Tag Archives: weddings

How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget

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Ceremony_Short.Still008When I first started planning my wedding I was daunted. The cost of most weddings is over £20,000. It seemed insane to spend this on one day of our life. The majority of our wedding was paid for by my (now) husband and I so I had to keep things cheap. I decided to stop panicking and start researching instead. This research became my book, The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. I have an excerpt on wedding planning from my wedding book below. I hope this eases the stress and helps a little. You need it when planning a wedding.

Tips For Saving Money On Your Wedding

Cutting the guest list.

This is the best and easiest way to cut the budget. Every single person who comes to your wedding costs you money. So be ruthless and don’t feel you have to give everyone a plus one. Cutting children from your wedding will also save money but if you do this make it a rule across the board. If some guests have gone to the expense of hiring a babysitter and then see other children running around they are probably not going to be happy about it.

Cut the hours

The longer the wedding the more it will cost to feed people and give them drinks. You don’t have to have a long wedding, just do whatever you want. This will be easier if you have to be out of the venue at a set time but don’t feel like you have to use all of your allocated time, or pay to entertain your guests for the full amount of time. As long as you feed people and give them a certain amount of alcohol then they should be grateful and not too bothered if they have to put their hand in their pocket at the end of the night.

Marry off-peak

Getting married during the week will save money not only on the venue, but also with suppliers too. Your guests will have to take a day off work so factor this in. An autumn or winter wedding will also be cheaper.

Go Online

Buy things cheaply online and also check for cheaper deals than you have been offered. Car boot sales and charity shops will also have cheap stuff that could come in handy.

Getting Organised

Being organised and booking things in advance will save lots of money.

Minimoon

This is a mini honeymoon that couples have when they have to delay their honeymoon. You can also extend your first night hotel stay into a mini honeymoon. Staycations are best for minimoons. There are plenty of amazing places in the United Kingdom where you can have a romantic getaway. Cornwall, Brighton, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Devon, London…the possibilities are endless.

Have Your Honeymoon in Europe

If you live in the United Kingdom then not only will having a honeymoon in Europe be easy to get to, it will also be a lot cheaper. There are plenty of beautiful, romantic places to go.

Have Prosecco Instead of Champagne.

It is cheaper but tastes just as good. As long as you buy the right one.

The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity is available in print, ebook and Kindle. The Kindle version is only £2.99.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Emma-Jane Photography | Wedding Photography

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Out of all of the things to get right on your wedding, the photography is very important. Why spend all of that money and not capture the day properly. Your wedding photographs will be something that even your grandchildren will look at. The pressure to get them right can be tremendous.

My husband and I got very lucky. I met Emma-Jane at a press event and she was an easy choice as our wedding photographer. Talented, friendly and professional. She wasn’t just a photographer on the day, she was someone who was calm and unflappable, she was endlessly helpful and managed every crisis that came her way. She has a great eye and her pictures are just stunning.

She took this picture of me. She managed to capture the light perfectly.

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I can’t stop gushing about her. Emma does other photography and has been in Tatler, Hello and this magazine you are reading now. She is endlessly talented and I can recommend her for any photography project you have, including the one on the most important day of your life.

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http://www.emma-janephotography.co.uk

 

 

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.

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Photo credit: Holly Thomas

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

Photo credit: Michael Yardley

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

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

wedding, weddings, wedding venue, london rowing club, wedding planning

wedding, weddings, wedding venue, london rowing club, wedding planning

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.

wedding, weddings, wedding venue, london rowing club, wedding planning wedding, weddings, wedding venue, london rowing club, wedding planning

wedding, weddings, wedding venue, london rowing club, wedding planning

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
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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.

Indie Band Boy+Kite Wants To Marry You

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To celebrate the release of their two new singles “Either Way” and “Turned Sideways”, indie quartet Boy+Kite will host pop-up wedding events around the U.S., kicking off in late September.

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The on-the-spot weddings are open to all couples that want to tie the knot without all the fuss. The officiant, cake, and champagne are included in your ticket, along with Boy+Kite, who will be there to serenade you and your true love on the big day.

For more information, go to http://www.boypluskite.com