Whether you have 2 parental figures at the wedding or 8, all of them will likely have certain expectations and some firm opinions on your big day, and will want to play a part in it. This can be one of the most challenging aspects of planning your wedding, as juggling the desires of so many people you hold so dearly can be really tough. It is natural to be strongly affected by it, especially if you are relying on their support (both emotionally and financially) to make the wedding happen. When your W-Day is looking set to be more like D-Day, it takes some of the fun away from the process – so here are our 5 Tips for Managing Your Parents’ Expectations.
Plan with your partner first before anyone else
First and foremost, remember that it’s your day, so it’s imperative that you and your partner talk about what the most important (and realistic) aspects of your wedding are from the outset, and then keep tracking of them with our wedding planning tools. All the way through, keep why you’re doing it in mind, and why it’s all worth it.
Involve your parents in the planning
Traditionally, the bride’s parents paid for and hosted the wedding, whilst the groom’s did a lot of prep and liaison, but times are changing and many couples would rather do it themselves. However, parents would still love to be involved somehow, and it can be done suitably: by visibly taking their considerations on board (though not necessarily putting them into action), and taking the time to understand one another and explain the decision you come to. Try and discuss this with your partner first to predict what your parents may be keen on.
Take accountability for your parents
When relationships get really strained, it usually helps to manage your own parent’s expectations, and let your partner deal with theirs. This allows conversations to be held with much more honesty and authenticity, rather than the veiled politeness you may feel you owe your partner’s parents. Also, remember that every relationship is different: your partner’s relationship with their parents is likely to be different to your relationships with yours, so one solution may not fit all. Be supportive of your partner throughout, and they’ll be supportive of you too.
Prepare for telling them how you feel
Relatedly, steel yourself for the potential for some tough love if needed. You may be an adult, but in your parent’s eyes you’ll always be seen as their baby – especially in the run-up to a wedding! However, this doesn’t mean they can take over the planning, and you should prepare yourself to have to tell them that. It’s not necessarily a comfortable conversation to have, but at this point, your parents will hopefully remember you’re a fabulous full-grown human in your own right (thanks to them, mostly) and can make decisions for yourself.
Remember they have your best interest at heart
Although the key thing is that you both get your dream day, it’s good to remember that that’s all your parents are aiming for too, albeit in a considerably different way sometimes! A nice way of publicly showing you realise how much they care is in the speeches – if you’ve had a rough time dealing with parents’ expectations in the lead up, then acknowledging how grateful you are for everything they’ve done in the reception speech can be a lovely way to draw a line under it. Alternatively, make a joke out of it if you think it will go down well!
Ultimately they want you to have the most amazing day of your life, but if they can have a great day too….well, that would also be lovely. Weddings are crazy, heady, emotional times for everyone, but at the root of it all, it’s all about celebrating you two and your life together – sometimes those involved just need a nudge in remembering that. Now for the fun bits – the cake tasting and the champagne drinking…
Are you dreaming of a beautiful barn wedding in South West England? Then go no further! Barns are spacious, versatile and offer heaps of character and charm to your special day. There are so many incredible barn wedding venues across the whole of the UK, but here are our top 29 barns based in Devon, Somerset, Dorset and even more that we’ve fallen in love with!
If you’re after a stunning barn to tie the knot in your area, use Bridebook.co.uk’s Wedding Venue Search, and choose ‘Barn’ in the filters. Happy planning!
Trenderway Farm is a Grade II listed farmhouse and restored barns based in the lush countryside of Cornwall. With beautiful oak beams and an original stone interior, this venue has lots of character to add to your magical day.
Within rural countryside sits Cripps Barn, a real gem of the Cotswolds. High stone walls and classic features such as the open fireplace and flagstone floors give this venue an incredibly romantic feeling for your special moment.
Offering a quaint Barn and stunning country views, The Barn at Cott Farm is a perfect spot to host your wedding. This spacious country wedding venue even gives you the option of having your ceremony outdoors! How perfect.
The Tithe Barn within the Symondsbury Estate is a 14th Century English barn in a tranquil village in Dorset. Glass entrances, stone floors and exposed oak beams give the venue interior a really elegant vibe for when you tie the knot!
Somerset’s no.1 wedding venue comes in the form of Quantock Lakes. With 200 acres of grounds and picturesque waterside views, the location of the newly-built Quantock Barn couldn’t get any better. Natural light and exposed wood beams make this barn a stunner!
The Great Tythe Barn, with its highly versatile space and lush lawns right outside, makes the ideal backdrop for any barn wedding. For a quaint ceremony or a lively reception party, this venue can handle it all!
Nestled in the Cotswolds, Hyde House & Barn offers a blank canvas for you to draw upon your creativity. The sleek-looking interior and elegant exterior of this venue allows you to put your own stamp on your wedding day.
The airy feel of Winkworth Farm makes it stand out from other barn venues. Natural light floods in, restored stone walls surround the space, and you can focus on having the party of a lifetime. What’s more, your guests can spill out onto the gardens and many acres of farmland.
Including an original farmhouse, threshing barn and organic farmland of 65 acres, River Cottage HQ totally suits a barn or country theme! Let your guests explore the land and relax in the yurt, while you host a celebration to remember!
The Dorset countryside wherein The Victorian Barn stands is the idyllic location for the best day of your life. The high ceilings and brick doorways give this venue just enough character for your wedding day without stealing the limelight from the Bride and Groom!
37 acres of countryside just south of Bath lies the 16th Century Barns at Wick Farm. Based on a farm with livestock and a duck pond, these 2 adjoining barns offer gorgeous stone walls and wooden beams that will set the most romantic tone to your wedding.
Nestled in the heart of Somerset and 200 acres of countryside, Huntstile Organic Farm is a 15th Century farmhouse with attached dining marquee. With a choice of ceremony rooms and even pet pigs on site, this unique farm is what dreams are made of!
Within Dartmoor National Park, Monks Withecombe brings sunny courtyards, stunning gardens, and several rooms to host your wedding celebrations. From intimate ceremony spaces to the meadows that can be filled with a marquee and hundreds of guests. Time for a barn dance!
Acres of lush countryside surrounds The Barn at Barons Hill Farm, where spectacular views can be seen. Rustic on the outside, yet contemporary on the inside, this venue is ideal for making your dreams come true.
This superbly unique and eco-friendly venue oozes rustic charm from every inch. Eggbeer Farm is a versatile space, perfect for holding weddings, and the barn is a stunning area for your themed celebrations!
Based right on the edge of a picturesque Devonshire lake, the barn of Duvale Priory offers a spectacular place to host your wedding celebrations. With lush green surroundings and idyllic views, no fairytale wedding would be complete without this location!
400 acres of land and a stunning thatched exterior welcome you to Middle Coombe Farm. The high-ceilings and magical vibe of the Cider Barn interior is sure to make your celebration special, while the exclusive use of the woodlands would be an incredible backdrop for your wedding photos!
As a distinctive 17th Century boutique building, The Manor Barn is undoubtedly breathtaking. It’s a traditional brick and flint stone barn with vintage gardens and is restored with a contemporary feel. Sat right on the doorstep of Stonehenge Heritage site, this venue is a real rustic retreat.
With iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and farm tools covering the stone walls, this venue is incredibly memorable. Kingston Country Courtyard has tons of character, ample outdoor space, and even it’s own wishing well. Let the party begin!
The elegance of the Georgian house and the country charm of the Mill barn come together to create the ultimate wedding venue, Launcells Barton. Original features shine through on the interior and exterior of this wonderful site, and views of the Cornish countryside give you all you need for your barn wedding.
Set on a farm amid the rolling countryside of the Cotswolds,Oxleaze Barnis a classic venue with lots of rustic charm to build your own bespoke wedding theme. The barn has been beautifully restored to reflect the earthy goodness and beauty of its surroundings, with exposed beams and stonework, an open fireplace and wide doorway that opens onto a private courtyard and garden.
Sat in a beautiful valley just down the road from Exeter, The Great Barn is a simply stunning wedding venue inside and out. Known as the “thatched cathedral”, the high ceilings and restored beams of this building offer plenty of space and inspiration for your barn wedding.
Nestled in the Gloucestershire countryside, Cripps Stone Barn is a gem of South West England. Gorgeous stone work will surround you and your guests as you celebrate your big day, while the rustic metal exterior makes a brilliant backdrop for photo opportunities. What more could you want?
400 acres of Wiltshire countryside is home to a working farm and the relaxed feel of Rye Hill Barn. Plenty of natural light and exposed wooden beams will make you feel at home in this lovely barn setting.
The spacious feel to Lower Stockbridge Barn in the Dorset countryside makes this venue truly unique. Everything from the magnificent exterior to the exposed wooden panelling inside set it apart from other barns and will add a very special backdrop to your wedding day.
Only a few miles from the Cornish coast, this barn is based on a working farm. With original wood features and a contemporary restoration inside, the world is your oyster at Nancarrow Farm!
Nestled within the Devonshire countryside, Forginwell Vineyard is an idyllic wedding setting. With plenty of outdoor spaces to entertain guests and distinctive vintage items around the site, your barn wedding will be unforgettable.
In the heart of Devon lies The Corn Barn, a wonderfully converted barn ideal for a wedding. Following through the building is a theme of tasteful exposed brickwork, and wooden beams give a rustic edge to this venue.
With a 6000-year history and having been built on the site of an Iron Age stone circle, Crasken Eco Centre is a mysterious and enchanting backdrop for your wedding. Surrounded by wonderful courtyards and green gardens, this barn is definitely not one to forget!
If you’re still struggling to find the perfect venue near you, try our Wedding Venue Search – and you may just stumble across the one. Bridebook.co.uk can also help you with all your other planning worries, such as suppliers, your personalised wedding checklist, and that all important budget!
Still looking for wedding venues in the UK? Here’s some inspiration to get you started:
It felt like the whole world was watching Pippa’s big day, with brides-to-be in particular keeping their eyes peeled for any extra inspiration. Thankfully, Bridebook.co.uk, the UK’s leading wedding planning app and website, has done all the leg work and compiled all of the new trends Pippa has set into motion in the wedding world with her big do. Whatever your budget or wedding style, you might just find something you’d like to re-create for your own big day.
The main trend from Pippa’s wedding is the embracing of traditions. From the choice of flowers and church location, to the outfits of the pageboys and bridesmaids and the wedding transport, to the design of her own dress and bouquet, Pippa’s wedding will have likely started a renaissance for tradition in weddings.
Wedding Dress Trends:
Tradition is the trend here. Gone are the days of strapless dresses and nude mesh cutouts. Instead, we’re seeing a shift to embracing the history and tradition of styles that are timelessly classical such as Pippa’s high neck, cap sleeves, chapel length train, and heavy embroidery. Want to re-create the look? Discover wedding designers and boutiques near you.
Mini-bridesmaids:
Pippa opted to have just children in her bridal party for the Church ceremony, as opposed to her adult friends. This is sure to become a more popular trend especially for brides who have too many close friends to choose from or would like to avoid the politics and save money by not paying for bridesmaids dresses and makeup. Plus, they look positively adorable!
Glass Marquees
The infamous glass marquee, costing a whopping £110,000, is going to set the trend of glass marquees like wildfire. You’ll be seeing couples leaving behind the boxy and restricting canvas marquee feel, and instead opt for the glamorous ‘greenhouse effect’. Track down your UK glass marquee today!
“Unplugged” Weddings
Just as we saw a spike in ‘plugged in’ weddings complete with wedding hashtags and live Instagram feed displays, we are sure to see couples return to the more authentic experience, including social media bans and no photos allowed, as was sure to be the case throughout Pippa’s day.
Wedding Flower Trends
Another ‘back to tradition’ trend here. Floral trends have been leaning heavily on bright, diverse and exotic combinations of flowers in the recent years, however Pippa’s choice of going traditional with a focus on pale pink English roses is an indication of a shift in preference for organic and natural flower choices. Pick your wedding florist from the best of Britain on Bridebook!
Two Venue Weddings
Pippa chose to split her big day into a two tier event, the more formal and traditional morning ceremony followed by the big bang of a party in the evening. As couples get married later in life and struggle juggling the expectations of the older generations with the party expectations of their friends, this is a structure that is sure to become more and more popular. Plus who doesn’t love browsing gorgeous wedding venues?
Black-tie Receptions
Usually associated with big American weddings, the black-tie evening event is experiencing a resurgence, just like we saw for Pippa’s evening event in the glass marquee. A great way to add that extra dose of celebration to your evening.
Two Dresses
Just like two part weddings are becoming a trend, so are two dresses! A formal more traditional gown for the morning ceremony, and then a more relaxed cut in the evening. Not only is this practical (no trains or big skirts to deal with during the dancing), it also adds that extra level of theatrical oomph as the bride reveals her second outfit.
Unique Entertainment
Whilst everyone loves a good magician, expect to see couples trying to get more creative and unique with their wedding entertainment (even if it’s not quite a Spitfire flyby).
May Weddings
Summer months have long reigned supreme for weddings, but we’re glad to see the appreciation for spring months increasing. While you may have to risk wet weather, the advantages are boundless. From fewer conflicting occasions, the gorgeous colours of British springtime, and the exciting energy that comes with the run up to summer, we’re happy to see May getting the attention it deserves.
Transport
Vintage is back in style! Pippa’s vintage Jaguar was a showstopper in itself, and much more classical looking than the newer luxury white sedans that have been popular as of late. Besides, when else would you have the excuse to ride in a gorgeous vintage car?
Exotic Guest Hats
Previously reserved for Ascot, expect guests to go big on hats! Not only does it make the congregation look fabulous as the Church is filled with different colours and shapes, it’s also an extra bit of excitement and fun for the guests. We’re hoping to see some more feathers in particularly, as one of Pippa’s guests so perfectly demonstrated.
Heirlooms
Pippa wore the same earrings on her wedding day as she did when she was Kate’s bridesmaid in 2011. We all know the ‘something old’ requirement, but tying in objects that have familial meaning and that can be passed on to your children on their wedding day adds that special touch.
Mix-matched Groomsmen Wear
Whilst the Middleton and Matthews men stayed very traditional with their tails, tie pins, and double breasted waist coats, they injected it with what is sure to become a popular trend. Balancing the traditional morning suits with pops of contrasting colours such as orange ties and baby blue satin waistcoats, with different groomsmen wearing different colours.
Family Involvement
More and more couples are embracing multi-generational family involvement in their big days. While there is a draw to involve your uni friends, there is a traditional and loving quality of opting to build your wedding party from family alone. Whether it’s your sister as Maid of Honour, or your adorable 5 year old second cousin, it’s good to keep it in the family!
Planning your wedding?
While all these trends are undoubtedly wonderful and very welcome, it can be easy to assume it would be too pricey or stressful to try and re-create for yourself. But fear not! Bridebook.co.uk, the UK’s #1 wedding planning app and website, have all of the wedding planning tools you need to ensure you can plan your wedding without the stress, and without the price tag!
Searching for that perfect venue ideal for your summer wedding? Bridebook.co.uk have done the hard work for you by listing the top 100 best wedding venues for the summer! These are the best of the best – and they suit sunny weddings down to the T.
If you want to look more locally for your dream venue, there’s always our huge Wedding Venue Search, with every venue you could possibly think of. You’re welcome!
The stunning manor house of Fennes set in the countryside of Essex is home to breath-taking gardens, perfect for hosting a summer ceremony. The bridge over the lake makes for incredible photo opportunities!
The shabby-chic style of East Quay Venue is perfect for a summer seaside theme. With a shingle beach and beach huts right on its doorstep, this makes it one of the best wedding venues in the UK!
The Granary Estates offer two incredible barns with a central private courtyard, this is one of the best wedding venues on the list, and it’s ideal for hosting a summer outdoor wedding reception.
As a former dairy farm, Heaton House Farm is home to rustic sandstone barns and infinite rural views, making it a brilliant setting for an outdoor ceremony. If a farm sounds like the perfect place to get married, check out 20 farm wedding venues we’ve put together for you!
Hengrave Hall is a stunning Tudor mansion in the Suffolk countryside and is a gem of the area’s medieval history. If you dream of a castle wedding on a summer night, this is the venue for you.
An outdoor wedding ceremony wouldn’t be complete without the backdrop of Tudor venue Leez Priory. 40 acres of parkland will ensure you have stunning surroundings on your special day.
While we’re on the theme of castles, this one is hidden in an enchanted forest. If you’ve always had the idea of a summer fairytale venue, check out these UK castle wedding venues!
This grand castle is fit for a King and Queen, with spectacular views across the Kent countryside. Feel on top of the world with a sunny wedding at Lympne Castle!
Heaps of character, history and warmth come with award-winning venue Iscoyd Park. The beautiful grounds are ideal for summer games and outdoor entertainment to charm your loved ones. Certainly one of the best wedding venues in the UK.
This white Palladian mansion boasts a 19th Century chapel and 40 acres of grassy surroundings, making Beaumont Estate perfect for your summer celebrations.
Set on 6 acres of meadows, High House showcases itself to be a striking summer wedding venue. With a Monet-inspired bridge over the pond, your wedding photos will look impressive!
The 750-year-old Elmore Court overlooks the Cotswolds and the River Severn, making it a great location to host a grand wedding. Elemore Court is a Grade 2 listed mansion house Elmore Court is a place of fun and maximum celebration. With an estate which is now rewilding and a wild swimming lake you could stretch your celebration over a weekend of festivities. Your summer wedding could take place in the walled garden, on the lawn, in the beautiful house or church nearby. Then let the party continue late into the night in the sound proof ‘future rustic’ Gillyflower, finishing round the fire pit in the meadow and back to the house for a night cap and a beautiful bed.
The beautiful country house comes complete with exquisite decor and high ceilings to make your special day feel like a dream. With Warwick House, you can dream away!
Flagstone floors, an open fireplace and heaps of character encompass Cripps Barn. With fire pits and sunny gardens, this is the ideal venue for the ultimate summer wedding.
Kilminorth Cottages is a beautiful wedding venue completely surrounded by countryside. So romantic! If you can picture yourself getting married in a setting like this, check out these 20 beautiful barn wedding venues!
A stunning red brick Tudor courtyard is the grand entrance to Fulham Place, a beautiful country house with lovely surroundings. You’ll forget you’re in London if you host your summer wedding here!
Dodmoor House is an award-winning grade II listed barn venue with four acres of grounds and a rustic courtyard, perfect for a breezy wedding celebration.
As a restored stone barn, the light and airy space of Winkworth Farm offers an ideal location for a wedding in the summer months – not to mention the 200 acres of organic pastureland!
On the edge of The New Forest National Park, The Old Vicarage is a country house and versatile outdoor space, which would be the ultimate venue for wedding garden games.
With a boutique interior and Georgian features, Nonsuch Mansion is excellent for an outdoor wedding – and you’d half expect to see something similar in a Disney movie!
Woodhill Hall is a truly unique venue full of character. With quirky outdoor features and stylish bedrooms, this location is perfect for a totally bespoke wedding.
If you’re after a venue that’s rich in glamour and luxury, The Kings Oak Hotel may just be the one. Set in Epping Forest, the gorgeous building and outdoor pool are perfect for partying on a summer night.
The 17th Century Queen Anne style Mansion House of Highfield Park stands elegantly among 35 acres of countryside and stunningly polished gardens. A perfect venue for a regal outdoor wedding.
Stunning grounds surround the immensely grand Clevedon Hall. With lake views and rural landscapes, this venue makes a great choice for a wedding in the summer months.
The wonderfully rustic yet romantic feel of Stratton Court Barn is ideal for your bespoke wedding theme. Party into the night with plenty of space on the barn grounds!
The 17th Century manor house Greenwoods Hotel & Spa is set in dazzling extensive grounds, ideal for a picture perfect wedding day. Choose to get married in the summer under the pretty gazebo and you’ll create a memory that will never be forgotten!
The 400-year-old barn of Lyde Court is a beautifully preserved venue. With a quirky interior and versatile outdoor space, this is a unique location to help your dreams to come true.
In the rolling Cheshire countryside sits Sandhole Oak Barn. With it’s lakeside location and decked outdoor space, it is an idyllic venue for a wedding in warm weather!
A sweeping driveway and incredible gardens are just the beginning of what Pembroke Lodge has to offer. This Georgian mansion also has remarkable views to enjoy on your special day.
The red brick 18th Century buildings of Shustoke Farm Barns are striking on the outside and inside. The gorgeous courtyards are ideal for celebrating with your loved ones in the summer months.
An amazingly restored 18th Century barn is set on stunning grounds and provides heaps of character and charm for your wedding day. This venue is The Garden Barn!
The award-winning Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa is home to countryside backdrops, an Asian Sensory Garden, and a gorgeous lake. What more could you possibly want from a venue?
The grounds of Wotton House have stone pillars, water fountains, and a rather grand building to match. Where else would you want to host your summer wedding?
The Jacobean Manor of Holdsworth House Hotel has enticing gardens, rooms full of character and 3 acres of stunning grounds. Wake up and smell the flowers – quite literally!
China Fleet Country Club exudes tranquillity and romance for your big day. Sitting on the banks of the River Tamar, you also get magnificent views wherever you roam.
Complete with regal features and 30 acres of spectacular land, the Victorian manor house of De Vere Tortworth Estate is fit for the finest King and Queen!
A gravel driveway and elegant grounds lead you to the spectacular Brampton Grange Estate, where you’ll enjoy finding great spots for your wedding photos!
Compromising a classic house with a contemporary barn, Hyde House & Barn is definitely one of the best wedding venues on this list! Imagine your summer night party going ahead here.
Oozing tons of grandeur and luxury, Wood Hall Hotel & Spa really delivers for a summer wedding day – but why stop there? Make it a wedding weekend and take full advantage of the spa.
Offering 2 wedding venues and 500 acres of private parkland, Orchardleigh House & Estate is an elegant stately home that can cater for the ultimate summer wedding.
A 65-acre organic farm is where River Cottage HQ resides. With plenty of versatile indoor and outdoor space, this is a great venue to host the wedding bash of the season.
Traditional stone farm buildings and a wonderful sheltered courtyard belong to Healey Barn, an ideal setting for the most romantic of summer celebrations!
The pretty stone exterior of Crockwell Farm radiates rustic beauty, while the gardens give you the perfect location to celebrate with loved ones and enjoy the sun.
The elegant manor house of Dumbleton Hall Hotel is situated alongside the lake and backs on to extensive gardens with views of the Cotswolds. A perfect summer venue!
This 16th Century country house offers traditional charm with a contemporary twist. Your summer wedding at Swancar Farm Country House is sure to be one of romance and elegance!
The 200-year-old Threshing Barn and original rustic features, along with a modern vibe of the outdoor Collecting Yard, give you all you need to host the perfect summer night celebration at Southend Barns.
The long, grand driveway invites you in to the Grade I listed Hintlesham Hall. It has a charming interior and is nestled in the serene Suffolk countryside – brilliant for a tranquil wedding experience.
This spectacular purpose-built marquee sits within Painshill’s private gardens and has a glamorous feel inside. Not forgetting The Conservatory‘s fabulous outdoor space to entertain your guests!
Surrounded by the Staffordshire countryside, and with a fishing lake right on it’s doorstep, Blakelands Country House is a one-of-a-kind venue that will make your wedding day truly unforgettable.
The grand country house of Moor Hall is set on lush lawns and beautiful landscapes, perfect for enjoying your special day in the summer months. The unique sunken garden is a great photo opportunity!
Within Wales’ Brecon Beacons lies the magical wonderland that is Peterstone Court Hotel. Overlooking the Pen Y Fan mountain range, you can spend your summer wedding day enjoying the breath-taking country landscape.
Just off the North coast of Wales, Chateau Rhianfa and it’s architectural beauty stand tall over beautiful gardens and sea views. Let your dream come alive with a summer wedding here!
The stylish country mansion of Prested Hall is surrounded by stunning parkland and tranquil waters. Spend your wedding day here in the summer and you’ll have the most magical backdrop for your celebrations.
The Venue at Kersey Mill is set in the Suffolk countryside and offers many versatile spaces to make your wedding bespoke. Beams and original brickwork are displayed, and the Kiln Room is the perfect space for an intimate and romantic ceremony.
Perfectly-preened lakeside gardens could be the setting to your summer ceremony. The 16th Century Rookery Manor Hotel not only brings beauty and class, but plenty of luxury too – in the form of a spa!
The spectacular Birtsmorton Court has it’s own moat, so while you’re getting stunning photos taken, your guests can enjoy drinks in the sun and picturesque views from the court.
The Victorian country building and it’s lush gardens belong to Trunkwell House, which offers a luxury marquee for all of your guests and a truly unforgettable outdoor ceremony set up.
The Georgian Friern Manor boasts perfectly manicured lawns and exquisite menus to celebrate your first day as Mr and Mrs!
So, that’s our top 100 summer wedding venues to take into account when planning your celebrations within the summer months, wherever you are. Make sure you check out the rest of our wedding planning tools too – we’ve got a really powerful budget tool, an awesome guestlist function, and a directory overflowing with amazing suppliers to give you the day of your dreams.
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Bridebook.co.uk, the UK’s leading wedding planning website and app, has broken down the costs of the most hotly anticipated wedding of 2017. Whilst the average UK wedding costs £16,842 in 2017, Pippa Middleton’s wedding will cost almost 15 times as much at £246,949 ($320,113 USD, €292,699 EUR). There will be 4,333 other weddings happening in the UK on Saturday 20th May, but Pippa and James’ will certainly be the most talked about, and likely to be the most expensive.
Here is the breakdown of the cost of Pippa Middleton’s Wedding:
Venue/Marquee – £65,000: Being hosted at the Middleton’s family home, with over 350 guests expected, a super-sized luxury marquee is needed as the venue. A luxury 350-person marquee will start at £25,000 but can easily go much higher. With the unreliable British weather in May, a wet weather solution for the drinks reception will also be needed, requiring another marquee, plus a fully-equipped catering tent boosting the price. The average UK wedding venue cost is just £5,819 in comparison.
Catering – £70,000: The top luxury London caterers will charge over £170 per guest for catering including all food, chefs and staffing, glassware and crockery hire, and linen hire. A marquee wedding requires an extra level of staffing compared to a permanent venue, which will increase Pippa’s catering costs to around £200 per guest, and will comprise the largest cost of the wedding. Luxury wedding caterers, The Admirable Crichton, who hold the Royal Warrant for HRH The Prince of Wales for catering excellence, are likely to be the caterers for the wedding. With over 2,000 canapes and at least 15 chefs required, it will be a busy day for them.
Dress – £10,000: Giles Deacon is rumoured to be the designer of Pippa’s bespoke designer dress. Giles previously designed Abbey Clancy’s stunning wedding dress for her marriage to England footballer Peter Crouch which cost £10,000.
Floristry – £16,000: Marquees always require a lot more floristry and decoration than a venue, so luxury florists Lavender Green, the florists for the day, will have their work cut out. On top of this, the wedding florist will include the flowers for the church, plus the bouquet and more. With the wedding hosted in the Middleton’s rustic garden, with wild flower meadows and in-bloom purple rhododendrons, expect tall overflowing centrepieces fusing the marquee with the garden. Elaborate table-centres can cost £300 each alone, so with 35 round tables for the guests, the cost can easily stack up.
Drinks – £17,720: We expect around 233 bottles of champagne alone will be drunk to keep the guests topped up during the drinks reception and speeches. This champagne will cost around £9,320, on top of which will be fine wines for the wedding breakfast and open-bar cocktails for the evening.
Photography – £3,500: Hiring one of the top wedding photographers, including a gorgeous album, will cost around £3,500. Dorset-based Millie Pilkington, the private wedding photographer for William and Kate’s wedding, is most likely to be the person behind the lens.
Videography – £4,000: Without the world’s media filming every moment like her sister’s wedding, Pippa will likely have a videographer there to capture the day’s special moments. Luxury videographers have teams of cameramen to capture all angles, plus usually a drone or two.
Cake – £2,600: A stunningly-decorated cake from a top cake maker will start from £2,600 and need to be six-tiers to give a slice to each of the 350 guests. The cakemaker is thought to be luxury London-based Domino Purchas or local-Berkshire based top baker Rosalind Miller.
Stationery – £5,125: The wedding will require a number of stationery elements including save-the-dates, the invitation, the Order of Service, the menus, and the stamps! Invitations from a top stationer will cost around £11 each before the other items are included. Mount Street Printers are said to be the chosen stationer.
Music – £6,750: From bell ringers and the organist and choirs in the church, to relaxed acoustic musicians for the drinks reception and a top wedding band and DJ for the party, music will be the centre of the entertainment. A top London 6-piece wedding band will cost over £4,250 with everyone else on top.
Wedding Rings – £19,900: Rumoured best man Spencer Matthews better not make the expensive mistake of forgetting the rings. With their wedding rings said to be from Cartier, a diamond encrusted wedding ring for Pippa will cost £15,500 whilst a platinum band for James would be £1440.
Bridesmaids Outfits – £2,250: Whilst the bridesmaid’s dress Pippa shone in at the Royal wedding cost over £2,000, the average cost of a designer bridesmaids dress is £750. The average number of bridesmaids a bride in the UK has is 3.4, so we are assuming Pippa will have 3 bridesmaids.
Flower Girls and Page Boys Outfits – £1,698: With Prince George and Princess Charlotte due to be centre stage as flower girls and page boys, Nicki Macfarlane, who provided the flower girl outfits for the Royal wedding, will likely be back on hand. A page boy outfit will cost around £226 each, and flower girl dresses £340.
Church Fees – £456: Pippa and James will need to pay the church their marriage fees, but whilst this is the most important part of the marriage, it has one of the smallest price tags.
Decoration and Production – £6,000: For spectacular lighting and production throughout the grounds surrounding the marquee and inside the marquee itself, a top London agency will likely be taking on the job of adding the absolute wow-factor. From bar hire to amazing dance floors, production is key to transforming the blank-canvas of a marquee into something truly jaw-dropping.
Groomswear – £6,050: Dashing groom-to-be James Matthews is likely to be wearing a bespoke tailor made tailcoat, waistcoat and trousers from one of London’s top Saville Row tailors. A bespoke tailcoat from a top tailor will cost around £4400 alone.
Hair and Makeup – £1,700: No doubt a top team will be on hand to ensure Pippa and the whole bridal party will be looking absolutely radiant. Hannah Martin of Bobbi Brown and Richard Ward, who also did Kate’s wedding makeup and hair for the Royal Wedding, are the top choices.
Veil – £2,000: Celebrity milliner Stephen Jones is rumoured to be the designer of Pippa’s bespoke veil, which will doubtlessly have incredible attention to detail.
Entertainers – £1,500: Whilst guests taking photos is expected to not be allowed at the wedding, a photobooth will be an ideal opportunity to capture the guests at their best. Luxury children’s entertainers, like London’s based Sharky+George who did the Royal wedding, are expected to be on hand to give parents, like William and Kate, the night off.
Music – £6,750: From bell ringers and the organist and choirs in the church, to relaxed acoustic musicians for the drinks reception and a top wedding band and DJ for the party, music will be the centre of the entertainment.“The Rumours” led by Pips Taylor, who are regulars on the society festival scene, are said to be DJ’ing the event.A top London 6-piece wedding band will cost over £4,250 with everyone else on top.
Wedding Favours – £700: These lovely little gifts for every wedding guest should not break the bank. We expect something low-key and personal, such as a small jar of local honey considering the wild flower meadows that fill the Middletons’ garden.
Transport – Free: With James being a previous racing driver, we are confident he has a few friends who can lend him a stunning car to drive himself and Pippa, as a happily married couple for the first time, from the church to the reception, just like Prince William did.
and finally…
‘Luxury Facilities’ – £4,000: Don’t forget the toilets! With this marquee wedding the luxury toilets that will need to be on hand are unlikely to be the plastic boxes we are used to seeing at festivals. Imagine luxurious bathrooms with gorgeous soaps and fresh linen hand towels. For 350 guests, top end mobile toilets will cost £4000.
The above figures have been calculated following an analysis of over 170,000 weddings viaBridebook.co.uk‘s wedding planning tools andbudget calculator, and a review of over 70,000wedding industry suppliers’ price estimates listed on Bridebook.co.uk’s wedding venue and supplier directory. Bridebook.co.uk is currently being used by 1 in 5 UK couples planning their wedding, and therefore has an unparalleled understanding of the wedding planning process, as well as relationships with brides and wedding industry suppliers across the country.
Hamish Shephard, founder of Bridebook.co.uk, says: “The whole world will be watching Pippa and James tie the knot on 20th May. The international media will turn their attention to the British wedding industry, which is exciting for all suppliers at every level. We believe Pippa has purposefully chosen to work with a number of superb British brands for her big day, helping to support them and showcase how brilliantly the English ‘do weddings’, with so many talented people working in our industry.”
“Weddings have become increasingly lavish over recent years mainly due to couples getting married when they are older, and hence being able to spend more, and social media raising everyone’s expectations of a wedding. Couples don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands to have an incredible day, today’s savvy couples find ways to save on average £10,147 on their big day so get very happily married without breaking the bank. With the month of May being outside the expensive peak summer wedding months, even Pippa and James will have likely had some discounts from their suppliers. ”
“Traditionally the bride’s parents would pay for the whole wedding, however this is only the case in 23% of weddings now, so it is likely both the couple themselves and the groom’s parents are contributing, so Carole and Michael Middleton can breathe easy.”
“It’s not only the couple who are spending, the guests will likely be spending a total of £67,485 to attend too. According to our latest Bridebook.co.uk survey, the average cost of a couple attending a wedding this summer is £385.63 (including gifts, accommodation, transport and fashion) and with Royal guests it is likely to be far higher for this wedding too.”
Although the Middleton wedding exceeds six figures, the other 4333 brides tying the knot that same day are likely to be spending substantially less. In comparison,the Bridebook.co.uk Wedding Report 2017 found the average costs for a UK wedding to be as follows:
For more details of this year’s wedding trends and spending habits analysed by Bridebook.co.uk, view the Bridebook.co.uk Wedding Report 2017.
For further information, interviews and images please contact
Harriet or Sarah-Jane at Harriet Hunt Communications
harriet@harriethunt.comsarahjane@harriethunt.com
T: 0208 871 2246 M: 07886 96908
Notes To Editor:
Bridebook.co.uk is the UK’s leading wedding planning platform with over 40,000 couples currently planning their weddings on the website and app.
Launched in 2016, Bridebook.co.uk‘s state-of-the-art wedding planning toolkit with personalised Wedding Checklist,Wedding Budgeter and Wedding Guestlist Manager, enables couples to plan their entire wedding from any device, anytime, anywhere, all in one place…for free. With over 70,000 wedding venues and suppliers in its directory, Bridebook.co.uk increases the digital presence of industry professionals and connects them directly with local couples. Bridebook.co.uk has also partnered with leading experts such as Mary Berry, Bobbi Brown and Jimmy Choo to provide genuine expert advice and inspiration to its couples. Bridebook.co.uk was founded by Hamish Shephard, an industry professional and recently married groom who used Bridebook.co.uk to plan his own May 2016 wedding. Visit Bridebook.co.uk online and the Bridebook.co.uk App on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
With over 40% of engagements happening between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, the UK will be seeing Save the Dates and engagement party invitations flying across the country left right and centre. If you’re one of the lucky many to be sending Save the Dates then congratulations! But don’t let preparations daunt you: in perfect addition to our free wedding planning tools, our incredible stationery experts at Paperless Post have all you need for smart and easy wedding announcements – perfect for today’s couples who move faster than the Royal Mail. So what are you waiting for? Start sending those Save the Dates! You won’t believe how good it feels…
Start Spreading the News
Since you got such good tidings over Christmas, now’s the time to share. If you’re feeling especially generous, an engagement party is an ideal way to kick off the many wedding festivities to come. It’s also a great introduction to the convenience, customisability, and ease of our other event invitations. You’ll find options for every style of party—from drinks at home to something more formal—including a few photo invitations with room for spare frames from your engagement shoot.
Make Your First Mark
Your save the dates are the first “official” step in your wedding stationery timeline, so now’s the time to make a stunning first impression. Whether you’re celebrating in a classic mode, trying out something more rustic, or embracing modernity, you’ll be in good hands with options from design stalwarts like Liberty London, contemporary stationers like Rifle Paper Co., or something from our own team of wedding aficionados.
Put It All Together
They’re pretty, of course, but our online save the dates are nothing if not practical. You can track whether your guests have opened them and they’ll collect postal addresses for you, too. (Use that list to order a set of pre-addressed envelopes for your printed invitations, and save yourself the hand-inscribing.) While you shouldn’t start counting heads just yet, this early show of interest will help you start making decisions about your venue, your caterers, and how many paper invitations you’ll need to order.
Date, Set, Match
Even with that bit of pre-planning, we’d still recommend sending out your save the dates approximately 6 months before your wedding day and sending your printed invitations 3 months later. (Eagle-eyed readers will note that that’s 3 months before the big day.) If your venue is farther afield guests will really appreciate the extra time to make transport arrangements, and you’ll be surprised how quickly time flies when you’re planning anyway! We can make the paper stationery simple, of course—many of our save the dates come with matching suites of printed invitations, menus and programs, and couples’ stationery, to carry the theme of your wedding through every event. Whether you opt for flat printing, thermography, letterpress, or engraving, each part of your ceremony is sure to be well-appointed.
Are you in love with Paperless Post’s incredible online and printed invitations as we are? Check out their whole collection of tools and exquisitely designed stationery online today!
Booking your wedding makeup artist is a very similar process to choosing your wedding hairstylist. Check out our guide on booking your wedding hairstylist to find out how to determine the style you want to go for, find vendors who cater to that style and finally screen them to find the perfect stylist/makeup artist.
In this guide, we are going to outline the key questions that you should be asking potential makeup artists. This is the only part which differs slightly from booking a hairstylist:
1. Do you specialise in wedding makeup?
Make sure you go for a makeup artist who has worked on weddings before. A fashion makeup artist has different expertise and may not be as familiar with wedding make up.
2. Can you do bridesmaids/mother-of-bride makeup also?
If you have other guests from your wedding party getting ready with you on the morning of your wedding, ask if the makeup artist can do their makeup too?
3. Do you offer wedding hairstyling?
Many makeup artists also do wedding hair. You may not want to use the same person for both however as this can increase the time it takes to get ready. If you have bridesmaids getting ready with you too, 1 person doing both hair and makeup could be a challenge.
4. Do you work on location?
Before booking your wedding makeup artist or hairstylist, you need to decide where you will be getting ready on the morning of your wedding. This could be at home, at a hotel or at the wedding venue. Most makeup artists will be willing to travel to you on your wedding day(although some may not). Having your makeup done in the same place you are getting ready is much easier and less stressful as you don’t need to consider travel arrangements. Check if they charge travel costs as you may not have accounted for them. If you are getting ready at home, ask the makeup artist if they require a certain amount of space for their equipment so you can prepare for this in advance.
5. Do you offer a makeup trial?
This is a deal breaker. You need to get a makeup trial prior to your wedding. The great thing about the trial is that you can feedback areas of the makeup that you don’t like to the makeup artist to allow them to amend this on the wedding day.
6. How would you like me to prepare for the make-up trial?
Ask if they have any specific requirements of you for the makeup trial? They may want you to leave your hair un-styled or ask you to bring some accessories that you will be wearing on the wedding day.
7. What makeup brands do you use?
Do some research on the brands they use and make sure they are not going to irritate your skin on the day of your wedding!
This is especially important if you have sensitive skin. Ask them how they have dealt with previous clients who had sensitive skin.
8. What if you are unwell on the wedding day?
It’s a horrible question but what happens if they can’t make it on the day of your wedding? Check if they have a backup option. You don’t want to end up with no makeup artist on your wedding day.
Getting engaged can be an overwhelming feeling, and rightly so. You’re about to embark on the journey of a lifetime (let alone all the planning!). So to help you stay on track and stress free, Bridebook.co.uk, home of the UK’s #1 Wedding Planning App, is imparting our wedding planning insights to you to help you set off on the right foot.
Announce Your Engagement (of course)
Call your close family and friends, or gather them together to tell them the big news. You may want to host an engagement party, but just remember to tell the most important people first before they hear it from someone else! Have a look at some more creative ideas here: 6 Ways To Announce Your Engagement
Insure Your Engagement Ring
Believe it or not, insuring the ring is rarely thought about after an engagement with all the excitement of the proposal. It will be your most prized possession and is likely to be worth a lot, so take care of it and get it insured! Also remember to get it properly sized – you really don’t want to lose it!
Set a Potential Date
One of the most commonly asked questions people will ask you once you’re engaged is ‘When’s the wedding then?’ Talk to your new fiance about what season you’d like to get married in and work out how long it will take you to plan the wedding to decide what month and year your prospective date will be.
Location, Location, Location
You will need to pick where you’d like your big day to take place. Would you like it near your hometown, or will you choose a destination holiday? It is important to decide this now as lots of things will change depending on where you host your wedding. Luckily for you, Bridebook has the UK’s largest wedding venue and supplier directory so finding your perfect venue has never been easier.
Budget
Decide on a budget early on so you and your husband-to-be can work within it the whole time. Use Bridebook’s free wedding budget calculator to get a personalised break down of how much you should be spending on what, all depending on your overall goal budget. There is room for compromise though, so if you spend less money on one area, you could assign the spare cash to indulge on something else!
Start Daydreaming!
The fun part is dreaming up all the ideas of your perfect day. Have some fun with it, collect all your ideas so you can remember them, and you could even create a wedding blog to share your visions with others!
Book Your Priorities
The wedding venue is likely to be the first thing you book, but don’t forget about that band that you fell in love with and have to have play on your special day. Lots of wedding vendors are booked up well in advance, sometimes a couple of years ahead, so if there’s one or two things you know you can’t be without on the day, book them now! And no matter what you’re looking for, don’t forget to check out Bridebook’s easily searchable wedding supplier directory.
Keep Your Wedding Planning Simple
To reduce the stress of planning your day, try to be organised and enlist the help of your friends and family if need be. The easiest way of preparing is to use Bridebook.co.uk, our free wedding planning site that allows you to keep everything (vendors, budget, guestlist) in one place and personal to you. You can then focus on enjoying your engagement and dreaming up your special day!
We won’t lie to you – choosing your wedding party can be a daunting task. How do you pick the right people – the people you actually want to pick – without offending others who thought they’d make the cut? You don’t want to end up with twenty bridesmaids, half of whom you don’t even know or like… But you also don’t want to insult your guests. We’re in tricky terrain – and navigating it requires the utmost tact and consideration. So let’s make it a little simpler for you. Here’s our guide to how to choose your wedding party – and how to let others down gently.
Put Yourself First!
The first thing to do is remember that your wedding day is about you and your fiancé – not your wedding party! Of course, you should want to keep your guests happy – but ultimately, who’s in your wedding party is up to you. Your wedding day only happens once, so you don’t want to regret having not chosen the people you really wanted. Make sure you and your partner are both happy with your choices as your wedding day is a memory you’ll cherish forever.
So our first piece of advice is to never choose someone for your wedding party purely out of obligation. At the same time, don’t be too harsh. Ruthlessly cutting people out is a sure way to lose friends, so give your decision the care and attention they deserve.
Family or Friends?
The next big decision is choosing between your family and your friends. It’s entirely possible that you’re closer to many of your friends than to your siblings – so you might find yourself wanting to fill your wedding party with friends rather than family. That’s absolutely fine! There’s no “right answer” to this question and the choice is completely up to you.
Our advice would be to do what feels right. It’s totally acceptable to only ask your friends – and many people do! But even if you’re not super close to your family, involving them can make your wedding day even more special. It also prevents you regretting not having asked them later down the line – especially if you’re not asking your sister right now because you had a minor tiff last Tuesday! For many people, their wedding is a celebration of two families coming together and of a new family being formed, so keeping the focus on family may well feel very natural.
Who Has Your Best Interests at Heart?
It’s super important to choose people who will truly be sharing your happiness on your wedding day. They should be happy you’re getting married, with no objections to your choice of fiancé. They also shouldn’t be jealous of you or have any negativity towards your big day in any way.
Now, it’s unfortunate but true that there are some people out there who might have these negative thoughts about your wedding. In some cases, you might still feel it’s important to have them in your wedding party. That’s okay! Just ask them with your best intentions and be led by what feels right to you throughout. Our advice here is just that – advice, not hard-and-fast instructions! When it comes to choosing your wedding party, the most important thing of all is this: follow your heart.
Even if you’re unable to choose the “perfect” wedding party, don’t worry about it too much or let it stress you out. We promise your wedding party isn’t what makes your wedding day the best day of your life – it’s just another ingredient in the recipe! Remember, no one bakes because they love the ingredients… They bake because they love the cake! You’re getting married to the love of your life – that’s what’s really important.
How to Let People Down Gently
Inevitably, there will be some people who expected to be part of your wedding party that won’t make the cut – and that means some potentially awkward conversations. Telling someone they didn’t make it into the final line up is never fun. If you do need to have those conversations, here’s a few tips on how to let them down gently:
Remind them that you could only choose a small number of people. That meant making difficult decisions.
Have your reasons ready for why you chose somebody else before them. You might have known them longer, gone through something important together, and so on. That said, while this can be appropriate or even necessary, our advice is to avoid giving reasons if at all possible.
The easiest way to soften the blow is to invite them to be involved in your wedding in another way. They might not be at the top table with you and your new spouse but you can still make them feel appreciated. Consider seating them at table one or inviting them to your dress fitting with you.
Be nice! This a situation that demands care and consideration – and a little kindness goes a long way.
At the end of the day, the number one thing to remember is that your wedding day is about you. At the same time, your wedding party isn’t the be-all and end-all of the day so the people in it don’t necessarily need to be your first choices. It’s about finding a balance between making yourself happy and not offending your friends and family. So the best advice we can give? Go with your heart.
Are you suffering from wedding planning stress? Struggling to motivate yourself to just… get on with it? We’ve all been there. There’s just too much to do – and you don’t want to do any of it! Or you do, but you just… kind of… can’t? Well, never fear. Here’s our guide to getting back on track.
The Two-Minute Rule
The two-minute rule is a productivity technique used by high-flyers everywhere. To put it simply: if it’ll take less than two minutes, do it now!
A big reason you might be procrastinating your wedding planning is because you’re overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the task at hand. And we get it! But the two-minute rule means you start with the easiest tasks first – and once you’ve gotten them out the way, it’ll be easier to continue. An object in motion stays in motion unless something stops it, according to Isaac Newton. So does a wedding planner! So once you’ve started, it’ll be easier to continue.
But enough physics. Let’s get back to weddings. Choose an easy task like responding to an email from a photographer or sending an enquiry to a venue (hint: it’s as easy as clicking a button on your Bridebook!) and get that done. Feel the rush of ticking a task off your to-do list… then do another one!
Don’t Wait For Motivation
Waiting for motivation to strike is a risky game to play. We often hear people (*cough* ourselves *cough*) say, “I just don’t feel motivated to – .” But do you think an athlete jumps out of bed every morning, delighted to lace up their running shoes at 5am? Are they beaming as they step out into the cold, knowing everyone else is still tucked up in bed? We’re pretty sure the answer is, “Absolutely not.” Some people are naturally more driven than others but nobody is motivated all the time.
So what’s the athlete’s secret? It’s not that they have motivation – it’s that they have a goal. They know what they need to do – and they do it, regardless of how they feel. No waiting for motivation to strike.
The same goes for you and your wedding planning. Think about your wedding day as the goal. You don’t need to wait for motivation – you’ve got a wedding to plan! These tasks need to be done and no one else is going to do them. In fact, you’re going to do them so well that if those tasks could look at themselves in the mirror, they’d feel foolish because of how well you’re going to do them! You’re going to boss them! You’re going to smash it! Those tasks won’t even know what hit them!
… You get the picture. We might have gotten a little carried away there. Motivation struck.
Little But Often
What’s that? You’re sitting down once a week to face down a forty-task-long to-do list, three pots of coffee and an entire Victoria sponge in hand? Okay, now we get why you don’t want to plan your wedding. But we’ve got a simple solution. Set aside thirty minutes each night. Just thirty minutes. That’s just one rerun of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ worth of planning. Now turn the TV off, get focused and dedicate yourself to your planning. Doesn’t that feel better?
Breaking your planning down into small chunks of time makes it much less daunting than trying to do it all in one mega planning session. Plus, doing it little and often makes it easier to stay on top of everything as you can remember what you did the day before, instead of having to cast your mind back a week or two. Get into a routine and stick to it. Once you see how much progress you’re making, you’ll be on a roll!
So there you have it: three easy ways to beat the wedding planning blues! We’re sure you’ll have blitzed through your to-do list in no time. And remember – you can always stay on track with your Bridebook checklist. It shows you exactly what you need to do and when you need to do it to have your dream day planned quicker than you can say, “I do!”
You’re engaged – massive congratulations! Soon enough you’ll be strutting down that aisle looking incredible. Before we start talking weddings though, you want to tell people about your fab news. We’ve compiled a few ways you can let people know what’s happened to sound excited but not rub-it-in-your-face-y. (And just because you’re not talking weddings publicly yet, doesn’t mean you can’t start planning! We’ve got the UK’s #1 Wedding Planning App and a whole host of super useful and free wedding planning tools to help. Let the planning commence!)
Word-Of-Mouth
The best way to announce the news to your loved ones is by telling them in person. You don’t want the news spreading elsewhere before you’ve told the most important people! They will pick up on your excitement and feel included in the moment.
Publish It
Go old skool and get your engagement published in your local newspaper. Not only will your whole town get to hear about the big news, but your older relatives will be impressed!
Take To Social Media
Post on Facebook, Instagram or other social media sites to get the word out! Don’t forget a cute proposal photo showing off your ring, and of course, make it official by changing your relationship status to ‘engaged’!
Capture The Moment
If you managed to get photos or videos of your proposal, why not upload them? It will give an intimate edge to your engagement and allow your friends and relative to feel almost like they were there to witness your special moment in time.
Get Creative
Write your news in the sand, create a timeline of your relationship, or even get your pet involved! No-one will be able to resist their ‘aww’s when they spot your pooch bearing a message of engagement on behalf of it’s humans!
Host an Engagement Party
Put pen to paper and formally invite your family and close friends to an engagement do. Add the finishing touch to your news with music, champers and making an entrance with your new fiancé!
As promised, we bring you part 1 of our That Girl’s bridal workout series. This workout is based on moves to help define and tone your legs and butt whilst getting your heart rate up . Each week we will bring you extracts from www.thatgirllondon.com, a fun intelligently designed workout series to help you feel better , look better and perform better.
Hot Tip! Receive 20% off your That Girl membership with discount code : bridebook20
How to do this routine: There are four moves in this workout , each 60 seconds long with 20 secs rest between each exercise . Aim to repeat the circuit 3 times through with 1 min – 2mins rest between circuits
TRAVELLING BOOTY SQUATS
Why she does it: For a strong butt, great legs and the hip mobility you need to squat. We ass a little co-ordination challenge in this one too. Repeat 6 in one direction and then travel back the way you came
Position: Feet are flat on the floor and a little wider than hip width with toes slightly turned outwards. Your arms are by your sides.
How she does it: With a straight spine, hinge at your hips to sit your butt back and downwards until your hips lower just below your knees and swing your arms forwards. Pulse in the squat for 2 counts and as you return to standing take a half turn to face the other direction . Repeat 6 in one direction and then travel back the way you came.
Hot tip: As you squat you really want to root down through your heels to send the work into your butt.
SQUAT KICKS
Why she does it: This one maybe low impact but it will still get your heart rate up, whilst working your butt, legs and abdominals.
Position: Feet are flat on the floor and a little wider than hip width with toes slightly turned outwards. Your hands are clasped in front of your chest.
How she does it: With a straight spine hinge at your hips to sit your butt back and downwards until your hips lower just below your knees, your weight is in your heels. Immediately return to standing kicking the right leg out to the side, a little above hip level if you can. Repeat on the left side.
Top Tip: I like to keep my hands clasped so I really work on balance and focus on my legs.
SINGLE LEG SIT-DOWNS
Why she does it: This unilateral movement challenges the difference between both legs. You will work on balance, co-ordination and strength
Position: You will need a study chair or bench. Standing tall, right heel close to the prop whilst your left leg is held out low and straight in front of you with the toes gently pointed. Both arms are stretched out at shoulder level.
How she does it: Hinge your hips backwards to lower your sit bones to touch the prop without actually sitting down. To return really focus on rooting down through the right heel as you come back to standing. Split your 60 secs into 30 secs each leg.
Hot tip: The right knee should track inline with your toes rather than caving inwards or buckling outwards.
SQUAT JUMPS
REPEAT 15-20
Why she does it: Great cardio boost to rev up your leg workout up whilst still maintaining muscle tone.
Position: Feet are a little wider than hip width with toes slightly turned outwards. Your hands are together in front of your chest. Gaze is forwards.
How she does it: Keeping your spine in neutral hinge your hips backwards as if to sit on a chair keeping your hands clasped in front of your chest. From your lowest point root down through your heels to return yourself back to the start position using your arms to assist the movement.
Repeat the squat but this time from your lowest point explosively jump up vertically as high as you can. Land back into the squat position to complete one rep.
Hot tip: Be mindful to use your whole foot to jump and not just your toes.
Depending on the style you’re going for, chances are there’ll be a vast array of different flower arrangements at your wedding. The list includes bouquets, centrepieces, boutonnières, welcome arrangements, altar arrangements, bridesmaids’ bouquets, wedding cake flowers… and the list goes on. There’s nothing quite as lovely as wedding flowers and the joy and spectacle they bring.
Some couples won’t have a budget anywhere near the national average or want to spend over a grand on flowers, but still want to have beautiful blooms at their wedding. If this is you, there are still plenty of options out there for you.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at all the ways you can save money on wedding flowers while still making sure your venue is full of gorgeous florals.
A wedding is a fabulous occasion, and like many celebrations, flowers are the go-to decorative item for adding colour, luxury and elegance. Flowers are also a popular symbol of love, which is why they’re so perfect for a wedding.
As a result, many couples love to use flowers throughout their big day, from the moment their guests arrive at the ceremony to the moment they leave the reception. And because they play such a prominent role, the price of wedding flowers can be somewhat on the high side.
But why exactly are they so expensive? There are plenty of reasons why you may pay a premium for wedding flowers, most notably:
Volume – From bouquets to boutonnières, many different flower arrangements feature in a wedding
Quality – When it comes to weddings, florists often use the crème de la crème of flowers
Service – Bespoke florals will involve a personalised design process and conceptualisation to bring your vision to life
Details – It’s not just about the flowers – think vases, vessels, ribbons, even props – everything you need to create a gorgeous display
Availability – Most flowers are seasonal, particularly in the UK, so it can be expensive to import certain flowers
Expertise – Florists use their skill and experience designing show-stopping arrangements
Time – Wedding flowers often take a lot of time to design and arrange
Delivery – Your florist will need to deliver and set up your flowers at the venue
Whether or not you have flowers at your wedding is entirely your decision. It all depends on your budget, your style and – ultimately – your preference. While there’s nothing written in stone that says you need to have flowers at your wedding, your guests will likely notice if you choose not to have them.
Flowers are one of the biggest wedding traditions there is, and the pure presence of flowers denotes elegance and love. That said, there could be several reasons for not wanting to have flowers at your wedding, for example, due to allergies, or you simply aren’t interested in anything floral.
Wedding flowers are a big expense, but they’re a non-negotiable for many couples. If you do choose to have flowers at your wedding, but don’t want to spend an amount even close to the UK average, then there are ways around it. Below are 15 ways you can save money on wedding flowers.
Choose flowers with big heads where possible. Not only do they look stunning, but the bigger the flowerhead, the fewer stems you need to fill out an arrangement, which means you’ll also generally spend less money.
For example, for every peony or hydrangea you have in an arrangement, you would need two or three roses to fill up the same amount of space. The bigger the flowers, the less you’ll spend in the long run.
Flowers like roses, carnations and tulips symbolise love, which makes them popular choices for floral arrangements. That means they can also be quite pricey, as demand is high. Instead, why not consider flowers which are both beautiful but which aren’t commonly seen at weddings, such as chrysanthemums, daisies and Peruvian lilies?
Be a trendsetting bride and instead of full bouquets, give your bridesmaids corsages to wear on their wrists or boutonnières to fix onto a neckline or waistband. It will leave their hands free (to fluff out your dress if need be) and provide the perfect accessory for their outfits. Not to mention it will save you a lot of money, especially if you have four or five bridesmaids.
Use flowers as your focal points. Positioning some at the bar and on the central table will draw the eye and let you get away with much smaller pieces on the other tables. This will make the room seem full to the brim with floral decoration, whereas actually, you’ve just been clever with how you use them. The key is to position them in a way that works for them and the space.
We may have already mentioned that bigger blooms can be more cost-effective, but if you’re going for a minimalist and sophisticated theme, then that can also be a great way to save some money. Instead of having big bunches of flowers on every table, try putting single stems in tall elegant vases as eye-catching centrepieces. Because of the impressive height, the room will still look decorated throughout, but this way you’ll use fewer stems and your guests will be able to truly appreciate the flowers you’ve hand-selected.
Roses are fabulous flowers which work well like this, but speak to your florist about which flowers will fit best within your specific budget.
Did you know you can still have flowers even if you don’t want real ones? Switching real flowers for faux or paper-made flowers works a treat and can cost less than the real deal. For example, at Paper Bouquets here on Bridebook, prices start from as low as £8! As an added bonus, you’ll have gorgeous floral paper creations to treasure long after the big day itself. For an extra touch of personalisation, you can also tie it to your wedding theme by making flowers from pages out of your favourite book or sheet music from your wedding playlist.
To save even more cash, you might want to consider making some paper flowers yourself. It’s not like they’ll wilt over time, so if you start early enough you should be able to make plenty. There are loads of paper flower tutorial videos on YouTube to get you started. Though these are unlikely to rival the masterful creations of a professional, if cheap flowers are your no. 1 priority, then the DIY approach can be both cost-effective and fun!
After the wedding ceremony, your bridesmaids will probably have little use for their bouquets, so why not make them work extra hard and reuse them at the reception? Place them at certain focal points, or even use them as centrepieces on some of the tables. It’s unlikely that your guests will even notice!
The time of year at which you’re getting married can have a big influence over the cost of your flowers, particularly if there are specific flowers you have in mind, because seasonality plays a huge part in cost. For example, peonies, when not in season, can be four times more expensive than roses. This includes cabbage roses, which look almost exactly the same.
To keep costs down, choose flowers that are in bloom during the time of year when your wedding is taking place, for example:
You might not have to as much much money on flowers if you choose a venue that has plenty of floral beauty of its own. An inner-city hotel might need a little extra help in the flower department, whereas a countryside manor will likely have landscaped gardens, wonderful artwork and stunning decor which means you won’t need to rely on having many flowers to add any additional beauty.
Depending on the number of groomsmen and bridesmaids you and your partner will have, one thing that bumps up the cost is the number of boutonnières and corsages you’ll need. Two ways to reduce costs is by cutting them altogether or getting creative to bring those costs down. Why not design your own with faux or paper flowers? Or you could pick them up for less than £2 each by using a website like TEMU or Wish. Just make sure you know what you’re willing to compromise on (obviously cheap alternatives to professionally-crafted florals are unlikely to match the quality and design of the real deal).
While flowers are beautiful and vibrant, and can make for some truly breathtaking displays, the more you have in an arrangement, the more you’ll have to pay. So, why not fill some of that space with a little greenery, instead? More greenery, like ruscus and baby’s breath, can bring new textures and shapes to an arrangement and accentuate the flowers so that they pop even more. Not to mention it will help keep the costs of your flowers down. Win win!
Dried bouquets are versatile and unique, and work whether you’re going for a vintage or more modern style at your wedding. They’re also more affordable due to the fact they last far longer than fresh flowers. Not only that, but you’ll be able to take them home afterwards and they’ll last for months, or even years. Dried florals works particularly well if you’re going with a rustic venue.
Fancy yourself as something of a gardener with particularly well-attended flower beds at home? If so, you might consider putting together some arrangements of your own? Or, if you’re not quite that adventurous, you could take just a few single stems, such as from a rose bush, to use in tall vases that would work as simple, yet elegant and highly personal, centrepieces on each table.
As always with the DIY approach, remember that there’s always a risk. Growing and then designing your own bouquets will be no mean feat, and won’t come with the same level of service and quality as working with a professional florist. Your flowers might not turn out exactly as you wanted them or your bouquets might not come together as you’d envisaged them, and they might get damaged on the day, either in transit or at the venue itself. So, carefully weigh up whether saving money is your no. 1 priority, or if you’d rather go for a more hands-off and stress-free approach (which will of course come at a cost).
When searching for a florist to design your flower arrangements for your wedding, make sure you choose one that is local to you. If you choose one based on price alone, you may be in for an unwelcome surprise when it comes to the cost of delivery and setup. Make sure you double-check the catchment area of the florist you hire so you don’t pay any additional delivery costs.
The only exception to this rule is if your wedding is taking place in London. Hiring a London-based florist is often more expensive than hiring one from outside the capital. So, if sticking to a tight budget is important to you, we recommend comparing prices to see if it’s worth hiring one that has to travel a little further, as it could save you money. Just remember to get plenty of quotes and weigh up which offers the best value for money.
Almost all of the big-name supermarkets sell decent flowers, and if you (or someone you trust with the job) get there early enough on the day, you’ll have a reasonable selection to choose from. You might not want a bunch of supermarket flowers as your bouquet or centrepieces, but they can work well as welcome flowers or accents, and are considerably cheaper than the flowers you’d get from a florist. Though they won’t match the quality or complexity of design of a bespoke creation, they’re a valid choice if you’re on a tight budget.
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Whether you’ve dreamed of yourself in a beautiful, flowing white dress since you were five-years-old, or you’ve only started to even consider it post-ring, the bridal dress is often a major component of a wedding. There are so many styles available that searching for and trying on dresses can be a long, fun and exciting journey for both the bride and the entire bridal party.
Many wedding dresses are made with premium materials and involve complex and intricate designs. As a result, the perfect dress naturally comes with a corresponding premium price tag. In the UK, the average amount spent on a wedding dress is £1,300, though it can often be double or even triple this. When you consider that the average cost of a wedding is £20,775, this may sound like a lot, but it’s proportionate with the cost of many other professional wedding services, including photographers and videographers.
However, there are plenty of ways to save money on a wedding dress. In this post, we’re going to explore the tips and tricks you can use to help you stick to your budget while still getting to wear a gorgeous gown on your big day.
Wedding dresses come with a premium price tag for several reasons:
They’re made using very high-quality materials
They can come with complex and intricate adornments
They’re often handmade by a highly skilled and experienced dressmaker
They’re highly customised both in terms of style and fit
It’s tempting to choose a well-known, high-end designer to mark the occasion
They usually involve tailored service and consultations to get it just right
As well as these, wedding dresses have great sentimental value and are massively important to many brides. As a result, many brides-to-be are willing to pay premium prices to get the dress of their dreams. After all, this isn’t any old day. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, which deserves an outfit like no other.
Do you need to wear a bridal dress on your wedding day?
While a white dress is traditionally worn by a bride in western countries specifically, you by no means have to wear one on your own wedding day. What you wear at your wedding is down to you, the style and theme of your wedding, and any religious traditions you may wish to stick to.
A white dress may be what many brides choose to wear, but there are plenty who don’t and opt for an alternative instead. Examples of these include:
A non-traditional dress, which may feature colours or be black
Religious or cultural attire, such as a saree, kimono or hanbok
Trouser suits or jumpsuits, which are stylish and modern but still elegant
A two-piece ensemble, such as a skirt and top
Many non-bridal dresses can also be expensive, but are often far more affordable than traditional dresses worn by brides in the West.
If you’re keen to wear a traditional dress on your big day, there are plenty of ways to save money if you’re willing to compromise a little. Below are 12 ways you can make a saving when buying your wedding dress. And for more tips, check out our ultimate guide to saving money on your wedding.
Have you always wanted a stunning Vera Wang gown to get married in but aren’t sure your budget can stretch that far? Well, did you know that most wedding dress designers have a cheaper line available at bargain prices? That means you can go to your favourite designer and not have to break the bank to buy a dress. And for reference, for Vera Wang, it’s the White collection.
2. Look out for sample sales
When it comes to gorgeous designer gowns, boutiques and designers themselves will host sample sales at the end of seasons. You can find some absolute gems hidden among the endless racks; so as long as you’re willing to forego the typical bridal boutique shopping experience and service, they’re definitely worth it. Contrary to what some believe, the dresses are rarely permanently damaged – although they sometimes come with minor easily repairable flaws. In sample sales, all sales are final, which means no returns – so inspect your potential dress carefully for any imperfections before you buy.
Why not consider a preloved gown from a local charity shop? Remember, most brides will only wear their dress once and only for half a day, so the majority of the dresses you’ll find in a charity shop will be as good as new. It’s also a lovely sentiment to wear a dress that’s previously given so much joy to a happy couple. The only thing to bear in mind is that it’s unlikely you’ll find a dress that fits you perfectly, so you’ll have to take it for alterations and be prepared to compromise.
A great tip to save some pennies is to buy a dress that’s made ready to wear. It may need a little bit of tweaking, which can ramp up the cost, but the price of an off-the-hanger dress will generally be much lower than that of a made-to-measure gown. This approach can also save time, as it doesn’t require many months of creation and fittings. That said, if the creation and fitting experience is important to you, and you want a bespoke gown, you can’t expect to pay cheap off-the-rack prices. That level of service, and quality, is naturally going to cost. So it’s important to weigh up what’s most important to you when shopping around.
If you’re having a vintage-themed wedding, vintage shops are great places to find stunning dresses in a great variety of styles. In fact, you might not even buy a dress that was intended for a wedding at all. White Gatsby-esque evening dresses can look just as impressive as a specially made gown. When browsing, make sure to check the dresses for signs of wear and tear (especially on the hem and the armpits) and think of any potential alterations you might want to make ahead of buying. Then, you can put your bridesmaids in dresses of a complementary style.
This one might be a bit of a stretch, but if you happen to know a fantastic seamstress or dressmaker, you’re one lucky bride. It’s sometimes cheaper to have a dress made by a seamstress (especially if they’re not that experienced), and even more so if you ask for mates’ rates.
Many high-street retailers, like John Lewis and Next, have a beautiful range of bridal dresses that are fabulous, elegant and – most importantly, if you’re on a budget – affordable. Dresses from popular high-street brands can cost as low as £60, but make sure you shop early in case you need to take it for minor alterations. And again, weigh up your priorities, and manage your expectations. A high-street dress is unlikely to rival a bespoke custom-made designer dress, but if you’re on a budget, may be the best option for you personally.
It might not be something you immediately think of as an option, but did you know that, along with wedding suits, you can also rent wedding dresses? If you’re excited to wear a gorgeous, flowing dress but can’t stretch your budget enough to cover the cost, renting can get you into that perfect bridal gown. The only downside is that you’ll have to give it back, so won’t be able to hold on to it for sentimental reasons. Plus, just make sure you’re aware of the return policy, because if you return it late, the fees can sting.
As we’ve already covered, one of the reasons wedding dresses can be so expensive is because of the high-quality materials and craftsmanship that go into creating them. So, one great way to lower the cost is by choosing a dress with a simple or minimalist design. The fewer intricate details there are, the less work it will generally take, which can help keep costs down.
Sometimes it can be more affordable to hire a seamstress – particularly if it’s a seamstress with less experience. Of course, a seamstress with decades of experience will produce a fantastic dress, but it will come at a price. By using a less-experienced and local seamstress, you’ll get a beautiful bespoke dress but not have to pay as much. Also, if they’re local (and outside of London) you won’t have to pay for shipping or as many travel costs.
Online retailers, such as ASOS, can have a wide range of dresses to suit a selection of tastes, styles and budgets. The cost of a dress will often start around £100, but if you keep your eye out for a sale you might be able to pick up a stunning dress for as much as half this amount. The main risk is that you might not like it as much in person as you did when you saw the images, so make sure you know the returns policy before purchasing.
And again, the quality is not going to match a custom-made ensemble, in the same way that the experience of browsing online will be vastly different to trying on dresses in an independent boutique with your bridal party. Part of the service involved in choosing a bridal boutique is getting fitted by a professional with years of experience and benefiting from their expert advice through tailored, one-on-one consultations. But if a finding a cheap and serviceable dress is your only priority, this is of course a perfectly reasonable option.
Know you absolutely want to wear a certain dress, which means that renting, borrowing or buying online are out of the question? You can still splurge and buy an extravagant dress, because there’s always the option of selling your dress once you’re done. Unless you’re particularly sentimental or want to pass it on as an heirloom, sites such as Vinted, Stillwhite or even Facebook Marketplace are great. You more than likely won’t get your money back, but you could still get a huge chunk of it, which you could then reinvest into your honeymoon.
The Expected Timeline of Pippa Middleton’s Wedding Day
The TWO-venue extravaganza is expected to last over 22 hours!
Bridebook.co.uk, the UK’s leading wedding planning app, has helped thousands of couples plan their wedding day to perfection. Here is how we believe Pippa’s big day will run like clockwork:
6.00am – Hair and makeup
Pippa and her bridesmaids will be up early to start their beauty regimes with a team of 2 stylists to work on Pippa’s hair and makeup, and an additional 2 or so team members for the mothers of the bride and groom, and the bridal party.
9.00am – Usher’s breakfast
James and his groomsmen gather in their tails for the Usher’s breakfast. Likely to be in a local pub or at one of their hotels. A Scottish whiskey shot at the end to send them on their way.
9.30am – Flowergirls and pageboys arrive
The flowergirls and pageboys, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte, arrive at Englefield House, the house where the Bridal party will be staying to get ready.
10.30am – Guests begin to arrive
Ushers need to be at the ready for the arrival of the guests and co-ordinating the seating. James will likely be outside greeting guests on arrival to keep any nerves at bay.
11.30am – The bride arrives and marriage service begins
Pippa travels the short distance from the spectacular Englefield house in their wedding transport with her parents, and bridal party . The doors to the Church will be closed before Pippa enters ready to walk down the aisle with her father, everyone catching the first glimpse of the glorious bride and dress before the ceremony begins. Only 150 of the closest family and friends will be present for a traditional wedding service led by the Rev Nick Wynne-Jones.
12.45pm – They’re married!
Pippa and James walk down the aisle as the new Mr and Mrs Matthews! There may be some formal lineup photos at the church whilst guests wait outside.
1.00pm – Church Departure
Guests will be set up for a picture perfect confetti throw. Key friends and family positioned close to the entrance of the church, a flower arch around the entrance, and biodegradable flower petal confetti.
1.30pm – Guests arrive for drinks reception at Englefield House
Pippa, James and guests will walk to nearby Englefield House (with umbrellas at the ready) for the first and more intimate drinks reception at the home of a ceremony guest and close family friend, Conservative MP Richard Benyon.
1.45pm- The Englefield House drinks reception
The first drinks reception will run with champagne and light canapes. Music will be provided, potentially a bagpipe performance as a nod to James’ Scottish heritage. This is the opportunity for Pippa and James to personally greet and chat with their closest guests.
2.15pm – Father of the Bride speech
Michael Middleton will welcome the guests and deliver his Father of the Bride speech to this more intimate gathering, on a stage built especially for speech delivery. It is likely James will deliver his main speech then too or wait to do it in the evening with the other speeches.
3pm – All guests depart
The time provided for guests to return home to change into specially-requested second outfits and prepare for the festivities ahead at the Middleton family home.
3pm-5pm – Photos and Outfit change
Pippa and James will have this time to take private photos with their photographer in the grounds of the Englefield house, relax and spend quality time together alone. They will then both change into their evening’s outfits, with Pippa having her makeup redone and her hair style changed for the evening.
5pm – Evening Reception at the Middleton Family Home
The ceremony guests head to the Middleton family home joined by 200 additional evening guests. It is likely some elderly ceremony guests may not join for the evening. A champagne drinks reception will happen throughout the gorgeous Middleton garden, or within the spectacular glass marquee if the weather is not ideal.
5.30pm – Mr & Mrs Matthews’ Grand Arrival
Having travelled from Englefield house in a fleet of Bentleys, Pippa and James will be joining the guests with a dramatic entrance as Pippa reveals her second dress of the evening.
6.15PM – Spitfire flyby
A flyby of two vintage WW2 Spitfires are expected to wow the guests out on the lawn. Clear umbrellas will likely be provided for all the guests, so that regardless of wet weather they can still enjoy the flyby.
6.30pm – Guests called through for dinner
The Master of Ceremony will call everyone through into the incredible glass marquee to find their tables and be seated for dinner, with the wedding party taking their seats at the top table.
7pm – Dinner begins
An extravagant four-course dinner by top caterers The Admirable Crichton is served which is expected to have predominant Scottish themes throughout. The 15-chefs and up to 70 staff will be streaming out of the huge connected catering marquee to ensure everything is perfect.
The rest of the wedding speeches, including Best Man and Groom speeches, will take place between the 3rd and 4th course, and before the cutting of the cake.
9.45pm – Cutting of the cake and First Dance
Mr and Mrs Matthews stand to do the ceremonial cake cutting, potentially with a saber for ceremonial gravitas. Guests will gather around the dance floor for the couple’s first dance.
10.00pm – Party begins with 1st band
Bars will open by the dance floor serving champagne and signature cocktails. Begin playing as guests continue drinking and socialising as the party heats up.
10.30pm – Cake and Cheese available for guests
The caterers will have laid out the cut up wedding cake and platters of luxury cheese in a separate space for guests to eat as and when they like.
12.00am– DJ and Late Night Food
The entertainment shifts to a DJ for the late night partiers. The caterers will also provide late night food and midnight treats to help keep the guests going. These midnight treats are likely to be scottish and british-themed comfort food.
1am to 4am – Carriages
Some guests will be leaving as soon as 1am, with others likely to stay until the early morning hours.
For further information, interviews and images please contact
Harriet or Sarah-Jane at Harriet Hunt Communications
harriet@harriethunt.com sarahjane@harriethunt.com
T: 0208 871 2246 M: 07886 96908
Notes To Editor:
Bridebook.co.uk is the UK’s leading wedding planning platform with over 40,000 couples currently planning their weddings on the website and app.
Launched in 2016, Bridebook.co.uk‘s state-of-the-art wedding planning toolkit with personalised Wedding Checklist, Wedding Budgeter and Wedding Guestlist Manager, enables couples to plan their entire wedding from any device, anytime, anywhere, all in one place…for free. With over 70,000 wedding venues and suppliers in its directory, Bridebook.co.uk increases the digital presence of industry professionals and connects them directly with local couples. Bridebook.co.uk has also partnered with leading experts such as Mary Berry, Bobbi Brown and Jimmy Choo to provide genuine expert advice and inspiration to its couples. Bridebook.co.uk was founded by Hamish Shephard, an industry professional and recently married groom who used Bridebook.co.uk to plan his own May 2016 wedding. Visit Bridebook.co.uk online and the Bridebook.co.uk App on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
Depending on your plans for the big day, you may end up spending a fair amount of time in the back of a car. You might travel from home to the venue, then to have photographs taken, then to the breakfast, then be whisked off with your new spouse at the end of the night.
So, you might be keen to hire a luxurious car to be transported from A to B like royalty. Or, you might want to hire a bus so you and your entire wedding party can get around without having to worry about driving and parking.
But, there are ways to save money so you don’t have to spend anything close to the average. In this post, we’re going to explore the many ways you can save money on wedding transport and can still arrive at your wedding in style.
There are plenty of options available to hire fabulous wedding transport but pay way less than the average. Among the most affordable are modern, luxury cars, such as a Mercedes Benz S-Class or a Jaguar XJ.
Many wedding transport providers have rates that start from as low as £100, such as DS Executive Cars in High Wycombe, Classic Bridal Cars in Wirral and Kent and Coastal Wedding Cars in Whitstable. Each has a range of vehicles available, and provides further savings by offering discounts exclusive to Bridebook.
Have your eye on a specific type of car or vehicle but looking for some ideas to cut costs? Below are 12 ways you can save money on wedding transport. You can also read our comprehensive guide on how to save money on your wedding for even more ways to slash spending for your big day.
Wedding cars can be quite pricey, especially if the distance between the pick up and drop off locations is far. Many wedding transport companies will charge a per-mile surcharge if they have to travel outside of their usual level of service.
If you’re getting married in a church, try having it close to home or not too far from your reception venue. Factor this in when you’re searching for your perfect venue, because the further you have to travel, the more it’ll cost you for transport.
You can cut transport costs right down by hiring a venue that allows you to have the ceremony, breakfast and reception all in one. You’ll make further savings if your venue also doubles as a hotel, so you don’t have to jump in the car again at the end of the night.
Got an uncle who spends all his time tinkering with his E-Type Jaguar in the garage? Give him the opportunity to show it off and drive you to the venue. Calling in a favour with someone you know who has an extra special car is a brilliant way to save money and also give them a unique role in your wedding. Just make sure the car they have has a big enough back seat to fit you and your partner at the end of the night!
If a vintage or luxurious modern car isn’t necessarily for you, you may be able to save money by going for more alternative and quirky options. If you’re having a countryside wedding, why not climb into a tractor for your last drive as a single person? Or if your brother is a fireman, why not arrive at your venue in a fire engine for a more explosive entrance? Ask around and see what you can get that’s one-of-a-kind (and inexpensive).
For your grand exit at the end of the reception, consider forgoing a luxury vehicle and simply hiring a taxi. The experience might not be quite the same, but if your priority is to keep costs down at all costs, this can often be a more affordable option, costing a fraction of the price of a luxury mode of transport. If you’re having a London wedding, taxis are an iconic car choice in themselves. You will want to secure a fixed rate to avoid any last-minute hidden surprises or extra fees on the day (due to unforeseen traffic, for example).
For an example of what you might pay, prices at Wedding Taxis in Greater London start from as low as £30 – you can’t argue with costs that low.
During the most popular seasons (April through to September), and on the busiest days of the week (Fridays and the weekend), vendors’ rates will be at their most expensive – this includes transport. So, to keep costs down across your entire wedding, consider getting married during the quieter winter months in the middle of the week. If you do, you’ll pay significantly less, and will be able to get much more for your budget.
Make sure you hire from a local company, because part of their quote will include the miles they drive before you even get in the vehicle. With fuel as expensive as it is, you can expect to pay less if a vendor is based a couple of miles away compared to one that takes an hour to get to you.
The only exception to this is if you’re in London. Vendors based in the capital often have rates that are higher than those elsewhere, so it’s worth browsing from a range of companies and comparing their rates. Check out our huge list of wedding transport providers to find fantastic options near you.
You might expect vintage wedding cars to be expensive, but they’re actually fairly budget-friendly. Costs generally start from around £250, so you can ride in the back of a vintage VW, Rolls Royce or Bentley and still pay way under the UK average. Great vintage wedding car companies include Bridal Carriages in Northamptonshire, Splitty Wedding Hire in Hampshire and EWC Wedding Cars in Essex.
When you know your date and you’ve secured your venue, make it your mission to book your transport as far in advance as possible. The more popular and affordable options will soon get booked up, so you could end up paying more than you’ve budgeted for. And, if you book far enough in advance, many vendors offer early bird rates.
Ask friends and family for recommendations on which company they used when they got married. That way, not only can you be confident that you’ve hired a dependable service, but it can also be a great way to secure a discount. Another option is to browse the range of wedding transport we have here at Bridebook. Many vendors offer exclusive discounts if you book through Bridebook, so it’s worth taking a look – you could save a lot of money.
If you only need to use the services of a car and chauffeur for a certain number of hours, make sure you book an hourly rate, rather than a daily rate. A day rate will be much more expensive and you’ll end up paying way more than you need to. Paying an hourly rate means you only pay for the time you use, meaning you don’t waste any of your precious budget.
If a vendor doesn’t appear to offer an hourly rate, ask them for one. Chances are they’ll be happy to give you a quote.
As the saying goes, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Before securing your booking, ask your chosen company if they’d be happy to offer a discount. Just because they quote you a certain price doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. Business owners often expect a bit of back and forth, so will may well have a bit of wiggle room that allows them to lower the price. Even just a tiny discount can make all the difference when you’re planning something as extravagant as a wedding.
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Here at Bridebook we are super lucky to have teamed up with the amazing ‘That Girl‘ to provide you with exclusive exercises to help achieve that dream wedding body. Before we get started let’s meet Christina Howells, one of the UK’s leading female trainers and co-founder of That Girl with Charli Cohen, London’s favourite fitness program.
Hot Tip! Receive 20% off your That Girl membership with discount code : bridebook20
Tell us about That Girl and how is it different from other fitness programs?
That Girl is different, and we are proud of our brand and what we offer. That Girl is of course great workouts all designed by me but we are more than just great workouts! That Girl is a holistic lifestyle approach addressing physical, mental and spiritual health. Sometime good training and nutrition isn’t enough to help someone make the changes they want but most plans don’t look at what else might be happening such as hormonal imbalances, excessive stress and low body confidence. That Girl is a community and we work alongside some of the best globally renowned experts in the wellbeing industry including London’s leading Life Coach, Jacqueline Hurst and nutritionist Robert Hobson. This enables us to meet more of our customers needs than ever.
When you join That Girl community or train with us in person we want it be one of the best deacons of your life and the best part is you will have finished your workout in the time it takes you to get to the gym and back.
You’re “the fashion industry’s favourite trainer” – what do you think it is about your training style that appeals to so many?
There are a number of things that I think appeal to my clients, certainly my intense passion to help both women and men achieve their results, my knowledge and experience and my ability to emphasise with each individuals world and work with their unique person they are. I remind my clients they are more than their measurements and together we focus on their health and well-being as well as body aesthetic. I help them to see “they can” by regressing an exercise to progress them to where they want to be.
One rule though, when you work with me exercise is a non-notable part of their day, it does not have to be the gym but it has to be movement and hopefully my enthusiasm becomes so infectious this becomes more of an enjoyable habit to my clients.
Do brides-to-be have to secure a personal trainer to get their dream body or can they have just as much success following online plans like yours?
There are so many free workouts on the web you certainly need to find a good structure if you want to get results. On line training is now far more advanced and some of the most sought after trainers in the industry offer online programmes, which allows you to train with the best at a fraction of the cost. Of course having a one to one trainer is still the ultimate but with plans like that girl that have supported systems such as our Facebook page and options to email for help you can get closer than ever to a one to one session. If you have the budget then yes a trainer is a fantastic experience and of course will always be more individualised.
What’s your favourite thing about your job, and in particular working with brides-to-be?
The best part about my job is I don’t feel like I go to work, as I love what I do and its part of my life. Brides usually have clear goals, which are a great start, but as a trainer it’s very important to help the bride to be to also focus on her health, stress reduction, eating nutritious food rather than extreme dieting and exercise. It’s about making long-term changes that last way beyond your wedding – they are for life.
What parts of the body do you get the most requests for help with by brides-to-be?
That depends a lot on the dress, at first the bride will come with her areas she is most concerned about which gives me a starting point and of course are important as this is hopefully the start of the new them. Once the dress is chosen I do adjust the training to ensure she looks the best she can on her big day.
If there was just one piece of advice you could give to brides-to-be looking to get fit and healthy for their wedding, what would it be?
Don’t focus on others and what they are doing or not doing but rather focus on you and what you need and want to achieve for you.
What is your favourite go to move you can do anywhere, anytime?
Lunges as you can do so many variations that you really do get to work the entire leg musculature and butt.
Don’t Forget! All Bridebook users receive a 20% discount with the code bridebook20
Here at Bridebook we tend to consider ourselves slightly tech obsessed (as is obvious from the super exciting state-of-the-art planning tools we created just for you!), so when we had a chance to chat with the modern stationary extraordinaires at Paperless Post we got very excited.
Leader in all things eco-friendly, forward thinking, and stylish, Paperless Post is the go-to for all couples who love beautiful design paired with seamless technology. So who better to guide you through the ins and outs of stylishly smart wedding stationery? Read on below to get some insight from the pros:
You’ve got enough to worry about before the big day. With our wedding invitations timeline, we’re making every aspect of your wedding stationery—from picking a colour palette and designing a custom invitation to managing and writing your thank you notes—stress-free and easy. We’ve laid out everything you’ll need to do and when you need to do it so you can relax and enjoy the experience.
The early bird gets the long weekend.
You’ll need to find a venue and settle on a date first, but once you have, the save the date should be sent out as soon as possible. We recommend sending them out 4-6 months before your wedding date to ensure that your guests are available to attend. All the save the date needs to include are your names, the date, and a city—just enough information for guests to start thinking about travel plans, but not enough to give everything away (especially if the details aren’t totally settled yet).
We often suggest sending save the dates out online—not only because getting the word out early is key, but because our online save the dates can collect guests’ mailing addresses for your paper invitations with ease.
Wedding invitations that reflect your personal style.
The official wedding invitation should follow the save the date within a couple of months, about 2–4 months before the wedding, after a majority of the event details are ironed out. Paper invitations—available on paperlesspost.com flat-printed, foil-stamped, engraved, letterpressed, or thermographed—are a beautiful keepsake for guests to remember your wedding by. (Plus, if you collected mailing addresses with your online save the date, it’ll be easy to order pre-addressed envelopes for each of your guests.)
Depending on the style of your wedding, you might want to choose an invitation designed by one of the world’s leading fashion houses—like Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, or Kate Spade New York—or contact our Personal Design Service specialists to order custom artwork based on your venue or vision.
Hens, I do.
In the months approaching your wedding date, there will be plenty of parties thrown in your honour, most importantly your hen party. The hosts of the event will most likely take care of all the heavy lifting, sending out the invitations about one month before each event and including links to the event’s gift registry. All you need to do is relax and enjoy the party.
Walk the aisle, then wine and dine.
As your wedding date approaches, it’s time to start thinking about day-of stationery items like menus and programs that are useful for tying your entire event together. If you didn’t already select a matching set of menus and programs while ordering your wedding invitations, order a pair that complements the colours and feel of the venue.
Order them no less than one month before the wedding day to ensure that they arrive with plenty of time to spare.
Thank you and you and you.
After the wedding has come and gone, it’s time to relax and enjoy life as a newlywed. Don’t worry about writing your thank you notes until after the honeymoon, but do order the stationery beforehand so there are no to-dos looming over you while you holiday (do yourself an even bigger favour and order pre-addressed envelopes for each guest while you’re at it.)
As long as you order them some time before you leave for your trip, a pristine box of thank you notes will be waiting for you when you get back.
When all is said and done, we want you to be able to look back on the wedding planning process with a sigh of nostalgia, not relief. To make good on that wish, we have a talented, kind team of design specialists at the ready to help you every step of the way. Whether you need a custom watercolour motif for your stationery suite or just a little hand-holding, we’re here to make everything just a little bit simpler.
Curious about what 2017 has in store for the wonderful world of weddings? Well, not to panic, because it’s here: Bridebook’s list of the Top 7 Wedding Trends you should expect to see in 2017. And don’t forget, we’re not just trend spotters, but also problem solvers. We have all the wedding planning tools you’ll need in the run-up (better yet, they’re free!), as well as the UK’s #1 Wedding Planning App. We’re your new best friend – and thrilled to be so, too.
Original Forms of Transport
2017 will bring new and modern ways of arriving at your wedding. We’re talking speed boating, parachuting, rowing (check out the amazing boat photo by Lars May below!) or even paragliding down the aisle! Never mind the wind swept look, it will add a complete WOW factor to your big day. Not feeling brave enough? Get some encouragement from our “Flying Bride” article; yes, a bride that actually flew down the aisle being held up by 250 helium filled balloons (all thanks to The Molecule Show)!
Blank Canvas Venues
This year, we’re saying ENOUGH to the hair-pulling vision-ruining frustration that can accompany short approved supplier lists and no blu-tack rules. Instead, couples are taking their wedding by the horns, and looking to fairly blank venues to be able to make their big day completely their own. of the spreadsheet and hair-pulling nonsense that has been associated with wedding planning for so long. Instead, introduce yourself to the UK’s largest wedding venue directory, where you can find the perfect place for your big day – whether that’s a renovated farm or a disused pickle factory.
Dress Less Bride
Who says you have to wear a dress at your wedding? The “dress-less” bride is one of the hottest wedding trends that has continued on from 2016. Look no further than bridal companies, House of Ollichon and Yolan Cris who will kit you out head to toe with a completely unique look.
Half Day Weddings
If you have a half day wedding, you could save yourself a small fortune. Have fun getting inventive with your eating options and serve your guests high tea or brunch instead of a full-blown wedding breakfast. Your guests will still love the food you serve and love the experience, but you’ll have saved some cash that could go elsewhere.
Dessert Wine
Instead of the usual champagne toast, serving dessert wine instead is actually much cheaper. Plus it has the extra benefit of being nice and sugary to get your guests all fired up for the dance floor!
Sharing Plates
Continuing the wedding breakfast theme – sharing plates are another hot 2017 wedding trend. They’ll create a great atmosphere around the table as your guests all share a meal together. It also allows your guests to be in control of their portion sizes. More roast potatoes for me, please! Top tip – make sure your table isn’t too cluttered with glassware, flowers or centerpieces to allow ample space for you and your fellow diners.
Virtual Reality – Film Your Wedding in 360
The rise of wedding videography has been well documented, and 2017 is going to see it get an upgrade. The Christmas present of choice, Virtual Reality, is set to be the next big thing. With VR videographers and apps soon to pour into the market you’re going to want to have your big day filmed in 360, so you can re-live your big day, anytime you like!
