Choosing bridesmaid dresses can be really tricky and sometimes quite stressful. How do you find a design that looks great on everyone? What do you do if you want the same colour but everyone looks good in different neck lines and styles which don’t stock the colour you want? How many shops must you trek round to try and find the right dress? How sad to spend all that money on a dress that is worn once and then gets hung in the back of the wardrobe.
Well I think I have found the perfect answer. Arian Goldman of Two Birds has designed the perfect solution. It’s one dress that can be wrapped around the body, using the shoulder ties, to flatter all body types. It comes in two sizes 4-18 and 18-22. A bridesmaid dress that is incredibly versatile, affordable, available in eighteen different colours and can be worn in fifteen different ways with various lengths.They will even colour match for you for a little extra on the price. Another added advantage is that there are no alterations! How hard is it get your bridesmaids in one place for fittings.
The Two Birds name came about because the dress is perfect for formal and evening wear. There are three different styles to choose from.
The material is of a very high quality and does not cling to the body. I certainly wish I had found these when I was getting married. Yesterday I met a lovely bride who was having five bridesmaids. The logistics are getting them all together on the same day is hard enough, but trekking around many shops to try and find the right styles for everyone can be very time consuming. You really have to do your research thoroughly to ensure you find what you want in one day. I speak from experience of being a bridesmaid early this year. It was quite a task and in the end we had to have dresses made for each of us.
You can also buy wraps to match in case its a little chilly on the day.
I understand it may be tricky wrapping these dresses correctly, but there are plenty of videos on line which show you exactly how to do them. Its a perfect opportunity to get a night in with your bridesmaids for a practice session. Happy bridesmaids makes for a happy wedding day. No one wants to wear a dress they feel uncomfortable in. The growing trend nowadays is for the bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses, this way you can be sure of a dress that can be worn many times after the wedding and one that can be adapted depending on the occasion. Check this out, to learn all you need to know.
If anyone has bought and worn these dresses please let me know the experience you had with them. The prices are from £200 – £300 and there is a store in London in Notting Hill which you can visit by appointment. If you like this advice why not book a place on our Bridal Workshops? You will learn all my insider tips and advice so that you can create and plan your perfect wedding. Call me for a chat if you want to know more.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Bridesmaids, Inspiration, Tips & Advice
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It’s been a few weeks since we heard from our favourite wedding blog for men. Andrew never disappoints and this week its advice for the Bride’s father. Enjoy!
5 Essential Tips for The Father of The Bride
There seems to be a general feeling that the Father of the Bride is often the forgotten man of the wedding planning process. The feeling is that you’re probably experienced enough to cope with the nerves and tough enough to cope with the emotions. But that’s why we often end up feeling sorry for the FOTB (you’ve even got the worst wedding acronym for crying out loud) and decided to round-up some essential advice for all the dads out there prior to the big day.
Deal With The Nerves Before They Ruin It
It’s perfectly natural and acceptable for you to feel nervous. Nerves about the ceremony and speeches are in the top three subjects that fill the Staggered inbox. Fortunately, both can be cured with some simple preparation. Write and practice your speech at least a month in advance of the big day and do everything you can to make it to the church rehearsal as this will give you an idea of where to stand when.
Speeches Are Easy When You Prepare
You can find way more information on Staggered about wedding speeches but this is it in a nutshell. Between 5 and 8 minutes, less is more, stand straight, don’t mumble and speak from the heart. Always write your speech in full (never “wing it”), because even if you don’t use it you’ve always got it in case you need it. Give a copy to your daughter for the wedding memory box. The Father of the Bride welcomes the guests, sets the tempo, welcomes his new family members and talks about his daughter without embarrassing her!
It Will Be Emotional – Get Ready
Blokes and emotions are never a good mix, for the simple reason that we’re often a bit slower at dealing with them and how they affect us. Take some time before the wedding to talk to your daughter about the wedding and what she means to you. Too many men think they’ll come out with the perfect speech in the car on the way to the church and end up feeling that they never quite explained how they feel – or worse: end up at the church a sobbing mess!
How To Deal With The Money
The good news is that this generation are getting married later, the bad news being that they’re living with their parents longer. As a result more of them are paying for their own wedding. If you’re still footing the bill and you find that the wedding is placing too much of a burden on your finances then make it clear that costs need to be cut. Everyone wants a perfect wedding, but no one wants that to come at the expense of a stressed dad. Also there are thousands of resources out there on how to get a champagne wedding on beer prices, use them!
Plan Your Advice
As with the emotions, this is another topic that should be tackled in advance of the big day. It’s tradition that you pass on some advice – whether that’s in your speech or just in passing. This is a big thing both for the bride and the groom and many people remember for their whole lives what was said to them at this point. So make it wise, make it original and make it something personal. Think about your marriage: what have you learned? What can you say that will improve these young people’s chance of happiness? But remember, no pressure…
www.iamstaggered.com is the UK’s leading men’s wedding website.
Until next time, happy planning
Tags: Men & Wedding Planning, Tips & Advice
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Choosing suppliers is one thing but what to ask them once you have booked them is another. How are you sure what their service really is if you don’t ask the right questions? Lately I have heard some very disturbing stories about suppliers. One’s who have not delivered what they said they would on the day and one who did not even turn up for the wedding! Yes the most dreaded scenario on your wedding day. Imagine no wedding cake to cut, photograph or display, even more disastrous if you planned on it being served as desert!
I have to say most suppliers are excellent but sometimes assume that the couple who have booked them understand what they are offering. You must ask questions so that you are clear what you are paying for and to help coordinate the rest of the suppliers that will be turning up on the day.
For instance, if you book a band, have you any idea when they will arrive and how long it will take them to set up? If your venue has to to turn your room around following the wedding breakfast for your evening celebration and you allowed half an hour because that’s how long the venue need, but your band arrives and takes over an hour and a half to set up and do sound checks. What impact does this have on your guests and the rest of the timing for the evening? Also did you find out if the venue has an entrance that the band can use so your guests don’t see them trailing their equipment past them. Many venues do not have the space beforehand so that the set up can be done earlier.
If they do various sessions throughout the night how long do they perform for and how much break do they require? What is the latest they will stay before they charge you for an overnight stay? Your day can very easily run over, making them start later. This means they may not have enough time left to play before they have to leave or charge you extra.
It’s very common to use an IPOD playlist in between sessions. Check that the band will be able to keep an eye on this because if you have downloaded lots of songs but not sorted them in any order what is it going to sound like? Who is going to make sure the right songs are playing if the band is taking a well earned break. I don’t mean to pick on bands or entertainers, it’s just various things that have come up over the last few weeks whilst I have been coordinating our upcoming weddings.
You must be very clear what each supplier is contracted to do, when they are turning up and leaving. What do they need when they do arrive in terms of space, power, equipment, tables etc. For example if your cake arrives but there is no cake table set to leave the cake on and your supplier has to go and deliver to another wedding, will the venue team take responsibility for setting up your cake?
If you have five bridesmaids all having hair and makeup done what time will the makeup artist arrive, so that the hairdresser can work out the timings to get everyone’s hair done in time for the photographer who is coming early to take your pre- shots.
Sometimes you won’t even know what to ask because you think that the supplier will sort it all out for you, they may very well do but don’t assume anything.
I really wanted to illustrate in this blog that you must clarify all the little details with each supplier, so that when it comes to the month before your wedding you are not going back and forth trying to work out who is going to do what and when. You also won’t be taken by surprise when you thought that something was included but isn’t. The last month should be spent pampering yourself and spending time with your fiance before the big day. If you thoroughly prepare by asking as many questions and clarifying everything in the beginning you will save much frustration when it comes near to the wedding day. You will also save money because at this point you don’t want to be paying for hidden extra’s.
The Wedding Genie Bridal Workshops are all about helping brides understand how to plan and manage their perfect day. Why not check out our new service and see if it’s something you think you can benefit from? You can also enter our competition to win a free pair of ticket’s to our course in October. If you feel that you need help on your special day so you can relax, we specialise in On the Day Coordination to make sure your wedding goes exactly as you planned. Please call us if you would like to know more.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Supplier, Tips & Advice, Wedding Planning
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We are very excited here at The Wedding Genie, we have been featured in the West Midlands Your Wedding magazine again for the second month running!
Danielle the features editor, asked me to help with an article all about entertainment. Click on the link below for the full article.
West Midlands Your Wedding Entertainment Feature
If you would like to learn how to entertain your guests at your wedding why not book one of our Bridal Workshops. They are brand new, designed to teach you everything you need to know about creating your own perfect day. Call or email for a chat if you would like to know more.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Entertainment, Tips & Advice
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There are many wedding blogs out there that are inspirational, but some of the best are written by brides to be themselves! When you start to think about planning your wedding it’s a huge task and who knows where to start? It’s not like all your friends are getting married at the same time, so sometime’s there is no one to talk to or bounce ideas off or ask for advice. What better way than to make a diary of your wedding journey and share it with like minded brides. Suddenly you are not alone and its a chance to share your creativity and unique ideas to help other brides in your position.
I found Purple and Pearls quite a while ago, it’s written by the very creative and talented Laura Francis and I was hooked. Not only is it a pretty site to surf around but its funny, inspiring and written from the heart. It gives a fabulous insight into wedding planning and shows how you can make your mark on your dream day without breaking the bank.
There are lovely ideas and images to help inspire you, I love looking around myself, I particularly like all the posts relating to the Candy Tables. I am often intrigued why brides to be start a blog and what they get from it, I asked Laura a few searching questions and she did not disappoint.
What Made You Start Purple and Pearls Blog?
Purple and Pearls started out as a way for me to document my time as a bride to be. I’ve always kept diaries and essentially that is what Purple and Pearls is. It’s my online diary, I want to be able to look back in years to come and remember every detail about planning our wedding that I know I could easily forget.
What do you think you give to other brides who are planning their weddings?
I’m a DIY bride. Anything I make myself, like my chalkboard heart place cards, invitations, candy table signs and wine charm favours, I write about and explain exactly how I did it. I’ve had quite a few comments from other brides-to-be about how easy the projects I take on look and have been inspired to have a go themselves.
I’m also very honest, it’s not always rosy in the run up to the wedding and things do get stressful. I share my concerns, worries and mistakes (such as the spelling error on my invitations I noticed just days before they were due to go out!)
I don’t get paid for writing Purple and Pearls either, I have no sponsors which means any recommendations I make for suppliers are based purely on my own opinions and experiences.
Laura’s gorgeous chalk board place cards
Wine Charms to match Laura’s theme
How has it helped you?
I enjoy writing Purple and Pearls so much. It keeps my thoughts in order; I write a monthly countdown post with jobs that I need to do in the up coming weeks, which helps me keep track of what I’m suppose to be doing. It’s also put me in touch with other brides who write their own blogs and lots of different wedding industry professionals. I feel like I’m part of a little community and if I need advice, suggestions, support or even just a chat there is always someone around either to comment on the blog or on Twitter to talk to.
Do you think your wedding will be different because of it and have you learned loads about the wedding industry?
Writing Purple and Pearls has made me more aware of other blogs written by suppliers, other brides and industry professionals. I have 100’s of different blogs in my Google Reader and they have definitely opened my eyes. Starting out I didn’t know that I could break away from the more traditional side of the wedding industry, I didn’t know that I didn’t have to have sugared almonds as favours and I’ve learnt that it’s ok to make our wedding day reflect our personalities. I’ve been inspired to create details myself, which means certain aspects of our wedding will be unique to us and hopefully our guests will appreciate that too.
I wouldn’t say that I’ve learnt loads about the wedding industry, but I have met (online and in real life) some fabulous wedding professionals who have all helped me out in some way.
Laura is using the shots from their engagement shoot for their guest book.
If you have what are the good things and what are the bad?
Getting to know the wedding industry has made me realize how much choice there is, there are so many different ways you can personalize your wedding day to suit you.
I’ve also learnt to shop around; unfortunately a few suppliers find it acceptable to up their prices just because it’s a wedding. Throughout my planning I’ve learnt to compare prices and do a lot more research before committing to a service. For example I saved over £200 on our wedding flowers because I didn’t settle for the first quote I received.
Having said that all of the suppliers involved in our wedding day are wonderful – it was one of our requirements during the planning process for us to get on with our suppliers. There is nothing better than your florist or cake maker to be just as excited about your wedding as you are!
Its good to hear that. Suppliers should be interested in your wedding just as much as you are. It’s one of the traits that we like to know a supplier has before they go onto our Wedding Genie recommended list. Quality and good service are a given if you use any of The Wedding Genie suppliers. Many of our brides are just like Laura. They want us to help their day go exactly as they planned. Leaving them to enjoy every minute knowing someone they trust is looking out for all their little details.
Well I for one can’t wait to see the gorgeous wedding that Laura paints such a beautiful picture of on her blog. I will post it on my blog if Laura doesn’t mind, we can’t possibly not follow up this lovely story.
In the meantime if you want to know how to start to plan and find inspiration, why not book one of our new Bridal Workshops. They are fun, informative and I promise you will go home armed with all the hints tips and advice you could possibly need. You can enter our competition too for a pair of tickets to one of our classes in October or November.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Lovely things!, Personal Touches, Planning, Wedding Planning
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Hi, today I thought I would share with you one of our weddings from back in May. Wedding Genie coordinated the day for Clare and Alastair. The wedding was full of the little details that Clare made herself, the theme was quintessentially English. The colours of the day were purple and sage green which really suited the beautiful countryside venue which was hired for exclusive use.
Ardington House has beautiful grounds and a lovely lake, the couple crosses over a delightful little bridge to get to the Island Temple where your civil ceremony is held if the weather permits. Clare and Alastair are very sporty out door people and more than anything they wanted to be married outdoors. They were going to leave the decision to me and the hotel staff as to whether the ceremony took place indoors or out. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the sun came out and all the guests were able to meander over the gorgeous grounds to the ceremony area.
As I accompanied Clare and her bridesmaids over to the island a string quartet played in the background, it was idyllic. and so peaceful. Everyone was involved even the family dog, who was super well behaved and loved the whole celebration.
Following the civil ceremony everyone walked over to the local church and a blessing took place, with readings from Clare’s friends and family. Later the guests were served Pimms and Cider with Cassis( very popular now), which they sipped on the lawn in the sunshine. Chris and Louise from Simplicity Photography shot the entire day and were just brilliant. They blended into the background as group shots were not to be taken, well just one of the whole throng of guests. Check out Clare’s gorgeous bodice on her dress, tiara and shoes.
Alastair’s heritage is Scottish so the cape that Clare wore was made specially to reflect that, along with the favours which were scottish tablets. The menus’s, table plan and place cards were all made by Clare and matched the scheme beautifully. In the evening the guests strolled across the lawns to the Marquee for the night time celebrations. The marquee was dressed with green sashes and table runners matching the colour scheme. Vases of lilies were placed on the tables and candles in votives arranged around them to make the whole evening sparkle.
Claire made the place names herself and everyone took them home as extra favours.
A disco was not really in keeping with this style of wedding so a Ceilidh band played all night and the guests filled the dance floor. Lovely food delights such as a chocolate fountain, a hog roast and for desert, cup cakes were served to the guests.
Clare and Alastair took dance lessons and to everyones surprise took the dance floor to commence the evenings entertainment.
Clare had all her flowers hand made to keep as souvenirs. They were stunning and accessorised the unusual wedding dress to a tee.
I will leave you with a gorgeous picture of the grounds of this venue. The staff were lovely and I have to say a huge thank you to Gareth, Linda and their staff for looking after us the whole day long. The food was delicious and nothing was too much trouble.
All that’s left is to wish Clare and Alastair a happy and blessed marriage with huge amounts of joy, laughter and happiness. If you want any help on your special day I would love to speak to you.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Real Weddings
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Well I am super excited my Bridal Planning Workshops are here and ready to go! I can’t wait to start and help newly engaged brides to be to plan and create a fantastic wedding day which is true to them and on budget!
I was being asked so many questions about wedding planning, things like how do we set our budget? What do we book first? What should we do tackle first? That I thought why not create a special course where you can come and spend a fun and practical morning or afternoon with me learning how to plan your perfect day.
Weddings are a huge investment (the average being £20,000!). For an investment that size my course is an affordable, fun easy way, to gain expert help and guidance.
You’ll learn to create the wedding of your dreams, which is personal to you and your budget. If you are a follower of The Wedding Genie you know it’s not the amount of money you spend it’s how you spend it! It’s creating a wedding that has your stamp all over it without stress or anxiety.
I definitely believe that you can save at least three times the money you paid to come on our course. Once you know the inside tips and tricks to saving your budget will stretch further than you thought.
Here is a list of what’s included:
- Choosing your Venue – so important to your dream day.
- Theme and Styling – lots of brides are really daunted by this. We make it simple.
- Money saving tips! – Insider tricks to help get what you really want.
- Choosing and Managing Suppliers – wow the paper work! Let’s make it simple.
- Negotiating to make savings and add more value to your package or service.
- Wedding Etiquette – Many people have parents who are divorced and don’t know how to handle this.
- Top tips for a stress free wedding day – Brief your bridal team to help your day run like a dream.
- Q&A session. Ask me anything you like and chat to other brides just like you.
On top of all that I guarantee it will be fun, not a stuffy boring seminar but an inspirational few hours spent talking about what you love the most – Your Wedding Plans!
Take Home a Wedding Genie Goody Bag which includes:
- A CD that with everything we talk about. It’s a mini wedding planning software package.
- An Interactive Budget Planning Spreadsheet.
- The Wedding Genie, insider tried and tested supplier list.
- Top Ten Wedding Planning Tips.
- Inspirational Web Sites for great ideas.
- Handbag planner to use to check you are on track with your all important tasks.
The first course is on the 24th October from 10am till 2pm at The Ramada Hotel Birmingham North. Afternoon tea and refreshments are provided as part of the price too, so bring your Mum, bridesmaid’s or best friend. Hey your groom might even want to come! More men are helping out with the planning these days.
The cost is £75 or £120 for two. To book a place click here. If this date does not suit you then email or call me and I will update you with other dates in the pipeline.
Competition!
The Wedding Genie is always looking at ways to help, what better way than to give away a pair of tickets to our first workshop? Click on this link and send me your details and mention that you are interested in the workshop. If you are the lucky winner I will be sending you an exclusive invitation for you and your bridesmaid, Mum or best friend.
I look forward to hearing from you and if you want to ask me anything about the course just call me.
Tags: Bridal Workshops, Inspiration, Wedding Planning
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My words to inspire this month have been kindly sent to me by Claire from English Wedding Blog. Claire is also a calligrapher and when she was asked to write out this poem she thought of The Wedding Genie and sent it to me. You can read the lovely words and click on the links to look at tips on calligraphy too.
Us Two – Taken from Winnie The Pooh
Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.
“Let’s look for dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“Yes, let’s,” said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
“Yes, those are dragons all right,” said Pooh.
“As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That’s what they are,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what they are,” said Pooh.
“Let’s frighten the dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“That’s right,” said Pooh to Me.
“I’m not afraid,” I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted “Shoo!
Silly old dragons!”- and off they flew.
“I wasn’t afraid,” said Pooh, said he,
“I’m never afraid with you.”
So wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
“What would I do?” I said to Pooh,
“If it wasn’t for you,” and Pooh said:”True,
It isn’t much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. “That’s how it is,” says Pooh
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Inspiration, Supplier, Tips & Advice
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A few pearls of wisdom from a mans perspective, I would have loved to have seen Andrew’s Alsation best men!!! and his brides reaction to his choice of best man.
Picking Your Best Man
One of the few wedding jobs going that is emphatically the groom’s responsibility is choosing the best man. Now that doesn’t mean that certain people *cough* the bride-to-be *cough* might not offer an opinion or two on who it should be, but they ultimately know that the best man is as serious as male friendships get and therefore they should back the heck off. We’re not going to join the roster of people queuing up to tell you who to pick, but we do have some advice.
Pick with your heart, not your head.
What the bride wants is for you to pick someone who won’t take you to a strip club on your stag do. She wants you to pick someone who will say disarmingly charming things during his speech. She wants someone who looks good in a suit and won’t spend the reception at the bar chanting: “CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!” with their pants on their head. In essence, the bride wants you to pick your grandmother. The guy you’re thinking of choosing might fit the above description, or they may be a rogue of the first water. Just remember that you’re picking your best man on the qualities of deep friendship, of shared experiences and, damn it all – on love. Go with your heart.
Don’t pick a woman
You’re angry aren’t you? You’re thinking – “How dare they, women can be just as much a best friend to a man as a man can.” Well, that’s a debate for another time (as is the old When Harry Met Sally men can’t be friends with women because sex gets in the way discussion – However, the reason you can’t pick a woman is simple: the bride. No matter how ugly your female friend is and how Platonic the friendship, there will always be a part of the bride burning with jealousy that another woman is a closer friend to you than she can be. And you’re going to make her feel like that on her wedding day. Bite the bullet and ditch the gal pal.
Don’t pick two best men
The two best men scenario is just wrong. The speeches go on forever, the stag dos are a planning nightmare and the photos look weird. All of this just because you can’t admit to your best friends that you like one more than the other. You are not six-years-old. If you cannot tell your adult male friends that you want one to be a best man and one to be the usher without the dissolution of your holy friendship trinity then there’s something wrong. Grow a backbone and choose.
Don’t pick a dog
That’s even worse than picking two best men. If your best friend is a dog then you need therapy.
You can’t say no
It’s weird but we get *a lot* of best men emailing us who are struggling with their speech because they know practically nothing about the groom. We should probably be explaining that you can sensitively say no to a bloke if he asks you to be his best man, but you can’t really, can you? If someone asks you to be a best man, you pretty much have to take the role. You’d just have to do it and be the best man you possibly could be.
So who are you going to pick?
Staggered is the UK’s leading men’s wedding website. At his wedding the editor had four female Alsatian dogs as his best men. None of them wanted to take the role but they all felt it was better to do it and not say anything.
Until next time, happy planning.
Tags: Men & Wedding Planning, Tips & Advice
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Artificial bouquets are becoming very popular. The last two weddings that Wedding Genie worked on, both had the most beautifully made ones I have seen. They do not wilt, you can save them and they look fantastic as you can see from this picture.
This beauty was made by Red Floral Architecture. It looked stunning and they were provided for all the bridesmaids and the bride. Fresh flowers still made up the table and venue decor as well as button holes but these bouquets will serve as fabulous memento’s of the day.
How about this one too?
Photo by Simplicity Photography
Flowers like Lily of The Valley are so gorgeous but very costly to import out of season so why not have artificial ones made then use room fragrance to substitute the smell. A tip from the top from January Flower Magazine.
Another top supplier for unusual bouquets of this type is Button Moon based in Birmingham.
If you want to investigate further why not try buying a lovely book called Forever Flowers by Margaret Ashbourne. Gone are the days of awful plastic imitations, it would seem your imagination is the limit. You can even personalise them with vintage brooches, even more meaningful if you have one from a relative or special friend who could not been with you on your special day.
Until next, time happy planning
You may also be interested in Part 1 of this Flower Blog
Tags: Flowers, Inspiration, Tips & Advice
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