Name Changes

Going on Honeymoon with Your Married Name

Right, so I went on the .gov.uk website and have the official government information!

The website address for that site is www.direct.gov.uk. If you’re like me and renewing a passport that’s already run out, the process is somewhat easier.

And there is some more information on this page.

Firstly, you will need forms: PD1 and PD2. PD1 is the information leaflet which tells you all about the process, and PD2 is the extra name change form you need to include with your normal passport application.

So, basically, when you apply for your passport renewal, you send off the name changing form with your normal form and then your passport will become valid on the same date as your ceremony.

To renew an adult ten-year 32-page passport costs:

• £77.50 for the standard service

• £112.50 for the one-week Fast Track Service

• £129.50 for the one-day Premium service

IPS (Identity and Passport Services) can prepare a first passport in your married name any time up to three months before the wedding. But the passport is 'postdated'. This means you cannot use it before the day of the ceremony. Some countries will not issue visas for postdated passports. You should check with the consulate of the country concerned.

If you are going to a country that requires a visa in advance, instead of just the stamp in your passport, like China or Vietnam, I wouldn’t bother changing your name on your passport. The name on the visa and the passport will have to match else they won’t always let you in, even with your marriage certificate. It’s best not to risk it.

My wedding location just has a stamp in the passport as a visa, like Hong Kong, USA and Europe, so I’m not too worried about having my married name in my passport.

Contact your travel agent or the consulate of the country you’re visiting to check if you need a visa to visit. Or google. I googled. (When did Google become a verb?)

There is a lot of good information on the internet already, as a lot of people are asking the same questions. To be sure, however, it’s best to check with the country you’re visiting.

I can’t wait to get my passport with a new name in it! How exciting is that?!

Honeymoon!

We’ve Booked Our Honeymoon!!

Days to go: 312

I am so excited!! We have booked it, paid the deposit and now we’re pending paying the rest of it!

I am so so excited! I’ve been hop skipping and jumping all the way home! And h2b has been grinning too! We booked the holiday using my married name too! That was exciting in itself!

We will be going on a cruise! We wanted to see lots of different places and have a lot of different things to do, we thought a cruise would be the best way.

After speaking to the travel agent, we looked up the reviews of the trip on trip advisor and other review websites and they all said the holiday is fantastic! They talked about balloon rides and camel rides, h2b was hooked!

I am so completely excited! This honeymoon just makes our marriage even more exciting!

And it was fairly exciting to start with!

I have decided to travel under my married name. I went online and a lot of people have said not to do that. However, my passport has run out anyway and I will need to apply for a new passport regardless. I feel that I may as well get a passport in my married name and then I won’t have to change it later.

We didn’t get travel insurance from the travel agent because we wanted to have a shop around before we were sure which insurance company we went with. They did offer a good rate of £42 for the both of us, which covered illness, loss of luggage and things, and delayed flights. We’re still going to shop around first.

I may not have mentioned this before but I’m so excited!!! Yay!! We’re going on honeymoon!!!

xx xx

Wedding Websites

Narrowed Down Choices

I have been on the search for the perfect wedding website: one that looks good while providing the best information to our guests. My masters degree is in web design so I am a fairly fussy customer when it comes to wedding websites.

I have narrowed down my choices to the following:

Project Wedding.com	My Wedding.com
Big Day Page.com	Getting Married.co.uk
Wedding Announcer.com	Wedding Path.co.uk

You may notice that all these websites are in fact pink. Well, lilac is one of our wedding colours and not many wedding websites are in lilac. That surprises me really because a lot of the suppliers I spoke to told me that lilac was a popular wedding colour.

Choosing a website is a really tough choice as all the different sites offer different designs and functionality.

Wedding Announcer.com

Why I’d Choose Wedding Announcer.com

Wedding Announcer is a very simple website which makes it marginally easier to use for people who aren’t web savvy.

The behind the scenes part of the website has clear boxes for information to be entered into and there’s not much fuss.

Why I Wouldn’t Choose Wedding Announcer.com

The designs could be considered slightly dated, there’s no option to add links or maps from googlemaps or other sites, and I’m not too keen on the designs.

While ease of use is important, it shouldn’t detract from the over all functionality of the site. It has to work as a website that provides information to your guests.

Getting Married.co.uk

Why I’d Choose Getting Married.co.uk

If you are web savvy, the coding options on Getting Married.co.uk are fantastic. You can insert html and insert pictures or maps from sources like googlemaps. You can add as many new pages as you want and rename them to the titles of your choice.

If you’re not web savvy, you can still use the site as it works perfectly well as a simple site. It just has the option to include the more advanced features to those who know how to use them.

You edit the site in the site, as it were, so you can see exactly how your changes will look. The yellow highlighted text in this picture shows the editable text on the page.

Why I Wouldn’t Choose Getting Married.co.uk

I really don’t like the designs. I’m after a balance between the functions and the design. Getting Married.co.uk have a lot of different website designs, but to me I feel they are a bit dated and not really as sleek as some of the designs out there. Which is a shame because they have some good ideas tech side.

Big Day Page.com

Why I’d Choose Big Day Page.com

It’s very simple, not easy to break and very straight forward. For those out there who aren’t sure about websites or editing, this is the website for you!

Why I Wouldn’t Choose Big Day Page.com

There’s no room for making the page unique, no adding extra pages that suit you and your guests. It’s too uniform, and to be honest, I’m not too keen on the website designs.

My Top Three

I’m going to have to find some way to choose between theses three websites (in no particular order):

Project Wedding.com

Why I’d Choose Project Wedding.com 

Project Wedding.com has the option of using a html editor so that if you want to embed items such as a map or a video from you tube, these things are possible.

The designs are quite nice, not completely to my taste but they are nice. You can add and delete pages and change the names of the template pages. It seems as if you can have as many pages as you’d like.

It is perfectly possible to remove any of the preset items added into the website, or rename them as you see fit.

It’s a straight forward website for those who are not tech savvy, it has the option of adding extras for those of us who know how and the designs are fairly nice.

Why I Wouldn’t Choose Project Wedding.com

For me, it’s just the designs that would prevent me from using Project Wedding.com. They are nice, but maybe there are better.

Wedding Path.co.uk

Why I’d Choose Wedding Path.co.uk

It’s British! Not always the best reason for choosing something, but there none the less. I think you have to be invited to have a website with Wedding Path now, however I’m sure that’s just done by sending them an email or registering. I set up my website almost straight after we got engaged (October 2009) so I had one before the ‘invitedness’ started.

I like the designs on Wedding Path.co.uk. They have animated headers and nice bright colours. Again, the number of designs is limited but the ones they have are nice, up to date and modern.

Again, like Project Wedding.com it’s possible to insert html, which is always useful.

Why I Wouldn’t Choose Wedding Path.co.uk

It’s a little trickier than with Project Wedding.com because it doesn’t have an embedded html editor, you actually have to type all the code yourself. But again, if you’re not into editing code, you wouldn’t use that anyway.

My Wedding.com

Why I’d Choose My Wedding.com

I did like the majority of the designs. They have a fairly cool scheme called ‘Spring Wedding’ but it’s in green and blue and my wedding is lilac and pink so it doesn’t really fit with all the stationary.

The behind the scenes part of the website is absolutely fool proof, step by step, so easy even my mum could use it! You can edit the names of the pages, change the order they appear on the menu and turn off or on certain pages.

There are 6 custom pages, pages you can change and edit yourself to make how you want. There are also a number of template pages that are set up for you, like a photo gallery, wedding party details, RSVP and things for your guests to do in your area.

Why I Wouldn’t Choose My Wedding.com

Embedding html in a page is important for me; I don’t just want the links to a map, I want to include the map with directions in the webpage. As far as I can tell, it’s not possible to add html to the pages at My Wedding.com.

If I Were You..

For the Web Savvy

I would go with Wedding Path.co.uk or Project Wedding. I have looked at the website designs  on both sites and just chosen the one that fits most with our wedding and uses the same colours. Both of these websites also supply wedding stationary that matches the website, so you could have it all coordinated and looking lovely if you wanted.

For the Web Surfers

I would choose My Wedding.com. They have lovely designs and a very easy method for entering your information.

Good luck!

Invitations

News About the Invitations!

We have received the dates for the invitations!

We should be getting our first invitation proof to check and see if we like it by late June (which is only a few weeks away now!!!!) and we’ll get the final order by mid-July.

I know a lot of people won’t agree with this but I was thinking of sending out some of the invitations fairly early as we have a significant number of guests who will need to buy flights to get to our wedding.

I’m not sure. If you send them out too early will they get lost? We won’t be able to send out extra invites if they do get lost, but I am working on us having a wedding website which will have all the details on it.

Anyway, I’m excited about getting the invitations. It’ll make the wedding seem a whole lot more real. Actually, with only 10 months, 8 days (and as I write this, 23 hours and 31 minutes) to go it’s seeming fairly real now. H2b is getting really involved and excited in his own way, too.

We are actually struggling over the guest list. With only 108 places and two very large families, it’s really difficult. In a dream world, I’d have booked a venue with a massive space and invite everyone we know! Unfortunately, we are limited by both space and money.

We just don’t want to offend anyone.

But in general, I feel people are understanding and are aware of the outrageous costs weddings entail. For example, I just spent an astronomical amount on a wedding dress that I will wear for one day, but I’m quibbling over 50 quid for a new laptop I will probably use every day for years! It’s almost as if, if it’s for the wedding then it’s ok to spend that amount of money.

But, even so, I am loving every moment of planning the most wonderful day of my life!

English Wedding

Blogger Bride

Please don’t forget to check out my posts on English Wedding! I try not to write the same things on English Wedding as I do on here.

I’ve written three posts so far, but with not being at work this week I may have time to write some more!

My posts so far are:

- My Story So Far

- Days to go: 321

- Days to go: 314

I’m going to keep updating English Wedding with different posts so please remember to check out both websites!

Honeymoon

Planning our Honeymoon!

Today, we went to Thomas Cook to talk about our honeymoon!!!

I am so completely excited! H2b and I haven’t been on holiday for years, except a few weekends staying in the UK, so I am really looking forward to this.

But it is a difficult choice! The location of your honeymoon, the duration of stay, the activities you do: there are so many choices it’s difficult to know which is the right one.

To help us, we made a list of our honeymoon requirements, what we both want for our honeymoon.

My Wants	H2b Wants
1. Lots of things to do and see 2. Warm sunny weather 3. Old things to visit, like ancient things 4. Relaxing fun activities 5. Clean, nice hotel 6. Something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives as a fantastic holiday 7. Good views	1. Beach walks 2. Spa 3. Active night life 4. Views 5. Cultural things 6. Historical things to learn about 7. A variety of activities such as   - snorkelling   - diving   - motorised water sports

With these ideas in mind, we headed to Thomas Cook.  H2b wanted to try Thomas Cook as he’d had recommendations from colleagues. I watch Watchdog, like a lot of British people, and it seems as if most of the British holiday companies have featured on it from time to time, but we wanted to give Thomas Cook a try regardless.

The lady at Thomas Cook was actually really helpful. Unfortunately, we weren’t. We had no idea where we wanted to go and no idea of what we really wanted.

We knew we wanted all inclusive.

The last thing we wanted to worry about on our honeymoon was where we’d go to eat. There were a number of places that we could go to which offered an all inclusive package. One I liked was a cruise, we could travel around different places and see lots of amazing things. I wouldn’t be able to go to one place and lie around. I’m someone who likes lots of things to do.

I’d probably blog about it if I was stuck doing nothing.

Luckily, h2b likes taking photos of lots of different things so we will be out doing things.

Well, in the end I think we did settle on an interesting honeymoon (although not sure about booking!). Something that will both be relaxing but with lots of activities to keep us entertained. We chose something that would be all inclusive so that all we had to think about is having a good time! We’re seeing as much as we can of the area and learning about the culture.

An experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Wedding Websites

Continuing the Research

I’m working on a really big blog post in lots of detail about wedding websites. I’m investigating which is the best, using each website myself to see how it performs.

Wedding websites are a great way of sharing information with your guests. Including your wedding website address in your invitations allows guests to view information in their own time and cuts your costs.

There are some very good paid for websites, and there are good free sites. I’m reviewing the free sites but there are lots of good paid sites you can check out.

Who Pays?

Who Pays?

Last weekend we took my h2b’s best man to be measured for his suit. He looked really amazing in the suit and I got quite emotional imaging him standing next to my h2b as I walk down the aisle.

However, as the best man was getting changed out of his suit, his wife asked the suit man how much the suits would cost. When I said that we were paying, she objected because she’s very nice. However, I insisted, we’re paying.

So this raises an interesting question: Who pays?

In The Olden Days

Traditionally, the bridal party pay for their outfits, the bridesmaids paying for their dresses and the ushers paying for their suits. However, more recently the bride and groom pay for their clothes. There are a few reasons for this but I feel the most important reason would be that brides these days are choosing what the bridesmaids are wearing.

Personally, I do feel it’s a bit unfair for the bridesmaids to have to pay for their outfits. My feelings are that if I’m telling them what to wear, I should buy it. The dresses I choose may not be to their taste, and with dresses costing upwards of £100, I don’t think it’s fair to as the bridesmaids to buy them. And if we’re paying for the girls, it’s only fair to pay for the boys.

I noticed on Bridezillas, the American version, that the bridesmaids pay for their own dresses. Each culture has their own traditions, but I do think it’s nice to pay for your bridal party. It’s a perk of having to listen to your friends going on and on and on about their wedding. (True for our bridal party anyway!)

I’d be interested to hear the traditions on who pays from people in other countries so please leave a  message!

Change of Mind

I No Longer Recommend

I went onto my wedding website at eWedding to find half the links missing! I obviously panicked and went on to find out what had happened!

The beautiful websites at eWedding have all their functions for a month. After that you have to pay $4.95 in US dollars. I assume.

Nowhere on the website did it say that!

Now, I know I didn’t read the T&C’s, but you’d have thought Introductory Offer or 1 Month Free Trial would have been displayed clearly on the website, but no… Like I say, I’m only assuming it’s a one month free trial because I still haven’t been told why my links have been greyed out and are no longer able to be viewed on my site.

I would still recommend eWedding to those brides who can afford to pay $4.95 (or £3.05) per month! As their sites are pretty and attractive. They are a touch difficult to use if you’re not web savvy, and they are geared towards the American bride.

However, weddings are an expensive business and if you don’t have the £3.05 to spare, is it worth paying for something extra?

The hunt for the perfect FREE wedding website continues!

Children at Weddings

A Touchy Subject

Children at weddings is a difficult subject to tackle. Parents can be very touchy about their children not being invited to a wedding, however brides and grooms are on a budget and are often limited by numbers.

There are a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to include children in the invitations. 

Wedding planner, Barry Long, explained on the BBC website that 10 years ago it wasn’t an issue but that more and more recently brides and grooms are stipulating no children allowed. He suggests that the reason is children are more disruptive than they used to be and brides are worried their day will be ruined.

Pros – Invite the Kids!

• It’s more convenient for your guests to invite their kids. They don’t have  to worry about childcare or rushing off to relieve the babysitter.
• ‘Close family members may stay away out of protest and some guests react badly when they leave their children at home but see other youngsters there.’ BBC Website
• Children add atmosphere to a wedding, it adds to the magic of the day to see them playing together
• It will keep your guests happy and keep from upsetting people

Cons – Ban the Baby!

• Screaming children disrupt the day, interrupt the vows and the speeches  and ruin wedding photos
• Naughty children distract the parents and leave a bad atmosphere
• Children add to numbers and cost when you only really want to see their parents
• With too many children at a wedding, it could resemble Disneyland
• Chn take the focus from the bride and groom who should really be the centre of attention.

Compromise

It’s important to remember that responsible parents will remove noisy children from the ceremony or the speeches. You can provide very cheap and child-friendly crayons and paper to keep children of all ages entertained. (You might find some adults drifting towards the colouring table.)

It is also your day. You shouldn’t have any one at your wedding you don’t want to be there. The people you invite to your wedding must understand that you are on a budget and you have number limitations. If the venue only has space for 60 people and you have a wide circle of friends and a large family, your guests must understand there’s simply not enough space for children.

I do think that it is important to have an open line of communication with your guests. Instead of writing ‘absolutely no children’ on your invitations, talk to your guests and explain the situation. People are generally understanding but equally if your guests then say that they are unable to attend your wedding, you must be equally as understanding.

My Opinion

For me, I would love to invite children that I know.

My best mate, one of the groomsmen, has three children. I’ve known his children  since the day they were born and I’m fairly fond of them. When I made the guest list, it was obvious that his girls should be invited. My nieces and nephew are in the bridal party. However, I’m less keen to invite children I’ve not met before or don’t know very well.

We are on a budget and we are limited by numbers. While I’m very conscious of not wanting to invite some children but not others, I do need to be mindful of keeping numbers down.

Personally, I think kids are cute at weddings. They’re all dressed up in their cute dresses and adorable suits, they break the ice when everyone is too shy to start dancing.

Thank You Cards

Photo Thank You Cards

There are many thank you cards out there to send to your guests after the wedding. Some of you may choose a package offered by your stationer so that all the stationary you send out matches. Some of you may choose to have a package from your photographer.

However, if you’re thinking of making your own cards, and you want digitally printed photo cards, then this blog post is for you. 

Photo Cards!

As regular blog visitors will know, photos are one of my favourite parts of a wedding. I think that the photo wedding cards are a bit like a memento of the day for your guests to  keep.

There are a lot of companies which offer photo cards, it’s a bit of a maze out there. A lot of companies such as Funky Pigeon, Moon Pig and Hallmark all have photo thank you cards, as does Photobox and Vista Print. You can also order cards from Optimal Print, Kodak Gallery and Snap Fish.

I’m going to focus on the companies I might use to send my wedding thank you cards, Funky Pigeon, Moon Pig, Hallmark, Photobox, Snap Fish and Hallmark. I chose these companies to look at more closely because I want a company with a strong internet presence, I want a well known company and I want designs that I like.

Snap Fish

Snap Fish offer over 839 different Thank You card designs. I look at the designs first when I’m choosing a site, and I liked the designs from Snap Fish. The designs are similar to those on other sites, however those are popular designs.

One thing I liked about the Snap Fish cards were that the cards are priced individually ranging from 72p to 22p. The cards are produced in bulk, which is what you want when you’re thanking as many as 300 guests!

Personally, I’d like a card with at least 3 or 4 photos on it, to give guests a reminder of your day and this is possible with the Snap Fish templates. A side menu to the left gives you the option to choose how many photos you’d like on your card. When I searched for 4+ photos on Snap Fish, it came up with 94 templates.

All the snap fish bulk buy cards come with envelopes. 

Funky Pigeon

I’ve liked the Funky Pigeon cards for a while, and often choose Funky Pigeon for my  friend’s birthday cards. (Hmm, that reminds me.. ) Funky Pigeon does have good, modern, bright designs. I find the Funky Pigeon website easy to navigate and they have large buttons to click on to select weddings.

There are a few templates on Funky Pigeon, much less than on Snap Fish. When I chose a photo design card at random, and changed the quantity to 100, each card would cost 99p. While you can order in bulk from Funky Pigeon, it’s not a bulk printing website, in my opinion.

However, saying that, I think Funky Pigeon do have some really good designs and they are my favourite site for birthday cards.

Moon Pig

I find that if you can’t see a design you like on Funky Pigeon, you’ll see it on Moon Pig. A very similar idea but with completely different designs. .

There are a range of designs on Moon Pig, similar in style to those on Funky Pigeon, but very different too, if that makes sense.

They have a lot more multi-photo designs, which I like, and offer a bulk buy option, 8 postcard cards at £6.00. (That’s 75p a card.) The postcards are 145mm by 103mm, not huge but big enough to write a nice thank you message to your guests.

Moon Pig has 31 wedding thank you card templates. They also offer 4 small cards for £6.00 which are 144mm by 102mm. (That’s £1.50 a card.)

Moon Pig has some really good designs, some funny and quirky, others cute and touching. I think the small cards are the best but I think £1.50 is a bit expensive if you have quite a few guests.

Hallmark

In my opinion, Hallmark has more arty and classic designs. They don’t include photo fill ins in their designs, but you can still have a good idea of how your cards are going to look.

There are even fewer designs for thank you cards offered by Hallmark on this website and only a handful of them are photo cards.

There is a multi-buy option, with 70p per card when you order 50+ postcard style cards with £3.99 for postage and packing.

I like the way all the costs are outlined and detailed on their website, it means that when budgeting for your wedding you know exactly how much it is going to cost you.

Photobox

Photobox have a lovely range of printed items, and wedding thank you cards are included. From such a busy website, the thank you card range isn’t huge but they do have the fantastic option to make your search of their website specific. I went straight to the search page and ticked the 3+ photos cards.

I clicked on the panoramic cards, they are offered at £9.99 for 10 cards. They are flat cards but it’s possible to write on the back with white envelopes included in the price.

I do think the envelopes are important as you’ll be posting out your thank you cards, and buying envelopes from an alternative website will only add costs to your budget.

Which ever place you decide to choose for your photo thank you cards, I believe there are a few things you should consider:

• Design
• Price
• Envelopes
• Bulk buying ability

With all that in mind, I hope you have fun choosing your wedding thank you cards, because when you send them out, you’ll be married!

Coming Soon

A post about thank you cards. I have been actively researching different photographic thank you cards. There are many ordinary thank you cards, but a photographic card can be a lasting memory of your wedding. More on that coming soon!!

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.

Men in Suits

The Best Man’s Fitting

Days to go: 326 

We have had the best man fitted for his suit. He looked fairly fantastic and it was quite emotional.

It is actually a bit early to have any of the gents fitted for suits for a wedding, however my h2b’s best man doesn’t live in the UK so we decided to pop over to the suit hire place to get measured.

I could imagine my h2b and the best man standing at the front of the church, dressed in their suits, waiting for me to walk down the aisle. It was fairly emotional when my dad and h2b were choosing the style of suits they wanted, but now The Wedding is less than a year away!

There are a few moments during The Day that I think I want to remember for the rest of my life, and seeing h2b and best man at the front of the church, looking nervous. I know I’ll be nervous too!

In a discussion with Best man about The Wedding, he said he wouldn’t let h2b turn around and look until I was standing next to him at the front. However, I’ll be hoping that h2b does turn around.

I’m interested to know what other people think: Should the groom turn to look at the bride or should he be eyes front?

Personally, I enjoy that moment when grooms turn around to look at his approaching bride. I love how the look of nerves on his face rises into a smile for a moment as he sees his beautiful bride. It’s nice that he takes in the whole look of the dress and the effect.

Please let me know what you think, either leaving a comment here, a Twitter comment or a message on Facebook.

Feeling Like a Bride

Not Feeling Bride-like

Days to go: 326

Maybe it’s because my wedding is almost a year away. Maybe it’s because I’ve been spreading out this planning process over a long period of time, but I’m just not feeling like a bride.

I’m not entirely sure what a bride should feel like though.

After some consideration, I’m thinking that I should be thankful for this quiet time. I’m sure a lot of brides feel rushed off their feet, stressed with lots of things to do and I might start feeling like that closer to the wedding date. I don’t want to be stressed or rushed but I do want to feel like a bride.

Maybe I’ll feel more bride-like when the invitations are delivered. The Wedding is quite a way off still, despite everyone telling me it’ll come round soon, so I believe that the closer it approaches, the more bride-like I’ll feel.

English Wedding

I’m a Blogger Bride!

I am very pleased to announce that I’m now an English Wedding blogger bride! 

Basically, what’s going to happen is that once or twice a week I send a blog post to English Wedding about what’s been happening this week and all sorts of things.

I’m really quite excited about having my humble thoughts appearing on such a big website. I’ve been a fan of English Wedding since I started following them on Twitter. My favourite section is the Real Wedding section because of knowing a bride was thinking the same as me!

And now I’m contributing!

I’ve already posted my first blog post about where I’m at currently with my planning, what I’ve already booked and what I need to get sorted out. I have my next blog all planned out and I’m really looking forward to contributing!

Stories of My Disappearance..

Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

I have had a mega busy week at work, and had no time to to blog! This is the longest I’ve gone without blogging but I’ve still had a quite good stream of traffic so I want to thank everyone for checking back at my blog!

I’ve started really focusing on working out. Monday is aerobics with my mum and then on Tuesdays it’s Zumba! And while it’s having a very positive effect on my figure, it means much less time for blogging! I’m also trying to work out for at least an hour on the days I’m not going to classes, and people are noticing!

On Wednesday I went to a wedding fayre (more about this later). And Thursday and Friday I had to work for work, so I didn’t have a chance to blog!

On Saturday we had some friends staying so while everyone’s still asleep on Sunday morning, I’ll get some blogging done!

So basically, I wanted to thank everyone for still checking back at my blog and reading my posts. I’ll soon catch up with some posts.

11 Months to Go

The Countdown Begins

Days to go: 332

Well, lets be honest. Those who know me well understand that the count down began the second that h2b went down on one knee!

I remember the proposal as if it were yesterday, but it was actually 19 months ago. I wanted a long engagement because I was a student when h2b proposed and there was no way we would be able to save up for our wedding while I was a student. As it is, my dad is paying for the bulk of it but we needed to save up to pay our contribution.

It’s strange to think that this time next year I’ll be back at work and the kids will be calling me Mrs Wong. Hopefully.

It sounds different too. Eleven months doesn’t sound like a long time, but three hundred and thirty-two days feels like a really long time.

Almost everything is sorted at the moment, just bridesmaid dresses giving me a headache. I have picked out a dress I like but with four adult bridesmaids and a child, this dress is proving a bit expensive. I would look for a different dress but I’m not sure where to start. It seems like my only option is to look for another dress. One equally as gorgeous as the Alfred Angelo one I found.

What are the chances of finding a dress maker who could copy the dress for me?

Other than that, I’m looking forward to everything falling into place. I need to contact the venue to confirm food choices because when we send out our wedding invitations we’re giving guests the option to choose what they want to eat. So that needs to be done by July. My chief bridesmaid did that for her wedding, it’s strange choosing what you want to eat almost six months in advance of eating it.

And I’m thinking a lot about the seating plan but I can’t really do anything about that until I start getting RSVP’s. I think, for me, the seating plan will be one of the most fun but challenging parts of the wedding. At least I know h2b will help me.

H2b (husband-to-be) has been quite good really. He wasn’t at all interested in the flowers and didn’t want to be involved in that. He’s obviously not been involved in the girls’ clothes, but he has arranged for his best man, who lives in America, to come for a fitting for his suit. He’s also working hard on the honeymoon and the wedding rings. He’s had some fantastic ideas for favours and table names. (We’re going with Disc World table names!) He’s been really supportive and listened. A good start to our wedding?

He’s also put up with me going on and on about the wedding! Definitely a good sign!

Wedding Cakes

The World of Wedding Cakes

The world of wedding cakes is a maze. Recently, there are so many options thanks to the development of more flexible icing. In the past, wedding cakes tended to follow a particular formula as royal icing was the only option available to modern brides. In the 1980’s, malleable soft icing was invented and so the creations became unique.

I haven’t blogged about wedding cakes before because I’m on a budget with my wedding, and certain elements of the wedding had to be limited. I chose the cake to save costs.  With so many guests we would have to have a large cake but I wanted it to be as simple as possible to save money.

My little brother has bought a cake topper for my fiancé and I, as our wedding present, and this was what I wanted to add to the cake to make it a little bit wow.

When Choosing Your Cake

• Before you do anything else, set up a budget for your cake. Once you know how much money you can afford to spend on your cake you will have a better idea of the type of cake you will be able to have. The average spend for a three tier cake at the moment is from between £300 - £450. If you have less decoration on the cake then it is a bit cheaper, around £150 - £200.
• Make a decision: do you want full size cakes or cupcakes? Or a mixture of both?
• Have a look in magazines and on the internet to find cakes that you like. The more complicated the cake, the more expensive it will be. Make a collection of different cakes that you like because your cake could be unique to you.
• Go to wedding fayres and taste the cake that’s there. It’s surprising how different the same flavour of cake can taste. It’s important to choose a cake that you feel tastes nice.
• Think about the flavours you want. Chocolate, vanilla, white chocolate, lemon, carrot. You could even have your wedding cake made out of cheese! Vanilla sponge is the cheapest flavour to have, the more flavours you have in your cake the more expensive it will be.

Think About Decoration

There are many ways to decorate your cake: flowers, icing, cake toppers, ribbon. When looking through the pictures either in magazines or through Google, choose your favourite decoration.

Which ever cake you choose, ensure that it’s going to be within your budget and it’s decorated to your taste. Try to choose colours that are in your wedding for your cake so that it all matches.

Good luck!