This time of year often signals the end of the busy summer wedding season, though many couples are now seeing the benefits of having an off peak winter wedding.
There’s loads of great reasons why having a winter wedding will bring you comfort and joy:
Good for your pocket
Off peak weddings could be better on your budget plus wedding suppliers may have more availability at this time of year.
Decor taken care of
Some venues may already have their Christmas decoration up which could mean you don’t have to worry too much about decorating the space any further.
Rich colour palette
The rich warm winter colours are luxurious and comforting plus lend themselves for extravagant textures of velvet and gold metallic décor.
Dreaming of a white Christmas
Let’s be honest snow on your winter wedding would be the ultimate romantic weather scenario (providing your venue isn’t too hard to reach), so it’s exciting that there might be a chance of snow for some stunning wedding pictures.
Wet weather plans in hand
Contrary to a summer wedding, there seems to be less pressure about the weather for a winter wedding as you won’t be expecting it to be super sunny, so you’ll make inside plans regardless.
Wrap up warm
No fear of fainting like in the summer heat or sweating in all your attire. Guys can go to town in a full three piece suit and ladies can keep warm in wraps, boleros and fake fur.
Embrace hygge theme
With the nights drawing in earlier and light fading quickly, there lots of opportunities for romantic lighting options like candles and huddling up round a firepit toasting marshmallows.
Holidays are coming
If you have a wedding around Christmas or New Year then your guests might already be off work anyway, so they won’t need to take any extra holiday to come to your big day.
Fresh wedding season
Your guests shouldn’t be too ‘wedding-ed’ out as they may not be going to as many other weddings at this time of year. Plus your wedding may look more unique as it will utilise flowers and produce from a different season to popular summer weddings.
Fly off for some winter sunshine
There are some good rates around for honeymoons at this time of year and travel to some tropical countries is better as it won’t be during wet or stormy season.
Obviously, I love a good wedding and even more so a royal one. Well, if you wait longer enough then two come along at once and we’ve certainly been spoilt for royal weddings this year!
I was glued to the television once again on Friday to see Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank get married for the Royal Wedding part two. Yes, it may only be 5 months since the last one, and yes, it was at the same venue of Windsor Castle again, but this wedding sequel still offered new trends and insights.
Royal wedding trends
You can guarantee that a royal wedding is sure to be a lavish affairs and an exaggerated Pinterest fantasy that will influence trends and weddings to come. Who can forget the puff ball dress of Eugenie’s mother on her wedding day to Prince Andrew in the 1980s.
And the affect of Kate and William’s royal wedding in 2011 is still apparent now as couples continue to choose to have trees inside at their weddings. Likewise, Harry and Meghan’s wedding prompted further foliage and minimalist trends – here’s my Royal Wedding Fever report from earlier this year.
Along with the happy couple, the (celebrity) guests arriving gives a glimpse of fashion colours and trends. This wedding called for traditional morning suits to be worn, which even Cara Delevingne sported. The other ladies had to keep hold of their hats as it was such a windy day.
Guests wore bold seasonal colours of bright pink, greens, navy and pastel pink. Whilst the mother of the bride and Princess Eugenie’s sister and chief bridesmaid wore emerald green and royal blue respectively. Princess Beatrice topped off her outfit with a royal blue alice band hat – another new evolution in the hat world and perhaps playing it safe consider the weather (and previous hat faux pas that this Princess has fallen foul of!)
Art & culture influences
You could see nods of the Princess’s love of the art world in a number of elements at the royal wedding including the green and blue sashes that the bridesmaids wore which incorporated the Mark Bradford artwork also in the Order or Service. Their sashes also brought together the outfit colours of Sarah Ferguson and Princess Beatrice.
Green also featured on the Bride’s Russian inspired tiara with emeralds, which was borrowed from the queen.
Additionally the jacquard print of the wedding dress, by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, contained symbolic emblems such as a thistle (to represent their love of Scotland) which was echoed in her bouquet; a shamrock (for the Ferguson family); a York rose; and trailing ivy (to symbolise their home) which she also carried in her bouquet.
The cut and style of the dress were elegant and simple with long sleeves, nipped in waist, full pleated skirt and a voluptuous long train. The beautiful portrait neckline, with a nearly off the shoulder look, provided a low back feature. Also with the decision to omit wearing a veil, the low back showed that the Princess was not afraid to her scars.
Seasonality
For me the star of the show was the flowers. Once again, I was blown away by the floral display up the steps and around the west door of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle where the royal wedding took place.
The theme of the wedding really celebrated nature and the season with leaves, berries, foliage and flowering branches foraged from Windsor Great Park. I love the immense autumnal vibe and the idea of using what nature has provided and going out to collect and bring back what you find. There were roses, hydrangeas, dahlias and berries in bright, bold oranges, pinks and purples. Plus those impressive liquid amber trees standing proud (albeit a little blowing in the wind) either side of the entrance.
The rich floral colours reminded me of a Wind in the Willows photo shoot that I did that encapsulated those deep autumnal colours.
Traditional versus modern
The wedding fell on the anniversary of the first Oktoberfest which originally celebrated a royal wedding in 1810. This wedding seamlessly blended traditional royal elements along with modern millennial thinking. It was a true celebration of the things and people that they love and wanted to be a part of their special day. As well as the pomp and ceremony of the ceremony, they had a two celebration with a festival and funfair themed party.
Their reading was far from traditional with an excerpt from The Great Gatsby and like so many brides nowadays, Eugenie chose not to obey her new husband.
It was good to learn that they had banned plastic from their wedding with the environment being a hot topic on everyone’s lips at the moment.
Plus they decided to shy away from tradition with their wedding cake, and enjoy a red velvet and chocolate wedding cake.
For me, Eugenie and Jack’s wedding conveyed some great messages: celebrating nature, embracing culture, thinking seasonally and considering the environment. Plus Princess Eugenie made a massive statement by not wearing a veil – to be proud of who you are and not to hide your scars.
For many, picking a wedding dress may be the most exciting purchase that you make and, some may say, one of the best (and hardest) decisions in the wedding planning process.
wedding dress trends
Finding the perfect wedding dress is no mean feat and wedding dresses over the years are an example of fashion trends of their day (material, styles, length & colours). Pick a dress that you love rather than one that happens to be on trend now. Take a look at wedding dresses wedding through the years.
style of wedding dress
Think about the venue, theme and mood of your wedding and fit your dress not only to you but the style of your big day too. Also think about when you’re getting married – both the time of day and time of year will affect your wedding dress buying decision. Make sure you feel not only glamourous and gorgeous in your wedding dress but comfortable too (did someone say dress pockets?!)
Here are some top tips from Heart Accomplice on picking the perfect wedding dress:
THE wedding dress
Many dream their whole life of this one special day with the man or woman they love. This one moment when you walk down the aisle, your heart is beating and all eyes are on you. You just want to look perfect for the love of your life.
To find the perfect bridal dress, you not only need time but also to understand what kind of bridal dress you want. Do you opt for a new or a preloved one? A long or a short dress? White, ivory or a colourful dress? Do you want to look around in a classic bridal dress store or do you want to order online?
budget
Before you start to search for your dream bridal dress give yourself a price range and stick to it. If you don’t or can’t spend too much money, have a look at second hand bridal dresses. You can find a beautiful bridal dress, a designer trend or the newest collection for a fraction of the price.
research
Do some research and collect pictures from bridal magazines of the styles and colours you like. Visit wedding fairs to get inspired where you can see and feel dresses. Look online for styles that suit your silhouette.
shopping
Make an appointment with a bridal dress shop as soon as possible because sometimes it takes 4 to 6 months to produce a dress, plus once it arrives you might need some time for alterations. If you don´t have much time, you can order online and a few days later your bridal dress will arrive.
support
Make wedding dress shopping an interactive and inclusive part of the wedding planning process and involve your mother, maid of honour, bridesmaids or friends with you to enjoy this important day and get their valued opinions, in a shop or at home.
alterations
When you have found THE bridal dress, a bridal dress store can order your dress in the right size and you may need some small alterations (don´t forget to plan the costs in your budget).
If you decide to buy a preloved bridal dress I recommend to buy it in 1 or 2 sizes bigger and allow for alterations to fit it perfectly to you. Too big is better than too small.
final fitting
On your last fitting wear the lingerie and take the shoes that you will be wearing on your big day. Then you can make sure that the length and fit of the bridal dress is just right.
accessories
Often less is more. Too much detail and too many wedding accessories can detract from the wedding dress. Make sure that you match your accessories to your bridal dress in colour and material and don’t forget your ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’ nor the silver sixpence in your shoe.
About Heart Accomplice
Heart Accomplice is a second hand online bridal dress shop offering new and good as new preloved bridal dresses, ready to make a bride happy for her big day. They stock a range of different sizes, brands and styles, so there should be something gorgeous for everyone.
It is also possible to sell your bridal dress (on a commission basis) to Heart Accomplice when you have finished with your bridal dress (in good condition).
The wedding guest list is often cited as being one of the top stresses for couples during wedding planning (whether you plan to invite children or not to your big day).
Who to invite is personal to each couple, as every family has different circumstances and it depends who is ‘hosting’ the wedding (and often who is paying for it). There may be some tough decisions to make with your guest list. Perhaps the reality of your budget means you have to rein in a few of your plans, or other people’s involvement means compromising on who you want to invite, including whether to have children at all/some/none of your wedding.
There’s no right or wrong answer on who to invite to your wedding. Nor is there sadly a magical formula that will work it out for you. Ultimately, you should invite guests that you want to share your special day with.
who to invite
It is said that the enjoyment of most gatherings can be made or broken depending on who is there. People do really make the party! So the all important guest list can dictate what kind of a day you (and your guests) might have.
To avoid confusion from the outset, it is often better to be really specific about who you are inviting, to which parts of the day they are invited to, and whether you are inviting their children (or not) so that they are not left in any doubt.
Meanwhile, here is a checklist to consider if you are inviting children to your wedding:
clear communication – set expectations early on about who is invited and give guests with children an idea of the running order for the day so they can plan naps, meals and their schedule accordingly around your day
consistency – make sure you say the same thing to everyone and be clear why there may be exceptions
contribution – get children involved with little tasks like confetti throwing, part of the speeches, ring bearer etc
crèche – consider childcare or a chaperone in a side room for lots of children
changing facilities – make sure there’s somewhere for little ones to ‘freshen up’
crafts, cinema, competitions, cartoons, colouring or just somewhere to run around outside – anything to help keep them entertained (how about a silent disco for them during the meal?)
catering – have food specifically with children in mind
chairs – make sure they’re comfortable, suitable for their age and close to their parents
entertaining children at weddings
One of the key things to keeping your wedding guests happy (whatever their age) is to keep them fed, watered and entertained! When it comes to children at weddings they may need a little more entertainment.
With the right planning, involving children in the celebrations can be fantastic fun without compromising on a stylish and stress-free day. Here are some top tips for entertaining children at your wedding, courtesy of Hedgerow Circus, to ensure a stress free day for all generations to enjoy.
1. Think about the flow of the day
Providing toys and games for your youngest guests can make a huge difference to the flow of the reception, as having the children happily entertained has the added bonus that the parents are free to fully enjoy the celebrations too.
2. Keep a space free in your venue for children guests
Every venue is different, but almost all have an area which is suitable to dedicate to some toys and games. This may be anything from an entire room which can become a fully stocked playroom if you have lots of children attending, to a quiet corner of a marquee where a simple white tipi with toys inside could be set up. Allocating a dedicated play area, however large or small, will prevent toys from taking over.
3. Involve children guests in parts of the wedding day
Consider any times that you can involve children in the proceedings, not only as flower girls or page boys but with responsibilities such as handing out programmes, confetti or gifts. If you have any older or more confident children attending, perhaps reading a short poem or announce cutting of the cake. It’s always a good idea to provide some quiet entertainment for the times you don’t want the children to be involved, such as during speeches. A speeches survival kit of puzzles, colouring or Lego usually goes down a treat (for parents too – who can relax and listen to the speeches).
4. Bring the generations together
Enjoy the chance to bring all the generations of your friends and family together in one place, to celebrate this new chapter in your lives together. You will be giving special memories to everyone to look back on.
About Hedgerow Circus
There is no need to compromise on style when including toys and games at your wedding venue; take a look at Hedgerow Circus, a local company based in the Cotswolds who provide a great range of attractive play areas to cater for groups of all sizes, delivered and set up at your wedding or event venue.
A small wedding for a big day in February 2018 saw this intimate (and impromptu) castle wedding of Sally and Gavin at Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire.
Photography by Alice Morgan Photography
Photography by Alice Morgan Photography
Photography by Alice Morgan Photography
Photography by Alice Morgan Photography
Photography by Alice Morgan Photography
Photography by Alice Morgan Photography
Intimate wedding trend
On average, wedding guest numbers are decreasing and micro weddings are on the rise; with couples wishing to keep things small, personal and more meaningful. Not quite on the extremes of eloping, as the nuptials are far from secret, but a step away from traditions and expectations. Making the day a real lavish experience for everyone and good value for money. It’s like having a dinner party in a private room for your close friends and family.
Colour scheme
This intimate castle wedding (of less than 30 guests) was a luxurious affair with a rich, dark colour scheme of navy blue and emerald green. With lush tactile elements of velvet bridesmaid dresses, satin ribbons and faux fur wraps.
Venue
The couple chose Thornbury Castle for their wedding as the bride loves history and castles, whilst the groom loves fine food and wine. It was also a special venue where they had stayed together before.
Attire
The bride and bridesmaids got ready in the Henry VIII suite with it’s spectacular full length windows. She wore a stunning dress from Pronovias with a huge statement bow and accessorised with a custom-made ivory faux-fur wrap to bare the wintry elements of the day.
Décor
To set the scene, the couple sent out navy invitations with a green satin ribbon (to match the bride’s bouquet) and a crest from the county of the bride’s place of birth. The heraldry was a lovely nod to the décor that guests would see inside the venue. The traditional invites had handwritten names, a personal note and a copy of the menu.
Place settings were individually quilled, glued and sprayed to look like chess pieces, with names written on cards by the bride.
Minimal décor was required in the Tudor Hall and they choose not to add anything to the Lounge or Boyling House as they let the impressive venue do all the talking.
Ceremony
The wedding ceremony took place in the lounge at Thornbury Castle where guests sat on comfortable settees and arm chairs. Photographs then followed around the castle and in the gorgeous grounds.
Their drinks reception took place in the Boyling House where they enjoyed canapés, fizz and a caricaturist and close-up magician for entertainment.
The wedding breakfast took place in the Tudor Hall where all 27 guests sat around one table with an open fire and enjoyed a 5 course dinner service with a break in the middle for a magical parlour show.
Cake
The lavish five tier cake was decorated a sumptuous navy blue colour and adorned with edible pearls. It stood decadently, mirroring its surroundings and the hidden grandeur inside. Each tier revealing different delicious flavours of chocolate with chocolate and cherry ganache, lemon with white chocolate ganache, and a traditional fruit cake.
Despite there being a small number of attending guests, this was a cake to feed many more. The couple had little cake boxes at the ready with coordinating ribbons and napkins for the mother of the bride to give to local friends and family who didn’t attend.
Accommodation
Guests stayed over at the hotel in the exquisite bedrooms and in the morning they enjoyed breakfast together in the Baron’s Sitting Room. Meanwhile the Bride and Groom stayed in the Tower Suite (one room at the top of the tower with around 70 steps to reach it) in the golden four-poster bed.
As well as general wedding planning chat, today will be about wedding insurance with top tips from Wedding Insurance Group #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 1: insure your wedding just like your other life assets, car and property #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 2: protect your wedding ceremony and reception in case of cancellation due to illness, fire, flood or adverse weather conditions #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 3: check for policies that cover bankruptcy or liquidation of suppliers plus cover for wedding cars and transport for breakdowns or accidents #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 4: think about additional cover for wedding gifts, rings, flowers, wedding cake and attendants gifts #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 5: check with your venue if you need additional public liability to cover accidental injury or loss of all guests #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 6: consider bespoke cover for ceremonial sword, marquee, mobile WC, overseas etc #UKWedLunch
casual blues for a rustic barn wedding complete with denim stationery – embroidered denim rather than a traditional paper suite: menus on napkins, name place sleeves around milk bottle glasses, table plan labels hung on Portuguese laurels plants
See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.
Here are some insights from the Wedding Insurance Group – they discuss what wedding insurance is, what it covers, how much it costs as well as some tips on selecting the best wedding insurance policy and what are the risks of an uninsured wedding.
The majority of couples will tie the knot this year without wedding insurance. The last time a study was conducted in 2010, Datamonitor estimated 3 out of 4 weddings in the UK go-ahead uninsured. We don’t have any recent national data, however, our friends over at the Wedding Insurance Group have reported an increase in the number of couples taking out wedding insurance in the last year. It is still arguable that the majority of wedding days and receptions go on uninsured. To understand more, we first have to look at how much weddings cost on average.
The average cost of a UK wedding
It’s no secret that the average cost of a UK wedding has increased over the years. In 2017, various sources reported different averages:
It’s understandable that many couples will be aiming for a cheaper wedding but at the end of the day, weddings usually are expensive and therefore may require insurance for the couple’s peace of mind. Here’s a scenario to put this in perspective.
Insure your wedding just like your other life assets
Imagine you bought an expensive piece of jewellery that was not covered by your contents insurance. Would you be comfortable leaving your property knowing that if something went wrong, you would not be able to recover its value? Chances are, you’ll ensure that such an asset is appropriately insured, just like your car and property. So why should a wedding be any different?
What does wedding insurance cover?
A good policy will protect your wedding ceremony and reception. Many top providers offer different levels of cover as packages. In this article, we will be using the various packages provided by the Wedding Insurance Group as examples. The following key covers are typical of a wedding insurance policy, however you should always read the Policy Wording to ensure the cover meets your needs.
Wedding cancellation
This protects irrecoverable deposits or fees paid up front if the wedding reception or ceremony was unavoidably cancelled due to reasons such as family or the couple falling unexpectedly ill, the venue experiencing a disaster such as fire or flood or the inability of the couple and majority of the guests to reach the wedding ceremony or reception due to adverse weather conditions.
Additional costs of rearrangement
Imagine the couple paid £5,000 for a wedding venue, which then experiences a disaster such as a fire or flood. As a result, the wedding is moved to an alternative venue that costs £2,000 more. The cancellation cover protects the initial £5,000 cost whilst the additional cost of rearrangement cover protects the extra £2,000 to move the wedding in the event of a valid claim.
The financial failure of suppliers
This provides cover if suppliers have gone out of business due to bankruptcy or liquidation. For example, the cake maker or photographer end up closing their business and are unable to deliver their services. Irrecoverable deposits and the additional costs of arranging alternative suppliers are covered even if the deposit was paid before you bought the policy. Certain wedding insurance policies also contain a specific cover for wedding cars and transport in the instance of breakdowns or accidents.
Additional covers
The policies provided by the Wedding Insurance Group also cover additional important aspects of the wedding such as:
Wedding gifts
Rings
Flowers
Wedding cake
Attendants gifts
Wedding liability insurance
This is essentially public liability for the couple that covers accidental injury to third parties or accidental loss of or accidental damage to third party property. Certain policies such as those provided by the Wedding Insurance Group offer the option to increase public liability to cover all guests. Certain venues will not take on a wedding booking unless the couple has public liability cover of £2 million or more. Some insurance providers do offer the option of liability cover only.
Optional covers
As with most insurance policies, there are optional covers to ensure any bespoke preferences are protected such as:
ceremonial sword cover
extending public liability to £5 million
extending public liability cover to all guests
marquee and mobile WC cover
Overseas wedding insurance
Many wedding insurance providers offer overseas wedding insurance containing the key covers detailed above with additional cover for essential documents such as passports, birth certificates and visas.
Excess and policy wordings
Some wedding insurance providers like the Wedding Insurance Group do not require excesses on any of their policies. It’s always a good idea to read your policy wordings so that you are clear on the exact cover you are purchasing and any additional costs. You may wish to avoid a policy with complicated wordings. Certain providers use ‘Plain English’ and shorter wordings which make it a lot easier for you to understand.
When can I take out wedding insurance?
The accepted period of time between purchasing wedding insurance and the big day itself varies amongst providers although you can purchase a policy up to 2 years before the wedding. It’s a good idea to get cover in place once you start paying deposits and making arrangements. There may also be limits between the date of the ceremony and reception. For example, non-Asian Weddings and Civil partnership ceremonies and receptions insured by the Wedding Insurance Group are required to occur within a 21-day period. There are policies for Asian weddings detailed below.
Asian wedding insurance
There are specialist policies available that are specifically designed for Asian weddings or Shaadi. These policies cover up to 6 events over a period of 94 days and are also delivered as different packages that include the key covers detailed above.
Travel & Honeymoon Insurance
The Wedding Insurance Group offer policies specifically designed for Honeymoons offering single or annual multi trips and long stays. In addition to the usual covers such as emergency medical expenses and cancellation, features such as no age limits or discounts for families (kids go free) are available on single trip policies.
How much does wedding insurance cost?
Costs do vary amongst providers but typically you can arrange cover for less than the price of a bottle of champagne. You can pick up a policy starting from as little as £25 for wedding insurance or £59 for Asian wedding insurance. Naturally, you will want to shop around and you’ll notice many providers display convenient tables that compare different levels of cover. Again, we recommend you read the policy wordings that may contain clauses not displayed in the summarised tables so you are clear about the insurance you are purchasing.
What is the best wedding insurance?
This is solely dependent on the ceremony and reception plan. As detailed above, tables that compare different packages and optional extras make it easier for you to find a level of cover suitable for your wedding and planned expenditure. It’s best to finalise all plans, ensure all suppliers are booked and have an idea of your total costs before purchasing wedding insurance so you are not spending more than you need on a policy.
What are the risks of an uninsured wedding?
Without insurance, the possibility of suppliers failing to deliver their services, the venue going out of business or burning down and the probability of family or the couple falling ill all threaten the harmonious running of a wedding. There are many news stories online about cancelled weddings and other wedding-related disasters that serve as examples of how things can go wrong. Likewise it’s just as important to make sure you are adequately covered and don’t leave yourself underinsured.
Concluding thoughts
As detailed in the introduction, the number of couples taking out wedding insurance is increasing due to greater awareness and recommendations from wedding professionals. Planning a wedding already requires a lot of focus and attention, therefore, it makes sense to ensure all that hard work and financial outlay is protected so you can get on and enjoy one of the happiest days of your life.
Obviously, I love a good wedding and even more so a royal one. Well, if you wait longer enough then two come along at once and we’ve certainly been spoilt for royal weddings this year!
wedding guest list
Overseas wedding insurance
