My Top 20 Tips For Planning The Perfect Wedding

Hey Guys, I am coming up to the final month before THE BIG DAY and I am feeling a little reflective. I have been planning my wedding for over a year and I wanted to share the top 20 tips or advice I think will help you have the best wedding EVER!!

1. See the big picture.

Agreed- your wedding is one of the most important days of your life but it is still just a SINGLE day. What is more important is from that day you have made public commitment that you want to be together forever. Make sure you and your fiance / finacee  discuss what you want from your wedding day so you can both enjoy your perfect day equally together.

2. Make it personal. 

You don’t want to have a wedding that looks as though the plan could say ‘insert bride and groom here’.  I suggest  that you add as many small, personal touches as possible so your wedding is unique to you. For example be creative with your table names are you a travel couple chose different countries, cities or landmarks you have visited together. Have cocktails created and named in a way that shows its your wedding.

3. Start wedding dress shopping ASAP.

There may be people who tell you that you don’t need to rush to start looking for your dress but DO NOT listen! Years ago the process was simpler and you didn’t need to allow time but times have changed. Most designers will need 6-8 months notice to make your dress and once its made it needs to be shipped to your bridal shop. You may not find your dress in the first shop and that is ok. Take your time, try on different styles and fabrics and you will fine THE ONE. It only THE most important dress your going to ware in your life no pressure ….

4. Listen to yourself and take time out.

I love wedding planning and I hope we have the most perfect day and our friends and family also have a great day too. The process is full of highs but there are some lows. When you get the feeling that things are getting on top of you.. RSVPS are late, people have a problem  with the table plan or your just not sure how you will get everything done. Take time out, spend some quality time with your other half and ban wedding talk. Its important to remind yourself what all the stress is for.

5. Discuss the guest list early on.

Make sure you and your fiancé are on the same page about how big or what type of wedding you want. If your dream is a big wedding full of family and friends and your fiancee wants to elope to Gretna Green you need to know this asap. Of course you will need to reach a middle ground and the perfect place to bring your dreams to life.

6. Accept Help!

It is easy to want to micro manage every single part of your wedding but this will drive you insane! Your friends and family will love the opportunity to be part of your day and taking advantage of their skills and expertise could also save you a lot of money!!

7. Don’t take on too much DIY.

You may be the most talented, creative and dedicated person on the planet but you only have so much time. Limit your DIY projects to those that are the most cost-effective or  will make the most impact on the day. We have the table names as something that instantly jumps out as personal to me which I can then use in our home after the wedding but I will share that after the day as a lot of my friends and family read my blogs and watch my videos.

8. Don’t forget to give thanks to those who help you.

Wedding planning can be very stressful and there will be times when you might have less patience than usual or not ‘be there’ as much for your friends and family as you would usually. Remember to thank those people close to you whether it be a little gift for them  to wear for the day or a bunch of flowers presented during the reception, I’m sure they will be gratefully received.

9. Do your research!.

I can tell you as a sales woman that the service you receive is just as important as the price you pay. Get recommendations from friends and family as first hand experience is priceless. However if you don’t have any please check out your suppliers on review sites. Send out multiple enquiries and don’t be afraid to tell them about your other quotes.. there is always a little room for movement built into the prices… if you don’t ask you don’t get.

10.  Have a wedding video

I didn’t originally realise I wanted a videographer until it dawned on me that those special moments look beautiful in photos but nothing can replace hearing the voices of  your loved ones that may not always be around. So many of my bride friends say they don’t remember the details of the day as it was such a blurr.. what did your maid of honour or best man say in their speech? What was the groom and guests reactions to you entering the room?  

11. Music is everything.

Do you know that music has the power to evoke an emotion to set a mood? Well it does… Remember while your guests are sitting waiting for the ceremony to begin have a play list playing in the background. While the photos are being taken have a playlist to keep the flow to the day and avoid awkward silence. Choose your music wisely!

12. Focus on being healthy for your day

So you might decide you want to drastically lose weight for your day or you may be comfortable in your own skin. Two important things to remember are firstly your finacee love you for you as you are! Secondly being healthy will mean you not only look good but will feel good on the day. If you feel good you will enjoy your day so much more.

13. Have your Cake and Eat it.

I know wedding cake is traditional, they look beautiful and taste amazing and no wedding would be complete with out one. Having said that you need to make sure you have chance to taste your cake. Ask your venue or caterer to put aside a piece of each flavour for your and your groom. If your too busy to eat on the night at least you will have some to try in your room or the next day.

14. Learn from your fellow brides.

I thinks its always great advice to learn from other people and their experiences. So ask your fellow brides for any regrets or things that were worth their weight in gold. Join forums and groups on social media. When you are a wedding guest.. pay attention! What is the time-line.. what worked and what didn’t? What things did you remember and what details did you forget as soon as you walked past? This will help you know what to include/ what to do for your wedding.

15. Make a mood board

A moodboard could be a physical board with cuttings from magazines or a board on Pinterest. I will admit Pintrest has been my best friend from wedding hair styles to unique décor ideas. They will help you pull all your ideas together and visualise your look.

16. Couple photos are a must-have.

Couple shots are IMPORTANT, on your day those precious moments together give you time to enjoy and make memories of just the two of you. You will also have personal shots for your wedding album to remember those moments.

  

17. Record your journey in a journal

I have a wedding planner and in it I have written a mini diary of the planning process how I feel what’s on my mind. Write the exact colour of your bridesmaid's dresses, what is the Latin names of your flowers? You are not going to remember these details in 10+ years time but wouldn’t it be cool to share these with your daughters and grandchildren in the future? 

18. Decide on a wedding fragrance. 

The sense that is strongest lined to memory is the sense of smell. To help bring those memories come rushing back design the fragrance of your wedding. Choose a wedding day perfume ideally a classic sent that is not likely to be discontinued. Have wedding candles around your venue or even just in your room while you get ready again something that you will be able to buy in years to come.

19. Plan things for the future

It's so much fun designing and implementing your wedding there is such a huge run up you need to be prepared for what comes next. We have a minimoon to Cornwall this year and our main honeymoon next year. To avoid the wedding blues give yourself things to look forward to. These don’t have to be big extravigant things but plan your firsts… first  haloween, first bonfire night and of course first Christmas.. Make an effort with decoration and have the opportunity to create memories.

20. Enjoy every single second! 

Make a special conscious effort to take everything in. Pause as you walk down the isle look at peoples faces. Look at your groom as he meets you this is your moment. Take 15 minutes alone after the photos and before you go into your wedding breakfast. Take note of your venues transition from day to night.

 Thank you so much for reading this blog and following me on Youtube I really appreciate all your support. There are more wedding related blogs and vlogs coming up so stay tuned.  

Save the dates

Hi Guys,

I was so excited that today finally came! We posted out our save the date cards!!!

Now, I have learnt a few things here.

1. Writing these out is going to take to. each so plan to do a few let's say 10 a day. You will then make sure they are sent on  time.

2. Personalise shop bought ones to match your theme and taste. This makes them unique but not too expensive.

3. When posting group save the dates together in an envelope.  So I have quite a few cousins so what I did is send them to my Aunty house and when they visit her they can pick them up.This will save you £s on postage.

4. Buy extras because you will make mistakes and you will get rejections. These places will want to be given to someone else so you will need the extra cards.

I will post you pictures of our save the dates soon, I just had to share this with you. 

I would love it if we could get some more interaction going. Please comment and ask questions.

Take care

Grace

Wedding Flowers

Hey Guys,

For a whole I have been doing research on wedding flowers. I have looked at different styles and different flowers to include and ones I didn't like.

We have decided we like the traditional symmetrical designs with added personal touches in keeping with our theme.

So the next decision was real or artificial..... so we decided on artificial. It means that I can make them myself which is so exciting and makes it feel so much more personal and thoughtful for our guests  It is very cost effective costing a quarter of the price of real flowers.

One downfall is that artificial flowers do not smell..... so we are going to have Yankee Candles all around to recreate that amazing smell.

Also we will be able to keep an arrangement ourselves for our home and give them to family members who want one.

Now I am researching where I will buy them from. We have already found the vase we will use from B and M at the bargain price of £6 each.

I will be making a mock up and I will show you that and do a video documenting the process

Take Care xx

Marriage Monday: Found our Florist

Hey everyone, its Marriage Monday again! I am so excited to say we have finally found our wedding florist, and trust me she was worth the wait. We have spoke to over 15 wedding florists and only 3 of them got through to consultation stage. Ellie has amazing attention to detail, creativity, passion and amazing style. 

We had our consultation at our Wedding Venue, which is nice as we can walk around and discuss where we would like to have arrangements and focal points. To be honest we love any excuse to visit our venue.

Ellie is so knowledgeable and professional she asked all the right questions and understood everything I was saying. We started off with my bouquet, I had never been asked about the size I would like. I have chosen a shower shape, it will be made up of roses in fuchsia pink and lilac. We then moved on to the bridesmaids and flower girls bouquet's, they will also be roses in a posie shape. We then discussed the men's button holes and if we would like guest button holes. 

We have decided to decorate our church too. We think it is important for the church to look like there is a wedding taking place that day. We will have pedestals and pew ends all matching incorporating our focal flowers.

The reception venue will also have pedestals. The main room will have the Martini glass centrepieces, these will have pink linings and floral arrangements consisting of our focal flowers. 

I have put pictures of our focal flowers below. 

Hydrangeas are special to Paul as a good memory from is childhood as one of his relatives grew them in her garden. 

We wanted two colours for our theme, one to be bright energetic and vibrant and the other to be simple, elegant and sophisticated. This rose is called Ocean song, I thought that was such a wonderful and beautiful name.

We love these fuchsia pink roses as they give a vibrant burst of energy and colour. Pink is one of my favourite colours and is a great wedding colour.

Again elli's website is http://www.ellicawse-floraldesigns.co.uk.

Take care x

Wedding

Hello everyone, 

I am writing this post from my phone that's why it looks different. 

Paul and I have decided to put the Wedding back one final time. Paul needs to get divorced after 7 years of seperation it is still expensive and time consuming. Also he wants to get his teeth done which will cost another £3000. 

We want the wedding of our dreams and to be worth the wait, so one more year it is. 

Have any of you had similar problems? 

Wedding Planning

Hey everyone, we have been talking more about wedding plans. We are currently looking for a wedding cake baker. I didn't realize how much difference there is between suppliers. Paul and I have been attending wedding fairs for two years and at our first wedding fair people said they had bookings for September 2015.  Yet when I inquired with a baker today they said they didn't know what they would be doing that far in advance. That far in advance, are you mad that's only 18 months away.  Needless to say we will not be using that supplier. 

My one piece of advice today will be, prioritize your suppliers. What is most important to you? Search out that supplier first and don't settle until you find exactly what you want. 

Wedding Wednesday Cake maker meeting

We had our first design and taster meeting with our cake baker on Monday and we are so excited. We have chosen four flavours, and they are all gorgeous. We have a couple of ideas for the design of the cake on the outside and she is going to draw them up so we can decide. She is so easy to get on with which is nice as I don't want a battle or to feel uncomfortable with my suppliers. She has so many creative ideas and the taste if her cakes is divine. Can't wait for the designs to come back!

Blog Day Theses Revised

Hi everyone,

I hope none objects but I have decided to change the day themes, the reason for this is that Paul and I are on a fertility journey. We will be progressing this after the wedding which is why i did not have a tab or mention it much before, however it is a very important part of our lives and I have lots of information to share and so I am going to open that part of my life up to you too. So the day themes will now be:-

Make-up Monday

True beauty Tuesday

Wedding Wednesdays

Trying to Conceive Thursdays

Fashion Friday

Weightloss and anything else on weekends 

How to choose your wedding cake

Welcome to Wedding Wednesday first blog! On Monday we have our first consultation with our Wedding cake maker. I am so excited and can’t wait for us to be able to discuss our dreams and ideas and see if they can become a reality. I want to share some advice on how to choose your cake design, style, flavour and tips.

The cake is one of the most dominant symbols of your wedding. It will be featured prominently in your wedding pictures. You can use your cake to bring together your wedding colours and theme.

One of the first things you need to decide is how many tiers you would like. In order to make that decision you need to know, how many guests will you provide cake for? What is your cake budget?

Now you have the practical thoughts out the way now comes the fun, designing the cake. Do you have a vision of how you would like to look? What colours, themes or decorations do you want to include? Do you want a cake topper?

Once you know what you want it’s time to start the road on achieving it. Don’t leave it until the last minute you need at least 3-6 months to have cake made etc. You need to find a cake maker, find someone with proven reputation- ask friends and family.  Visit bakery’s and asks to see pictures or models of their work. Take pictures or drawings of things you like with you to consultations and taste, taste ,taste a cake should not just look good it should taste good too.

Blog Day Themes

I love to be fair and symmetrical so I have been thinking about my blog posts. I feel as though I do not do an even amount of blogs for each of my main topics- so I am introducing Day Themes.

Make-up Monday

True beauty Tuesday

Wedding Wednesdays

Total Style Thursdays

Fat Free Fridays (Weight loss)

The weekends I will leave flexible and Blog about anything I want. What do you think?

Which type of ceremony

I must say for me the most important part of our Wedding day is the ceremony, but often this part is given the least time and attention. In these modern times we have so many options when it comes to the ceremony that you can make it completely personal to you as a couple.

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted a traditional church wedding.  It’s good to note that if this isn't your first marriage it can be tricky to find a church that will perform the whole ceremony so take your time to find the right one.

If you want to have a church wedding the first step is to approach the church where you'd like it to be held – the rules are very flexible now you can get married in almost any church as long as you are prepared to attend for a few weeks if you do not have a connection to the church.

Things to think about:

• What do I need to do prior to the ceremony?
• What is the cost?
• Can I personalise the ceremony at all?
• Are there restrictions on music, confetti, flowers or photographers?
• If I have the bells rung is there an additional cost?

You will be expected to attend the reading of The Bans for three consecutive weeks before the ceremony at your chosen church. This allows any opponents to the wedding to come forward and voice their objections.

If your not religious or a church wedding is just not for you then another option is a civial ceremony aka registry office wedding. Civil ceremonies are strictly non-religious affairs so you won't be allowed any hymns or religious references but you can have your own music and readings and say your own vows in addition to the official ones.  A civil ceremony is now available in any premises with a marriage licence, many hotels, historic buildings and beautiful outdoor locations now hold a marriage licence. It is still very popular to have a ceremony performed in a registry office.  You have to give notice your intention to wed at least two weeks before your wedding. Take your passport and proof of address (utility bills, bank statements). After 15 days you'll be free to wed anytime within a year of that date.

Questions to ask:

• Can I have my own music, vows, readings?
• Can we decorate the room?
• How much does the room cost?

Choosing your wedding theme

Weddings are more than parties they are the celebration of your marriage the joining of two lives. I believe a wedding is the most important celebration of my life and so I want to give it the thought and respect it deserves.

We know what colours we want for our wedding and a wedding palette is very important for putting together a polished wedding design. But when it comes to putting across the meaning of our wedding day you need more than colour. Your theme is where you add the meaning to your wedding and tell a story for your day.

When creating your wedding theme, the best place to start is to ask yourself   ‘What is your vision for your wedding day?’ What are your guests wearing? Are they partying all night long? Or chatting comfortably by candlelight? Remember this vision in mind this will help you focus on the mood and maybe even the style of your wedding day and therefore be important in making your choices.

Aspects to consider when building a theme :-

• ·         Your personal style- modern, vintage, classic or very individual
• ·         Do you want to incorporate your family’s culture, that of your future spouse, or one that you are drawn too?
• ·         Family traditions
• ·         Hobbies and interests
• ·         Do you have something you like to do as a couple

Now you need to choose 2 or these ideas into a theme. For instance, you are getting married in Italy, you love the romance of Phantom of the Opera, and you want your wedding day to be a true celebration of love.

In that case your wedding theme could be: an Opulent Romantic Italian wedding.

Wedding Photography Shot List

This list below is a compilation of all the shots I would like taken at my wedding. Each one helps to tell the story of the day. 

Prep Shots – Bride & Groom,

The Dress – Hanging or Draped taking pictures of whole length and all the little details that the memory can forget over time.

Still life shots of the bride’s shoes, jewelry, something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue

Full-length shot of the bride in her gown, looking at herself in a mirror

Maid of Honor & Brides Mom – Zipping Dress

The North Window Shot – Bride facing out northern most window.

Bride walking down stairs

Grooms Father & Best Man – Attaching Boutonnière to grooms lapel

Groom Checking the Time

Groom with Grooms Men & Fathers

Exterior and interior shots of the site before guests arrive

Close-up of groom’s expression when seeing bride first time

Bridal party walking down the aisle

Bride with Bridesmaids & Mothers

Bride with Mother & Father (also grandparents)

Groom with Mother & Father (also grandparents)

Bride Wedding Car – Groom Wedding Car

Groom waiting at altar

Church Wide Shot (with & without guests)

Bride walking down aisle ( Side Profile & Front )

Father giving away bride

Groom over the shoulder shot of bride ( & Vis Versa)

Holding hands – Bride and Groom

Bride & Groom Kiss

Bride & Groom Leaving Church ( Receiving Line)

Bride & Groom – Inside Limo Shot

Bride & Groom – Exiting  (Bride being helped out)

Exterior and interior shots of the site before the guests

Still-life shots of place cards, menus, centerpieces, decorations, table settings, favors, and Champagne glasses

Shot of each table full of guests

Shots of Bride & Groom with & without family

Bride and Groom photos around reception grounds special time alone

Bride & Groom with Bridesmaids & Groomsmen

Bride and Groom Hand & Ring Portraits

Bouquet Toss

Garter Toss

The Cake

Cake Cutting, Bride and Groom Feeding each other

Misc. Guests Dancing

Bride & Groom Eating

Best Man & Maid of Honor Toast/Speeches

Bride & Groom Toast/Speeches

Centerpieces & Flower/Decorations

Guestbook Signatures

First Dance

Bride & Father Dance

Groom & Mother Dance

Small Children Dancing with Bride & Groom

Bride & Groom’s Parents Dancing (Plus Grandparents)

Bride & Groom giving away wedding favors

Bride and Groom leaving

What shots would you have?