wedding advice

A memorable wedding day is of course always about seeing a stunning bride and groom tie the knot - but make sure you pay attention to the small details when you’re planning a wedding! It’s the small intricate details that will leave a lasting impression with your guests and leave them with a wedding to remember that they will smile about the day for years to come!

The top tips for making a wedding to remember

Small personal touches really go a long way with your guests. Making sure every detail ties into your theme really shows you have thought about everything.

The upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has sent the nation into a wedding frenzy. With wedding season kicking of this month, guests across the country will be asking themselves the same questions: how much should I spend on a wedding gift and is it okay to give cash?!

Research* from personal loan provider, Hitachi Personal Finance, has got to the bottom of just how much the nation spends on (and expects to receive as)  a wedding gift, and if cash/vouchers or a physical gift is better.

Former wedding planner Stephanie Varda https://www.svardalifecoach.com/ is now a life coach specialising in stress management and bridal coaching and shares her top 5 stress busting wedding tips. 

“We all know by now that weddings, whilst wonderful occasions, are also extremely stressful. Having worked in the wedding industry I’ve seen it all, but brides can still be surprised by just how overwhelmed by planning a wedding they can get.” 

Top 5 stress busting wedding tips

1. Ditch the Dull and Grow the Glow! 

Whatever you do, don’t say the ‘P’ Word: There is no doubt about it: prenups are a divisive issue. If you want to find out how romantic a person truly is, say “prenup”, step back, and watch what happens. Aysen Soyer, Head of Family Law at Wilson Solicitors in London talks to us about the ins and outs of the prenup.

Some argue that even thinking about what should happen to assets should your marriage come to an end is terribly pessimistic. Others feel that having the discussion early is pragmatic, realistic, and paves the way for a more harmonious future. 

Weddings are meant to be the happiest days of our lives — and they are. But, when it comes to the wedding night, many of us spend weeks worrying and stressing about making sure it’s a success.

To help alleviate your anxieties and get you truly excited for your big day, we’ve teamed up with leading pharmaceutical supplements provider, Pharma Nord, to find out how you can ensure your wedding night is unforgettable for both of you.

Top tips to make your wedding night a success

Dress nicely

Heiress Paris Hilton announced her engagement to Chris Zylka and, flaunting a 20-carat diamond ring worth almost $2m, added to the theory that Christmas and New Year is the most popular time for a proposal. If your partner put a ring on it over the festive season – congratulations! With months of planning ahead to enjoy, the more serious considerations are easy to put to one side. Here in a handy guide, Bryan Scant – a family solicitor at Coffin Mew – outlines his six top tips for those planning on getting married this year: 

These days, it’s a personal choice whether you take your partner’s name when you get married. However, despite it no longer being a requirement, many women still want to share their partner’s surname. If you’re going to go down this route it’s important to know the process as, although it may seem like boring admin, prior planning to make sure the name change goes through seamlessly should be on your list of wedding essentials.

It’s possible that you may not even realise all the options that are available to you. Some need you to go through a process with deed poll, others just require your marriage certificate. Combining surnames, double-barrelling or using your maiden name as a new middle name are all possible.

With your wedding day coming up, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. The pressure and stress of last minute changes, vows to write and the thought of a marriage to work on for a lifetime can fill you with doubt and worry. These feelings are quite healthy and common, and with the most beautiful day of your life ahead of you now is the perfect time to reflect on how you choose to embark on this journey. Now is the time to practice self love. 

Along with buying your first property, paying for a wedding can be one of the most expensive things you are likely to do in life. In fact, recent research shows that the average cost of a British wedding is now £26,989 (and rising). As a result, many newlyweds start their marriage in debt, putting a slight dampener on the new marital bliss. Pension and savings specialists Standard Life have provided some tips around how to combat this potentially stressful situation so you can enter married life on the best financial foot.

How to enter life on the best financial foot

Make a budget and stick to it

Here are a few tips from CORONATION STREET writer Ellen Taylor

I've been lucky or unlucky enough to have been a Best Woman four times.  Either because those friends treasure me above all others, or else they don’t but thought 'she's a writer, at least she'll give a good speech'.

Yes, being Best Man or Best Woman is really all about the speech.  It means you are the last person up and everyone expects you to be funny.  You are top billing of a massive show that has probably cost about twenty grand.  Most of the audience don't know that you're a kind, funny, sensitive person with masses of soul, they just think 'oh, it's the Best Man. They'd better be good'.  No pressure!