The Day of Your Nightmares

Disaster Weddings

Wedding disasters are very rare. It is almost unheard of at weddings to have a serious disaster. On the 13th August 2011 there were 7 weddings that I know of and they all happened without a hitch. Wedding disasters are very rare.

The Cheating H2b

It has been reported in the news recently that Jessie Wallace cancelled her wedding on the wedding day when she found out that h2b, Vince Morse, was allegedly sending sex texts to his ex.

She decided that she quite rightly couldn’t go through with the wedding knowing that her h2b had been cheating.

But, would all of us cancel the wedding on The Day?

It would take a lot of guts to cancel a wedding, knowing that all your friends and family are ready to turn up in all their posh frocks. Although, I imagine it would be very difficult to stand up in front of those same friends and family to say vows that you know he already hasn’t kept!

Beat the Stress

Calm Down, Dear, It’s Just a Wedding!

Are you fretting about your florist? Are you dreading dress disasters? Worried about your table plan? Well don’t worry! I have searched all over for fantastic relaxing solutions!

It’s Not a Competition

It is easy to start comparing your wedding to the last wedding you went to, however the strength of your marriage will not depend on how large your flower display is.

Try to focus on what you want, not what your friend had at her wedding. Don’t try to keep up with budget busting brides, stick to your own budget and have what will make h2b and yourself happy.

Your Loo Basket

Emergency Toilet Basket

We have all had a ladder in our tights. We have all had sudden blisters and been in need of a hair pin. Your emergency toilet basket will be a life saver for your guests and for you. But what to put in it?

Essentials for the Ladies

Hair spray Party feet Hair pins Tic Tacks/Mints Small sewing kit Panty liners Comb Spray deodorant

Nail files Safety pins Clear nail polish Nail scissors

Essentials for the Men

Tic Tacks/Mints Comb Safety pins Nail clippers Nail scissors

Spray Deodorant

Do You Need a Toilet Basket?

One bride says, ‘Guests need to be able to wash and dry their hands. That's it. You are not responsible for supplying every hygiene product they might need; they're adults, they should have that covered already.’

Another says, ‘In my opinion, this is a frivolous waste of money. I never heard of such a thing! I will not do such a thing. All that matters is that we get married and have fun. Years from now, no one is going to be saying, "remember the bathroom baskets"? Instead, they will be saying, "remember how much fun we had, and the food was great".’

My friend had a toilet basket at her wedding, and I remember it! I thought it was a really useful touch! When my hair started to fall out of place (not sure why that happened although there was a lot of alcohol involved) I found it really useful that my friend had a few hair pins to help me out!

I think you could buy the ingredients for your basket quite cheaply. Amazon.com sells a variety of different sizes of basket, but I think the small one is the most appropriate.

A few ribbons, a bit of tissue paper and some hobby craft wedding flowers, and it’ll look amazing!

And after the wedding, you can use the basket for storage!

Top Tips

Random Wedding Tips

Planning a wedding is stressful with so many things to remember. It’s easy to forget some of the little touches. Here are some sneaky tips in no particular order to help you on your way!

• Fold up shoes! For when your gorgeous heels start to kill your feet. Nothing brings an end to a night faster than painful shoes. Dance the night away in comfort with a spare pair of shoes.
  
                            
  
• Snacks for kids. If you’re taking a child to a wedding (your own or someone else’s) the last thing you want is whining. If you take a small cereal bar to keep your child going.
  
  

Getting Started

Everything You Need to Remember

It can be very daunting looking at your wedding and everything that needs to be done, but here is a free to download spider diagram to help you on your way.

Step by Step

The first few things to organise:

1. Set the date!
   
2. The ceremony venue
   Be it civil, Church of England, Jewish or Muslim, find your ceremony first.
   
3. The reception venue.
   With limited dates, especially in June – September, reception venues are not easy to book.

Once the key parts of your wedding have been booked, you can now start looking at other elements to fit in with the feel of your wedding.

The Next Things to Organise

In the middle of your planning process, you will need to be thinking about:

• Photographer
• Wedding stationary
• Transportation
• Wedding dress
• Bridesmaid dresses
• Suits
• Flowers
• Favours
• Make up and hair

The Last Things to Organise

At the end of your planning process, you will be thinking about:

• Your table plan
• Wedding rehearsal
• Rehearsal dinner
• Getting all your favours and table decorations to the reception
• Organising the Orders of Service

Start ticking things off your to do list so that you don’t feel completely overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done.

There are a lot of decisions involved in creating your wedding and making it perfect for you and your h2b. Relax and enjoy your engagement!

Invitations

Home Made vs Bought

You’re engaged! You’ve been to venues and booked a florist, bought a dress and hired suits, booked transportation and been to food tastings, you’ve set a date and now it’s time to invite people!

But do you buy your invitations or make them yourself?

The Cost Benefit

Most brides believe that it is cheaper to make their own invitations, however I’m not sure how true that is.

Invitation makers are in touch with whole salers and are able to buy glitter, ribbon and sparkly attachments at whole sale prices. After visiting Hobby Craft last week to buy ribbon and glittery flowers for my table place names, I’ve realised it’s not saving me as much money as I thought.

Stamp Your RSVP

To Stamp or Not to Stamp?

Yesterday, h2b and I spent the evening putting our wedding invitations together!

We have ordered invitations from a lovely invitation lady who gave us some fantastic and beautiful invitations! Exactly what we wanted!

We decided to make the inserts ourselves, the directions and hotel recommendations and the gift list (we’d just like the money, please!), to cut costs.

H2b and I were putting these together, with the RSVP’s (répondez, s'il vous plaît or please reply) in the envelopes. I was just about to seal the first envelope when I thought, ‘Are we putting stamps on the RSVP’s?’

We had a chat about it because we weren’t really sure what to do.

A friend of mine put a stamp on the RSVP in the evening invitation she sent me, and I replied to her invitation the next day. It made replying to her invitation really quick and easy. The address was also on the envelope making it a very simple to pop my RSVP in the post.

But with all the costs already in a wedding, is it financially viable to pay for postage? You’re already paying for your guests’ dinner and possibly some of their drinks, should you also pay for their postage for the sake of convenience? Surely they can stretch to the cost of a stamp?

Although, paying for the postage could mean having your RSVP’s back faster. Guests won’t have to find time to nip to the post office or remember to buy stamps, they can simply pop the RSVP back in the post.

However, if you have guests abroad, you will have to find out the cost for sending your invitations back from that country. For brides and grooms with lots of international guests (like us) that could be very fiddly!

I’d be interested to know what other brides and grooms have done with their RSVP’s. Have you included a stamp? Have you included an RSVP at all or are you hoping guests will send their own? Are you using an RSVP website or emails?

Exciting!!

A Bottle of Pop!!

I am excited about every part of our wedding! I tell everyone that I’m like a bottle of pop (pop is any fizzy drink, like coke or lemonade or Fanta) and it is more than true!

What has made me super excited today is that the lady from the wedding dress shop, Francesca’s, called me to talk about being measured for my wedding dress!

The lady, Diane, suggested being measured before the end of the school summer holidays so I will be measured some time in the next two weeks!! Yay!!! EXCITING!!

Wedding Dreams

Or Wedding Nightmares

I have had roughly five dreams about my wedding and only one has been vaguely nice, but that’s probably because I woke up before it went wrong.

The first dream about our wedding was just after h2b and I were engaged.

We hadn’t booked anything by that point so in my dream I turned up to the wedding in the wrong dress, the people we wanted there weren’t invited, h2b was wearing the wrong clothes, I didn’t have any flowers, everything was going wrong so at the end of the dream I walked out!

Two Years vs Two Months

How Long Should Your Engagement Be?

H2b has gone down on one knee. Your heart fluttered, you said yes! Now you need to set the date. Will you be having a summer wedding? Perhaps a wedding in Spring? Will you be aiming for school holidays or avoiding them?

The average amount of time to be engaged is one year. Many couples aim to be engaged roughly a year before their wedding. I famously planned our date for two and a half years from when we got engaged! 

Wedding Speech Jokes

Having a Giggle

A lot of men find the wedding speech the most nerve wracking part of a wedding. To stand up in front of over 100 people and speak from your heart is a difficult thing to do, and three of the men in your life will do just that on your wedding day.

To help them out a bit, I’ve collected some one line jokes from presentation magazine.com, confetti.co.uk, iamstaggered.com and wedding speech builder.com.

Openers

The Groom: Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - First, I'd like to inform you that my bride has vetted this speech, so if you consider any of the material inappropriate, it's her fault. (wedding speech builder)

Days to Go: 230

A Very Productive Day

Today, my wedding making team wrote the invitations, made table confetti while I made the table place settings!

Dad was in charge of writing the wedding invitations. All was going well until we realised that I hadn’t made enough sheets for the menu choices! And I’m out of paper!

Beauty Tips

How to Look Stunning on Your Day

Without a doubt, you will look absolutely radiant on your wedding day. Your h2b will think you’re the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen! Just to look even more beautiful, here are some tips.

Drink Water!
A lack of water causes skin cells to die and skin will begin to look older. Try to drink at least two litres of water a day to keep your skin hydrated and looking fresh.

Gorgeous Wedding Photos

Photos to Remember

As a lasting picture memory of your wedding, wedding photos are essential. My tips will help you to get your wedding photos right first time.

Don’ts

Don’t forget the details. Wedding favours, flowers, table crystals and confetti, boutonnieres, even your shoes! You’ve spent all this money and time to create a beautiful wedding, remember to get some photos of them!

DIY Your Wedding

Home Made Hidden Touches

Every bride knows that it’s the little personal touches to a wedding that makes it really spectacular, like when your vicar gets your name wrong or you put the wedding ring on the wrong finger.

There are other personal touches that also make a wedding special.

Personal Videos

Instead of paying for a professional videographer, ask a friend to be your personal documentary film maker! I’m borrowing a video camera and have asked my little brother to video our wedding, paying particular attention to the vows and the speeches.

If you choose a friend who knows most of the key people in your wedding and is aware of what’s going to happen during the wedding, this would be the best.

There is a lot of amateur video editing software that come as standard on Macs and PC’s, and there’s also a lot of free software on the internet.

Soul Bird Photo

I Met Some Photographers

I recently went to my friend’s gorgeous wedding and the photographers for the day were fantastic!

They were really professional, really discrete and friendly. I was chatting to one of the photographers, Asia Werbel, talking about lens envy.

The company is called Soul Bird Photo.

As well as photographing the wedding and reception, the photographers were also running the photo booth. It was a very popular feature of the wedding, visited by every guest.

I definitely recommend Soul Bird Photo, they were fantastic for my friends wedding. All the key shots were captured and the photographers stayed until the end of the night.

If you look on their website, you will see tonnes of beautiful photos of different weddings. I love the different angles and the captured details which they photograph professionally.

Soul Bird Photo are definitely worth checking out!

Real Weddings #1

A Beautiful Day And Bang On Trend!

My friend from University married her long term boyfriend in a beautiful parish church and held their reception in a stunning local hotel.

There were a number of things I really liked about this wedding.

600 Year Old Church

As a lover of history myself, I think these ancient churches really pack in the wow factor. This church looked spectacular, decorated with the couple’s wedding colours and beautiful flowers.

This church had three weddings happening in one day! It definitely is wedding season!

The church had a stunning, long aisle and my friend looked spectacular walking the length of it.

3 Weddings, 1 Week

Ideas Gathering

I am very lucky this week to be invited to three weddings!

The first was yesterday, a friend of mine from University. Her wedding was very on trend! But more about that later.

The next is on Friday, a colleague from work. I will be popping along to the church to help celebrate her special day.

And finally, a colleague of my dad’s who I’ve known for years is getting married on Saturday.

Lots to write about and lots of photos!

Visitor Questions

Sample Bouquet

In a recent google search, brides are wondering if a florist will make a sample bridal bouquet.

The simple answer is no.

Unless you’ll pay for it.

Bridal bouquets can cost anything from £40 - £100, and take hours to put together, They use countless amounts of flowers and foliage and take a lot of skill to construct, even if you’re choosing a more simple design.

The time and money that it takes to build your bouquet will cost your florist double if they choose to provide you with a sample bouquet.

However, if you pay for the sample bouquet the florist will do whatever you want as it won’t cost them anything.

I think you would be very lucky to find any suppliers that will give you free samples of items you’re actually going to have for your wedding, with the exception of the stationer who should send you a sample wedding invitation for approval.

Saying that though, if you don’t ask you don’t get. Feel free to ask your florist if he or she will make a sample bouquet (for free), they might even say yes!

Sneaky Peek #3

Mum’s Outfit

Yesterday we went to Shropshire Country Brides to buy my mum’s outfit for The Wedding!

The lady who helped us find out all the purple outfits in a size 38 (UK size 10) had endless patience, much more than I did!

We told her the colour scheme and the style that we were after, and the lady kept checking on us to see how we were doing. When asking for a matching hat, fascinator, bag and shoes, the lady in the shop was happy to help us.

Mum finally chose a John Charles dress with a shrug jacket and matching hat. She also bought the matching shoes.

The outfit is gorgeous!

Mother-of-the Bride

Or Mother-of-the-Groom!

Now that we have decided on my dress, and my bridesmaids’ dresses, it’s time to focus on the mother of the bride! While I was looking for dresses mum was trying on some outfits when we’d finished.

Mum looked completely fabulous in Linea Raffaelli!

Well, for those prices, everyone should look fantastic in Linea Raffaelli!

Mum tried on this outfit and it really did look amazing. It was a two piece, with the skirt separate.

Mum wants to go for more of a purple outfit, but how do MotB’s and MotG’s know what to wear?

Coordination is Key

As part of the bridal party, the MotB and MotG have the option to coordinate with the wedding colours. My wedding colours are various shades of purple with a bit of sparkle. While it is a bit of a faux pas to look like the MotB or MotG is trying to fit in with the bridesmaids, choosing an alternative shade of the same colour would be acceptable.

I really like this outfit, if mum wants to match with the wedding colours. It has a mixture of shades and looks fantastic!

Consider Opinions

What you choose to wear is ultimately your choice however it’s important to consider your son or daughter in your choice. Communicate with the mother of the groom, or bride, so that most importantly you don’t wear the same outfit!

Remember Wedding Etiquette

Under no circumstances, in any instance (unless the bride says it’s ok) should anyone wear white or cream other than the bride at a wedding.

Try to avoid anything too slinky or revealing. There is a time for cleavage and your daughter or son’s wedding is not that time.

Is it Comfortable?

Which ever outfit you choose, as MotB or MotG, you will have to work hard on the day of the wedding, rushing around, attending the ceremony and sitting down to eat. Maybe even dancing the night away!

It goes without saying that while you will want to look good, you will also need to feel comfortable.

Steer clear of uncomfortable shoes or a skirt that’s a bit tight. Instead, look at skirts that make you feel great! Be conscious of your shoes, or take fold up shoes in your bag to change into later!

(I have a pair of silver fold up shoes that I love! They are super comfortable and completely convenient. I take them out clubbing with me!)

Get the Correct Measurements

As MotB and MotG, you will be featuring in a lot of the wedding photos. Ensure that when you order or buy your dress, it has the correct measurements for your figure.

As you can probably tell, I’m a bit of a fan of Linea Raffaelli because I think they fit the figure well and flatter where needed.

Check Out Other MotB’s

The best way to get a good idea of what Mothers are wearing is to look at other MotB’s and MotG’s.

Or perhaps, if you go shopping with MotB/G and you could choose your outfits together. That would be a fantastic way to get to know your son or daughter’s new family!

For photos of mothers of the bride or groom on google, click the link.

My Wedding Shoes

Breaking in the Heels

I love my wedding shoes, I love love love my wedding shoes!

I’ve been wearing my wedding shoes around the house to break them in and they are becoming more and more comfortable!

The only thing is, they have developed an odd creak.

I had them made in China, when my friend was getting married. I was thinking that someone was bound to marry me at some point, it was an investment. They were only £10, cheaper due to being made in China, but they are custom made to my feet size and are super comfortable!

Cake Pops

Cake Pops!

I have never heard of cake pops before but they look fantastic!

The best place to look at cake pops is BakerElla. She’s an amazing baker with a whole blog section on cake pops. She really is the expert, but I’m just going to have a brief look at wedding cake pops.

Benefits of Cake Pops

The main benefit of cake pops is cutting costs. Cake pops will obviously cost less than cupcakes or a traditional wedding cake.

Impress for Less, Part 3

Wow Your Guests on a Budget

The final instalment of my tips on wowing your guests without breaking the budget, hopefully these tips will inspire you to get creative for your wedding.

The First Dance

What is your first dance style? Serious and romantic? Fun and silly? Or something very different?  There are heaps of inspiration on the internet, especially on You Tube so you can see if there is anything you would like to copy.

Also, weddingideasmag.com have heaps of wedding dance ideas. It’s important to find inspiration where you can, it may end up being the biggest talking point at your wedding.

Bingo!

Table games are a fantastic way of adding a bit of fun to your wedding, and the prizes you offer can be silly things from the pound shop or more expensive gifts.

If you’re getting married in the summer, how about a space hopper race?

At one of my friend’s weddings, she challenged guests to see who could drink a pint of beer the fastest. Games at a wedding aren’t to everyone’s taste, but if you’re having an informal wedding games may fit right in!

My Bridesmaids’ Dresses

The First Try On

We have chosen the bridesmaids’ dresses!

That’s very exciting!

We have tried on Alfred Angelo 7016 and 7076 and we’ve chosen 7076!

It was a really nice day. My bridesmaids who live out of town travelled in and we all met up for some lunch before hand. That was really nice, chatting about The Wedding and spending time with good friends.

When we went to the bridal salon, Charades, the ladies were really friendly and nice, even though I was a bit giddy and high pitched.

I’d chosen two dresses, I wanted the bridesmaids to have the choice of which dress they liked the best, and they all liked 7076 the most! Yay! That’s the one I liked the best too!

The bridesmaid dresses were the last part of the wedding I still had to organise! Well, now I’m still sorting out a florist but other than that, it’s all fab.

The wedding is 8 months away today. I remember when the wedding was 2 years away! It’s all jolly exciting!!

Confidence is Beautiful

Looking Great in Wedding Photos

Many people don’t like having their photo taken but that’s usually down to a belief that they don’t look good in photos. With more confidence, it’s easier to relax and take better pictures.

Love Yourself!

Take a photo of yourself and focus on the elements of your features that you do like.

I definitely focus on elements of the pictures that I don’t like, but by focusing on what you do like, it’s easier to boost your confidence.

Ask h2b to help you see which parts of the photos he likes.

Do the T Pose!

If you stand with your feet turned to a T shape and stand slightly to the side of the camera it will add a bit of pow to your photos. Put your weight on your back leg and stand with a straight front leg. This will make you look taller and slimmer, which we all love.

Avoid the Claw

When you’re nervous, you can tend to tense up your hands. Either place them on your hip or hold your bouquet to keep yourself relaxed.

You could place your hand on your hip to keep your arms away from your body and keep your hands looking soft and feminine.

H2b could hold a glass of champagne to help him look relaxed.

No Slouching!

Good posture is essential for good wedding photos. Role your shoulders back and down to elongate your neck and help yourself to look thinner. Hold your tummy in and use your core muscles to make yourself look taller and thinner.

Fuller Lips

Dab some peppermint oil on your lips to stimulate blood flow and make your lips look fuller in the pictures.

The Bouquet

As this is probably the only time we will hold a wedding bouquet, brides often don’t now how to hold their bouquet.

For the best impact, carry your bridal bouquet at waist height. This will best show off your dress without making your arms look too chubby. At the waist, your arms will look open and you will look slimmer.

Purse Your Lips

If you don’t want to show your teeth when you smile, and want to keep your mouth closed, remember to slightly purse your lips so that the smile looks relaxed and beautiful.

Impress for Less, Part 2

Wow Your Guests, Don’t Break the Budget

In the current economic climate, making a big impression at your wedding is becoming more and more difficult. Tips for saving money while at the same time creating a big impact are invaluable!

Bathroom Basket

A small basket of toiletries placed in the loo at your reception venue will be priceless! For the ladies, some freshening wipes, plasters, deodorant, perfume and if your budget stretches that far, some disposable flip flops for when guests feet start to hurt. Hair pins and hair spray would also be useful!

My mum would say this is a waste of money but I think your guests will find this really useful and it’s a nice touch to show you’re thinking of your guests.

Less is More

When decorating your wedding, remember it’s the special little touches that make the biggest impact. If you put a sprig of rosemary or lavender on your napkins, or use photos of your guests as children for their place settings, these little touches can create a huge impact.

I’m making some of my own table confetti. My h2b is Chinese and it’s traditional to use double happiness 囍 to decorate Chinese weddings. This is a very subtle touch to the wedding, but I think that it’s one which will make h2b’s parents smile.

Wedding Photographs

Perfect Pictures

Many couples don’t realise how important wedding photographs can be nor how important it can be to choose the right photographer for your wedding.

There is only one chance to capture the most amazing day of your life. While many of your guests will have digital cameras and many will have cameras on their phones, they won’t be able to cover every angle of your wedding.

Whomever you choose to take your wedding photos, there are some things you should remember:

• Keeping Inconspicuous
  A photographer who doesn’t try to take over your wedding is essential. If you look on their website at testimonials, look for thank you’s that describe the photographer as unobtrusive and relaxed. You will be nervous and excited and giddy, you don’t need a photographer who makes you worse!
  
  
• Someone Who Fits
  Your wedding photographer must be someone you get along with and feel comfortable with. Everyone has different personalities that they get along with, you need to find someone who fits with yours. Don’t leave this important decision to your parents or friends.
  
  

Impress for Less Part 1

Having a Wow Wedding Without a Wow Budget

Savvy brides are always looking for ways to impress their guests without breaking the bank. It is possible to make an impact without blowing your budget.

Prop It Up

If your personality is a little bit wacky (like mine) guests will love to see that in your wedding. You don’t have to have formal wedding photo, include some silly props such as umbrellas, wellies, bowler hats and moustaches.

You could even set up a home made photo booth or a photo room where guests can be silly and take some fantastic photos!

 Different Drinks

Don’t feel as if you have to serve expensive champagne at your wedding, especially if champagne isn’t to your taste. I don’t really like sparkling wine but I do like Asti so I’m serving a glass of Asti to toast.

Try to go with house wines or the caterer’s standard wines to save costs, but don’t be afraid to ask for something different. Wine makes me really drunk very quickly, so I’ve asked for a different drink for my meal to keep me going but also to keep me merry. Also, my h2b doesn’t drink wine very often so he’d prefer a different drink too!

Guests the Theme

It’s Not Funny

I Have No Sense of Humour About The Wedding

I was watching a Friends rerun on E4, and Monica (the b2b) said something really poignant. Chandler (the h2b) said a joke, ‘Vows, I knew I’d have to buy some of those. Pat, I’ll have a vow please.’ Then Monica said clearly,

‘Sweetie, you know I have no sense of humour about The Wedding.’

I was talking to my h2b about as I walk down the aisle. I asked him what he might be thinking when he sees me for the first time. He dared to joke, ‘I’ll be wondering if you can dance in that dress.’

That’s not funny.

Sneaky Peek #2

Our Wedding Invitations!

They have arrived!

And they look fantastic!

I want to completely and utterly recommend Special Occasion Stationary!! Sarah kept me informed through the entire process and the invitations look completely fantastic! They are so professionally made and beautifully printed.

I’m really, really happy with them!

H2b thinks they’re fantastic too! I text him to tell him they’d arrived and straight away asked me to send him a photo. He’s really excited, he said, ‘Now we can invite people!’

I snapped quite a few photos of them (I’m saving the big reveal for when they’ve been sent out to guests) and to make sure I got the right angle I did a bit of creative photography.

I used a small torch to light up the diamantés, surrounded the invitations with white card to give that clear, white background and then lay flat on the floor to get that perfect angle.

The invitations make me feel as if the wedding is right around the corner! Only 8 months (and 4 days) until I become a wife and I have a husband! That’s like being a proper grown up!

I’m so so excited!