I would say about fireworks is to be aware that the weather can ruin your firework display. Rain or strong wind will make the fireworks less impressive.

Firework providers in the West Midlands:

• Jubilee Fireworks cost between £650 and £1250, depending on which type of display you go for. Jubilee Fireworks are one of the leading display companies operating in this market, staging well over 100 shows a year. They say, ‘our vast repertoire of pyrotechnic effects is such that you can select from a wide spectrum of colours to complement the theme of your wedding, or even 'press the button' to fire the opening volley of fireworks in the display.’ They are based in Kingswinford, just outside Dudley.
• Shockwave Pyrotechnics are based in Redditch. Their website says, ‘Shockwave Pyrotechnics can create a unique show for you and your guests for your Wedding or Civil Partnership. Imagine a Professionally fired Display to round of your special day. We can create Fireworks Displays for all budgets from £600 to £10,000, for you and your guests to enjoy.’
• Sirotechnics cater to the whole of the UK with a variety of wedding packages. Their website says, ‘we are constantly thinking of new and exciting ways to wow the bride and groom, their family and friends on this very special occasion........the first large shell timed to coincide with the cutting of the cake, a musical firework display to accompany the first dance, or a multitude of bright silver fountains lining the walkway as the happy couple exit the church.  The options available from Sirotechnics are virtually limitless as every wedding firework display we create is designed in consultation with you.’ Personally I wouldn’t like to have fireworks go off when I leave the church but I do believe it’s important to have what you want for your wedding, and if that’s what you want, this company will offer it! Prices for packages range from £600 to £2500.

This blog post could go on forever! And it almost has! Personally I think that getting h2b to propose to me in the first place would be ‘wow’ enough for those that know him! I would like to add something special to my wedding. Something in addition to mah-jong, which is adding a cultural element to the wedding. I will continue to hunt for ‘wow’ wedding things and post more later!

My Venue, Madeley Court Hotel

Madeley Court Hotel

view Madeley Court Hotel website

We’d almost booked Rowton Castle, we almost booked Somerford Hall so that when we looked at Madeley Court I wasn’t expecting much. I absolutely fell in love!

It does have that winding drive way, albeit along side a leisure centre, but a row of trees would hide that fence. It is an old country manor house; it was a catholic stronghold, owned by an abbey but it passed into private ownership at the dissolution of the monasteries. It has been lovingly restored by Madeley’s previous owners and has recently passed into the ownership of Mercure Hotels.

We first saw Madeley Court Jan 2010, I went with my mum to have a look. I was sceptical. The gate house did make me gasp as we came around the corner as it looks like an old castle gatehouse. Just stunning. We had a meeting with Peter, the wedding coordinator, who was so professional and friendly and took the time to show us all around the hotel and the Mill, where our reception will be held. 

The Mill has recently been restored and looks amazing, with a medieval style.There are two minstrel's galleries at either end, medieval paintings across the walls, a gorgeous carpet which can be removed to reveal a dance floor, and plenty of space! The Mill is on two floors, the ground floor is a spacious but dark bar and the top floor is a vast room big enough for a wedding breakfast.

What we wanted was a room big enough for a wedding breakfast and then big enough for a right old knees up in the evening. The Mill at Madeley Court is the first wedding venue that I saw which achieved this. I knew this was something h2b was concerned about, having enough space, so as soon as I saw that this was one of the biggest rooms I’d seen, then I was hooked! It also has the second room for those of your guests who want to retreat from the loud music, the bar downstairs. I also wanted to set up space for some mahjong tables, as I will be having some Chinese guests, and the Mill has plenty of space for this.

And Peter is absolutely fantastic. He’s serious and dedicated and he has a brilliant sense of humour. Just talking things through with him the other day really put a lot of our thoughts at ease. He is full of funny wedding stories, I could listen to him talking about past weddings! My friend’s little sister is getting married at Madeley Court in June, and as soon as I mentioned her name he reeled off her wedding date and knew exactly who I was talking about, even though he must be working with hundreds of couples each year. And yesterday, I was asked at a wedding fayre where my venue is and as soon as I mentioned Madeley Court the chap said Peter was fantastic and we are in safe hands. I really do feel that I’m in safe hands and I believe that Peter will do his best to give us the most wonderful day!

Why We Booked
I have a check list of things I wanted from my venue and Madeley ticked most of the boxes! 

1. Old manor house with lots of character and original features
2. Long, romantic, winding drive down to the manor house
3. Large room for the wedding breakfast and the evening reception
4. Second room for guests to go to if they don’t like the music but still being a part of the wedding
5. Catering and bar services all sorted for us
6. On site accommodation for us and our guests
7. An amazing wedding coordinator who also works as master of ceremonies
8. Ample parking
9. In the countryside

The only element that I don’t like is that Madeley Court is in Madeley and is surrounded by the leisure centre and houses. Luckily it is difficult to see any of these from the grounds and you’re so surrounded by history and beautiful buildings that one tends not to look outside the grounds.

You can see from my photos that the houses and leisure centre are nowhere to be seen. I feel like Madeley Court is a wow venue, and with so many of our guests attending our wedding coming to the UK for the first time, we really wanted something that was going to wow them.

My Recommendations
As Madeley Court is my venue of course I’m going to recommend it. I think that Madeley Court is ideal for a bride who has a moderate sized budget, who loves history and beautiful architecture, and who wants a large-ish space for a wonderful party. It’s ideal for a bride who wants to be taken care of by a wonderful wedding coordinator and yet has her own ideas for how she wants things to be.

It’s difficult to think why I wouldn’t recommend Madeley Court, I think everyone should get married here! Everyone who wants a historical venue. If you want an ultra modern wedding venue then Madeley Court is not for you.

Venues – Sandon Hall

Sandon Hall

View Sandon Hall’s website

This is where a colleague of mine got married. Her wedding photos looked absolutely amazing, especially the ones where she descended down an oak staircase with her new husband. That is the kind of entrance I would like to make at my wedding.

I haven’t actually been to Sandon Hall myself – yet – but it is an impressive building just from these photos. An ancestral mansion, visited by royalty and celebrities, Sandon Hall could be yours on an exclusive use basis!

Their website describes Sandon Hall as ‘beautiful grounds, wood-panelled interiors and majestic sculptures guarantee first rate photographic opportunities.’ You know how I like my photo opportunities. The only point that is a negative for me is that it’s not possible to stay over at Sandon Hall, but they do recommend local hotels.

It wouldn’t be fair for me to make any recommendations as I haven’t been there myself, but I think my colleague who got married here would definitely recommend Sandon Hall for your wedding.

Venues – The Moat House

The Moat House

View the Moat House website

This is the venue at which my best friend held her wedding reception and we had a fantastic time! It’s also where I brought my mother for her 65th birthday! I’m a fussy eater but on both occasions, the food was absolutely delicious! And without us asking, or letting them know we’d booked for a birthday, they served my mum a special birthday selection of chocolates which I thought was very kind!

My friend’s wedding here was wonderful. The day went very smoothly with delicious food and a beautiful back drop for your wedding photos. There is more than ample parking across the stream from the hotel.

We were greeted at the door with reception drinks and my friend had chosen mini doughnuts to be served as a welcome snack between the photos and the wedding breakfast. They were absolutely delicious.

The main room was wonderfully decorated with flowers supplied by the venue and we were seated and served our dinner. I had soup, vegetables in pastry and a chocolate brownie for pudding. All completely delicious and well presented. The service was brilliant and staff were very helpful.

At night time, there are tiny sparkly lights in the trees casting a beautiful light over their small lake. If your photographer is sticking around into your evening do, he/she could take some spectacular photos with that as a backdrop.

Why We Didn’t Book
I didn’t want to have the same wedding venue as my friend. She says she doesn’t mind but we have the same taste in colours, I didn’t want to have the same venue as well! Also, there’s no long winding drive. This winding drive is important to me, I would like my venue off set from the road quite a way. Also, I think the room was a tiny bit small for the number of guests we’d like to attend our wedding.

My Recommendations
After attending a fantastic wedding at The Mill I cannot recommend them enough! I know that my friend had an amazing day and we were well looked after. The breakfasts in the morning were amazing as well. I would recommend The Mill to a bride who is looking for a stylish, beautiful and accessible wedding. It’s easy to get to and stunning to boot!

Venues – The Mill Hotel

The Mill

View The Mill Hotel website

I saw the the Mill Hotel with my best friend when she was choosing venues for her wedding. I have to be honest, I wasn’t impressed with the gentleman who spoke to us about the wedding options but it is a nice venue.

It’s not an exclusive use venue, and could have up to three weddings going on at the same time. However, each wedding area is clearly separated and it is highly unlikely that you will see another bride, so said the gentleman who spoke to us. I’m not sure if you’re like me and would prefer an exclusive venue, but they do guarantee to do their best so that you won’t see another bride.

They have three different main rooms for weddings of varying sizes, styles and capacity, they do have a lot of options available. There’s a beautiful lake and manicured grounds which are fantastic for wedding photos. There’s a gorgeous fountain at the front and a lovely little bride over the lake. As a venue, it is very attractive with outside seating and separate bars for each area. When we were looking round, there was building work going on so The Mill has been recently updated.

Why We Didn’t Book
I wanted a venue that had exclusive use.  It also didn’t have that ever elusive winding, romantic driveway that I want so much.

My Recommendation
The Mill is nice, it’s experienced, it’s a convenient venue. You know that you will be in good hands if you book with The Mill. I’d recommend The Mill for a bride who wants a venue with choices, who has any size of guest list and who isn’t bothered about exclusive use.

Venues – Hagley Hall

Hagley Hall

View Hagley Hall website

Hagley Hall was another venue that I wanted to see when I got engaged. I knew that it was a large house steeped in history, just the venue I’m looking for! I took my best friend here when she was looking for venues.

We were met again by the owner, and shown around the rooms available to weddings. They have a large upstairs room for the sit down meal adorned with ancestral portraits giving a real feel of history and grandeur. The evening reception retires to ground floor rooms where guests can party and relax.

The house and the grounds are spectacular: manicured lawns, restored house set into beautiful countryside. I think Hagley Hall is an amazing wedding venue.

Why We Didn’t Book
I’ve got to be honest, when we looked around Hagley Hall, I don’t know if the chap was having a bad day but he did act as if it were too much trouble to talk to us. We had booked an appointment but he seemed as if he didn’t want to talk to us. I also didn’t like the fact that the guests would be split across three rooms downstairs, and I felt the room that the disco would be in was too small for all our guests to watch us do our first dance.

My Recommendations
Hagley Hall is a truly beautiful venue, impressive views, impressive rooms and grounds, it’s steeped in history and just the place to treat your guests to a real English wedding. The outside stairs that lead to a balcony outside the main entrance have a fantastic view of the grounds and surrounding countryside. It’s a beautiful venue ideal for a bride who wants a beautiful wedding.

Venues – Somerford Hall

Somerford Hall

View the Somerford Hall website

Again, this was a venue we almost booked! My Dad used to go walking near here with his brothers and his dad, so our family has a sort of link to this house. Dad really liked Somerford Hall, and so did I.

It’s an impressive house with a large room for the wedding breakfast, and lots of little rooms for guests to retire to during the main party. It’s a gorgeous house with an oak stair case and some lovely rooms for over night. The staff were welcoming and professional and took time to talk to us about our wedding.

The surrounding grounds at Somerford Hall our spectacular and the long, romantic drive follows past a pond and amazing countryside, just what I wanted!

Why We Didn’t Book
We felt the room was again too small for the number of guests that we wanted. Somerford Hall does have the capacity for the guests that we want as long as they are seated at long tables. I have my heart set on round tables for my guests and a long table for the head table, so I didn’t want to have to seat my guests at long tables. In a way, it’s a shame we have so many guests as it would have been lovely to book Somerford Hall.

My Recommendations
If you want long tables, or have a smaller guest list, Somerford Hal is for you. If you want a beautiful, welcoming venue with history and amazing grounds for photos then Somerford Hall is for you. I would definitely book it if I felt they had the room for our guests. It is a gorgeous setting and would be a fantastic venue for any bride.

Venues – Rowton Castle

Rowton Castle

View the Rowton Castle website

Impressive, prestigious, incredible, Rowton Castle is an amazing venue for the bride with a larger budget. It really is a castle with history stretching back to Roman times. It’s absolutely stunning. The grounds are amazing, the castle itself is an incredible back drop to any wedding photos. The hotel rooms are spectacular and just the place a bride would want to spend her wedding night.

When we had a look around, the lady who showed us the rooms and talked to us about our wedding was very friendly and approachable. Rowton Castle really sells itself as a spectacular wedding venue. Our photographer, Clive Blair, has photographed weddings at Rowton Castle before. You can look at his blog for photos of Rowton Castle. 

Why We Didn’t Book
I had my heart set on Rowton Castle for a few weeks, I told all my friends this was where I was going to get married. The reasons why we didn’t book Rowton was firstly the size of the main room. Our guest list was climbing as we compiled it and it was soon over the maximum capacity for Rowton Castle. Also we didn’t want to  have to book hotel rooms for our guests. This may have changed when you visit so make sure you ask about this. It makes sense, as you will have exclusive use of the Castle.

My Recommendations
I really love Rowton Castle and I look forward to being invited to a wedding there. It’s a really stunning venue with friendly and professional staff. I would recommend Rowton Castle for a bride who loves history, who has a large-ish budget and who wants a spectacular wedding venue. Fully licensed for those brides who want a civil ceremony, Rowton Castle is a highly sought after venue not just in the West Midlands but in the whole of the UK.

Venues – Dunsley Hall Country House

Dunsley Hall Country House

View the Dunsley Hall website

I absolutely fell in love with Dunsley Hall. It’s a gorgeous house, lovingly restored and maintained, outstanding grounds and with lots of gorgeous little rooms for your guests to retire to and explore.

Dunsley is filled with character and the rooms are finished to an outstanding quality. The owner showed us around when we booked to visit and he told us how he’d come to own the hotel and how it was lovingly maintained. The gardens are gorgeous, the setting is gorgeous, the photo opportunities are amazing.

Why We Didn’t Book
If the venue was bigger, even though it doesn’t have the long winding driveway, I may have booked. I liked the way there were so many little rooms for guests to retire to, and I thought the hotel rooms were amazing. It was purely the size of the venue that swayed our decision. We want to have enough room for a large party. Dunsley Hall had an event going on while we were being shown around.

My Recommendations
Dunsley Hall is suitable for brides who would like an intimate dinner with close friends and family with comfortable rooms for guests to retreat to if they don’t like the disco music. It’s a comfortable venue that feels like home with a well stocked bar and outstanding hotel rooms. 

Venues - Blakelands

Blakelands

See the Blakelands website

Blakelands is an absolutely gorgeous venue who do fabulous wedding fayres! I’m also on the Blakelands mailing list for special offers in their dining room. The food there is completely delicious and the service is great. It’s a family run business and Paul is always happy to talk to any prospective couple.

Blakelands is set into the countryside conveniently off the road with ample parking to the rear. The entrance is through the back with access to the front for fabulous wedding photos.

There’s loads to explore at the Blakelands. They have their main block where the reception is, then they have a courtyard and a small garden-like area and across that is the block with the restaurant and more hotel rooms. The accommodation is absolutely gorgeous and seems very comfortable. There is lots to see at Blakelands and plenty of beautiful places for photos.

Why We Didn’t Book
There’s no long winding drive, although the country road which leads to the Blakelands could be considered a winding drive. The maximum room capacity is not enough for the number of guests who want to come to our wedding.

My Recommendations
I would definitely recommend the Blakelands. It’s a family run business, beautiful setting out in the countryside, and Paul and his wife who run Blakelands are really nice and vey experienced.
Blakelands is perfect for a bride who wants a nice, secluded wedding in a gorgeous romantic setting. It’s good for a bride who would like to explore her venue and find all it’s interesting nooks and crannies. It’s also perfect for a bride who would like exclusive use.

Venues – Park House, Shifnal

Park House

View the Park House Website

I have just got back from a wedding fayre at Park House and can I just say, it looks absolutely lovely. A colleague at work is getting married here, and we spotted it as we were returning from our meeting with our wedding coordinator, it’s on the way. I never like to miss an opportunity to attend a wedding fayre so off we went.

First thing that struck me was how convenient it was to find Park House. It’s just off the road with a very convenient car park, very accessible with ample parking. What makes it even better is the younger sister of a girl I went to school with works there! The staff were very friendly and welcoming, chatted to us even though we’ve already booked our wedding venue.

One of the rooms was dressed for a civil ceremony and it looked lovely for a small, intimate ceremony with close friends and family. The other room was filled with exhibitors so it was difficult to gauge the size of the room, but it seems plenty big enough for around 60 people. I’m not sure of exact numbers, but making an appointment and having a chat with their wedding coordinators will clear up any questions.

Why I Wouldn’t Book
We’ve already booked our venue so it’s a fairly mute point but it didn’t have the long winding driveway that I love. Also, the capacity is not enough for our wedding.

My Recommendations
It is a very lovely wedding venue, the front of the house is ideal for spectacular wedding photos. The accommodation is extremely comfortable both in the house and in adjoining buildings. This venue is ideal for a bride looking for venue to hold around 60 guests, that is convenient and easy to find, and is in a prime location. Shifnal is a gorgeous little town with the option of cheaper accommodation for those of your guests on a budget.

The Speeches

The Speeches

H2b and I were talking about the speeches and he dared to joke about them. He joked (I hope) that he was going to stand up and say, ‘Doesn’t my wife look beautiful?’ and then sit down. There are certain things that it might be a good idea to appear in the speeches, and although h2b was joking (I hope) here’s some top tips on what to contain in your speech.

Who Goes First?
Now, you could have whatever you want for your wedding, what I’m going to type here is the traditional way of things in your average British wedding.

The father of the bride goes first. As the host of the wedding (traditionally) it’s his job to introduce the new couple as Mr and Mrs. He may tell a few stories about the bride as a young girl, how proud he is now and how he knew h2b was the man for his little girl. Typically, the father of the bride introduces the new Mr and Mrs.

Next up is the groom. He thanks the father of the bride for introducing them and for anything else he may have said that was nice. Then the groom proceeds to thank the bridesmaids for being gorgeous, the groomsmen  and ushers for being so helpful, any guests who have travelled far or put in some special effort for the wedding, he hands out any gifts that need to be handed out. And finally, or maybe firstly, he thanks his new wife for being so beautiful on this wedding day, for making him the happiest man alive, for actually agreeing to marry him and for many other things that he should be thanking her for.

Finally, it’s the best man’s turn. He thanks the groom on behalf of the bridesmaids for saying they’re gorgeous, he thanks the groom on behalf of the groomsmen and ushers for saying they were helpful. Then he proceeds to take the Mickey out of the groom, revealing singledom antics that no one needed to hear but are hilarious none the less!

My Advice
More recently, brides have started making speeches and in addition to a best man, a best woman has made a speech. It’s entirely up to you what you’d like to do. Just remember, if you do your speeches before your meal, your guests will be getting hungry! If you do them after your meal, remember some people might be busting for the loo. Don’t make your speeches too long.

I was thinking of doing a very short speech in Chinese thanking the guests from abroad for travelling so far. I know how to do it in slang Chinese but I’d have to ask someone to teach me how to say it properly. I think my guests would appreciate that effort, and I’d keep it short as to not alienate the guests who don’t speak Chinese.

Useful Links
If you’re stuck for ideas, the ever helpful world wide web has a few useful websites. Here are some of the best:

• Hitched.co.uk – the ever helpful hitched gives advice on how to present your speech as well as some useful sample speeches.
• Charge Your Glass – this website offers free help to those nervous grooms, best men and fathers of the bride who need a bit of help creating their speech
• Confetti – I always recommend Confetti because I think they’re brilliant. Have a read of their useful advice on wedding speeches
• How to Write Wedding Speeches and Toasts: Everything You Need to Build a Successful Speech – have a look on Amazon at this book, it looks good! I bought the Confetti speech writing book, they are all much of a muchness in my opinion.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment so that I can get back to you as quickly as possible.

Chat with our Coordinator

One year, one month, 19 days to go!

Had a really really really good day today!! We went to our wedding venue and had a chat with our wedding coordinator. With just under 14 months to go, you might be thinking why are we going to the venue to sort things. We have plenty of time to do that, and with so much time to spare we might change our minds.

The reason is, we want to get our invitations made. We’re sending invites to our local guests in September but we’re sending invites to our guests abroad in July, to give them time to book tickets and things. This means we need to book our invites over Easter as I’m not sure how long it will take the invite making lady to make them, and we have to book a slot. So, if you work it backwards, seeing our wedding coordinator in February half term isn’t so bad!

We had a really good chat and he answered heaps of our questions. We went through the wedding top to bottom.

The church ceremony is starting at 12:00pm, finishing at roughly at 1-ish and getting to our venue for about … well we agreed at about 2pm including time for photos and travelling. It could be as late as 2:20 though… Then we’d have our photos and the sit down dinner, or wedding breakfast, would begin with a receiving line (mum and dad’s idea!) and dinner beginning about 4:15. The speeches to be at the end of the meal (sorry dad, h2b and best man!) followed by the evening do, which will start at 7:30, the first dance appearing at 8:30!

The coordinator also let us know about when our suppliers would be able to deliver the cake and the table flowers. He asked us about our chair covers which I thought I’d sorted but hadn’t booked yet, so that’s got me to think about that! I was thinking of going with posh frocks for chairs. More about that later… If there isn’t another function booked in the day before our wedding, our suppliers could deliver our things on the Wednesday before the wedding, however if there is a function the day before ours they can deliver from 5am the day of our wedding, which is fair enough. However, they recommend that the florist delivers the day of the wedding, but that’s obvious really. No one wants droopy flowers!

We talked about the speeches as well, putting h2b and Dad under pressure there. I think the ‘s’ word is something they don’t want to hear for a long time yet! H2b even dared to joke about how short his speech would be… We do not joke about the wedding!

We talked about wedding DJ’s as we haven’t sorted that out either, and we talked about the men’s suits as that also hasn’t been sorted. Actually… looking at my to do list, lots hasn’t been done!

Our coordinator asked us about the food we’re thinking of having. We’re fairly sure about the starters, we discussed the main options. We talked about the puddings too, and we’re all having lots of good ideas!

It was really exciting talking to the coordinator. I know our wedding is ages away but it was really useful to get timing and advice and all sorts from someone who not only knows how weddings work at our venue but also has vast experience of the wedding industry as a whole. Peter is so professional and friendly, I feel like our wedding is in good hands!

Venues – Ingestre Hall

Ingestre Hall

See the Ingestre Hall website.

Driving up to Ingestre hall we were impressed with the structure of Ingestre Hall. It’s a huge building in the Rose Brick Jacobean style set into 27 acres of Staffordshire countryside. It was the seat to the Earl of Shrewsbury before it became the Sandwells Residential Arts Centre.

When you walk through the front door, you’re greeted by a massive hall which leads through to an impressive staircase. To the left of the hall is their civil ceremony room or lounge and at the rear is the bar area. You can make your grand entrance swooping down the stairs to greet your guests in an impressive grand style.

Ingestre Hall provide the venue, you provide the caterers, bar services and waiters. There is no accommodation at Ingestre Hall but there are a number of lovely near by hotels.

Why We Didn’t Book
We wanted a venue that does everything for us, we didn’t want to worry about booking caterers and bar services. The venue is gorgeous and impressive, but we wanted somewhere that we could stay over. The room size and the second room for guests who don’t want to be near the loud music is great too. The layout, the sweeping stair case, the civil ceremony room are just brilliant.

Our Recommendations
I would recommend Ingestre Hall to a bride who wants to be hands on with her wedding. The bride who wants to choose her caterers and bar source, and a bride who doesn’t need to sleep over at her venue on the night of the wedding. The room is large, the staircase is my dream staircase, and the layout of the rooms is fantastic. And for those of your guests who smoke, the door to the outside is right next to the hall.

Venues – The Mount Hotel

The Mount Hotel

Winners of the Black Country Large Hotel & Business Hotel of the Year 2008 & 2009
Winners of Best Chef of the Year 2009
Winners of Outstanding Customer Service of the Year 2009

When I was little, the Mount Hotel was the place to get married. My cousin has got married here, a close friend has got married here, my mother knows quite a few people who have got married here and it’s also a popular place to eat and visit.

This photo shows the back of the Mount, the long window on the left is the main room with a beautiful wooden mistral's gallery, joined on to the conservatory. The Mount Hotel is a gorgeous listed building but it does look better from the back of the building. They have a lovely large garden from which you can release Chinese lanterns. It seems like every wedding I’ve been to at the mount, the sun always shines.

The accommodation at the Mount Hotel is top notch, with delicious breakfasts in the morning. The Mount is ideal for brides wanting the grandeur of a country house with the convenience of a city venue. It’s a reasonably priced venue which holds 12 - 200 people and they say that they have held over 1,000 weddings in the last 10 years so you know you’ll be in good hands!

I definitely recommend any wedding fayres at the Mount Hotel. They serve sparkling wine and sometimes offer canapés for tasting. 

Why We Didn’t Book
I do like the Mount, I’ve grown up with my friends working there, my friends and family getting married there but I felt that the room the main wedding was held in was a touch too small for us. It is a beautiful room and I’d love to make that room a bit bigger and it’d be perfect.

Due to the Mount’s convenient position, it also didn’t have the romantic long driveway to the venue that I wanted. This meant that the Mount Hotel wasn’t for us.

My Recommendations
If you’d like a wedding that’s convenient, professional, experienced and well known then The Mount Hotel is for you. They combine the elegance of country grandeur with the convenience of a city venue.

Useful Links

Useful Links

English Wedding Blog – Like me, this lady is blogging about her forth coming wedding. She has an utterly different post style to me, her blog is her own website it seems and I’m following her on twitter. She has some really interesting posts and I would definitely recommend a read to any prospective brides!

Hitched.co.uk – A fantastic website, filled with everything to do with weddings that you could ever imagine, they even have an entire section dedicated to stag and hen parties. They have planning tools you can use which include to do lists, budget plans, appointments and your own wedding website!

GettingMarried.co.uk – This website makes wedding websites as well as having planning tools to help with the organisation of your wedding. They have budget sheets and online RSVP and all sorts. Well worth a look.

Wedding Ideas Magazine – If you’re not going to buy the magazine, I still think their website is pretty good and well worth a look. They have loads of ideas and resources and advice for brides with enough time to look through it.

If you have a website or know of any websites, or an idea that you want to share, let me know. I’m always happy to update posts to share with everyone.

Venues - Chillington Hall

Chillington Hall

Picture from Chillington Hall website

My Dad's choice of venue. We first saw Chillington Hall as guests looking around the house. I asked if they did weddings, they do and then we made an appointment with their wedding coordinator.
Before I continue, can I just say the wedding coordinator that we spoke to at Chillington Hall was just amazing. We were one of her first couples and she was brilliant. Professional, friendly, welcoming and helpful. She painted a wonderful picture of the wedding we could have at Chillington Hall and answered all our questions. She chatted with my dad and listened to our requirements for the wedding.
Chillington Hall uses a spectacular marquee for their evening receptions and large dinner receptions. Guests walk through the house to reach the marquee and what a sight they see. When we visited the house the owner showed us around and there is a large portrait in their largest room actually looks like the man who was showing us around! Well of course it was his ancestor but I thought that was pretty cool.
The wedding reception would take part in the marquee, and it is a spectacular marquee. It wasn't up when I went but the photos they had to show us were lovely!

Why We Didn't Choose This One
I don't want a marquee reception. I'm not sure why. Marquee receptions are lovely, although I've never attended one, I don't personally have anything against a marqee but it's not for me. Everyone has their own preference and that's mine.
It was also a touch on the expensive side for our budget. Prices you could be quoted may be more or less than I was quoted as the wedding market fluctuates.


My Recommendations
If you want a marquee wedding, Chillington Hall should be at the top of your appointment list. I will always recommend looking around a venue before you book it and Chillington Hall is well worth a look!