Gone are the days of a
traditional 3 tier white marzipan and fruit cake wedding cakes. And thank
goodness for that! With so many delectable fillings available these days your
wedding cake can be as delicious to eat as it looks! The cake is a special part
of your celebrations – it will get photographed when you and your new hubby cut
it at the end of the night – so make it look spectacular! Here are a few
pictures to get you inspired!
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Who pays for what?
We know that today a
lot of the tradition of who pays for what at a wedding has disappeared, with
couples choosing to put both their budgets together and split the cost down the
middle. But if you are going to go the traditional route, here is a quick guide
as to who traditionally pays for what at a white wedding.
The Bride
The bride (or bride’s
parents) covers the bulk of the wedding expenditure traditionally, here is a
breakdown of what to expect. The below is a comprehensive list, by no means do
you need to include all of these in your wedding day!
·
Venue
·
All
catering
·
Photographer
·
Videographer
·
Bride’s
dress
·
Wedding
planner
·
Bridesmaids
dresses (optional)
·
Bridesmaids
bouquets
·
Bridesmaids
gift
·
Flowers and
décor at reception venue
·
Hair and
make up (bridesmaid’s optional)
·
Groom’s
wedding ring
·
Groom’s
wedding gift
The Groom
Don’t be fooled, the
groom still covers a lot of the wedding expenditure too, remember he is paying
for the honeymoon!
·
DJ/Band
·
All
elements of the ceremony (flowers, chair hiring, décor)
·
Minister/marriage
officer’s fees
·
All
beverages
·
Bride’s
bouquet
·
Groomsmen
boutonnieres
·
Groomsmen
gift
·
Groomsmen
suit hire/purchase (optional)
·
Honeymoon
·
Rehearsal
dinner
·
Bride’s
wedding ring
·
Bride’s
wedding gift
·
Corsages
and boutonnieres for both sets of parents
Saturday, 27 July 2013
You're engaged! Now what?
Yippee he popped the question and you said yes! Here’s what to do right after the ring’s been slipped on your finger.
CALL your relatives and friends
Yes even the ones you don’t speak to that often. We know that it’s easier to update your Facebook or Twitter status in the excitement of the moment but trust us a personal phone call will be much more appreciated. So take a couple of hours out of your day and go through your phone book and call who needs to be called to share the good news.
Get your ring sized if it’s not a snug fit
If you have too much wiggle room between your finger and your new piece of jewellery get it resized asap. The last thing you want to happen is for it to slip off your finger. It only takes a few hours or a few days at most, get it done.
Insure it!
If your hubby to be has not already insured the ring, get it done asap! We know nothing can replace the sentimental value of a ring once it gets lost/stolen but at least you will get some money back in the unfortunate case that something happens to your precious stone.
Set a date – even if it’s not THE date
The most asked questions after you’ve gotten engaged will be ‘how did he propose’, ‘what does the ring look like’, followed by ‘when’s the wedding.’ Discuss this with your fiancé so that you can at least give an indication on which month/season you like. For example, say, ‘we were thinking November 2015’. This way your nearest and dearest can mentally keep this month free with the prospect of receiving an invitation to your big day.
Decide on the budget
Whether your parents are paying for the wedding or whether it is you and your fiancé footing the bill you need to sit down and have the awkward, but essential conversation about the budget.
Start daydreaming
Here’s where the fun begins! You get to decide on what colours or theme you’d like to go with for you and your fiancé’s special day. Get a bunch of wedding mags, follow wedding blogs for inspiration, and don’t forget Pinterest – there are a myriad of ideas to consider that will make the event beautiful.
Plan a night out with just your fiancé.
Let’s face it, once the wedding planning really kicks into gear there isn’t going to be much ‘us’ time for you and your hubby to be. Plan a night out where you celebrate the two of you – and DON’T talk about the wedding. Just enjoy being in each other’s company and celebrate your relationship.
Get organized – create a wedding file
Whether you decide to go old school and get a flip file or embrace the digital era and have a file on your computer – start storing ideas and supplier information for future use. If you go the digital route Dropbox is brilliant as you can share the file with your bridal party to keep them up to speed.
Think about your bridal party
Speaking of bridal party, you should probably start thinking about who you’d like to have by your side on your big day. Once you have made your decision, ask all involved (there are so many creative ways to do this if you’re into that sort of thing) and then the planning can begin! They are there to offer help and support through this whole process after all.
Ask both sets of parents for their ideal guest list
Before you start thinking about your guest list, ask the parents who they would like to invite, making sure to tell them it is a preliminary list so that you can get an idea. You can then trim down their guest list from there if they give you 20 people. It might help to ask them to categorize their wish list into the most important people so that it helps you with your decision.
Hire a planner
Trust us, no matter how Type A or organized rockstar you are, you’re going to need a planner, at the very least for the day of the wedding. Who wants to run around on the day to make sure everything has been set up to your specifications and to make sure the DJ starts the music at the right time when you walk down the aisle? That’s right, nobody. Get a planner, you’ll feel much better knowing that the day is in good hands and will run smoothly.
And most importantly – ENJOY
This wonderful time in your life only happens once (hopefully) so soak up every moment and enjoy it. Don’t get too stressed out about the small details, this is supposed to be a joyous time for you and your fiancé so enjoy every last bit of it.
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