Posts Tagged ‘wedding blogs’

Brides need to know that they are going to get the best images possible from their day and they need their day to be relaxed and stress free. That’s why knowing you have the right photographer for you is so important.

You need to choose a photographer that you get on well with and that you know you can feel completely comfortable with on the big day. Check out their website, ask to see a whole wedding that they have taken and don’t be afraid to ask loads of questions. Most photographers love to talk about their passion.

If you love their work and like their personalities (after all they’ll be spending your wedding day with you!), book them and trust them to do their job. They get those images from doing what they do best, so let them do it. Have fun and be happy that you have found the photographer for you.

All that’s left for you to do is to start getting excited about your wedding day!

Look out for photographers offering a pre-wed shoot as this really helps you to get to know them and get an idea on how they work, so when it comes to the day you are more relaxed, resulting in better photographs.

The shoots normally take place on location. It can be quite daunting having a camera in front of you, but most of the time it’s fun and nice to get away from the stresses of organizing a wedding. And just knowing that you are going to get some amazing pictures as a result makes it all worthwhile.

It also gives you complete confidence you have chosen the right photographer when you see the images from the shoot.

Your wedding photographer should not just be your wedding photographer either. They should be able to turn up your wedding day like old friends - but with really good cameras!!

Kate and Craig from Craig Williams Photography have shot a video showing their brides about them and what they do, no hidden secrets or false pretenses, making sure their brides immediately feel at ease and confident that they are have chosen the best company.

Check out the video and the resulting images from a couple of their shoots…

Philippa & Bob were married in August in the idyllic setting of Homme House near Ledbury in Herefordshire.

Photographer: Steve Gerrard Photography
Wedding Venue: St Bartholomew’s Church, Much Marcle, Herefordshire
Catering: Sisters Catering, Thruxton, Hereford
Wedding Cake: The Cup Cake Kitchen Company
Hair: Kate Kelvin
Reception Venue: Homme House, Much Marcle, Herefordshire
Wedding Dress: Ian Stuart – “Sancerre”.  Margot Raybould brides, Wolverhampton
Florist: Love Lily, Abergavenny
Transportation: K C Horse Rescue, Bodenham, Hereford
Make-Up: Kate Kelvin

What Philippa loves most about Bob…
he’s my rock

What Bob loves most about Philippa…
her adventurous side (and when she doesn’t drive his car over pot holes)

How did the proposal happen?    
While on holiday in Tobago.  One evening we were sat on the balcony of our lodge overlooking the bay & Bob popped the question.

How did you choose the wedding venue?  
We looked at lots of venues to weigh up pros and cons, but we specifically looked for a venue with good photo opportunities (considering both inside and outside in the event that the weather was bad).  The icing on the cake with the one we chose was that the owners were so welcoming and helpful.

The best moment of the day…
We can’t single out a moment, the whole day was just so fantastic.

The story of the dress…  
I saw it in a magazine and fell in love with it, but thought it would be too expensive or would only look good on a stick thin model. I tried on other dresses but kept thinking about that one as they just couldn’t compete.  Then I went to the wedding show at the NEC and tried it on. That was it – it was THE dress!  I just had to save a bit more money to pay for it, but it was definitely worth it!

How did you choose your photographer?
 Searched lots of websites specifically looking at the quality and creativity of the photos, and what wedding albums they produced.  A bad website was an immediate strike off the list!  Then when we met the photographer we had to get along with them.

What personal touches did you include in your wedding?   
We used individual picture frames for each table plan, and imposed the guest names over old wedding pictures of different family members.  I hand made all the wedding invites.

It’s ok, they’re both police officers!

What happened that wasn’t planned?  
We had to bring the dinner forward by ½ hour as we ran out of Pimms and orange juice.

What advice would you give couples planning their own weddings?   
Bob says – Let the missus do it.  I disagree!  It’s nice if the guys can help out where they can.  The last 6 months before the wedding fly by, so be especially organised – it’s all of the little things that suddenly catch up with you.  Take out wedding insurance (we broke an antique lamp at our wedding venue).   On the day, just enjoy every moment and savour it, as it flies by.  We bought a memory book for our wedding that we could fill in on our honeymoon, so we didn’t forget all the things that made us laugh on the day, what people said, those special moments, etc.

All images - Steve Gerrard Photography

Helen Carter is one of our favourite wedding planners and runs Helen Carter Weddings, a wedding planning company based in Essex that provides bespoke planning across the South East. She provides a wide range of services, ranging from full wedding planning through to wedding day management. Helen has some great insider hints and tips on what to look for in a wedding planner and gives you some great advice!

In today’s busy world, hiring a wedding planner is no longer seen as a luxury but more of a necessity. However, despite their increasing popularity there remains a great deal of mystery surrounding their work.

In essence, a wedding planner exists to take the strain out of planning a wedding. Organising such an important occasion should be fun and exciting, but it naturally also takes up a great deal of time and can be very stressful. Juggling a career, family and social life, whilst trying to prepare for the biggest day of your life is no mean feat.

This is where the benefits of a wedding planner really come to the fore. They do all of the time-consuming research for you, as well as look after your budget and take care of queries and paperwork, meaning you actually have time to enjoy your engagement!

A wedding planner is also a valuable source of advice and reassurance. Not only do they know how to word invitations or who to sit where at the top table, but they fully understand the pressure, anxiety and emotion that accompany this special event. They also have trusted relationships with venues and suppliers, meaning you can be confident your suppliers are thoroughly vetted professionals who work to the highest standards.

So what are the key things to look for if you’re thinking about hiring a wedding planner?

1. Firstly, find out who is available in your area. The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners is an excellent source of information and provides details of professional planners across the UK

2. Visit the websites of local planners and find out how they work and the services they offer

3. Make a list of those that you are interested in and contact them directly. Most planners offer a complimentary consultation, so arrange to meet them and use it as an opportunity to find out more about them and their business

4. Ask them questions about their work. How long have they been in business and how many weddings have they planned? Do they have a portfolio for you to view? Also make sure that they have public liability insurance.

5. During the consultation does the planner seem approachable and knowledgeable? Do they understand what you want and offer ideas on how it may be achieved?

6. It’s incredibly important that you get along with your planner, so do you actually like them?! They may be brilliant at their job, but if your personalities clash you could be in for a bumpy ride instead of enjoying a seamless partnership

7. Find out how they charge for their services – this is very important, as fees will vary from planner to planner. Make sure you are aware of any additional charges, such as travel expenses, that may add to the overall cost

8. Once you have made your decision, make sure you sign a contract. Always read the terms and conditions carefully before signing, and query anything you are unsure about

Be sure to stop by Helen’s website - www.helencarterweddings.co.uk

Photos - Anna Lewis (top image) and Steve Gerrard Photography

Happy Friday people! I hope you enjoyed my first tentative steps towards telling our wedding story…next stop - The dress hunt!
 
After the tears of joy, the calling everyone we knew and the general ‘oh my god-ing’ after Gareth popped the question, the first thing on my agenda was the dress!  The very next day at work I was logging onto my computer and typing ‘wedding dresses’ into Google.  
 
At the beginning this will be a very daunting task. There are a million and one dress designers out there and a hundred billion squillion dresses to choose from.  Now, I’m not going to write an article telling you that you need to order your dress 6 months before your wedding, or that you need to take into account that your dress will set the tone for the whole day blah blah blah…as you can go and find all that boring information on every other wedding planning website.  What I’m aiming to do is pass on a few things I learnt from my own dress buying experience: 

·        The boring bit is the budget, but you really do need to work out how much you have to spend before you fall in love with a custom made Vera Wang that you just can’t afford.  However saying that, and this is something I heavily promote on RnR Bride (and actually in my everyday life!) if you want something that badly there is always a way…does that make me sound like a spoilt brat?  I hope not because what I mean is, if you were totally in love with ‘that’ dress, you could always get a similar design made for example…
·        Look at as many dresses as you can (online, in magazines or in store) to get an idea of the styles you like, however – and this is the important part – do not rule anything out and try loads on!  I was adamant from the beginning that I didn’t want a strapless dress. I was under the impression that big boobs + strapless = disaster.  Yet when I found out that dresses with straps/sleeves were rarer than I first thought (this was 2 years ago mind, fashions have now changed and strapped/sleeved dresses are a lot easier to find – I was just so ahead of the times!) I was forced to try on some strapless styles, and what do you know, some of them actually looked pretty good!

·        Despite what Sex and the City or Friends may tell you, buying off the rack is not a cardinal sin.  If you order a dress through a good bridal shop they will still alter it to fit you.
·        Think outside the box – Monsoon do an awesome and affordable range of wedding dresses, and Oxfam and Barnardos have specialist wedding dress shops stocking second hand dresses.  We actually went to a friend’s wedding last October and she got her dress from Barnardos, it was so gorgeous!
·        Don’t feel like a terrible bride if you don’t instantly know your dress is the ‘one’.  I first tried it on in a bridal shop in London with my maid of honour, Carly.  It wasn’t a magical ‘oh my god this is my dress!’ It was more like “hum…well this is the first dress I didn’t absolutely hate” (!)  I found it really difficult to make a final decision on the dress, and my mind was only made up when the woman in the shop said my other choice of dress was a much more popular style, and that they don’t sell many of ‘my’ dress it made the decision for me! There was no way I wanted something the same as everybody else!
Similarly, don’t feel cheated if your Mum/maid of honour/the lady in the shop doesn’t cry. No one cried at me when I put a dress on…but on the day they all really let it all go, and that’s what counts!

·        Customise! – This is your dress; decorate it (and yourself) how you want! I’m talking neon pink earrings, bunny ears and converse trainers (or whatever floats your boat!)…don’t be a ‘typical’ or ‘classic’ bride…how very boring.
·        If you are going for a ‘traditional-esque’ wedding dress - and by that I mean a dress you would buy in a wedding dress shop, as apposed to something completely unbridal, I would highly recommend buying it from a reputable bridal store or getting it made by a seamstress that you have met face to face.  What I’m saying is, if your dream dress is £1000 in the shop and only £100 on mycheapweddingdress.com there is probably a reason for it. Think cheap copies made of cheap material by cheap labour.  Not nice.

·        Finally, and if you take nothing else away from my rambling, take away this - it is your dress… and probably the most important dress you will ever wear in your life (well, as important as any dress can be!). If you don’t like what you see in the mirror when you’ve got that white dress on then walk away from the bridal shop and straight into your favourite boutique/charity shop/high street shop. I can not even begin to describe some of the amazing, weird and wonderful wedding dresses I’ve featured over at Rock ‘n Roll Bride – some of them have to be seen to be believed!  Just wear what you want…It is your day after all!

 
Feeling uninspired? Come check out some of my favourite wedding Rock n Roll dresses that I’ve featured recently. 

Bijou Woo started nearly two years ago. The business grew quite organically, Shari Amos, a designer by trade, was constantly being asked to develop stationery ideas for friends and family. This may have been due to her love of all things sparkly, and pretty, including crazy wallpapers and patterns.

Shari soon began to realise that this was a lot more fun and enjoyable than the corporate material, that she had grown used to creating, so Bijou Woo was born.

As for the name, this was a happy accident! Whilst working on another branding project for a wedding rings website, Shari and a colleague were toying around with the word Bijou, meaning a small gem. The idea of wooing someone in the old fashion sense seemed like a very loving, romantic phrase, so two and two were put together to form Bijou Woo. We love the way that it plays with the tongue : )

Bijou Woo offer I wide range of beautiful stationery collections, some of which can be personalised with venue details, dates, names etc, and then for the more money conscious weddings we have a pre-packed range, that the happy couple can write their own details on.

Alongside the collections that have already been developed, we also offer a bespoke design service, where the bride & groom can come to us with their ideas, colour schemes, venue and wedding theme, to help us create a unique stationery range to suit their celebrations. Of course we add a little Bijou Woo magic into the mix, for good measure.

A particular favourite project at Bijou Woo was the Alice in Wonderland wedding style created for a recent customer. They came to us with a open mind; their wedding was very informal and modern, held in a historic beautiful venue. After an initial meeting with the bride and groom, we settled on a colourful, funky, illustrative style. We felt that this would suit the occasion and the personalities of the happy couple.

We came back to them with a few different design ideas which incorporated their choice of colours, their personalised wording and the bijou touch. We then combined their favourite parts and created a design perfect, which blended beautifully with their wedding style and had the added touch of their own silhouettes.

To complete the range we produced day invitations, evening invitations, a table plan, an announcement poster, name cards, number cards for the tables and thank you cards for after the wedding.

With an ever expanding client base in the UK and abroad, Bijou Woo is spreading love far and wide, with it delicious designs for paper.

Please visit us online at www.bijouwoo.com