Posts Tagged ‘Planning’

Inspirational Brides To Be – Wedding Blog

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

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.



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Wedding Entertainment Tips and Advice

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

In the second series of this blog I thought it would be good to give you some examples of what kind of wedding entertainment is available depending on your budget, and the areas of the day to consider when you allocate your budget.

Lets look at a budget: Up to £10,000

Bored guests are never happy ones so the parts of the day that you should cater for are the drinks reception whilst you are having your photographs taken, the wedding breakfast if you have a lot of time before the evening event and of course the main evening party. In my opinion the evening entertainment is where you should concentrate your effort for this type of budget. If I had to suggest three choices of entertainment that couples might be able to afford on this budget  the following come to mind.

A DJ

There are some brilliant DJ’s out there who can really make your party swing. Look around, don’t just go for the one that your venue suggests, ask your friends, look on the internet. Check out what they bring with them in terms of lights and decor. Often the DJ can put on a really good show and really create a great party atmosphere. Lots of the DJ websites now show you what their style is and give you a choice of music to play. Don’t forget that if you want to involve your guests and ask them their favourite songs, be careful they are not all love songs. You could suggest they give you their favourite love song and their favourite dance track.

Ceilidh Band

If you want to dance but don’t like the idea of a DJ then why not try a Ceilidh band. The music is lively and the caller, who is the chap that talks the guests through the dance, creates a great atmosphere, which makes everyone take to the dance floor. It’s a fun thing to do and really involves your guests. The bride and groom can then take to the floor and be totally involved in the evening’s celebrations. A great idea for a county wedding.

Live Singer/Jazz

The Rat Pack sound is great for vintage weddings. In between sets you can always fill up your IPOD so that your guests can dance and still stay in the party swing. That way you may be able to get live music for part of the evening. I have seen many weddings where this has been the case. Its a great way of getting your party started and this type of music brings a little sophistication to your evening and the older relatives in your party will love it. Your first dance can be sung live whilst you glide round the dance floor.

How about a budget: £10,000 – £20,000

Mix and Mingle Artists/Live Bands/Photo Booths

The evening reception is still the biggest area of entertainment but when you have more in your budget it would be great to entertain your guests during the wedding reception as well as during the photo’s and drinks reception. Using entertainers that mix and mingle such as caricaturists or a silhouettist is a great idea because your guests each get something to take home with them.Close up magicians can be extremely funny and entertaining too if you get a good one. I would highly recommend www.magicatyourfingertips.co.uk

String quartets and harpists are fantastic for a classy drinks reception and then can play at your ceremony if you are getting married at your venue. They create a lovely atmosphere if the weather is gorgeous and your setting dictates it. A lovely country mansion with beautiful gardens and guests spilling into the gardens being wafted by lovely classical music in the sunshine starts your wedding reception off with style.

For the evening if you budget stretches then you can’t beat a live band for atmosphere and the wow factor. Often the bands will play music to dance to in between their sets. You can work out the times they appear to suit the flow of your reception. Good bands give out a great vibe and if they are really good the dance floor should be full all night.

One other idea that is very popular at the moment, is a photo booth where your guests can take pictures and dress up in props, then write comments into your guest book. The photos are generated there and then just like a passport photo booth. They can even be projected into a slide show for the evening.

Photo booth by www.sayfromage.co.uk

The choice for entertainment is quite vast but I would urge you to choose what suits your style and personality. Choose what makes you happy and what you are comfortable with. I have decided to run one more blog next week to finish on entertainment as once I got started it was hard to stop. Next week I will cover budgets of over 20k and also how to create free entertainment for your guests. If you want me to help source you some great entertainment give me a call I will be happy to help.

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Planning Inspiration

Friday, July 16th, 2010

My blog is directed at being very practical and I hope to give advice that  is useful and inspirational. When I find other wedding sites that I like and can identify with I just have to share them with you. Wedding Community is a wedding website full of useful articles, free planning help, planning tools, and great suppliers.When you become engaged you seem to spend endless, sometimes fruitless hours searching the internet for wedding suppliers and advice. Here its in one place and the lovely thing is that its English!!

David and Kim got married in 2007 and whilst planning their wedding they realised there was a need for a wedding website that has everything you need to plan your perfect day, all in one place and The Wedding Community launched in November 2009. From their own experiences they have devised planning tools such as a budget calculator, guest list tracker, to do lists and more. You can find articles from wedding experts, and inspiration from real weddings.

You can even build your own wedding website with an RSVP feature for free so that your friends and family can see your plans. The Wedding Community is also a social network that brings your wedding party together so that if you delegate projects you can see how they are going on with them and chat together on line. If you register today up until the 30th November you will be entered into a prize draw for a fantastic Sandals honeymoon worth £4,000 to Antigua.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Traditional Wedding Etiquette

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Over the last three weddings we have had the privilege to work on we have been asked many questions like which side should I walk on when my Dad accompanies me down the aisle? We have chosen our bridesmaids and best man but what really should they do to help us? These questions may seem obvious but until I was a wedding planner I had no idea what side I should stand on when my Dad gave me away. I thought we would detail all the main aspects of the wedding party’s role in this blog to help make it crystal clear. Lets start with the main roles and responsibilities of your immediate wedding party.

Once you have understood these, it will make it a lot easier when you decide who to choose to fulfil these very important roles. In the run up the wedding and on the day itself you need plenty of support so pick your team wisely. Two of the most important people are the Chief Bridesmaid and your Best Man, your team leaders if you like.

The Chief Bridesmaid

Lets clear up the names first, traditionally this role was called Maid of Honour if your were unmarried and Matron of Honour if married. Choose someone close to you, your best friend or sister. You really want to spend the morning getting ready with the people you love the most. Its quite an honour to be given this role and this person should generally help you throughout the wedding planning. When things get too much you should be able to rely on your chief bridesmaid to calm you down and give great advice. She must know you really well so that when you occasionally turn into bridezilla or have a “oh its all going wrong” moment she can step in and save the day. Briefly her role comprises of :-

Bridesmaids

Again choose wisely, surround yourself with calm capable people, usually your best friends. The bridesmaids duties are to support you and help you out with last minute preparations. The chief bridesmaid can delegate tasks to the bridesmaids and everyone ideally should work as a team. They should obviously be present at your hen party and if possible the wedding rehearsal. If you can’t choose between friends for chief bridesmaids then split the duties between them but be clear what each is doing. These days tradition does not have to be followed, its your wedding so do what you want to do in terms of your wedding party.

The Best Man

This is one of the most important decisions the groom should make. The best man has a key role to play during the wedding planning and more so on the day. He really should help the day go smoothly and be excellent support both practically and emotionally for the groom. It will help if he knows the family members so that he can greet them and welcome them on the day. Like the chief bridesmaids role he really is a team leader. If anything goes wrong the best man should be the point of contact. His main responsibilities are listed below:-

The Ushers

Ushers are generally family and friends of the bride and groom. They work closely with the best man. Generally their duties are much lighter and having the right suit to wear is really the only thing they need to do before the day. Of course they will attend the stag party and help out if needed. On the day its usual for them to:-

Who Leads who?

Traditionally the bride walks down the aisle on her fathers right arm (or other male ) followed by her chief bridesmaid who is followed by the other bridesmaids. If flower girls and page boys are very young its a good idea to have the bridesmaids take them by the hand. These days tradition is not always followed. Its very acceptable for the flower girls and page boy to walk down the aisle first followed by the chief bridesmaid and bridesmaids and finally the bride and her father. I think that you should choose how you want to proceed unless anyone such as an officiant has any objections.

Following the ceremony the bride and groom leave first followed by the wedding party.

Well I think that about sums up the main bridal party. Good luck choosing yours.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Wedding Genie News – Planning feature

Friday, June 25th, 2010

I was so excited yesterday when my copy of West Midlands Your Wedding popped through my letter box. As I browsed through the lovely pages of ideas and tips guess who is on page 36?  Wedding Genie wrote a feature all about starting your wedding planning and I was thrilled to see some of my advice in print. Check out the details below.

























I would love to help you during the initial stages of your planning. Our Genie for An Evening is a great resource for couples getting started. Not only do we come to your house but we write up a wedding overview that describes your vision beautifully. Its full of tips and tricks, to do lists, websites for inspiration and its great tool to use during your planning process. Call me to find out more.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Wedding Tips and Advice – Q/A

Friday, June 11th, 2010

As you can imagine I am asked lots of questions about all areas of wedding planning. Its time I started to share them with you. This will be a regular slot which you can use as a wedding reference area. Our first question to get started is:-

My parents are divorced but I want them both to come to the wedding. They are not the best of friends and my mum has remarried. Where can I sit them and how would you advise me to deal with the problem?

This is a delicate area. I totally understand you want both your parents to be part of the biggest day of your life. I am sure they both want that too. The key is to talk about it right at the beginning with each of your parents. It maybe that one of them says they won’t come if the the other attends. This is very tricky, you know your parents better than anyone. Explain to them that you really want them both to be there on your special day. They won’t have to sit together and you will make it as easy as you can for them. Weddings cause people to become very emotional so tact and diplomacy is the order of the day. Most parents just want their children to be happy and when it comes down to it will usually tolerate the presence of the other.

Regarding the seating at your top table, I would choose round tables so that you take away the focus from the traditional lineup of parents. You can choose to sit your parents separately on a table with their respective best friends and close relatives. If your Mum would be mortified not to sit at the “top table” she can host that one with you and your father sit with his friends and family. Another great idea that is becoming more popular is to have a table just for you and your new husband, this is called a “Sweetheart Table”. This way no one looses out and you get to spend precious time together. I have also had one of my couples table hop and swap seats with close relatives. They spent the first course on one table then moved for the main course. If you do this remember that the people you swap with will be sitting on your top table so choose to do it with close friends or relatives.

If you want me to answer a question for you, please email or call me. I want this area of the blog to be really useful. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Wedding Style and Theme

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

I often hear brides say they don’t know where to start when trying to find a theme or style for their wedding. For my own wedding I had no idea if I even wanted a “style” or “theme”, I just wanted the wedding to be beautiful and everyone to enjoy themselves. When you are trying to decide on the perfect colour or style of your wedding here are some top tips to help you get started.

Wedding Moodboard

As you flick through the millions of wedding magazines you are likely to buy when you become engaged, cut out all the pictures that appeal to you. Pictures of dresses, flowers, types of weddings that are photographed, shoes anything that you really like. You can also use swatches of material you see in shops and paint colour brochures to see what types of colours look good to you. Stick the images on to a large piece of card. You will probably start to see a style and colour theme emerge.

Be inspired by what is typically you!

Do you love bright colours? are you inspired by a certain flower? or do you have a hobby that you want to reflect into your special day. Weddings should be about injecting your personality into the day. Don’t get hung up about thinking you have to have the perfect style or be “on trend” or that everything has to match, it certainly does not. Be yourself and your ideas will naturally flow into your theme.

Be inspired by your Venue and its Decor

Your wedding venue will most likely add to the decision about what style and theme you want for your wedding day. Look around the venue and see what is already there. If the decor is beautiful then you wont have to spend a fortune on lighting or buy extravagant centre pieces. Often less is more. Look what you have to work with. Hiring coloured table linen will pick up the blandest room and is a cost effective way of injecting colour and warmth into your wedding reception style. If that is too costly then why not just hire different coloured napkins that fit into your colour scheme.

Style of Wedding Dress

Your dress will also determine the style of your reception decor. If you have fallen in love with a vintage style wedding dress then you can match the reception accessories to compliment your choice. Vintage is very fashionable at the moment and brings a lovely sophisticated relaxed approach, but its really up to you. Your dress will generally mirror the mood in your venue and should compliment each other.

Colours and the time of year

Colours are very emotive and make people feel differently when surrounded by them. Pick the colours you really like, the ones that make you feel happy, or calm, it really does not matter as long you choose colours that you like and compliment each other and don’t clash. Use a single colour for the main theme and add a complimentary colour . You can of course stick to one colour but its always good to use varying shades to give a little depth and texture. The time of year may dictate the colour scheme, christmas and winter time often calls for warm colours such as reds, greens and purples. Summer weddings look great using pastel shades or vibrant oranges or pinks. Creams and greens are very sophisticated and always look stunning. Generally the rule is not to use more than three colours and one of them as your main accent.

Accessories such as flowers, invites and stationery and cake

Your invites may very well dictate your colour and style of your wedding. I fell in love with a lovely heart themed invitation. The hearts could be dyed whatever colour I liked and hey presto hearts became my theme.. Your invites are one of the first things that your guests see and generally introduce them to the colours and style of your day. You don’t have to go overboard to style them, a coloured ribbon or a coloured motive maybe all that is required.  Your cake and flowers can then follow a similar theme. If you want a plain white cake you can decorate it with matching ribbons or beautiful flowers.

The most important thing about styling your wedding day is that it reflects what you want and not what you think you should have or are pushed into. Don’t worry too much about it, easy for me to say i know, as you plan your wedding your style will definitely emerge. If you have any top tips you would like to share with our readers please send them to me. Alternatively I can help you style your day with our Genie for An Evening session. Its designed to help you understand exactly what you want. Call or email to have a chat.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Wedding Day Tips for Staying Calm

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

After our blog a couple of weeks ago about what a bride should do when they first wake up on their wedding day. I thought I would follow it up today with little tips to try and help keep your stress levels down.

Most brides will get nervous on their wedding day, its only natural and part of the lovely excitement, but what if you really are a little prone to the dreaded nerves.

Here are my top tips to remaining calm and serene:

If you want us to help you on your wedding day please give us a call or mail us to check our availability. If you have any tips and advice you would like us to post then let me know, we are always thrilled to hear from you.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Smile It’s Your Wedding Day!

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Spring is here! and so is the wedding you have planned and dreamed of for probably the last year or even more. You maybe excited, happy, nervous and scared all at the same time,  the big question I am often asked is  - “What is the first thing a bride should do when she wakes up on the morning of her wedding? “

Based on my own experiences and that of others I have had the privilege to help along the way, I thought I would put together a simple list to help you focus on whats important on one of the biggest days of your life.

One last thing, your wedding will be fantastic because weddings just are. They are all about you and your family and friends, no one will notice the little mishaps that may occur. If the weather is not as you wished, a good photographer will make sure you have the best pictures and there is always time to pop out when the sun comes out. I would love to help coordinate your day, if you want to check out what I can do to help please call me for a chat. If you have any bride wedding day advice just send it to me and I will post it on the blog.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Spring Wedding Inspiration

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

The weather has been so awful lately, ironically since we altered the clocks, that when I came across this fabulous wedding the colours just made me smile. I must admit on my blog I normally stick to very practical advice and don’t often feature inspiration boards but this one made me feel so happy and warm I had to share it with you.

It also features some of the lovely ideas my brides are considering using in their weddings this year. The paper lanterns, gorgeous cup cakes and simple but very effective table centres. In spring there are some many gorgeous flowers you can use and because they are in season it makes them a very cost effective option.

Try using:

I feel quite inspired now so think I will nip off and wander round my local garden store to pick up some springtime of my own to brighten up the house this week. If you want to read more about spring flowers check out Wedding Flowers Ideas for great ideas pictures and inspiration.

Have a great week and I hope you enjoyed the easter break.

Until next time, happy planning.


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