How to Choose Your Wedding Date

How to Choose Your Wedding Date

Picking the perfect date for your wedding is an important decision that the couple should discuss and agree on together. It will be a date that you will celebrate on your wedding anniversary for years to come.

It might not seem important when you first decide to get married but you may run into problems when you finally discuss the matter with your partner as things do crop up and you need to work round a number of factors, including, for example:


Are you and your partner able to take the appropriate time off work? It might be worth looking at future holidays booked by colleagues so your time off doesn't coincide and cause problems.

Sporting widows should remember that the FA Cup Final is an important date to your fiancé and he won't want to miss it, therefore, keep an eye out for the important sporting events.

Are you pregnant? If you are pregnant, do you choose a date before or after the baby is born? If you decide to pick a date which is before baby comes along, take into consideration that your dress may need to be altered a few times more than expected.

If you fancy an outdoor wedding it is important to consider the seasons, no one wants to be wearing a sleeveless dress while it is snowing outside. Goosebumps on photographs are not a good look. Likewise, wearing a fur covered shawl on a hot summers day might not be appropriate either.

Men are renowned for forgetting their wedding anniversary so take this into consideration and maybe pick a date that you know he will remember.

Can the caterers and venue fit you into their schedule?

Do your family and friends already have commitments on that date?

Have you discussed how long you want your engagement to be?

Have you left enough time to organise everything?

Is the church free?

Is the date you like near or on a special occasion already, i.e. a loved ones birthday? For sentimental reasons, choose a date that means something to the both of you, the day you met for example or the day you moved in together.

Will your honeymoon costs work out more expensive as the date is during school holidays?

Will your wedding date be too close to a family member's or one of your close friends?

Good luck! x

TIP: How to choose the right venue

TIP: How to choose the right venue

Choosing the right venue for your special occasion is vital as it reflects on the entire event. Ensure you check the following... 

Cost (for you and guests), 

Size (seating, layout & accom.), 

Style (mood, decor, architecture, photo positions etc), 

Food (try it if possible, check options & flexibility), 

Location (access & parking), 

Staff (flexibility, experience & friendliness), 

Recommendations (get some direct testimonials), 

Deposits / reservation deadlines (check terms),

Any extras or limitations that there may be available (at a cost!)

If you need any further advice or if Google isnt coming up with the right choices, just ask. We have an array of venues on our database and have personal experience with many which means we can recommend professionally. 

Good luck!

Let Them Eat Cake!

Let Them Eat Cake!

If you want to serve cake at your special day there are hundreds of options so here is a brief guide to help you decide...

Type of Cake Available

It's now possible for Brides to have a wedding cake that tastes as good as it looks, those days of just the traditional vanilla white cakes and cheap bride/groom plastic statues are over. The choices are endless! 

Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Chocolate, Fruit, 2 tiers, 8 tiers, Cheese towers, biscuit towers, profiteroles! You name it, you can get it!

The way to choose is to discuss what you would like and what you think your guests will enjoy. Think about your favourite flavours and textures, maybe incorporate your favourite dessert? For example, you can now have a tiered cheesecake or have each tier made from a different type of cheese if you have a weak sweet tooth.

If you opt for sponge, why not lemon / Madeira / chocolate / Victoria / fruit / coffee / orange /… any flavour you like! You could have each tier as a different flavour… or just have one level?  Also consider the different fillings such as buttercream or fresh cream (if there is refrigeration available) and whether you would like it covered with frosting or icing or left plain. Make sure you have in mind what you would like before speaking to a supplier.

If you are trying to save some money, have you considered making it yourself or asking a friend or family member to help? If you don’t feel your baking skills are up to it, there are baking courses available which a skill is nice for the future too! I’m sure your partner wont mind!  

Now the fun part!

Decorations; butterflies, flowers, flags, glitter, stars… whatever your theme, there is an added extra to suit it. For the look of your cake/s, why not use the internet for inspiration? Find some images or the style, details or colours that you like and show this to your supplier. Can they recreate the look you are after? Have they done something similar in the past that they have photos of?

Service

When would you like your cake to be cut and served? Usually cutting the cake happens after the meal but this may not be the option for you. It could be when the evening buffet arrives or when you have family photographs. Ensure that the venue, wedding planner, toastmaster and your photographer know the plan so that the knife is there and photos can be taken.

Some couples choose to serve the cake as dessert or have it wrapped ready to take away at the end of the night. It could be served with the evening buffet or saved until the next day if your guests are staying at the venue? Check with the venue how it will be served for either of the choices. As dessert, will there be a choice of cream or ice-cream available? Will there be separate small plates if it is served with the evening food? Will there be an added expense to do this?

Choosing a supplier 

Look out for recommendations, flexibility in options, decoration quality & variety, price and delivery details. See if you can also try some samples of the flavours you fancy! Check what stands they have and if they don’t suit you, ask them to recommend where you can hire one from. Do they also cater for any allergies / intolerances  / beliefs? Are they at a wedding fair soon so you can meet them face to face while checking out a few other wedding essentials?

Costs can add up

When you have your rough estimate of the number of guests, tell your supplier and they should recommend the size / number of tiers you need. Remember that not everyone will want cake, especially if you decide to serve it in the evening. Also check if the stand hire / delivery / décor a separate cost?  Ensure they know exactly what your budget is too. 

Hope this is helpful and you can make an informed decision before splashing the cash. 

A :-)

Things will always go wrong...

After working on events for many years, there is one piece of advise that I give to any client:

Three things will go wrong.

These things may be tiny or massive, you can never know, but you must accept that they will be there. I have found that if you can accept this fact then those glitches are easier to handle. Also, what is massive to one Bride, for example, will be small to another but its all about how you handle them.

Obviously, having a Wedding Planner or Event Consultant on board, like me, they can take the strain and figure out what to do about it. If you don't have this in place, have you tried to consider the possibilities and asked someone else to help if something should happen? Choose someone who will not only stay calm but can take control in a compassionate and constructive way.

To handle something happening you must be in the right frame of mind from the start. I have had experience in helping my client to be relaxed and open throughout planning and on the day so that these things don't influence the event. They concentrate on what is important and calmly deal with the issue, not letting it take over.

It might be that the issue has a dramatic effect on the day so the people around you are the most influential factors for this. For example, for one wedding I was coordinating the Brides Great Aunt had a heart attack. With the help of the guests, the Bride and Groom didn't find out what had happened until two days later! That's team work and keeping calm!

I hope this little snippet of advise helps make you aware and handle anything that comes your way!

Wedding Fairs - Getting the most from them...

I recently had a stand at a huge wedding fair in Carlisle. It made me wonder, again, whether they are worthwhile, not just for the exhibitors but for visitors. How do you make sure they are worth the time and expense for anyone attending?

Exhibitors...

I try to make sure I have three key things at my stand...
1. Something engaging or interactive
2. A way of getting contact details
3. A memorable introduction or patter

I dont like to attack people to make them listen but would rather question them to see if I suit their needs. This time I had mini cupcakes from The Cake Workshop which was a great way of attracting attention and gave the visitors something to do while I let them know about my services. I also offered a prize draw which was a great way to get some details.

I find there are some lessons to be learnt from having unsuccessful stands. Being in the face of each wanderer can be off putting but just sitting behind the table isnt appealing either. There is a fine balance but it is all about reading your audience. Do they avoid eye contact and walk quickly? Then leave them alone. If they start to read and try to see what you are about, approach softly, like a deer in a forest! 

Making sure you get details is just good business sense. They receive so many contact details on the day, they may forget what you have to offer so why not send them a little message to remind them. Keep it friendly and only send one. 

Visitors...

You are going to be bombarded by each supplier, little idea and competition entry form! Be ready to just be honest with the suppliers you don't need help from. You might have already booked your photographer and that's ok. The supplier doesnt want to waste time trying to persuade you just as much as you dont want to waste time being persuaded! 

Gather contact details and maybe make a note of the ones you really liked on your way round. When you get home, discard any that you know arent needed or right for you. Its better than having a lot of bits around for no reason. 

If you are keen on any, get in touch ASAP as they might have had a lot of interest at the fair and if you need to book for a set date, dont miss out!

Also, send the fair organisors some feedback. If there was something you think could be improved or something that you noticed was poor, they need to know and you are the only ones who can really make a difference. 

So...

There is so much for everyone to think about for these events and they need to be worthwhile. Prepare, think and follow up. Good luck!