3 Popular Wedding Trends
February 5, 2011
Vintage wedding trend
Whilst some aspects of weddings and wedding planning remain the same, whatever the year, there are other areas that come and go as far as trends are concerned. Here are three of the most popular wedding trends likely to be making an appearance this year.
1. Eco-friendly and Green Wedding Trend
Eco-friendly and green weddings have been growing in appeal in recent years and we’re likely to see a lot more of them this year. There are lots of aspects of weddings that can be made more eco-friendly and you can go as green as your budget, and imagination, takes you.
Some of the popular and trendy ways of making your wedding more eco-friendly include through using a recycled wedding dress, recycled handmade wedding invitations, using locally produced food, choosing a green venue and making donations to a favourite green charity instead of receiving gifts.
2. Do It Yourself or DIY Wedding Trend
Thanks to the influence of the recession, more couples are opting for low key, do-it-yourself weddings to save on money and add a more personal touch to their special day.
As well as being a good money saver, this is a growing popular trend as it’s a particularly good way of making your wedding unique to you.
3. Vintage Wedding Trend
The trend for vintage weddings is ever increasing. People love buying and wearing vintage wedding dresses, using vintage wedding transport to get to their wedding, choosing all sorts of wonderful vintage wedding accessories and decoration and even having their wedding photographs produced in aged, or sepia, vintage finishes.
With a love of all things vintage continuing in shops too, both old and replica pieces, the accessibility of buying vintage items is helping this trend to soar.
5 Tips for Successful Outdoor Weddings
November 17, 2010
- Have the perfect outdoor wedding
Outdoor weddings always look so perfect when you see them on TV or in films, but things don’t always go quite so smoothly in real life. If you’re thinking of holding your wedding outside, then here are some five tips for successful outdoor weddings.
1. Outdoor wedding decorations
Outdoor wedding venues need decorating just as much as indoor weddings. Think about your venue and consider the types of wedding decorations that would work best. If you’re getting married in the countryside, then large planters of flowers or shrubs could serve as decorations and maybe bunting may be appropriate to hang from the trees. If you’re getting married under a gazebo or outdoor structure, then you could consider handing decorations from the roof.
2. Outdoor wedding seating
Think about what seating you’ll have available for the guests at your outdoor wedding and how you’d like the seating arranged. One of the benefits of outdoor weddings is that you can move the seats around as you please, so you could have them arranged in a circle or oval, rather than the traditional indoor church setup.
3. Outdoor wedding receptions
If you’re having your wedding ceremony conducted outside, you’ll need to think about whether you want your reception to be held outside too. If you are going to, will you need a marquee or are you going to brave having everything outside in the open air?
Outdoor wedding bliss
4. Outdoor wedding weather effects
Don’t forget to take into account the effects the weather may have on your guests. For example, if the wedding is in a very hot location, then you may need to provide some degree of shade so your guests don’t roast or get sunburnt. Equally, if it’s an area where there may be lots of mosquitos or bugs around, then it may be worth burning some citronella candles to keep buys at bay.
5. Have a plan B lined up!
The weather is one of the most unpredictable factors involved in outdoor weddings, be it wind, rain, snow or excessive heat. Anyone planning on holding a wedding outdoors, however perfect it may seem, would be wise to have a plan B lined up just in case. If there’s a building nearby, then consider whether everything could be easily transported inside to provide shelter if need be.
10 Essential Tips for Choosing Wedding Shoes
November 3, 2010
Bridal wedding shoes
For brides, the next most important thing after choosing a wedding dress is choosing wedding shoes. The perfect wedding shoes may seem hard to come by, but if you know what you’re looking for and what you need, then the task of finding the perfect shoes is made easier. Here are 10 essential tips to help you choose wedding shoes for your special day.
1. Choose your wedding shoes after you’ve chosen your dress. This will help you pick wedding shoes that match or complement your wedding dress.
2. If you’re having an unusual wedding dress colour, then consider having shoes dyed to match your outfit. To ensure a perfect match for your special day, get them professionally dyed.
3. If you want comfortable shoes, then it’s worth bearing in mind that with a long length dress ,shoes may not show too much, so you could get away with practical footwear or flatter bridal shoes.
Choose stylish wedding shoes
4. If your wedding dress is a shorter length, then your shoes will be more visible and on display, so you could be more flamboyant with your bridal shoe choice. It’s also worth bearing in mind that shoes with ankle straps can help your legs look longer.
5. If you’re getting married outside or on a beach, then strappy sandals may be perfect. But choose the heels carefully, as narrow heels may sink too easily into soft ground or sand and make it tricky to walk elegantly.
6. Check out the flooring in the wedding venue and choose your shoes appropriately. If the floor could be slippy, wedding shoes with glossy soles may make a walk down the aisle become more of a slide.
7. Don’t forget to consider the height of the groom when choosing what heel size to pick. Two inch heels may seem tempting, but if it will mean you’re towering over your groom on the day, they not be quite so ideal.
Be daring with your wedding shoes
8. Footwear experts suggest it’s best to choose wedding shoes in the afternoon, as feet have a tendency to swell during the day. This will at least help prevent your wedding shoes from suddenly feeling too tight in the afternoon.
9. Whatever wedding shoes you choose to buy, make sure that you wear them in a bit first, before the big day. Wear them around the house, walking and standing them. This will help reduce the risk of them rubbing or causing blisters on your special day
10. If you think there’s a chance that you may not find your bridal shoes comfortable all day, then choose a second pair (if ever a girl needed that excuse!) for wearing in the evening, for dancing in at your wedding party.
7 Essential Bridesmaid Duties
September 23, 2010
Bridesmaids have duties too!
For those lucky enough to be chosen as a bridesmaid, the main benefit may seem like getting to wear a pretty dress for the day. But bridesmaids, and especially chief bridesmaids, should ideally do more than simply walk up the aisle before the bride. Here’s a guide to seven of the common duties bridesmaids may be asked to do.
1. Help choose the bride’s dress
A chief bridesmaid, as well as some of the other bridesmaids, may be invited along to help the bride choose her wedding dress.
2. Help choose the bridesmaids dresses
If you’re lucky, you may get to provide input into choosing the bridesmaids dresses – which can be great if you really detest a particular style. It doesn’t guarantee you won’t end up with a dress that doesn’t appeal, but it can help reduce the risk!
3. Attend wedding fairs
Many brides attend at least one wedding fair in the run-up to their wedding. They’re packed with information and ideas about all aspects of weddings and can be a good place for doing wedding research. A bridesmaid may be invited to attend with a bride and it can be a fun day out.
4. Help with wedding planning
Some brides may welcome help from bridesmaids with wedding planning, such as making arrangements for the reception, ordering flowers, making favours or helping choose a reception venue.
5. Sort out last minute problems
A cool, calm bridesmaid can be a great help with sorting out any last minute wedding glitches. If something doesn’t go quite to plan, and the bride is in a flap, a bridesmaid may need to step in and take control of the situation.
6. Help the bride get ready
On the day of the wedding, a bridesmaid may be expected to help the bride get ready for her big day. Help may be needed in particular with getting her wedding dress on and arranging the veil, if she’s wearing one.
7. Help at the wedding reception
The work doesn’t necessarily stop for bridesmaids after the ceremony, as they’re often required to help out at the wedding reception too. Some couples may appreciate help from bridesmaids with directing people to sign the guestbook, advising on where to put presents or simply socialising with the guests.
Tips for Choosing Wedding Makeup
August 24, 2010
Experiment with wedding makeup
In the run-up to your wedding, one of the things for brides to plan and choose is what makeup you’ll have for your wedding and whether you’ll do it yourself, or hire a makeup artist. Here some tips to help you choose what you’ll do with your wedding makeup.
Your makeup for the big day is likely to be something you don’t think about until the final few months of preparation. Ideally, by then you should have sorted out your wedding colour scheme and got a wedding dress, so you can coordinate your makeup if you wish.
Do Your Own Makeup or Have Makeup Done For You?
One of the first issues to think about in relation to your wedding makeup is whether you plan to do your own or hire a makeup artist to do your makeup for you. Whilst the latter option is more luxurious and can help you feel pampered on your special day, if you’re happy doing your own or are on a budget, then it can work out well for many brides to do their own makeup.
Whichever option you choose, it’s a good idea to have a run through in advance, so you know what makeup you’re doing and which products you’re using. This is especially important if you’re buying or trying any new makeup for your wedding – such as a special eyeshadow, foundation, mascara or lipstick – as you need to ensure that it suits you in looks and in effect. You don’t, for example, want to have a sudden allergic reaction to it on your wedding day!
Choosing Wedding Makeup Colours
Think about how makeup colours could be toned or chosen to match your wedding colour scheme. It doesn’t have to be anything outrageous, but if you’re having pink roses in your floral bouquet, you could perhaps find a matching shade of pink lipstick to fit the scheme. Do choose colours that suit your complexion and skin colour too – if you’re unsure, wear them in advance to make sure you like them and that they look right on you.
Natural Wedding Makeup
Wedding makeup doesn’t have to be plastered on, it can be as natural as you want it. If you don’t normally wear much makeup, then don’t be persuaded to go for a really made up look if it isn’t your style or something you’re happy with. Remember that the makeup you wear on your wedding day will be something you’ll see forever more in your wedding photos, so it’s important that you like it.
10 Ways to Cut Wedding Costs and Save Money
August 11, 2010
Save money on wedding costs
Weddings are a costly business, but with some careful planning and organisation, there are ways of cutting your costs and sticking to a budget. Here are 10 ways that you could cut your wedding costs and save money.
1. Print your own wedding stationery
Wedding invitations, orders of service, menus, place names and thank you cards can all be made yourself and printed out at home. It’s cheaper to buy the card and ink yourself and do the work than paying a hefty price to get someone else to do it.
2. Hire a wedding suit or dress
Cut the huge expense of buying a wedding dress by hiring one instead. This goes for the groom, ushers and bridesmaids too, who can also hire suits or dresses.
3. Scour wedding forums for wedding sales
Lots of people who’ve recently got married sell their unwanted items through wedding forums. You could find table decorations, veils, shoes, candles, favour bags or tiaras at reduced prices.
4. Get married on a weekday or a Sunday
Saturday’s are the most popular day of the week to get married, but by bucking the trend, you can save money. The cost of receptions, such as hiring a venue, is considerably cheap on a weekday or Sunday.
5. Buy reduced priced items in sales
Keep an eye out for sales and buy items you need for your wedding at reduced price, even if you have to buy them in advance.
6. Look for a wedding dress in sample sales
Sample sales can be a good way of saving money on the cost of a wedding dress, especially if you’re a small size.
Hire a wedding suit
7. Buy a wedding cake from a supermarket
Most of the major supermarkets sell plain iced fruit cakes or sponge cakes in different sizes. Buy three different size cakes, stack them up and you can create a cheap and easy wedding cake. Decorate with ribbon and fresh flowers.
8. Keep the flowers simple and buy your own
Keep your wedding floral decorations simple and elegant and, where possible, buy your own flowers and do your own decorations.
9. Get friends to do the photography
Find friends that are good with photography and get them to do your wedding photos. Digital cameras produce great results these days.
10. Save postage on wedding invitations
Hand deliver as many wedding invitations as possible, or email them instead.
Three Reasons Why You Need a Wedding Coordinator
August 4, 2010
Get help from a wedding coordinator
Planning a wedding can be a huge job and it does make life easier if you can share he burden and stress with other people. If you haven’t got close family or friends nearby to help you out, then hiring a wedding coordinator can help ease the pressure of organisation and give you more time to focus on the fun aspects of organising a wedding. Here are three of the many advantages of hiring a wedding coordinator.
1. Sharing the Organisation
One of the major benefits of having a wedding coordinator on hand is being able to share the organisation of a wedding. With the best will in the world, planning a wedding can involve major feats of organisation, both in the early stages of planning and in the weeks and days running up to the big day.
It’s a lot for one or two people to handle and, having the assistance of a wedding coordinator, frees up time for the bride and groom to focus on the more enjoyable aspects of planning.
2. Stress Reduction
There’s no doubt about it – organising a wedding can be a stressful experience! Stress can occur at any stage of the planning process, from trying to whittle down your guest numbers and work out who to invite, to trying to sort out table plans, flower arrangements or evening entertainment.
Having a wedding coordinator on hand gives you an extra person who you can delegate tasks too – and they will be happy to do all the jobs you don’t enjoy, as they’re being paid for their work.
3. Budget Control
Weddings can become awfully expensive and it’s easy to spend loads of money without realising how it’s all adding up. Having a budget is a good idea, but unless you keep careful control over the purse strings and keep hunting down the best deals, you can exceed your budget.
A wedding coordinator can take control of the budget and ensure you don’t go over it. They can control a spreadsheet of expenses, so that you always have an up-to-date running total of how much you’ve spent, and will have time to suss out the best bargain buys for you. What’s more, most wedding coordinators will come with a bulging book of contacts, so they may quickly and easily know who to contact for the best price.
8 Bridal Perfume Ideas
July 15, 2010
Which wedding perfume will you choose?
Everyone needs to have a bridal perfume, but as there are hundreds of different perfumes on the market, it’s often hard to know where to start when you’re looking for a new scent. Here are some practical tips to help you when choosing your perfect wedding perfume, plus details of 8 top wedding bridal perfumes for brides.
Types of Bridal Perfume Fragrance
Bridal perfumes tend to fall into four main types – floral, fresh, woody or oriental.
Floral scents, such as those containing jasmine, rose or white flower fragrances, are very popular with brides, especially as they can often match the scent of the flowers used in wedding bouquets and flower arrangements.
Fresh scents, such as those containing notes such as citrus, green leaves, light fruits, sage or ocean inspired fragrance, have a clean, pure and crisp scent and are often popular with brides wanting a contemporary and light scent.
Woody scents are those which contain notes of musk, spicy woods and deep, rich citrus scents and can be popular with brides at winter weddings.
Oriental scents often have base notes of spiciness, amber, vanilla or wood and are popular with brides that want a heady scent that will get them noticed.
Top 8 Wedding Perfume Ideas
If you’re not sure which perfumes to try out, then here are some ideas of some of the most popular bridal perfumes that may appeal to you.
1. Beautiful by Estee Lauder – A firm favourite with many brides, this romantic perfume has top notes of rose, tuberose and lily, plus undertones of musk.
2. Euphoria, by Calvin Klein – An exotic, oriental fragrance, with notes of pomegranate, black orchid, lotus blossom and persimmon.
3. Angel Shooting Star by Thierry Mugler – A popular choice with modern brides, this unusual perfume combines notes of blackberry, vanilla, musk and chocolate. The bottle is very quirky, as it’s in the shape of a star.
4. Classique, by Jean Paul Gaultier – A floral fragrance with sexy musk base notes. It comes in a curvy, feminine bottle too.
5. Coco Mademoiselle, by Chanel – A fresh and floral perfume with notes of jasmine and rose. It comes in the classic square Chanel bottle.
6. Rose, by Paul Smith – A fresh and memorable perfume with a light and sensual scent. A modern version of a classic rose fragrance.
7. Flower, by Kenzo – A contemporary oriental perfume for the modern woman that has warm tones of vanilla, white musk and opopanax, combined with notes of Bulgarian rose, violet and cassia.
8. CK One, by Calvin Klein – A light, pure and contemporary fragrance, CK One combines top notes of pineapple, papaya, cardamom and bergamot, with middle notes of nutmeg, jasmine, rose and violet. It’s a fresh and sensual fragrance.
Do you have a favourite wedding perfume?
Choosing a Wedding Perfume Scent
July 9, 2010
Find a special wedding fragrance
You’ve got the dress, the shoes and the accessories, now it’s time to think about your wedding perfume!
A wedding perfume should be a scent that you love, but that’s also special. It could be that you’ve already got a particular perfume that you’re very fond of, but don’t often wear, or perhaps your fiancé has previously bought you a special perfume to mark an anniversary or occasion.
Choose a Special Wedding Perfume
Even if you have an existing signature scent, that you wear every day, it’s nice to have something different to mark your wedding day. It will be a scent that you always come to associate with your wedding and something you can wear again on special occasions to evoke memories of your marriage ceremony.
Traditional Perfume
Some women like to choose the perfume that their mum or grandmother wore on their wedding day and you could even use it as your ‘something borrowed’ or ‘something old’, if you’re following the folklore wedding traditions. Classic favourites like Chanel No. 5 are still as popular today as they were years ago and it’s nice to carry on traditions by choosing the same perfume that another close family member enjoyed.
Complementary Perfume
If you’re having a bouquet of flowers to carry down the aisle, then look for perfumes that complement the floral scents, such as those containing rose, lily, iris or jasmine. Also think about how you could layer your perfume, for the best, long-lasting effect. Look for products that have matching body lotions or shower gels, so that you can maximise the scent.
Shopping for Bridal Perfume
Have a look for a bridal perfume well in advance of your wedding and take time to browse the different scents available. It’s a good idea to either get some small sample sprays from the perfume counters of shops, or have the sprayed onto different cards, so you can keep sniffing them as the perfume changes. It may smell unpleasant when it’s first out of the bottle, but then turn into a lovely delicate long-lasting fragrance, or have the opposite effect.
It’s also good to have the option of trying both a sample and sniffing the cardboard testers, as perfumes can smell very different when worn, as opposed to being in the bottle or on a piece of cardboard.
Take time to savour the different scents and find the perfume that’s right for you. It will be a fragrance that you’ll forever associate with your big day.
6 Wedding Reception Table Name Ideas
June 18, 2010
Table name ideas
If you’re having a seated wedding reception with a number of tables, then it’s a nice idea to come up with names for each of the tables, rather than just numbering them. Not only does it help people find where they’re sitting more easily and make your table plan better to follow, but it ‘s a lot more fun and can also be cleverly tied into your wedding theme.
If you’re stuck as to how to name your wedding reception tables, then here are some ideas to get you thinking!
1. Your favourite places
Choose table names that reflect your favourite places, be it cities around the world, beaches, local beauty spots or places you’ve lived.
2. Favourite chocolates
A favourite with chocoholics, you could create table names based on your favourite chocolates. For example, tables could be named chocolate truffle, strawberry crème, caramel whirl or chocolate marzipan. If you’re leaving favours on the table for your guests, then naming your tables after chocolates gives you the ideal opportunity of matching the table names with the favours. So the favours on the chocolate truffle table could, of course, feature gorgeous truffles.
3. Favourite dates
If you don’t mind a spot of speculation about what you were up to on each one, then another idea for your wedding reception table names could be based on favourite dates you’ve shared as a couple.
4. Family surnames
A nice way of reflecting the different names that run through both your families is to use them as a basis for your table names. For example, include the bride’s maiden surname, your grandparents surnames and maiden names and any other names that you know run through both your families. This would be particularly apt for anyone involved in tracing their family history, as they’re likely to have unearthed plenty of interesting names along the way.
5. Colours
Name the tables at your reception after different colours. For an interesting theme for the reception, each of the tables could be decorated in a matching different colour.
6. Cakes
Another edible favourite is to name each table after a different type of cake, such as Victoria sponge, chocolate cake, carrot cake or cream bun. You could include a centrepiece on the table with each of these different cakes displayed – edible or fake – or give everyone on each table a mini cake to take home with them.