Planning a wedding can be a daunting experience. Most people won’t have organised a large event before, so it can be difficult to know where to begin.
Once you’ve decided on a date for the big day and booked the venue for your wedding or civil ceremony, the very next thing you need to do is book your reception venue.
The more popular wedding get booked up as far ahead as 3 years in advance; so to guarantee the fairytale wedding venue that you’ve always dreamed of it’s best to make this a priority from the start. In many cases you’ll find that if you’re not overly particular about the exact date you enter in to married life, then 6 months is often plenty of time to book the venue of your choice.
The majority of wedding venues will ask for a deposit as soon as you book and for the balance of the hire fee well in advance of your wedding day. The venue hire fee, which often includes many other costs for your wedding such as catering and entertainment, is often one of the largest investments of your day and people can feel uncomfortable parting with such a large sum of money so far in advance of the big day.
This is where wedding insurance is important. From the moment you start spending money on your wedding you should have a good wedding insurance policy in place. Wedding insurance doesn’t just cover financial losses incurred on the big day itself, but can help protect many costs incurred in the run up to your wedding including Wedding Dress cover , Wedding Rings and Transport cover and importantly Failure of Suppliers cover.
Specifically thinking about your venue, wedding insurance can help protect you in a number of ways in the run up to your wedding and on the day itself, including:
Cancellation Cover and Rearrangement Cover – Could help protect you from some of the significant costs that could be incurred if for instance your venue was unable to hold your wedding reception due to damage to the venue or if perhaps an important supplier such as your caterer didn’t turn up on the day. The Cancellation Cover in your wedding insurance could even help with some irrecoverable costs, such as deposits, in the event that yourself or your partner were made redundant before your wedding day.
Personal Liability and optional Public Liability Cover – With a large number of people gathered together to celebrate with you on your wedding day, accidents can sometimes happen. In today’s litigious environment it is wise to protect yourself against the cost of civil claims, for example, accidental loss or damage to a 3rd party’s property at the Wedding or reception venue. Wedding insurance can help protect you against such costs.
When they first start the search for their venue, many couples head straight for the big hotels. These hotels often offer a variety of packages for your big day covering everything from the catering and of course accommodation to flowers and even wedding cars. These packages can offer good savings compared to booking all the elements separately yourself. Often good value and undoubtedly convenient, be aware that some hotels run more than one wedding a day, so you could find yourself bumping in to another equally blushing bride in Reception, potentially taking some of the shine off your wedding.
For something a little different, have a look at stately homes and historical buildings. Many of these venues allow you to hire them exclusively giving you a more intimate feel to the day. Some people are put off by the fact you often need to book the catering etc yourself, but more and more of these potentially beautiful wedding venues will offer to help you plan your big day for those brides who would prefer someone else to take the strain.
Stately homes and historical buildings often come with beautiful grounds and therefore the opportunity for a romantic marquee wedding. Marquees come in all shapes and sizes, but for 200 people you could be looking at around £10,000 to hire a marquee that included everything you’d need such as carpets furniture, power and heating.
Although very pretty you must remember that marquee’s are only temporary structures so it is not unheard of for marquees to suffer damage while they are being hired out. Some marquee companies will expect you to cover all the costs of any damage, which could turn out to be considerable so it would be prudent to have in place wedding insurance with the additional Marquee cover option if a marquee is your ideal choice for you wedding venue.
Also don’t forget to check out local society buildings and halls as potential wedding venues; these can often offer far more interesting and memorable surroundings than a hotel or a stately home as they often hold special personal memories for couples and families alike and can be more convenient for friends and family travelling to your big day.
Start the search for your wedding venue online. There are a whole host of websites that allow you to search for the venue by area, by price and type of venue. An excellent feature of many of these sites is reviews of the venues by couples and guests that have experienced them first-hand. Make sure you read these reviews; a venue can give a really good impression when you go to have a look around, but it may be a very different story on your wedding day or vice-versa.
So remember, start looking early to make sure you find the venue that’s right for you, listen to what other people say and of course, make sure you have a good wedding insurance policy in place before you start spending a thing as you never know what will happen before your big day.
Wedding insurance from WeddingPlan Insurance
Your wedding day goes by so quickly, it’s just obvious that you’ll do everything in your power to preserve your memories! I can’t think of a better way of doing this that with a Wedding Scrapbook.
Its important to decide what your goal is before you enthusiastically approach your first page. Would this book only tell your wedding day tale or do you want it to include everything from the engagement to the honeymoon? Decide on a look and feel (romantic, vintage, clean) as well as on the colour scheme before you start this exciting project.
The most popular way is to go with your wedding colours, but it might be interesting to add a bit of extra colour, for example if your wedding colours were white and lilac, you can add silver and a deep purple to this, even a slight touch of pink. As long as the colours don’t overpower your photos – the extras should be subtle in order to make your photos the primary focus (the majority of the memorabilia can be stored in a nice memento box). You wouln’t want to look at this in 15 years and shreak, therefore its better to keep it simplistic, which will definitely guarantee a timeless and elegant look.
It would be wise to do your planning before you hit the shops. This would include how many pages your album would be, what photos and memorabilia you’d like to use etc. To create a personal, intimate feel, use the more spontaneous photos for scrap booking, the more posed photos can be framed or sent to family members, the remainder of the photos can be stored in a separate album. It’s a good idea to print a duplicate set to work with – this would give you peace as you’re working, knowing that your originals are safe.
Memorabilia you might want to include:
- Wedding and bridal shower invites
- Fabric from your dress (as well as any other fabric samples)
- Receipts
- Bridal registry
- Napkins
- Any form of printed material (menu, song-list etc, congrats and thank-you cards)
- Honeymoon tickets and extras
- Congrats and thank you cards
The foundation of a scrapbook is the journaling, sit down somewhere where you won’t be disturbed and go back to that special day – What did you feel when preparing for this big day, when the minister declared you husband and wife, sitting at the reception looking at your guests? When writing, be real and be yourself. We so often forget these very special moments, this way your memories will be preserved as long as you both shall live.
Bring in some of your friends or family’s thoughts – ask a few people you are close to, to write down a sentence or two on what it was that stood out for them on this day (supply them with nice paper or a colourful pen). Start the book with a dedication page – why you are creating this book, why your wedding day was such a special day etc. Some other pages you can add is “what I remember” or “what I was grateful for” or even “what didn’t matter at this stage” – as women we often plan this day and want it to be absolutely perfect, but when we are in the moment, we realize that that’s so not the point of this day.
As you create your book, be real and true – don’t only choose the perfect pictures – being real when choosing your photos and writing your love story will show throughout your book. And most of all, enjoy making this book and enjoy this season!
For info on wedding photographers in South Africa go to SA Wedding Photographers
With so many different styles of wedding veils to choose from, how do you know which type is right for you? One way to effectively choose a wedding veil style for your wedding day is to look through the plethora of styles that fill the pages of the bridal magazines. Also, consider looks that you love the most. Before you head to the store or start your research, here are some of the basics of wedding veil styles that you will need to know.
What Length Should Your Veil Be?
Wedding veils, just like wedding gowns, come in a variety of lengths. There are three main categories of wedding veil length that brides can choose from, though it is important to remember that a bride may have her wedding veil tailored to meet her specifications and personal style.
Cathedral Length
A cathedral length wedding veil is a floor length veil. This style veil is usually reserved for very formal weddings, usually set in a church. The cathedral veil will usually extend about 6 inches (or more) beyond the train of the wedding dress allowing for a very dramatic look. This wedding veil style works best with semi-cathedral or cathedral length wedding gowns.
Fingertip Length
Measuring in at about thirty-six inches long, the fingertip length wedding veil is a great addition to any full length wedding gown, though it will not work as well with a gown that has a train. The veil will fall right to the bride’s fingertips and is a very elegant look. The fingertip length wedding veil is a popular choice for formal and semi-formal weddings.
Elbow Length
The elbow length wedding veil is about thirty inches long and is the most popular length today. The elbow length veil works very well with wedding gowns without a train and will fall to the bride’s waist. The veil will accentuate and enhance any detailing at the waist and will also compliment a full skirt. Formal and semi-formal weddings are usually where you would find an elbow length veil.
When choosing a wedding veil length, it is important to think about the detailing and style of your wedding gown. The wedding veil should never take away any attention from the dress. A wedding veil is meant to compliment the overall style. It is also a good idea to think about your body’s proportions when choosing a style of wedding veil.
How Many Tiers Should Your Veil Be?
This question may come as a surprise to many brides, but believe it or not, some veils come in multiple tiers. A tiered wedding veil is one that has more than a single layer of fabric. The categories range from one-tiered wedding veils to four-tiered wedding veils. One- and two-tiered wedding veils are the most popular and are usually all a bride really needs.
One-Tier
A one-tier wedding veil is for the bride who believes in the mantra, “less is more.” A one-tier veil allows the bride to achieve a minimal, simple, chic, less formal look with subtle elegance. The one-tier veil will never have a blusher, which is a shoulder-length layer of veil material that is worn over the face as the bride walks down the aisle. The one-tier wedding veil is an ideal choice for the bride who prefers to wear the veil on the back of the head and showcase her up-do hairstyle.
Two-Tier
The two-tier wedding veil is a good choice for almost any dress, but is especially beautiful with formal or semi-formal wedding gowns because they do have a blusher. A two-tier wedding veil frames the face softly and allows for a full appearance. With a two-tier wedding veil, almost any hairstyle will work. This wedding veil style is ideal for the bride who wants to make a dramatic entrance or maintain a traditional wedding.
What Color Should My Wedding Veil Be?
You may have thought that wedding veils come in only white or ivory, but that is simply not true. There are four main color categories – white, diamond white, ivory, and champagne. If your wedding gown is white or ivory, then the veil chosen should be called the same color as the dress. Diamond white is more of an “off white” that works well with silk gowns and antique white gowns. Champagne veils are often suited for dark ivory wedding gowns.
Daring brides who break the mold with colorful gowns may also have a wedding veil custom-made in just about any color. One rule of thumb to remember is, if your wedding gown and veil are not exact color matches, always make sure the veil is at least a shade lighter than the dress. It is usually a good idea to choose your wedding veil at the same bridal salon where you have purchased your dress.