Tag Archives: flowers

Choose a colour scheme

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As soon as you think of planning your wedding, for some reason the need to get a colour scheme sorted presents itself. Do you pick red because of the season? Why do we feel the need to focus on one or two colours, though?

Every bride seems to have a colour scheme or wedding theme in mind but are they really important? And, if so, how do you choose one that’s right for you?

Having a summer wedding? Go with a pretty floral look with your stationery then you can pick and choose accents from it to match your theme as a whole. Doing things this way will save you hours of time and money searching for that ‘one’ colour of bridesmaid’s dress or exact shade of flower.

Close your eyes and think of a feeling rather than searching with your eyes, conjure up hazy summer days, beautiful autumnal sunsets or a springtime landscape and dream up your colour scheme that way!

The most important piece of advice would be to always be yourself – if you have a perfect colour that is ‘you’ and that’s all you need – go for it! If you don’t, there is no rule for you to stick with one or two colours.

Remember… your wedding, your way! Enjoy every minute of planning your perfect day

Mother of the Bride

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She’s one of the key people in your life, so it follows that she’s heavily involved in your wedding. Here’s how to make the most of the mother of the bride.

Traditionally the mother of the bride is the host of your wedding party – the reception. It is her job to make sure that everything goes according to plan. Check out what other jobs are ideal to assign to your lovely mum…

Mother of the bride to-do list

  1. Announcing the engagement to the press, locally and nationally

  2. Working with the bride and groom to draw up the guest list

  3. Ordering the stationery and chasing it up

  4. Sending out the invites and keeping an eye on acceptances and regrets

  5. Supplying the wedding gift details to anyone who asks for them

  6. Helping to organise the seating plan

  7. Help you to choose your dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses

  8. Planning the wedding flowers for the ceremony and reception

  9. Ordering the wedding cake

  10. Arranging table decorations

  11. Making sure all of the guests have got somewhere to stay that night

  12. Help you to get dressed and ready on the morning of the wedding

  13. Give the order of service sheets to the ushers

  14. Organising the buttonholes for key members of the wedding party, including the ushers, best man, bridegroom, and the two dads

  15. Look after the gifts during and after the wedding. This includes finding a safe place to store them during the day

  16. Collect the photo proofs from the wedding photographer while you are on honeymoon

  17. Organise the photo list – send out the right ones to the right people. You may want her to chase up your photos while you are away on your honeymoon, too. It’s great if the contact sheets are already waiting for you to look through when you get back home.

Remember…

  • DO Look after her – she is going to be working hard for you behind the scenes

  • DO Give her a bouquet at the reception, during the speeches

  • DO Encourage her to wear a complementary outfit to the colour scheme

  • DO Invite her to be involved with choosing your dress. It’s the most special bit for her

  • DO Encourage her to meet up with your fiancé’s mum regularly so that they know each other before the day (and don’t wear clashing outfits)

  • DON’T forget to thank her

  • DON’T exclude her from anything

  • DON’T forget her on the day – she’ll be longing to be useful

  • DON’T leave her to do everything. By tradition, she would be the last to leave the reception, but don’t ask her to stay until the last drink is sunk

  • DON’T forget to book her in with the hairdresser and nail technician in the run-up to your big day

  • DON’T let her interfere. It’s your day really…

Confetti Confessions

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How many times have you been to a wedding where the bride and groom expect guests to shower them with confetti, yet no one has any? Were you supposed to take it with you, or has someone supplied it, until that one organised person pulls out a small cardboard box with paper confetti – it’s hardly the confetti moment the newly-wed couple were expecting!

Don’t let this be the same for your wedding;

Who buys the confetti?

Years ago, guests did bring it with them, however now couples want confetti to match their wedding theme to ensure it looks great in their photographs. With petals being natural, you have a wide variety of colours and petal types to choose from.
Will churches/venues allow confetti?

Churches/venues tend to now stipulate that no confetti is allowed unless it is biodegradable. This is due to the traditional paper confetti being difficult to clean up and harmful to wildlife. Natural petal confetti is 100% biodegradable and eco-friendly.

Where is confetti thrown?

It’s a good idea to go and have a look to see where you would like your confetti moment to be. You could take your photographer, as they will be able to tell you the best spot for lighting. Once you’ve decided where your confetti will be thrown, you can choose your confetti. If you are having your confetti moment against a wall, lighter and bright colours work well to ensure they stand out. If it is going to be in an open space, bolder, darker colours work really well.

Make sure your guests know how to throw

This might sound ridiculous, however, you only get one chance to capture that magical moment. Your confetti shot will be the most natural of the day as you aren’t posing thinking about the photographer, which means you want it to be as perfect as possible. Many couples now leave a sign next to their confetti, or have their ushers/bridesmaids explain to guests, telling them to grab a handful and throw up high when the time comes. The last thing you want is confetti in your face; throwing it high will ensure it flutters gently to the ground, which will look great on your photos.

Maximise your confetti

Natural petal confetti is great for decorating your wedding venue or using as a romantic petal path aisle for you to walk down. Order extra confetti and scatter petals around your table centrepieces; not only will it add colour and texture to your tables, it is perfect for making your table décor look more than what it is, especially if you’re on a budget.

How to Dry Your Wedding Bouquet

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The bouquet is an essential part of the traditional wedding. Many brides, and even bridesmaids, have a special attachment to their wedding bouquet, for often they’ve had them specially made. Of course they want to preserve them as a keepsake! These days, many brides choose to have a bouquet made of artificial flowers so that they can keep it without as much hassle, but for those brides using fresh flowers, here’s how to dry your wedding bouquet;

A dried bouquet makes for a beautiful memento of your wedding day. It can become a beautiful work of art for your home—hung or mounted on display, placed in a vase, etc.—and if you buy your bouquet with the intention of keeping it, make sure you ask your florist for advice on which flowers are best for drying and preserving.

Your wedding flowers can be dried professionally, or you can do it yourself. Generally, small flowers dry better than larger flowers, but most foliage doesn’t dry very well; you may need to peel away some of the leaves. Also, flowers shrink as they dry, so your finished bouquet will be smaller than the original. It’s recommended that you use a sealant designed for dry flowers to get the best results. Before drying you have to ensure that your flowers are completely free of moisture, like dew.

Hang To Dry

Step 1: Bouquets look best when they’re dried upside down, for this allows them to preserve their shape. To do this, you need a warm and dry space where your bouquet can hang undisturbed for anywhere from a few days up to two weeks.

Step 2: Remove any fresh foliage/leaves before you hang your bouquet. If you want to dry a few leaves, set them aside.

Step 3: Remove all of the ribbon and wire from the bottom of your bouquet, and then put it back together again with a large, strong elastic. Wrap the elastic first around a third of the stems, then twist and wrap around half of the remaining stems, and then again around the rest of the stems. This will keep your bouquet together as the stems shrink.

Step 4: Hang your bouquet in the warm, dry space, and check its progress in a few days. Keep it away from direct sunlight to preserve its colour.

Step 5: To dry the leaves, you need to place them flat on an airy surface (like a screen, or even a tennis racket!) and cover them with a newspaper. This will weigh them down and prevent them from curling up as they dry.

Step 6: Your bouquet is dry when the flowers feel stiff, and the stems snap easily.

Once your bouquet and the leaves are dry, tidy it up in case it’s lost its shape, and reattach the leaves. It’s safe at this point to use wire again to hold it together, and some florists even recommend using a hot glue gun to permanently attach the leaves and the stems to each other.

Your newly dried bouquet is fragile, so the final step is to spray it with protective coating to preserve it further. Just make sure you always read the guidelines on the product you choose. Most commonly prescribed sprays are;

Dried flower spray – this is a spray that’s specially formulated for dry flowers. Some of these sprays are meant to be used periodically, and some just once. You may purchase this spray online or at florists and gardening centres.

Craft Spray – there’s a variety of clear sprays available for craft projects, and some of them are suitable for dried flowers. Most of the sprays will leave a glossy coating on the flowers, and may also alter the natural scent of the flowers, just as hairspray would.

Hairspray – add a light, even coating to your flowers when they’re completely dry. Please note that this may take away the soft natural scent of your dry flowers.

Spare on the expense

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Most guests love to see a bit of a handmade touch in weddings, and that’s why there is no surprise about how many people are DIYing their wedding these days…

A survey conducted found that fewer than one fifth of weddings do not feature any do-it-yourself touches, with the vast majority of newlyweds relying on the method to save a bit of money, add that oh-so-special personal touch, and to make sure everything is done the way you want it.

When the newlyweds were asked to reveal which items were made or altered through do-it-yourself means, they found the most common DIY details to be the favours, invitations, and the wedding cake. The more unusual answers included the wedding dress (9%), the music or entertainment (6%), and even conducting the service or ceremony (2%)!

Here are the top 10 DIY details at weddings:

Favours – 41%

Invitations – 38%

Wedding cake – 24%

Venue decorations/styling – 21%

Photography – 19%

Flowers – 18%

Catering – 15%

Order of service prints – 14%

Guest book – 13%

Beverages – 11%

It’s great to see that so many brides and grooms-to-be are drawing on their own talents, and no doubt those around them, to make their big day their own. It is lovely to be able to make your wedding special and unique to you by having real input into it.

DIY is not for everyone, though, and if you’re starting to feel a little overloaded or panicked, you need to make sure you have time to put your feet up too! It’s okay to get some outside help, but be sure you can trust the suppliers and that they can help you make your dreams a reality.

The Perfect Autumn Wedding

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Your big day is coming up and we’re here to help you plan the wedding of your dreams! Autumn is the perfect time to get married. Something about this season just makes you want to curl up with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, and who better to do that with than your new husband or wife?

First Thing’s First: Indoor or Outdoor?

It’s tempting to have an outdoor wedding in Autumn, especially for those in the leafy areas. Keep in mind that while it is very beautiful, the Autumn can be quite chilly. Never fear- you can have both the comforts of home and nature’s beauty, whether you’re inside or out. Here’s how:

Outdoor Weddings

The wonderful thing about having an outdoor wedding in the Autumn is how simple the decorating can be on your part, while still achieving a breath-taking ceremony. The rich hues of red, orange, yellow, green, and brown decorate themselves. Warm, seasonal colours will surely pop against that perfect white gown. But, let’s talk colours later. The tricky part about outdoor weddings is weather. Wedding planning takes months and months of careful planning, and unpredictable weather changes can be a serious threat to your perfect day.

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Plan ahead.

Schedule marquee rentals from one of our wedding suppliers ahead of time. In most cases, you can do this through the same service that provides your chairs and tables. Because weather is flippant and unpredictable, most vendors will have a reasonable cancellation policy for marquees, allowing you the freedom to make the call much closer to the date without scrambling to find a marquee at the last minute. Talk to your vendors. They want your day to be perfect, too.

Keep It Simple

With so many vibrant colours around you all of the beauty that nature has to offer- clean, classic decorations go a long way.

Lights.

Consider using white string lights, vintage-style iron lanterns, or round paper lanterns to offset your colourful surroundings.

Sparklers are the new confetti and it’s no surprise why. Aside from being beautiful and inexpensive, sparkler send offs make for gorgeous wedding photos and by opting for sparklers over confetti.

Add seasonal wedding decoration. Chances are you will need to make some final touches. Depending on how classic or rustic you want your ceremony to be, the amount of decorations will vary. For a more rustic approach, consider decorating with bales of hay, bright orange pumpkins, and natural wood. For a classic look, all of these same ideas could still apply, but probably in smaller doses. Consider painting the pumpkins and using them as vases/centrepieces for a sleeker look.

Indoor Weddings

For those of you with indoor weddings, weather and temperature won’t be as much of a concern. But, to have a true autumn themed wedding, you will have to bring nature inside to you! Here are some recommendations that may help you achieve that Autumn look you’re searching for.

Let Mother Nature Inspire You

Natural wood tables and chairs. Going with a very simple and natural looking wood will bring the feeling of nature inside.

Leaves.

This one’s a freebie! Bag them up and bring them inside to decorate. You can line the aisle with bright, multi-coloured leaves for an outdoor feel.

Make use of the pumpkin. They aren’t just for Halloween. Aside from the endless possibilities of seasonal pumpkin foods and cocktails, they make wonderful decorations. Paint them, spray them with glitter, carve your initials into them, mark them with table numbers, use them as vases or candleholders…

Regardless of Location…

Choose bridesmaid’s dresses that are rich in colour. Popular colours for autumn include burnt oranges, deep reds, golds, chocolate browns, and dark purples.

Take advantage of what the season has to offer by using autumn colours, serving seasonal food and drinks, and using your favourite things about autumn to create beautiful centrepieces, placeholders, and other decorations.

A bright white dress will pop against an autumn colour palette, for sure. But, if you’re going for a more vintage look, go for a creamy off-white dress instead.

Last, but certainly not least, enjoy yourself. We wish you a wonderful autumn wedding and the happiest of marriages!

Food on a tight budget

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Thinking about ideas on what wedding food to serve when you’ve on a tight budget is sometimes difficult. We’ve got 10 top tips to help you serve great wedding food ideas on a budget!

Too many cooks?

Although you are catering for the wedding party, when choosing your menu, don’t offer too many options. Offering a multitude of choices for the wedding breakfast doesn’t enhance your guests’ experience, or make anything taste better. More choice only means more expense.

Cooking on gas

Some of the most beautiful wedding venues are outdoors – be it a marquee or a hog roast festival – but these celebrations do not have on-site kitchens or furniture. You will be required to pay extra to supply these facilities, so make sure you include this in your budget.

Smooth operator

The key to a successful wedding reception is timing and service. Making people wait for food and drinks is not a great idea. Pay for extra serving staff to ensure a smoothly-run reception and you will notice the investment – and your guests will love you for it!

Trade your toasting tipple

Champagne is everyone’s top tipple for parties, but it can be a little on the expensive side. However, there are some great sparkling wines available, which are just as good but cost less. To impress your guests on half the budget, add a little elderflower cordial and a hibiscus flower to Cava, to create the perfect festive fizzy cocktail. Not only does this add a light, sweet, floral taste to the drink, it makes the Cava go that little bit further – good news all round!

Bacon buffet

If you plan to party in the early hours of the morning, don’t serve an evening buffet – you are essentially paying for two full meals that many people won’t even touch. Why not serve bacon sandwiches or posh kebabs a la Lily Allen? This will give the illusion of an evening meal and your guests will be thankful for the traditionally British fuel injection before the trip home.

A cheesy ending?

Cheese cakes are a great alternative to traditional tiers. You can ask your caterers to cut and serve the savoury slices with fruit and biscuits as the dessert after your meal. Alternatively, cupcakes are a cheaper option than a tiered cake and work well as both a dessert and a favour.

Raise the bar

The drinks reception tab can easily set couples back a few thousand pounds, so limiting what is served can be a great way to reduce costs. Ask your bar to carry beer and wine, or alternatively, have a cash-only bar that your guests will have to pay for. If you have provided them with a lovely meal accompanied with great entertainment, guests won’t mind forking out for a few drinks towards the end of the evening.

Caffeine fix

Coffee and mints are an essential part of any party and the perfect way to round off your meal. Why not add flavoured syrups and amaretto biscuits to freshly ground coffee, to give your guests a delicious caffeine fix? They’ll be guaranteed to keep dancing late into the evening after one of these!

Spend to save

Cutting corners doesn’t always mean cutting costs. If you cut out canapés, you will end up with hungry guests at the beginning of the day. Why not spend more on canapés but less on the evening buffet? Many people over spend on the evening food when most guests are still full from the wedding breakfast, which is a waste of both money and food! Lighter evening snacks will go down just as well with your guests, and save you money, too.

How to save, and what to splurge on

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Your wedding day should reflect your style, your personality and of course be the best it can possibly be for your budget. 

Your date

Choose a week day or an off-season date and you might find that everything is that bit cheaper, and that suppliers are more open to offers. We’re not suggesting that you barter, but it might be worth simply asking your preferred suppliers if they offer a reduced rate on your chosen date. You never know! It’s fair to say that Fridays have joined Saturdays as premium spots, given that couples and guests like to make a long weekend of their celebrations, but you’ll definitely find much better availability and probably better prices for an early-week, early-year celebration.

Your venue

The best wedding venues will offer flexible packages, with price ranges to reflect what they can offer. To secure your venue on an exclusive use basis will always attract the highest prices, but what about if you were more flexible in your approach? For example, if you chose to have your wedding reception at your favourite restaurant (which will keep costs down in itself), would you be willing to share the space with normal paying customers? Or perhaps you might consider holding your reception somewhere that is open as usual during the day? If the venue can take bookings as normal, it’s going to keep costs down. That said, if you do choose to get married and have your reception in the same place, guests won’t need to be transported, you might be able to stay there too keeping accommodation prices down… it’s all in the planning, which includes negotiation with your venue.

Your guest list

We all know that the big cost of any wedding is in feeding your guests. Your venue will talk about a ‘per head’ cost. There is absolutely no shame in making it clear to everyone from the start (including your parents and anyone else who thinks that they are going to be allocated invitations to give out!) that you are having a small do. Far better to feed fewer guests with an amazing meal that they will remember than lots of guests with food chosen purely because it was the cheapest option. The general rule is that if both of you haven’t met someone, they shouldn’t be on the list, but actually by eliminating big groups like ‘colleagues’ and ‘cousins’ and standing firm on your decision, this will make a huge difference. Manage expectations from the start. Tell everyone at work that you’re really sorry but, much as you would love to invite everyone, you’re on a really tight budget (and you hope they understand?). Enlist the help of a friendly relative to spread the word that the wedding is small and intimate, but the family is big so not to expect – or demand – an invitation.

Your dress

It’s never recommended that you save on your dress! Buying your wedding dress online, or from an imitation dress site, or from anyone that tells you that they can copy a designer dress for a fraction of the price is tantamount to disaster! There have been oh-so many stories of devastated brides who took a risk and it didn’t pay off. Your wedding dress is an investment, something that you will look back on for the rest of your life. You need to get it right, and the only way you can do that is by buying from a bona fide bridal boutique. Good boutiques will work with you and your budget to make sure that you are happy and comfortable with your choice, and show you that you don’t have to re-mortgage to get the dress of your dreams.

 

Your bridesmaids

Do you even need bridesmaids?! Well, yes, of course you do, and it makes sense that you want them to look right, happy and comfortable, too. Bridesmaid dresses are best bought from proper bridal shops too, and there are many options available, but once again, it’s not worth breaking the bank over. Again, it’s about managing your girls’ expectations. If they don’t understand that you are on budget, are they the right person to be your bridesmaid at all? Also, don’t get carried away and have your 15 closest friends… Instead, you should stick to the few that have always been there for you, through the good times and the bad. They are also supposed to offer practical help and support, so think it through carefully!

Your flowers

It’s another thing that you need to fork out for, so get a professional who can interpret your style and work with your budget. That said, there are clever ways with flowers… They can be moved, for example – church flowers can appear again in the evening; bridesmaid bouquets can form table centres – the possibilities are endless. You could even enlist the help of the church flower team, or speak to the venue about sharing the costs, maybe with another event or wedding. There are some incredible silk flower options around – it might be that your out-of-season peonies are better value in silk, for example. Talking of peonies, did you know that they are on average five times more expensive than roses? You should always buy flowers that are in season.

Your photographer

Saving money by hiring someone cheap, or by relying on friends who take good photos will not work. We’re sorry, but you simply can’t take a risk, or rely on, anyone else other than a professional photographer who has a wealth of wedding experience. Taking quality photographs of you on your big day is not the same as taking Facebook-worthy selfies.

Your reception

Of course your best budget bet would be to choose a venue that doesn’t need much decoration, or that already has a huge stock of items you can make use of to decorate. Or you might have some friends who are really good at making things, all of which would keep your costs low. Once you have decided on your theme, you can start to stock up – each shopping trip could include candles, or confetti, or fairy lights. Start a wedding cupboard, and you will be surprised how quickly it builds up! The sales are always good, too, even if your wedding seems like a long way away. And of course you might find that if you get married in December, for example, your venue will be decorated well anyway.

 

Small wedding ideas

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Small is beautiful and we’ve got 10 top tips to help you plan your perfect wedding abroad. 

 

  • Firstly, you need to choose a destination for your small wedding abroad. Consider the climate, legal requirements such as length of residency, and any restrictions before booking any suppliers in another country.
  • Do your research before you book the hotel? Use websites like trip advisor and our planning section for venue reviews, and make sure that your requirements can be met.
  • Documentation you need to marry will differ from country to country. Your passport will need to have at least six months left on it, so make sure this is up to date.
  • When booking, you should be offered a wedding planner– it will be worth taking this up as they will ensure all bases are covered, paperwork is correct, and everything you need at your destination is in place.
  • If you are planning the whole event on your own, make sure that you fully understand all the contracts you’re signing. You may need to hire a translator to make sure.
  • Check out all the offers available to you when booking, as some companies will offer group discounts. You should also look carefully at what the actual wedding day will consist of – flowers, cakes, cars, photographers and so on.
  • When choosing your dress, think about the journey it will make. Most locations should offer a pressing service, but you don’t want your dream dress to arrive looking less than perfect. Think about boxes to store your gown while you’re in transit. Choose a lightweight fabric like silk or chiffon that will keep you cool throughout the ceremony.
  • If you’re planning a wedding in a cold country, think about alternative routes to the ceremony. You could get caught up in snow or ice on impassable roads!
  • If you’re having hair and makeup done by a stylist at the resort, make sure you take lots of pictures of the looks you like. Makeup should be mattifying to minimize shine.
  • If guests are joining you from the UK, make sure you give them something to keep them cool during the ceremony. Fans are a great idea!

Great garden games for your wedding

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Gone are the days when garden games were reserved for children at school summer fetes. Brides and grooms are choosing to include garden games in their big day more and more, especially if their nuptials are planned for the Spring or Summer. As country house, barn and outdoor wedding venues continue to gain popularity, more couples have the luxury of outdoor space. Some use it simply for photographs, but we’re taking inspiration from many of our real brides and grooms to show you six of our favourite quirky garden games.

We think they are some of the best ways to make the most of your spacious surroundings and to make your reception as fun as possible for as many people as possible, adults and children alike!

Everyone loves the chance to hit the piñata and nab the goodies inside! It might not be your first thought when it comes to garden games, but it will definitely be remembered.

Take a trip down memory lane and enjoy the nostalgia of old school sport’s day activities. This sack race is the perfect option for a group of groomsmen and will make for some hilarious photos.

If you’ve chosen a country wedding venue, you can’t miss this one. Match your wellies to your reception colours or choose classic ivory to give welly hurling a little wedding flair.

If there’s one thing we’ve seen a lot of in real weddings recently, it’s space hoppers! It turns out that adults, often egged on by guests and a few glasses of fizz, love the chance to be a child again, racing each other on space hoppers. This includes suitable dresses ladies (and brides!), too!

No quintessentially English or traditional wedding is complete without a spot of croquet on the lawn. It’s a great ice breaker for guests who don’t yet know each other and can be enjoyed by grown-ups and children alike.

Sixth on our list of oh-so awesome garden games is table football. While it may be pictured inside a marquee here, you could definitely take the table outside, so we think it definitely still counts. Bring out the competitive side in your guests with a quick game between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast.