Berketex Bride

Trying on Wedding Dresses

I have actually tried some wedding dresses on! Five in fact, four I tried in Berketex. I can’t actually show pictures of the dresses because my H2B reads my blog.

We were actually walking past the Berketex, my mother and I, and we thought why not pop in for a little look. The little look actually lasted almost an hour!

I have a fairly clear idea of what I want in a wedding dress, my mother has a clear idea of what she wants in a wedding dress and luckily there is some overlap. We had a quick look through the dresses to see what was there but it’s difficult to tell if you like a dress from how it hangs on a hanger.

The lady who served us at Berketex was called Amanda and she was so nice and helpful! I think she was really aware that not only is it an expensive purchase but it’s also an important decision. I’m only ever going to  have one wedding dress: I’ve got to love it, I’ve got to want it and it’s got to be perfect! I did find one I really really liked, called Honey. (I can’t put a picture of it but if you click on the name, it’ll take you directly to the dress.)

Amanda was really nice and got out all the dresses we’d chosen from looking through on the rail. Mum insisted on me trying on a dress I really didn’t like and thankfully Amanda didn’t show it to us. She was really patient and spent a lot of time with us one on one. We did happen to be the only people in the shop, I think it was early in the morning on a week day in half term when there weren’t many people around.

We were allowed to take pictures of the dresses on which was really useful because I was able to look at the pictures later in the day.

Berketex offer an interest free payment plan which I think is fantastic considering the price of some wedding dresses! You can spread the cross over time instead of paying out a chunk when there are so many service providers out there who want large chunks of your wedding savings!

There are many benefits when you choose to buy your wedding dress from a chain. You know for sure that they are reliable and probably aren’t going to suddenly go bust leaving you without the most important dress of your very special day. They also provide bridesmaid dresses, wedding shoes, tiaras and veils.

Wedding Cars

Key Questions

When booking your wedding cars, you want to make sure that you get the right cars for your wedding. Here are some simple questions to ask your wedding car service provider:

• Will the chauffeurs be wearing uniforms?
  The uniform adds a really professional touch to the wedding and it just looks so much nicer. I haven’t yet seen a wedding car provider who doesn’t ask the chauffeurs to wear suits but it’s best to check.
• Will you provide matching ribbons to decorate the car?
  Most wedding car providers do supply their own ribbons for the cars. They add a lovely detail and everyone will know that you’re getting married as you drive along. Wedding ribbons are very cheap from Hobby Craft or Confetti.
• Will there be flowers in the car?
  Sometimes they will provide flowers in the back of the car. This looks lovely, I’m having flowers in the back of my car, and my friend had them in the back of theirs so I’m pretty sure most wedding car suppliers provide flowers.
• Will you do a trial journey before The Day?
  A trial journey allows the driver to know where any tricky slopes or parts of the journey will be. Conscientious wedding car suppliers will do a trial journey, find out if your provider will do the same.
• How many people will fit in each car?
  The first car will hold you and your father, and then you and your husband, but the bridesmaid car will hold the bridesmaid, the flower girl, the page boy, your mother and who knows what else! Make sure they all fit!
• Can we put our luggage and belongings in the boot?
  Weddings are busy times and you might not be able to get to the reception venue where you might be sleeping over before The Day. Popping your luggage in the back would make things a lot more convenient, if they let you!
• What happens if the car breaks down?
  Fingers crossed this will never happen, but you need to know that there is going to be a contingency plan if things to go pot!
• Do you do discounts or match prices?
  Well, if you don’t ask you don’t get and there’s always a chance that they may ask previous prices you’ve been quoted.

Good luck choosing your wedding cars! It wasn’t very easy for me!

Letters of Love

Fun Photo Wedding Gifts

I was reading a Hitched.co.uk twitter post by Fran (not me). I thought I would repost as it’s a very cool wedding gift! Alphabet photography!

If you are buying for a couple who have lived together for a while, or for a couple who didn’t give a wedding list, this would be a really nice idea. Often, guests feel uncomfortable giving money as a gift, this would be a fantastic alternative. (Even if they did give a wedding list this seems really special gift.)

The picture frame was spotted at The National Wedding show in London and Fran thought it was one of the most unique exhibitors she’d seen. I definitely think it’s a really unique idea however I’ve found at least two different companies that offer this service when I googled the idea.

The idea is that they take photos of objects everywhere, in architecture, in nature, in anything you can think of and use those pictures to make words. It’s very effective and a bit quirky, really unique.

This photo above is from Alphabet Photography. Their website says, ‘The Alphabet Photography team is proud to provide superior customer service and high quality craftsmanship.’ Their website seems fairly user friendly and I easily chose the pictures I wanted. If I didn’t like the pictures that appeared in the picture then I could click on each letter to change the picture. I thought that was a really nice idea.

This picture would set me back £45, which is an average price for a wedding gift. You can make all sorts of different words, and they offer different materials such as letters, posters and inspirational pictures.

The other company I found that provides this service is the  Letter Art Company. On their website, they say ‘An amazing gift concept that uses pictures of real world objects that resemble letters of the alphabet; Combining them to create truly unique, personalised gifts.’ They offer letter graphs, frames, mounts and custom framed letter art. A very similar service to Alphabet Photography, they ask you to type in a word and they will find pictures to match the letters in that word.

Like alphabet Photography, they offer to let you change the photos that it generates by clicking on the picture you want to change, and you probably will want to change the pictures.  It came out quite nicely, a similar standard to that from Alphabet Photography.

This picture would again cost me £45.

Personally I think this is a fantastic idea for a gift, not just for a wedding but for a Christening or a birthday. Wonderfully unique, which ever company you use as they are both very user friendly, you would find a lovely gift for anyone!

Your Wedding Cars

Travelling in Style

First, decide what your style is! I was talking to a colleague at work about our wedding and she assumed my style would be something ultra modern, maybe some executive cars similar to the ones shown right.

Executive Cars

That’s not my style but these cars are often a cheaper option for people who are on a budget. Very nice, very smart cars that look ultra chic with the ribbon and bows on ready for a wedding. Remember, if your reception venue is far from your ceremony venue, these cars can travel faster than a vintage car and will get you to your reception with time to spare!

I feel that vintage cars are more popular for weddings, but executive cars are overlooked as a nice, smart and more affordable option for a classic wedding. If your venue is a posh, modern hotel or or a chic cocktail bar, modern executive cars could be the cars for you. A friend of mine chose executive cars for his wedding and they did look lovely in the wedding. His bride said that they were very professional and very comfortable. This may be the way to go for your wedding.

Off the Wall

Perhaps, your style is a bit quirky. Your dress may get a bit squished in a car like this, however they would add a wonderfully quirky touch to your wedding. Use your imagination, this is your big day, the possibilities are endless. However cute the smart car is, you wouldn’t be able to fit your bridesmaids in the back.

This sort of idea would be fantastic for a wedding that’s already different from the norm. If you’re after an unusual wedding why not also have unusual cars! Run the theme all the way through your wedding.

Vintage Cars

Most weddings these days will use vintage cars, however I am a believer in not doing something just because everyone else is. I like the vintage cars, but there are many different types.

The picture shown here is the car my friend and her father rode in to the church, and then her husband and herself rode to the reception venue. It’s a 1938 Wolsey. The late 30’s and 40’s cars add a real touch of class to any wedding, traditional or modern. Lovingly restored and maintained, these cars are just a wonderful accessory to any wedding pictures. The 30’s and 40’s cars tend to come in cream, or cream and black. My mother doesn’t like this, especially as I’m having a lilac and white wedding, but I personally feel it’s the whole car that makes the difference, not the colour of the car. If you have a white car or a cream car, I don’t think anyone will notice. My friend’s wedding was a purple wedding and didn’t feel the colour of the cars took anything away from that. They added a gorgeous classic element to the wedding.

The Wolsey was a 6 seater, and was a snug fit for all us bridesmaids and the bride’s mother.

There are some younger vintage cars, namely the Austin Princess and Daimlers.  These are also lovely classic cars and are slightly more modern than the 30’s and 40’s cars. The Austin Princess is from around 1963, and Daimlers are around 1970. The picture here is of a 1964 Austin Princess.

The Austin Princess is a 7 seater, and from what I’ve seen is quite spacious. I’m a bit in love with the 60’s and I absolutely adore these cars. The benefit of the slightly more modern cars is that they travel that little bit faster. This makes me sound like I’m obsessed with speed, but if you’re like me and your wedding venue is a bit of a distance from your reception venue then time is of the essence.

If you would like to go a bit more up to date, there are 1970’s and 80's cars available. This is where Rolls Royces and Jaguars will come in. These cars are still highly prestigious and look stunning in wedding photos. If you want something vintage, but not too vintage, then these cars are for you. You can have the elegance of a vintage car with the convenience of a modern engine.

Increasingly popular, and quite often featured on Big Fat Gypsy Weddings are stretch limos!  Not quite to my taste but they can look fairly breath taking, and fabulous in those all important wedding photos. You and your attendants can travel in style, and with lots of room to celebrate in the comfort of a limo. Limousines are fairly high status and stand out amongst other wedding cars. If your dream wedding consists of lavish expense then this mode of transport is for you!

Depending on what you want, there are a number of wedding car services in the West Midlands, here’s a brief selection:

Classic, vintage cars

• Platinum Wedding Cars
• The Wedding Car Company
• Constables Carriage Company
• Beetle Drive UK
• California Dream Classic Cars
• Vintage Carriages Malvern
• Willow Wedding Cars
• Deputy Driver
• Celebration Wedding Cars

Executive cars

• American Dreams
• Candlin Wedding Cars
• Wedding Limos
• Limo Broker
• States Style
• Wedding Car Hire

You can see from the number of companies available that vintage and classic cars tend to be more popular than executive cars, but why not break the mould and go for something different to help your wedding stand out?

Another Item Booked!

Wedding Cars for Bride, Father-of-the-Bride and Bridesmaids!

We have booked our wedding cars! We went this morning, which was a struggle because I have an awful cold! This is dedication to the wedding, dragging myself out of bed to book wedding cars!

We went with The Wedding Car Company, who provide a mixture of vintage cars that are just absolutely gorgeous.

I would also completely recommend Platinum Wedding Cars. Without a doubt, the best wedding cars I have ever seen! The cars we saw at a Moat House wedding fayre were just beautiful. They had been lovingly restored to an outstanding quality, and the chaps who drove the cars were friendly and chatty. This picture to the right, from the Platinum Wedding Car website, shows the stunning quality that the cars have been restored to. The chair coverings felt like leather, I’m not sure if they were but that’s what they felt like, with lush carpets on the floors.

The drivers will do a trial drive from your start location and will trial run the entire route that the cars would take for your wedding, just to check for any problems. Their thorough, professional and outstanding service really blew me away! I would have booked them like a shot but they were already booked for my wedding date. 

You may think I’m on commission but this is my honest opinion. I’m really disappointed that I couldn’t book them because they were absolutely outstanding!

The cars we have booked from The Wedding Car Company are really lovely too! Another Austin Princess and a Daimler, beautiful cars. The lady we booked with was happy to let us look around as often and for as long as we needed to make a decision. As soon as we decided to book (they had the date available – yay!) it was as simple as leaving a 20% deposit. We filled in the details for where the wedding is and the colours for the wedding before we left.

As soon as we saw the cars, I knew the ones I wanted and that they would look stunning on our wedding day adorned in our wedding colours. They will look stunning in contrast with the bridesmaid dresses, not that they are booked or even measured yet! I know people are thinking we must be mad to be booking cars to early, but with the price of petrol rising every day, I wish we’d booked them earlier!

Check Out My Blog

Pick a Card

My business cards have come for my blog! Yay! I used vista print as they do nice business cards. I am really pleased with them and I’ve already started handing them out at work!

I think it’s important to advertise my blog as I’m trying to bring services together with real brides, services that I’ve experienced myself and I can give you my honest opinion without all that sales talk. Of course, it is all just my opinion because it’s my blog, and you can take my opinion with a pinch of salt, but I am trying to be honest as best I can.

Plus, you can follow my experiences as I plan my wedding and see that you’re not alone. I had some really good responses from my post about struggling with the guest list, a lot of recently wed and soon-to-be wed people were feeling my pain, one of my readers saying, ‘It genuinely delights me that someone else is stressing about this as much as I was. Have fun :o) I offended people in groups. You can either offend all your cousins or no cousins. Likewise work colleagues.’ At least I’m not the only one!

Ideas for the future are

• A forum for brides and grooms and concerned parties to write their own comments about their weddings
• A chatroom where brides, grooms and everyone else can share tips and ideas aout weddings
• A Craig’s List/Gumtree type arena for matching up suppliers with brides (I certainly need something like that for finding some wedding cars!)

Keep posted for more updates and check out my blog! Keep an eye out for my business cards!