planning

When the wedding season gets into full flow it can begin to feel like you’re living in Groundhog Day as all the weddings merge into one. That’s because they all have the same features such as similar cars, outfits, locations, speeches, meals etc. so it can all become a bit “samey”.

So what can you do to ensure that your big day doesn’t fall into the trap of becoming just another by the numbers wedding? Here are 4 ways to make your wedding more unique.

Travel In Style

As the North East’s leading luxury wedding venue, Wynyard Hall has seen lots of couples tie the knot, so it’s easy for the team to spot things that work really well, and things that may go wrong. Here are some tips from the venue’s experienced Wedding Co-ordinators to help ensure your celebrations go to plan...

Planning

It's important to be both accurate and realistic about the timings on your big day. Sometimes speeches or photography can run late, so factoring in extra time in the first place can be the difference between a stressful day and one that flows beautifully, just the way you planned.

Forest of Arden’s Wedding Co-ordinators Explore the Recent Changes in the Wedding Planning Process

According to Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club’s wedding co-ordinators, Olivia Bevan and Faye Knight, the last 18 month has seen a shift towards grooms becoming more involved in the wedding planning process. 

Faye, explains: “We are seeing more couples saving up and paying for the wedding themselves, rather than getting help from their parents, which means both the bride and groom are wanting to be more involved throughout the planning process . 

“In the past it has often been the bride, usually alongside her parents, that we’ve worked with to plan the big day, but now we are seeing the grooms’ involvement at nearly every stage.”

Build your own Wedding – The Rise of Personal Touches to Your Big Day

Choosing a wedding venue is arguably, one of the biggest decisions a couple can make when it comes to planning their big day, and the chance of finding one which meets every expectation is a tall order.

Karen James-Watkins of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, shares with us her observations over the last couple of years, reflecting on the notable rise in couples wanting the ability to “build their own” wedding.

Planning a wedding can be a stressful job, and perfect wedding dress can be an even harder task - especially if you’re not looking for the big day to be traditional. With the rise of themed weddings and relaxed beach affairs taking over the classic church theme, brides are given the opportunity to do it their way more than ever.  Whilst a wedding may require extreme planning and care, the option to choose a spontaneous, laid back affair is gaining popularity, and fast! 

When preparations for your wedding enter the final month, virtually all of the main aspects will have been long since closed off and it’s down to the finer details of the day. One of these later tasks is to arrange where your guests will be seated for the reception. It can be a time-consuming process but it’s worth taking the time to organise it as carefully as possible, as all it takes is one unwise move to impact upon everyone’s enjoyment of the evening.

Rebecca Hurley, Deputy Head of Events for BMA House says: “More and more couples are looking for more informal wedding breakfasts with a lot more mingling and strolling around than formal seating. This means we are seeing couples choosing the fun options of street food and food stalls over a sit down wedding breakfast.

Theming continues to play a pivotal role (for most couples, as they aim to make their wedding day stand out for their friends’ wedding) in the wedding planning process  However, how and where people look for inspiration is constantly evolving. We believe that social media channels such as Pinterest will continue to influence couples’ (decisions when planning their big day) decision making process in planning their big day. 

Hollins Hall’s wedding co-ordinator Tanya Lattimer looks at the growing trend for short-lead weddings

Working in the wedding industry for the past decade, Tanya, has helped couples organise all styles and sizes of wedding, but a trend she has witnessed in the past few years is the move towards short-lead weddings – organising the big day to happen very soon after the engagement.

Here, Tanya explores this trend: “It used to be couples were engaged for 18 months to two years before they eventually said ‘I do’, but now we are seeing an increase in people wanting to celebrate their big day less than 12 months after the engagement takes place.

We’ve now chosen a fully catered, fully staffed, fully everything venue in Auckland’s leafy inner suburbs that is just as special and more importantly, just as ‘us’. In the lead up to this decision we’ve learned a few things about planning a wedding abroad.

Here are five tips for UK based couples planning overseas nuptials

Everyone wants their wedding day to be memorable. This means a lot of time, effort and money often goes into the planning of saying “I do”. In fact, according to Money Saving Expert, the average UK nuptial costs around £20,500. Luckily, there are things you can do to keep the total down. A great way is by planning your own reception. Not only will this give you control over your budget, but you’ll also be able to personalise your celebration perfectly.

Every bride-to-be is spoiled for choice when it comes to planning for their big day, and knowing where to start can be a daunting task.

To help give some inspiration as to what theme to opt for this year, investment experts Old Mutual Wealth take a look at the top wedding trends of 2016, and how much they’re likely to set you back.

Bohemian The bohemian wedding trend has become more and more popular in recent years, and is a great way to incorporate a tasteful attitude into a non-traditional wedding. Once you account for the lace-draped dress, outdoor accommodation and lighting, a boho wedding could cost anything between £15,000 to £20,000.

Spring is well underway and at Luella’s Bridal we know that this means wedding planning fever! We want every one of our brides’ wedding day to be as special as they imagined it and our advice includes latest trends in bridalwear. 

Rose Quartz is this year’s Pantone bridal colour. This fabulous shade of pink is making an appearance in everything from wedding dresses to accessories, shoes and bridesmaids dresses. Take a look at the selection of gorgeous Rose Quartz products available at Luella’s now:

One in ten of us spend more than a year planning a wedding, whilst a fifth of us spend up to six months. Yet ironically more than a third of us spend less than 15 minutes searching for finance options to help out with the costs of a wedding.

The research from Swedish challenger Ikano Bank also found that more than 300,000 people who borrowed money for their wedding wasted more than £450 by not shopping around for the best deal.

A thought that crosses most couple’s minds when planning a wedding is, should we invite children or not? And if we are going to invite them, how do we avoid the cliché crying during the ceremony and knee sliding on the dancefloor? Sure enough to invite children or not to invite children is the question.  If you have decided to invite children to your wedding ceremony or reception, here’s a few ideas on how you can make sure they’re kept happy and that your guests’ attention stays firmly where it should be: on you….I mean….on you and your new husband!

Keep them entertained

Planning a wedding can naturally get fraught at times. After all it’s the one of the biggest days of your life and you want everything to be perfect. As the big day edges closer, it’s natural for the bride to get a little anxious, especially if everything isn’t in place. Though if a little healthy apprehension turns into the soon-to-be-bride being intolerably demanding, an irrational bridezilla could be rearing its head and it’s time to step back and asses your behaviour.