As well as general wedding planning chat, this week there’s a wedding traditions quiz (just for fun!) Tweet your replies (answers at the end of #UKWedLunch)
Here we go… QUESTION 1: What did brides from the east often shave off for their wedding? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 2: What do Swedish people traditionally do any time the bride and groom leave the table? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 3: What do German newlyweds have to do in front of their guests? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 4: An old Scottish wedding tradition is to do what to a bride on the eve of her wedding?#UKWedLunch
QUESTION 5: In English folklore, it is good luck if a bride meets this person on the way to the wedding #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 6: What is placed on top of a wedding cake in Bermuda? #UKWedLunch
Hope you’ve had fun! Here are the answers: A1= eyebrows, A2= kiss, A3= saw a log in half, A4= wash her feet, A5= chimney sweep , A6= cedar sapling #UKWedLunch
There’s no doubt about it, social media has changed (and continues to shape the way) we communicate, our relationships, our society and culture. It is a part of our every day lives and so it’s no wonder that you’ll want to think about the role that social media will play on your wedding day too.
About a third of the world uses some sort of social media. And the age of technology that we live in has meant that we are rarely uncontactable. There is a sense of urgency in our communicating and the need to share. Social media has enabled us to publish and share our lives not only with our nearest and dearest but to a wider audience too. We can share events, connect with people and it certainly has made the world feel like a smaller place.
I believe that social media has also made the news more relevant and accessible to more people, as well as personalising and interacting with announcements.
We are now living in the moment (all be it a digital one) with a need for things to be instant and live. We are also becoming more visual in our communications and video is the king of social media right now.
Whether you are going to embrace social media or shun it for your wedding, here are my top ten tips and modern day etiquette suggestions to make the most of social media on your special day.
Top tips for social media at your wedding day:
Make sure you keep things personal – perhaps tell your closest family and friends in person before changing your status on social media or posting an engagement ring photo.
Don’t rely on social media for all your wedding communications – think about your guest list as it may cover people from a variety of generations and technological abilities. Not everyone will have access or regular use of social media. A physical invitation will mean everyone on your list gets the same message.
Don’t overshare on social media – keep an element of surprise beforehand. Also you don’t want to make any of your social media followers feel left out if they haven’t been invited to your big day.
If you feel like going tech free then have an unplugged wedding – just make sure you set expectations with your guests early on.
Create a hashtag or a personalised Snapchat filter – share the # on your invitations, order of service and on signs around the reception. Then collect images on a social media wall at the reception or an online wedding album.
Use Facebook live or Periscope – for those guests that can’t make it (or live far away) consider streaming your wedding live so that they can still experience the day.
Give a selfie stick as wedding favours – instead of the old disposable cameras on each table at the reception, give guests a selfie stick or a list of photos to try and capture.
Etiquette tip – guests should wait until after the bride or groom have posted anything before putting up shots of the happy couple.
Keep a traditional photographer – nothing beats professional photographs! And guests, please make sure that you don’t block the photographer on the day. The couple want to see your faces not your phones when they look back on their photographs. Chose a moment in the ceremony when guests can take their own photos.
Enjoy the moment – above all remember to live the day and not just be recording events. Put the phone down for one day and make the most of having all the people you love in one room at the same time to celebrate your special day.
As well as general wedding planning chat, today there will be about bridesmaids’ duties #weddingplanning #UKWedLunch
Bridesmaid = a girl or woman (usually one of several) who accompanied a bride on her wedding day
Chief bridesmaid / Maid of honour = principle unmarried attendant
Matron of honour = married female attendant #UKWedLunch
Bridesmaids are the support network for the bride, headed up by the maid of honour, and help her to plan her big day #UKWedLunch
Chief bridesmaid acts as advisor, messenger and personal assistant to bride offering moral support more than anything else #UKWedLunch
Bridesmaids help choose their own outfits, attend fittings, form part of bridal procession, welcome guests, offer cake to guests #UKWedLunch
Chief bridesmaid organises hen party, holds bride’s bouquet during vows, arrange bride’s veil or train, helps with planning, provides advice and emotional support #UKWedLunch
Other duties could include acting as a witness if necessary, joining the receiving line, looking after the wedding dress during honeymoon, doing a reading #UKWedLunch
This week’s top tips were about bridesmaids’ duties #UKWedLunch
As well as general wedding planning chat, next week will be about networking #UKWedLunch
JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT
As well as general wedding planning chat, today we are talking about the role of the bridal party #weddingplanning #UKWedLunch
MATRON OF HONOUR / CHIEF BRIDESMAID: organises hen party, holds bride’s bouquet during vows, arrange bride’s veil or train, helps with planning, provides advice and emotional support #UKWedLunch
BEST MAN: getting groom to church on time, holding rings, toast and speech #UKWedLunch
USHER: parking attendants, escort guests to their seats, moving furniture, handing out order of service #UKWedLunch
FLOWERGIRL / PAGE: look cute, scatter petals, hold train #UKWedLunch
RING BEARER: carries a pillow down the aisle with the rings tied to it #UKWedLunch
FATHER OF THE BRIDE: walk the bride down the aisle, toast and speech, father/daughter dance #UKWedLunch
This week’s top tips were about the role of the bridal party #UKWedLunch
As well as general wedding planning chat, next week will be about bridesmaids’ duties #UKWedLunch
JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT
Happy New Year! And huge congratulations to you if you’ve got engaged over the festive period.
Telling people your big news and flashing your new piece of jewellery is such an exciting time and it won’t be long until you’ll be asked (again and again) when is your big day.
So here’s a little help with picking a date for your special day (and take a look at this useful guide to setting the date too).
Make sure you think about what else is going on in the world such as national, local and annual events including:
Public holidays
Sporting events
Royal occasions
Other people’s occasions (like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and religious festivals)
Here’s a list of some events (in England) in 2018 that could influence your choice of dates:
New Year’s Day 1 January
Epiphany 6 January
Orthodox Christmas Day 7 January
Orthodox New Year 14 January
Burns Night 25 January
Winter Olympics 9-25 February
Shrove Tuesday 13 February
Valentine’s Day 14 February
Chinese New Year 16 February dog
St David’s Day 1 March
International Women’s Day 8 March
Mother’s Day 11 March
St Patrick’s Day 17 March
First Day of Spring 20 March
Boat Race 24 March
Clocks go forward 25 March
Good Friday 30 March
Passover 30 March – 7 April
April Fool’s Day 1 April
Easter Day 1 April
Easter Monday 2 April
London Marathon 22 April
St George’s Day 23 April
May Day Bank Holiday 7 May
Ramadan begins 15 May
Royal Wedding 19 May
FA Cup Final 19 May
Spring Bank Holiday 28 May
Trooping the colour 9 June
Eid 14-15 June
Father’s Day 17 June
Royal Ascot 19-23 June
First Day of Summer 21 June
Wimbledon 2 – 15 July
Independence Day 4 July
Henley Regatta 4 – 8 July
British Grand Prix 8 July
Summer Bank Holiday 27 August
First Day of Autumn 23 September
Diwali 19 October
Clocks go back 28 October
Guy Fawkes 5 November
Remembrance Day 11 November
Thanksgiving 22 November
St Andrew’s Day 30 November
Hanukkah 2-10 December
First Day of Winter 21 December
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December
Enjoy celebrating in 2018 and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
As well as general wedding planning chat, this week there’s a wedding traditions quiz (just for fun!) Tweet your replies (answers at the end of #UKWedLunch)
Here we go… QUESTION 1: What did early Roman brides carry instead of flowers? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 2: In what year was it first possible to marry in a licensed venue in England and Wales? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 3: What is not allowed at a civil ceremony? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 4: What is a traditional French wedding cake? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 5: What is an Ascot? #UKWedLunch
QUESTION 6: The Wedding March from Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin” is better known as what? #UKWedLunch
Hope you’ve had fun! Here are the answers: A1= herbs, A2= 2000, A3= hymns, A4= croquembouche, A5= cravat, A6= here comes the bride #UKWedLunch
All the very best for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Look forward to seeing you again in 2018 from Wednesday 3rd Jan 1-2pm for more wedding planning chat #UKWedLunch
Having a break from wedding planning chat next week, but there will be a round up of top posts from 2017. Feel free to tweet yours to #UKWedLunch on Wed 1-2pm
JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT
As well as general wedding planning chat, today we are talking about different food service styles #weddingplanning #UKWedLunch
STYLE 1: buffet – food is laid out on tables and guests collect a plate and then serve their own food on to their plates before going to find a seat elsewhere #UKWedLunch
STYLE 2: family style – platters of food are placed in the centre of a table and everyone around the table serves themselves #UKWedLunch
STYLE 3: plated – food is pre plated in the kitchen and brought out by servers to guests that are already sat at their tables #UKWedLunch
STYLE 4: silver service – a high end level of service where servers come around to each seated guest and serve them food #UKWedLunch
STYLE 5: a la carte – instead of a set meal where everyone has the same plated meal, this gives guests the choice to pick their meal from a menu which is then brought out to their table plated #UKWedLunch
STYLE 6: boxed meal – this is not plated but in a portable container so that the food could be eaten whilst on the move #UKWedLunch
JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT
As well as general wedding planning chat, today we are talking about staying calm before the wedding day #weddingplanning #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 1: Take a deep breath – do yoga, listen to calming music or try some rescue remedy #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 2: Get physical – go for a walk or get pampered. Remember to go braless to avoid strap marks #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 3: Think positive and surround yourself with positive people. Remember to be yourself. #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 4: Delegate tasks and brief your attendants. Remember good communication is key and pace yourself. Make sure to schedule breaks in the day. #UKWedLunch
Everyone has a different sized budget which varies based on what you choose for your day.
As with most elements of the wedding day, each component can be prioritised in order to put the focus where you want it to go. Bear in mind that within each category of your budget you have a range of price points you could choose depending on the quality (ie you could pick caviar or chips for your food! You could arrive by helicopter or have your mate’s dad drop you off in his car.)
Overall wedding budgets are on the rise. The average cost of a wedding in the UK (outside of London) is currently £27,000. The largest part of the wedding budget is spent on catering, the venue, photography, the wedding dress and entertainment – in that order.
As a guide, I tend to suggest to couples that they allocate around 35% of their overall wedding budget (£9,450 of a £27,000 budget) to cover all aspects of the reception (to include cake, décor, drink, favours, food, furniture and venue hire costs).
Other areas of the budget should include these categories:
Ceremony
Reception
Entertainment
Attire
Rings
Photography
Flowers
Stationery
Transport
Gifts
Hen/stag parties
Honeymoon (optional)
Take a look at an example of a wedding budget in percentage terms and please contact me if you’d like to see a further breakdown of costs.
There’s no doubt about it, social media has changed (and continues to shape the way) we communicate, our relationships, our society and culture. It is a part of our every day lives and so it’s no wonder that you’ll want to think about the role that social media will play on your wedding day too.
About a third of the world uses some sort of social media. And the age of technology that we live in has meant that we are rarely uncontactable. There is a sense of urgency in our communicating and the need to share. Social media has enabled us to publish and share our lives not only with our nearest and dearest but to a wider audience too. We can share events, connect with people and it certainly has made the world feel like a smaller place.
Whether you are going to embrace social media or shun it for your wedding, here are my top ten tips and modern day etiquette suggestions to make the most of social media on your special day.
