Arrange Wedding Insurance back to the top
There’s no requirement to take Wedding Insurance – But if you’ve any concerns that things may not go to plan on the day then Wedding Insurance is a good option. The insurance won’t cover against every eventuality but it can help. The costs normally start from about £65 for basic cover
Click here to enquire about Wedding day Insurance
Consider your appearance back to the top
Everyone likes to look their best, and on your wedding day it’s even more important to make sure you look the way you want to.
If you are considering dieting to lose a few inches then now is the time – Remember in the next few months you’ll be getting fitted for your wedding dress or suit, so don’t leave it too late. Furthermore dieting should be done gradually rather than an intensely to allow your body to adjust.
There are so many different diets available nowadays some work for some and some work for others and therefore we wouldn’t blindly suggest any particular diet.
A good place to get tips and advice is the NHS website – www.nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight
Click Here If you want to look for a local Dietician or Dieting Club
Book the Photographer / Videographer back to the top
Choose a Wedding Photographer and or Videographer – Ask to see examples of their work and discuss with them what you would like before deciding.
Think about how many pictures you would like and which family & groups you want to be pictured, any particular poses or locations before, or after the service.
Are you looking for colour, black and white, black and white with hints of colour say in the bouquet – The choices are endless
Obviously you’ll need to remind them closer to the day – But be as specific as you can to the photographer in what you want – You don’t want to miss that one perfect shot!
Most Photographers / Videographers will normally offer a service from 2 hours to 8 hours - The 2 hour service will normally cover just the arrival at the place of ceremony – the ceremony and some shots after the ceremony
An 8 hour service will normally cover the bride before leaving the house, arrival at the place of ceremony, the ceremony, after the ceremony, arrival at the reception venue, cutting the cake and first dance.
The cost of a photographer can be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands depending on the package and amount of pictures selected for the album.
Remember these photos will be treasured for life, so make sure you get want you want.
If you decide on the top packages with a photographer – This should include
8 Hours Photography –
A leather A3 storybook with 30 sides
A set of Parents Albums (Copy of the story book)
A set of Guest Books (Copy of the Story book)
A set of Guest Books (Copy of the Story book)
Approx 50 - 6x9 Print
Pictured Thank You cards
A Copyright free CD/DVD
Photographers and Videographers also get booked up, so make sure they are available for your date before discussing your needs
Book the Florist back to the top
Think about what time of year your wedding will take place as this will no doubt affect both the availability of flowers and costs, and may also affect any theme that you are progressing towards. Although below we list a number of flowers for each season – Nowadays so many flowers are imported – you can pretty much have any flower all year round.
Spring Flowers
Alliums, Anemones, Bluebells, Christmas Roses, Columbines, Cow Parsley, Eucalyptus, Freesia , Fritillaries, Guelder Rose, Hellebores, Hyacinths, Iris, Ivy, Jonquil, Narcissi, Paper White, Ranunculus Rosemary, Sencecio, Snowdrops, Snowflakes, Sweet Peas, Tazetta, , Tulip, Viburnham Tinus, Violets
Summer Flowers
Alchemilla Mollis, Astrantia, Beech, Calla Lily, Continus, Cornflowers, Cosmos, Cotton Lavender, Dahlias, Delphinium, Eucalyptus, Foxgloves, Gladioli, Honeysuckle, Hydrangea, Ivy, Jasmine Trails, Lavender, Lilies, Marigolds, Mint, Oregano, Peony, Pheasant Bush, Phlox, Rosemary, Rubus Trails, Sages, Scabious, Scented Garden Roses, Scented Geranium, Scented Pinks, Senecio, Snapdragons, Sunflower, Sweet Pea, Sweet Williams, Thyme.
Autumn Flowers
Amaranthus, Arum Lily, Astrantia, Cleomes, Cosmos, Dahlia, Dendrobium Orchid, Gladioli, Helenium, Hydrangea, Hypericum, Narcissus, Nicotiana, Rudbeckias, Scabious, Sedum, Snapdragons, Sunflower, Zantedeschia, Zinnia.
Winter Flowers
Amaryllis, Anemone, Camellias, Catkins, Cosmos, Cymbidium Orchid, Dogwoods, Eucalyptus, Eucharis, Fruiting Ivy, Heather, Hellebores, Iris, Ivy Berries, Paperwhite Narcissi, Pussy Willow, Ranunculus, Rosehips, Rosemary, Snowdrops, Twisted Willow, Vanda Orchid
If you are getting married in the summer then remember it’s likely to be a lot warmer so you must try and avoid flowers that will wilt very easily – Furthermore you should try and have the flowers delivered on the morning of the service so that they are as fresh as can be for the day.
Typically places where you can consider adding flowers / flower arrangements are
At the Place of ceremony and entrance
Reception Venue and entrance
A table display for the head table and each guest table
An arrangement for the back of the wedding car/s,
Button Holes for the groom, Best man, Fathers and Ushers,
Corsages for the Bridesmaids, Maid of Honour and mothers,
Bouquets for both the Bride & Groom’s Mothers
And finally and most importantly there’s the Bouquet for the bride.
Obviously you do not need to have flowers anywhere and if you’re on a budget then you may just want to have a bouquet etc.
But discuss your needs with a wedding florist as they will normally be able to point you in the right direction for both seasonal flowers and floral designs
Start thinking about a gift list back to the top
Sit down with your partner and start listing everything you may want for the future. Obviously guest’s budgets will vary but ideally you should pick items that start as low as £10 rising up to anything around £500+ The reason for this is that evening guests may only want to buy a small present whereby parents and very close friends may want to buy something a lot more substantial.
When choosing gifts you may also want to include vouchers that you can use to help pay for the day i.e. Holiday vouchers towards the cost of the honeymoon or Photography vouchers towards the cost of your wedding picture album etc.
Think about new luggage for the honeymoon
When you have collated the list you then have a couple of options
You may choose to visit a large department store and select all of the gifts from one store – Lots of larger departmental stores now cater for Wedding Lists that can be managed on line. You visit the store and deal with a specialist advisor -They will provide you details of the account that can be sent out with the invites and the account can all be managed on-line
Alternatively browse on the internet or “go window shopping” for the gifts – You will then need to create a list (detailing the gifts and possibly the shop to purchase the gifts from) that can be sent out with the invites- If you opt for this method remember to ask people to notify you of the gift they have chosen – Otherwise you could end up with duplicates on the day.
Do you want to have a Wedding Website? back to the top
Nowadays some couples like to have their own website developed.
On the site you can post all the information about the day listing:
Date & Times
Place of Ceremony
Reception Venue
Directions
Maps
Gift List
Food menu
Local Hotels
Do & Don’ts for the day
Contact details
Wedding Theme
Pictures
In fact there’s no limit to what can be put onto the website
So if this is something you are interested in then please click on the link below or
Contact us at info@weddingservicesuk.com as we are more than happy to develop and host the site on your behalf
Order and send out your wedding invites back to the top
After you have completed your guest list, Booked the place of Ceremony and the Reception venue, its now time to send out the invites. Invites for the whole day are most important and these should be sent first – Send out evening only invites about two weeks after the daytime invites have been sent.
These can either be tailor made & ordered from Professional stationers or more cost effective options you can buy cards from local stationers, card shops, or consider making your own.
Also in this age of technology some couples have even been known to send out invites by email.
Remember when you send out the invite you may need to enclose a food menu from the caterers (also a request for any specific dietary requirements), a copy of the gift list, maps/directions and a list of nearby hotels for guests to stay at.
Make sure you request a RSVP to the invite as you’ll need to know for numbers
Book your Entertainment back to the top
As with most suppliers – They get booked up – So it’s important to book your entertainment well in advance
There are a number of times during the day that you may want to consider providing entertainment.
At the place of Ceremony – (But check in advance that this is acceptable)
Bag Pipes, String Quartet, Harpist are quite common
As guests arrive at the reception venue – This entertainment should ideally be background music i.e. String Quartet, Harpist, Jazz, Pan Pipes, Classical Singer etc or you may just prefer to have background music from popular CD
During the meal – Here there are a number of options available - background music that carries on from when the guests arrive, Entertainers that visit table to table i.e. Magicians, Caricature artists and Comedians (But make sure their content is appropriate!) etc.. And if you have a lot of younger guests then you may consider a child entertainer to keep the children occupied during the afternoon and evening.
The evening entertainment should be a lot more of a celebration- Remember the entertainment in the evening will completely set the atmosphere for your reception, which is why you have to get it right!
Live bands or solo artists are popular either performing their own songs or covers, as are Discos and Karaoke
But if you really want to get your guests up and dancing then you could consider holding a Barn Dance or Ceilidh Dance etc
Also depending on your own taste you could consider something a little different such as Ballroom, Folk, Jazz, Salsa, Blues, Latin American or Swing etc.
It’s all about letting your guests have a good time.
But before you book any act, band, artist or DJ – Always try and get to see them in action, or at the very least get recommendations from friends or family who have seen them perform.
As a suggestion - If you’re considering having an engagement party then it may be worth trying to book the band, artist or DJ for the party so you can at least check you like their style and variety of songs.
As a quick reminder – Remember to check that within your entertainment – you have
The music for your “First dance” i.e. the band can play it or your DJ has the disc.
Order your Wedding Cake back to the top
Traditionally couples would have always opted for a three tier fruit cake on pillars, but nowadays there is so much more choice.
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a cake – But the first thing to think about is the style of cake and whether you are going to opt for a traditional approach or more elegant or quirky cake.
Nowadays Cake makers are so advanced in their techniques of baking and icing that almost anything is possible in the shape and presentation of the cake, so you could decide to have a cake in most shapes or designs i.e. Shaped like a church, Horse Shoe, Bells or Hearts instead of the traditional round or square tiers etc.
But also you may want to consider having either individual cakes or something like a Croquenbouche (this is a French dessert, a kind of pièce montée - It is a high cone of profiteroles.)
You then need to consider the size of the cake- Which in the ideal world the cake would be big enough to serve to every guest, however with larger parties or if you’re on a budget this isn’t always practical. But don’t worry as there is always the option of asking your Cake maker to make an additional standard cake/s that can be stored away. Then when you cut the actual cake and distribute it- the additional cake can be cut to make up the shortfall.
This is also a good way of saving on costs as the standard cake/s will work out much cheaper than increasing the size of your wedding cake.
The amount of portions in a layer of cake can vary dependant on the overall shape and depth of the cake but typically
|
Size of Tier
|
Standard Round Cake
|
Standard Square Cake
|
|
6”
|
12
|
18
|
|
7”
|
18
|
24
|
|
8”
|
22
|
32
|
|
9”
|
30
|
40
|
|
10”
|
38
|
50
|
|
11”
|
44
|
60
|
|
12”
|
55
|
72
|
|
3 Tier 6”,9” & 12”
|
100
|
130
|
The next thing to decide on is the base of the cake
Fruit is the most traditional and has a few advantages in that it will last much longer – In fact a lot of people keep the top tier of a fruit cake for the christening of the their first born child.
Fruit bases are also a lot stronger and denser and therefore are able to take the weight of upper tiers. However please note the tiers will need to be on pillars because the downside of fruit cakes is the weight of the tiers means you can’t place them directly on top of each other as they will sink into the layer below.
Other options for the base of the cake are:
White Sponge – Either plain or with a Jam Filling
Fruit with alcohol i.e. Brandy (like a Christmas cake filling)
Madeira
Chocolate Sponge
Chocolate
Chocolate Fudge
Battenberg
Croquenbouche
Angel Cake
Lemon Cake
Individual Cup Cakes – (Rather than one large cake)
Basically you can have whatever you want and the same applies for icing the cake as well (Fondant, Fudge, Butter cream, Royal etc) – With or without Marzipan –
You also may want to consider having tiers with different bases i.e. Fruit for people with Dairy allergies, Sponge or Chocolate for people with Nut allergies etc. This is possible as the icing hides the base of the cake and therefore the appearance isn’t affected at all until the cake is cut.
People sometime shy away from Chocolate cakes as they’re worried they may melt – But chocolate doesn’t melt until its well over 35 degrees – so unless the reception venue is particularly hot or in direct sunlight you’ll be fine.
Once you have chosen the size of the cake, number of tiers (if applicable), the filling and the icing - you then need to decide on the presentation
If you go for a tiered cake you have the option of it being presented with Pillars between each layer, laid on top of each layer as a compact tiered cake or each tier can be separated and supported in a frame.
Please note as already mentioned Fruit cake cannot sit layer on layer without support for the weight.
All in all the advice is to speak to the cake maker they will have loads of ideas and advice to help with your choices of Base, Icing, Size & Presentation
Finally as a money saving idea – You may want to think about serving the cake as the dessert after the meal – This will do away with the cost of the dessert with the Caterers
This is a particularly good idea if you have chosen a Croquenbouche, individual Cup Cakes or Chocolate Fudge cake etc. as the cake can be served with Chocolate sauce Fresh Cream, or Fresh Fruit etc to give it the dessert feel, and you can still have the top tier set aside for the “cutting the cake”
Book all the transport for the day back to the top
It’s important that you have all your transport needs sorted well in advance as again certain modes of transport get booked up early.
Obviously most couples like to “travel in style” on what is the most important day in their lives, Plus the bride arriving at the place of ceremony and then leaving with her husband are excellent photo opportunities and therefore you’ll want to look good.
For arriving to the place of ceremony - Traditionally the father of the bride (Or whoever is giving the bride away) and the bride will travel together.
The mother of the bride, matron of honour, bridesmaids & page boy will all travel together- or will travel in a convoy.
The groom and best man will travel together to the place of ceremony
The Grooms parents, Ushers and other family members or guests will normally make their own way to the service, although you may want to also lay on transport for the Grooms parents, family members etc.
After the service the newly wed couple will travel to the reception venue together
The father of the bride and the best man will then join the rest of the wedding party to travel to the reception
Other guests and family members will normally make their own way to the reception venue
There are many different alternative options available nowadays.
Horse & Carriage – Normally just for the Bride arriving at the place of ceremony and after the service to take the newly wed couple to the reception venue.
Although this is a very romantic way to travel, it also can be very expensive as the carriage and horses may need to be initially transported to the place of pick up.
Not only do you need to consider the costs but also you’ll need to consider the practicalities.
The distance and whether it’s too far from either the Bride’s house to the place of ceremony or from the place of ceremony to the reception venue? Horses can generally only travel a few miles at a time.
Are the roads to be travelled on suitable i.e. a horse and carriage isn’t able to travel on main roads or motorways?
Are there any steep hills?
Or is there sufficient access to both the place of ceremony and the reception venue?
If you still want a Horse and Carriage – but unfortunately some of the above are stumbling blocks then you could always consider a different pick up point that is closer to the place of ceremony to travel shorter distances, no main roads or hills etc.
Vintage Cars – A vintage car is one that was built before the 1930’s – They do not have the look, power or speed as cars nowadays, but they are generally kept in pristine condition.
Classic Cars – The term classic car is a term frequently used to describe an older car but the exact meaning is subject to differences in opinion.
A classic car was normally one that was built before 1950 – However nowadays and as the years past any car over say 40 years old can be considered classic.
Whether it be a Vintage or Classic car both perfect for transporting the bride to the place of ceremony and the couple after the service in style – and what you’re ideally looking for is a car that is in pristine condition, looks grand, stylish and will make a good background for photo’s.
The more common makes of Vintage / Classic Wedding cars tend to be British --Rolls Royce, Bentley & Daimler etc.
Limousine – Obviously for the rest of the wedding party you may wish to consider hiring limousines. They do not need to be the long stretched type; generally any large luxury car can be considered a Limousine.
Limousines are good to transport the mother of the bride, Bridesmaids, matron of honour, pageboy and for after the ceremony the Brides father and Best man.
Remember if you are going to book transport for the rest of the party – ensure there is enough room as they will all be dressed for the day and won’t want to be squashed for room. – Plus on the journey after the ceremony there is likely to be more people to transport i.e. Fathers bride, best man etc.
Coaches / Mini bus – If the place of ceremony is in a remote area or there is some distance from the place of ceremony to the reception venue then you may want to consider arranging additional transport for other family members and or guests such as a coach or minibus.
Finally if you are not staying the night at the reception venue – then remember to arrange transport for after the reception to take you to the hotel, airport or home etc.
Click here for your local Wedding Car & Limo Hire
Book your Toastmaster for the day back to the top
A Toastmaster will help organise your day from start to finish to ensure that your day runs smoothly.
Click here for your local Toastmaster
