Tag Archives: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity

Benedict Cumberbatch Sends Wedding Invites By Email

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Benedict_Cumberbatch_SDCC_2014Would you send your wedding invitations by email? He announced his engagement in The Times in November but it seems in other areas Benedict Cumberbatch is less traditional. In fact, he sent his wedding invitations by email. The actor is expecting his first child with fiancé Sophie Hunter, a theatre director. It seems they are in a rush to marry and friends say they will marry “within months”. The couple got engaged after dating for a year. Benedict is up for an Academy Award for his work in The Imitation Game.

A friend told The Mirroer “The invitations have gone out already which is very quick, It’s shocked a few people but they want their special day to happen before they have the baby. The details have been sent out in an email rather than a paper invitation as time is of the essence.”

The wedding is top secret but the source also said “They’re planning the perfect day, Life couldn’t be much better for them at the moment.”

When my (now) husband and I got engaged we send out our save the date cards by email but posted out wedding invitations. I wrote about finding good but inexpensive wedding invitations here. Sending wedding invites by email is much more environmental friendly and we did think about it, in the end we thought our older relatives would like a memento that they could keep.

What do you think? Is it okay to send wedding invitations via email?

If you are getting married then check out my book The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity, it has everything you need to know about planning your dream wedding.

 

 

 

Frost’s Editor Writes Wedding Planning Book: The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity

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Getting married and feeling daunted? Our editor, Catherine Balavage, has written an excellent wedding planning book. It covers very aspect of getting married from engagement to the honeymoon.  This is Catherine’s second book, the first one was about acting and was very well-received.

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The book is available in print, ebook and Kindle. The Kindle version is only £2.99. It is also a perfect gift for anyone who wants a wedding book for Christmas.

Buy The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity here.

 

 

What Your Bridesmaids Really Think About Your Wedding

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Frost was quite surprised at the results of a survey done by Vashi.com They surveyed 1,000 bridesmaids to spill the beans on what really goes on behind the scenes. The results are in and you wouldn’t believe what it reveals.

Seven out of ten bridesmaids say they have been forced to wear an unflattering dress to make the bride look prettier!

Unfortunately, it looks like Bridezilla isn’t too thoughtful when it comes to how she treats her closest friends on the wedding day.
bridesmaids

72% of respondents felt they’d been lumbered with a questionable outfit. Yikes.

More than a fifth (22%) of bridesmaids insisted on altering their outfit before participating in the wedding.

One third of the bridesmaids surveyed were given a choice in deciding what they’d wear on the big day.

43% of bridesmaids admitted to going to a wedding that was a ‘bit naff’ (lacking taste/style), with only 9% of them envying the bride on her big day.

A third (37%) revealed that they had been at a wedding where they felt the bride and groom were mismatched and should not be tying the knot.

More than half (54%) explained that they had been a bridesmaid at a wedding where they were delighted that they were not marrying the groom themselves!

A fifth (20%) have actually picked up a new man at a wedding where they were bridesmaid!

6% have secretly fancied the groom

3% admitted to being romantically involved with the groom before he met his bride.

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Celebrity jeweller and founder of Vashi.com, Vashi Dominguez says, “”We’ve all looked at wedding photos and thought, ‘What are the bridesmaids wearing!?’ Well, now we know the answer. In seven out of ten cases, the bridesmaids are convinced they’ve been lumbered with a dress to make the bride look prettier. I’m sure most brides do not see it that way. They’d say they chose bridesmaid dresses that went well with the wedding dress! The solution is for everyone to relax – no bridezillas or bridesmaidzillas required. Brides should enjoy the process and involve their bridesmaids more in choosing their outfits.”

If you are getting married then get your hands on a copy of The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on planning your perfect wedding and is written by our editor, Catherine Balavage. It is also available in Ebook format and is a great guide for wedding planning.

 

 

Kay Cunningham: Wedding Make Up Artist | Weddings

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On the day of my wedding I had not only spent the previous night without any sleep, but only had three hours sleep at most on the eve of my wedding. None of this mattered because of the magic of Kay Cunningham. An incredibly talented make up artist who did my wedding make up. None of my guests noticed I was basically a zombie and said they could not tell I had such little sleep. Everyone said I looked radiant. I didn’t, but the make up sure did.

wedding, weddings, wedding venue, wedding make up artist, London, wedding planning

Photo credit: Holly Thomas

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Photo credit: Michael Yardley

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Photo credit: Holly Thomas

Kay is very talented and has worked for pretty much everyone of note, including Trish McEvoy, Versace Cosmetics, Guerlain Cosmetics, Prescriptives, Chanel, Dior and Givenchy. She was very friendly and it was great having a girlie chat with her. She is also a fashion designer and is a senior writer and beauty editor of www.l3magazine.com, which is published in the USA. Wow. Multi-talented.

She made me look amazing on my wedding day and my skin looks great in all of the wedding photographs. No mean feat considering the lack of sleep and the stress of the day. She is amazing. Snap her up now.
www.makeupbykayce.com

Kay is interviewed in The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity, the only wedding planning book you will ever need, written by our editor Catherine Balavage.

 

 

London Wedding Venues: The London Rowing Club | Weddings

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As weddings go, choosing the right venue is incredibly important. In fact, not much can be done without a venue. The choices however are (almost) limitless. It can be overwhelming but, fear not, if you are getting married in London I have a recommendation for you: The London Rowing Club.

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Credit: Vanessa Bailey

I got married here on the 24th of July and many of our guests said it was the best wedding, and wedding venue, that they had ever been to. Olivia from the London Rowing Club is a life-saver. She makes sure the day goes smoothly, does the schedule during your consultation and deals with all of your suppliers. The rest of the staff were also amazing. Even our registrar, Jackie, said it was her favourite wedding venue and had high praise for Olivia.

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Credit: Holly Thomas

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Credit: Vanessa Bailey

This beautiful venue is on the river and it is more than likely that some Canadian Geese, swans and ducks will come to your wedding if you have your pictures taken by the river.

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Credit: Vanessa Bailey

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Credit: Holly Thomas

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You get exclusive use of the club across three beautiful rooms, a cake stand and knife, china, glassware and cutlery, an events manager, tables and chairs, table linen with white linen napkins, a master of ceremonies and a licensed bar with a bar manager. There is also an option to only book the club room or members room.

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Photo credit: Michael Yardley.

It is a very beautiful venue which is easy to get to and in a stunning location on Putney Embankment. We can highly recommend it.

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Embankment, Putney, London, SW15 1LB
(020) 8788 1400 lrc_office@londonrc.org.uk
London Rowing Club Website

The London Rowing Club is interviewed in The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on finding your perfect venue and is written by our editor, Catherine Balavage.

 

 

Federated Films: Excellent Wedding Videographer | Weddings

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Photo credit: Michael Yardley.

It can be very hard to find a good wedding videographer but I certainly managed to get lucky. Federated Films not only made an amazing wedding video, but also managed to get it edited and to my new husband and I in record time. All at a very reasonable price.

On the day they were unobtrusive and friendly. Everyone loved them. Kevin from Federated Films talent was obvious in his shots and focus. Check out the videos on his website for more at Federated Films He really is talented.

We can highly recommend Federated Films. They make amazing wedding videos at a very reasonable price.

This is the testimonial that we gave them after our wedding: “Federated films were an absolute joy to work with. Not only are they friendly but they were also unobtrusive. We looked at a lot of different videographers and Kevins work stood out. We were not disappointed. The finished result was astounding and well edited. We could not have gotten a better videographer. A++++” – Catherine & James

They are based in Brighton but are happy to travel, as they did for our wedding in London. Capturing your wedding day is incredibly important and a video is something that you can watch forever. It is one of the main things to not skimp on.

Federated Films: website.

Kevin from Federated Film is interviewed in The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on planning your perfect wedding and is written by our editor, Catherine Balavage.

 

London Wedding Caterer The Pickled Fork Interview | Weddings

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Few things are more important to get right during your wedding than the catering. The Wedding Breakfast is so-called as it is the first meal of your married life and making sure it is a good one is paramount.

My wedding caterer was The Pickled Fork. There were brilliant and many of the guests said it was the best wedding food they had ever tasted. I have an interview with the owner, Alex Motture, below.

wedding, wedding food, wedding breakfast, caterer, London, weddings, wedding, the pickled fork
How did you get into wedding catering?
I first got into wedding catering whilst working at Mustard Catering 4 years ago. Although I had catered for weddings in the past it was not on the same scale.
Tell us about the Pickled Fork
Here at The Pickled Fork we are all about using the best of  British seasonal produce whether it be from the land, sea or sky. We host weekly pop up restaurants around London and are also involved with local brewery’s and distilleries.
What is the most important thing to get right?
For me the most important thing to get right is your timing. If you don’t get this right things can spiral out of control very quickly
1538754_674266419262513_1072831593_n thepickledfork
What should couples look for in a wedding caterer?
Couples looking for a wedding caterer should be keeping an eye out for someone with flair, patience, attention to detail, a passion for food and a strong back round in hospitality.
What kind of questions should a couple ask their caterer?
A couple questions that I think should be asked would be..How much and are you flexible on price!?
Talk us through a day catering for a wedding.
Slightly tricky question as every wedding is different therefore no two days in the kitchen will be the same. Although generally the day will generally run the same depending on what style of menu the couple have chosen. It will usually involve an early start and a late finish with lots of prep in between.
What kind of food do you recommend for weddings?
It all depends on what the couple want. Probably the most straight forward and least problematic from my point of view would be a hot and cold buffet. Another good option is to have sharing platters placed on the table and the guests help themselves.
What about seasonal weddings? What food is better for summer rather than winter?
Definitely menus should be based on seasons. There is no point putting a braised ox cheek with root vegetable dish on in the middle of summer. Food should match the time of year that way it keeps it simple and the ingredients can shine.
Any tips for couples on am tight wedding budget?
Decide on a nice, simple menu and price and stick to it. Don’t let the cater bully you into spending more than you budgeted for.
Any decadent ideas for those with a lot to spend?
I guess if you really wanted to impress your guest you could go for a menu that would include hot and cold canapes, 3-5 courses, Amuse Bouche in between each course followed by cheese and port trolleys

What is the most important thing to remember when catering for a wedding?

The food!!
What is your favourite wedding meal?
For me it would have to be a good charcuiterie selection along with some nice local cheeses and freshly baked bread. Cant get much better than that in my opinion!
Alex from the Pickled Fork is interviewed in The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on finding your perfect caterer and is written by our editor, Catherine Balavage.

Affordable And Amazing Wedding Cakes | The Wedding Diary

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The craziness of the wedding industry really shows up in the price of wedding cakes. When my fiancé and I first started looking, we couldn’t find one for less than £350, and most of them weren’t even nice. If you take away the fact they have the word ‘wedding’ in front of them, would anyone actually pay thousands of pounds for a cake? I think not.

In saying that, there are a lot out there with the craftsmanship and design that makes the price worthwhile. If you want great design at a good price then I recommend going the supermarket route. My fiancé and I got our wedding cake from Waitrose.com. Marks And Spencers also do great, affordable wedding cakes.

Here are some beautiful wedding cakes from Waitrose.com

Fiona Cairns Ivory Rose Petal 3-tier Wedding Cake (mixed filling)

fionacairnweddingcakeFiona Cairn is the Royal wedding cake maker. So if she is good enough for Kate and William….

Fiona Cairns Vintage Fairytale 3-tier Wedding Cake (Sponge)

waitroseweddingcakeChocolate Wedding Cake – Gold – 3 Tier

chocolateweddingcakeIf chocolate is your thing and you don’t want a traditional cake.

And (drum roll) here is our wedding cake. It matches our wedding colours of pale pink, pale green and white. We love it and got it in a mixed filling of vanilla sponge and fruit cake.

wedding cakeWhen buying a wedding cake make sure you check how many people it serves. The website should tell you or ask your baker. Another thing to check is if decoration is included. Some cakes look amazing but the small print says that the decoration is not included. This is also an easier way to get a cheaper cake, if you decorate it yourself, it costs less. Although there is the added stress.

While researching wedding cakes I saw a lot of gorgeous wedding cake toppers on ebay and ribbon is very cheap to buy from a haberdashery. You could also make your own or get a relative to make one. Although I would not do this if you weren’t brilliant at baking. Waitrose.com also have some guides on decorating your wedding cake and the BBC also have a great blog on making your own wedding cake.

Good luck and let us know about your wedding cake choices.

Where will you get your wedding cake?

If you are planning your wedding then get your hands on The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on every aspect of wedding planning and lots of great advice on choosing the perfect wedding cake.