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Inspiration: icelandic rock

Inspiration: icelandic rock

Inspired by Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, this modern winter barn wedding shows the stunning hidden interior of volcanic rock in the form of slick agate and timeless marble. Acres of gentle, ethereal and floaty tulle were placed wonderfully alongside tactile sheep skin rugs and the tendrils of delicate air plants (a wonderful evolution on the succulent trend) in glass suspended baubles.Hanami Dream | inspiration | mood board | Journey to the Centre of the Earth | modern ethereal winter styled bridal shoot by Hanami Dream | agate | marble | airplants | tulle | pale blue | gold | Oxleaze Barn | Gloucestershire | October 2017 | Photography by Squib Photography www.squibphotography.co.uk

See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.

Photography by Squib Photography

Dates for your 2018 diary

Dates for your 2018 diary

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.

Inspiration: festival wedding

Inspiration: festival wedding

This festival wedding was a real break from tradition – full of alternative ideas for couples to get inspiration for their big day. It showcased an abundance of hanging greenery and was really tactile using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.

The colour palette had a 70s vibe full of Fall 2017 colours of a pale blue Bluebell, a soft Copper Tan coral, Navy Peony blue, brown and white. It was planned and designed by Hanami Dream and fantastically captured by Cat Stephens Photography.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

On Sunday 17th September 2017, Cogges Manor Farm held a festival styled Wedding Open Day that Hanami Dream helped to organise. But this was not a traditional wedding fair – the Barn was dressed as if it were a real wedding.

Think dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl. It was a different take from the norm to provide options and open people’s eyes to the huge spectrum of ideas to bring their dream to life.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

For example, there weren’t any real flowers at this wedding. They were either paper flowers or house plants showing couples that they can achieve this look by making (or borrowing) things themselves – this is great for any diy wedding couples.

Plus, all the stationery was embroidered on to denim rather than traditional paper – menus were on the napkins, name places were sleeves around the milk bottle glasses, table plan labels were hung on Portuguese laurels plants.

It was a relaxed and informal open day showcasing a truly personal wedding option – not a cookie cutter approach at all. Take a look at some of the testimonials from the day.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding as it offers the perfect blank canvas to add personalised details. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

The festival vibe was hailed from the entrance with impressive towering festival flags (from Event Flag Hire) – signalling the way to the party.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

Couples walked in to the Wheat Barn down a tree lined aisle. The vintage mismatched chairs (courtesy of Linda’s Vintage Hire) were beautifully decorated with macramé chair coverings (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and the Portuguese Laurels (kindly provided by Bampton Garden Plants) guided the way right to where the ceremony would take place under a stunning macramé backdrop (wonderfully created by MacrAmy’s Macrame) and framed by two beautiful olive trees (also from Bampton Garden Plants).

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

One side of the barn was decorated as a seating area to enjoy a sumptuous wedding breakfast. The vintage tables and chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) were laid out below an impressive array of trailing plants in spectacular hanging macramé holders (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and under spectacular festoon lighting (from Oakwood Events).

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

They were set with denim napkins (gorgeously embroidered by Little Pickle Creations) containing the menu, mini macramé favours (from MacrAmy’s Macrame), milk bottles (from Mabel & Rose) acting as drinking glasses with an embroidered denim name place (by Little Pickle Creations), placed inside were stripy straws (from Little Cherry), plus amazing natural biodegradable tableware (also from Little Cherry) – a perfect accompaniment to our street food reception.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

The tables were also decorated with more terracotta pot plants and impressive paper flowers (from Pretty Big Flowers) that lit up for an incredible atmosphere.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

The delicious ombre ruffle cake (by The Cake Element Bakery) echoed the colours of the denim stationery and sat beautiful on a vintage barrel (from Mabel & Rose) and amongst a display of framed absent friend photographs, crates and potted plants. The wonderful props from Mabel & Rose really brought the place to life and were dotted around adding features to every area including the bar which had a vintage tin bath and giant wooden barrels.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

The other half of the barn was dedicated to the entertainment and dance floor – lit to accompany a party – including an impressive 7 square metre lit paper flower wall (constructed by Pretty Big Flowers).

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

Over the dance floor hung a white chandelier adorned with coral and denim ribbons and a 4-point drape star that flowed to the dance floor (from Oakwood Events), along with 4ft tall light up LOVE letters (wonderfully contributed by Gilt Edge Events).

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

There was also a chill out area complete with a comfy brown leather sofa, bales of hay as well as more vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire). These were strewn with gorgeous lambswool wide-herringbone throws in mandarin and azure (from The Witney Blanket Hall).

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

Outside the party continued with a firepit to sit around, garden games and chalk boards highlighting the events of the day.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

On top of all this, there was delicious food to try (courtesy of Goujon Monkey) such as beer battered cod, Cajun breaded chicken and deep-fried brie, along with paprika dusted chips. Plus, cake tasting from The Cake Element Bakery, drinks from Firkin Mobile Bars, live music from Joely Rendle and Natalya Williams, owl ring bearer from J.E.T. Falconry, a fashion show from Rosie Red Corsetry, plus two workshops on how to make some of the décor that was on display, expertly delivered by MacrAmy’s Macrame and Pretty Big Flowers.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

There was a real festival vibe with macramé, hanging plants, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl.

Thank you to all the wonderful suppliers that made this such an amazing wedding open day. It was lovely to meet excited couples in the midst of wedding planning – all the best with your special days!

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.

Take a look at the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot – Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

And take a glimpse behind the scenes at the how the theme and designs came to life – Behind the scenes: Festival shoot

#keepitlocal

Planning & Design | Hanami Dream | www.hanamidream.co.uk
Photographer | Cat Stephens Photography | https://www.catstephensphotography.com
Location | Cogges Manor Farm | www.cogges.org.uk
Tree hire | Bampton Garden Plants | https://www.bamptongardenplants.co.uk/
Flag hire | Event Flag Hire | https://eventflaghire.co.uk/
LOVE light up letters | Gilt Edge Events | https://www.giltedgeevents.co.uk/
Food van | Goujon Monkey | http://www.goujonmonkey.com/
Chairs & tables | Linda’s Vintage Hire | www.lindasvintagehire.co.uk
Cutlery & crockery | Little Cherry | https://www.littlecherry.co.uk/
Stationery | Little Pickle Creations | http://www.littlepickle-creations.com
Props | Mabel & Rose | http://www.mabelandrose.com/
Macrame | MacrAmy’s Macrame | https://www.facebook.com/MacrAmysMacrame
Lighting | Oakwood Events | www.oakwoodevents.co.uk
Paper flowers | Pretty Big Flowers | https://prettybigflowers.com
Cake | The Cake Element Bakery | http://www.cakeelementbakery.co.uk/
Blankets | The Witney Blanket Hall | http://www.witneyblankethall.co.uk/
Delivery | Global 360 International Freight Forwarders | http://www.globalthreesixty.co.uk/

Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

This festival wedding was a real break from tradition – full of alternative ideas for couples to get inspiration for their big day. It showcased an abundance of hanging greenery and was really tactile using different materials such as denim, macramé, paper, wood and terracotta details.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.

Thanks to all these wonderful suppliers #keepitlocal


Photographer – Cat Stephens Photography

Award winning, Oxfordshire based wedding, family and lifestyle photographer. Full day coverage wedding packages available from £750

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@catstephensphotography


 

Location Cogges Manor Farm

Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add loads of personalised details to make your special day complete. Your wedding can be as individual as you are with your own choice of catering, furniture and decoration.

The magnificent and spacious Wheat Barn can seat up to 200 guests, with refurbished stone floor, and portable heating included in the cost of hire. The more intimate and adjacent Barley Barn can seat about 60 guests or is an ideal choice to use as a dance or ceremony area. Each barn can be hired separately, or as a combined hire. Cogges offers a civil ceremony license and is next door to Cogges Parish Church.

In addition to any indoor space you hire, you and your guests can use the charming outdoor space to wander and enjoy (and after 5pm you will have exclusive use of the site). Cogges has many perfect locations for your wedding photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or the orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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 Tree hire – Bampton Garden Plants

We are a retail nursery in Bampton, West Oxfordshire. We have a passion for plants and our friendly and knowledgeable staff are always happy to help you find the plants or give you the advice that you require. We pride ourselves on having a fantastic range of plants small and large including beautiful home grown summer and winter bedding.

We also boast a fabulous café serving hot lunches everyday. The shop offers further products including hand tools, furniture, pots and planters and gardeners supplies area as well as gifts and our food shop, stocked with local produce.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Flag Hire Event Flag Hire

At The Event Flag Hire Company we design, manufacture, hire and install beautiful handmade flags, bunting and banners, perfect for your festival wedding. Our lightweight self-install telescopic poles and flags were designed to be a visually stunning but simple and cost effective way to decorate any venue. We also offer a full bespoke service which allows flags, banners or bunting to be made to a particular specification.

Our stunning flags and bunting will make your festival wedding stand out from the rest, plus we offer a 10% discount for weddings. All styles are available in hues of white and made specifically with weddings in mind. Alternatively our bright colourful silk flags will equally compliment a festival-themed wedding. We use over 70 colours of silk so can match any colour scheme.

Our flags and bunting hire represent a quick, effective and environmentally friendly way of creating a festive atmosphere. We have created simple wedding packages to make it cost effective for you to decorate your venue yourselves using our self-install flags and bunting. Prices include flags (style and colour of your choice), 6m telescopic poles and ground fixings, bunting and return next-day courier service direct to your door. All these packages are portable and will fit in a standard car.

We have been making flags for 15 years and keep coming up with unique designs to keep up with demand. Each flag is a unique work of art hand crafted to an extremely high standard in our Bristol Studio. We cover the entire of the UK and abroad so please get in touch where ever you are!

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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LOVE light up lettersGilt Edge Events

Specialists in Bespoke Wedding Venue Decoration From Centrepieces to Flower Walls, Candy Carts to Starlit Backdrops, Garlands, Fairylight Canopies, Giant LOVE letters, Disco’s Grand Floral Arch and much, much more.

A Complimentary Design Consultation to transform your chosen venue into something magical for your big day. Working with you we can create the theme of your dreams, all installed & removed with the minimum disruption to your big event.

We can supply Starlit Backdrops, Table Decorations & Centrepieces, Chair Covers, Fairylight Canopies, Garlands, Grand Floral arches, Candy Carts, Sweet/ Dessert Dressers Flower Walls, Giant LOVE Letters and much, much more.

Karen, with many years experience as a fashion designer in London, combined with Phil, with a career in the Graphic Design, Signwriting and Event Industry will deliver a bespoke wedding, leaving you to concentrate on having the Best Day of your life.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Food van – Goujon Monkey

Goujon Monkey are an Oxfordshire based gourmet street food caterer offering traditional favourites with a modern twist.

They pride themselves on serving the finest quality street food available, using only the freshest ingredients. All of their food is cooked from scratch and served from a lovingly restored vintage Citroen H van.

With menus to suit different tastes including their hand prepared Beer Battered Cod, Goujon Monkey offer a unique addition to your big day.

Our prices start from £750 for private event catering for 75 guests. Contact details Tim 07469710373 or Matt 07917284944.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Chairs & tables – Linda’s Vintage Hire

We provide a stress free vintage hire service for all occasions. If you are organising an event with a vintage flare we can supply furniture, crockery and a range of props and accessories to give your event that much loved nostalgic vintage feel.

We work with theatres, corporations, event and wedding planners, caterers, photographers and festivals to mention but a few.

So if you’re planning your vintage event whether it’s afternoon tea, the wedding of your dreams, a magazine shoot or creating something inspirational for a large festival there is no end to what can be achieved with the help of Linda’s Vintage Hire. We can deliver up and down the country so just give us a call on 07532 184174 for a quote.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Cutlery & crockery – Little Cherry | https://www.littlecherry.co.uk/

Little Cherry are an online supplier of natural biodegradable tableware and a wide range of ethical and stylish party supplies for weddings, street food, festivals and events throughout the UK.

Our aim is to make food look fabulous on our environmentally-friendly tableware. Ranges include the ever-popular Palm Leaf plates (made from naturally fallen palm leaves in India), compostable Sugar Cane and the largest selection of Wheat Fibre tableware in the UK, including a new takeaway range.

We cater for any size of event and offer discounts to caterers for bulk orders. We also have a dedicated Trade Site, can offer next day delivery and offer a sample pack service allowing customers to “try before they buy”.

Our fantastic selection of cups, cutlery, napkins, picks and skewers are the perfect accompaniment to any of our ranges of tableware.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Stationery – Little Pickle Creations

Nicola from Hanami Dream approached us to provide wedding accessories that she had imagined, but never seen made before – that’s our ideal brief!

We love a challenge, and love making unusual items that no-one has ever produced before. The wedding items we produced were around a denim theme, so we embroidered guests names onto handmade denim bottle sleeves, and made individual hanging name labels for the table plan along with napkins embroidered with the menu.

Really unique and personalised, just as it would be for any couple planning their own special day with their own ideas and themes that they wish to use. Sometimes these unique items aren’t ordinarily available from traditional wedding suppliers and that’s where we come in – creating special unique items tailored specifically to our clients requirements.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Props – Mabel & Rose

Mabel & Rose vintage prop logo

Mabel & Rose has a lovely array of original vintage and rustic props available to hire. Our large range includes old apple crates, oak barrels, chalkboards, vintage suitcases, rustic wheelbarrows, an old delivery bicycle plus lots of smaller items like vintage bottles, jars, jugs and pots. So whether it’s large milk churns filled with flowers or a selection of vintage tin baths to keep your drinks cool we would love to help you enhance your venue and create the perfect look and feel for your wedding. Styling and on the day venue dressing services are also available.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Macramé – MacrAmy’s Macrame

Macramé artist

Keeping it natural!

Workshops and evening classes…

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Lighting – Oakwood Events

Oakwood Events supplies stunning lighting for stylish couples. We design and install lighting schemes for barn weddings using fairy lights, festoon lights, bare bulbs, paper lanterns, chandeliers, drapes, uplighting, bunting and dance floor lighting.

Lighting is a unique addition to your wedding and can be used to highlight features like beams or stone walls, change the atmosphere between day and night or make a colour or design statement to match your theme. We pride ourselves on top quality design, professional installation and amazing features; explore our Pinterest boards for inspiration and to see how our lighting adds wow factor to barn weddings.

See your wedding in a different light!

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Paper flowers – Pretty Big Flowers

Our self-assembly kits let you create stunning giant paper flowers. Why settle for factory made sameness when you can create a totally unique display at a fraction of the cost?

We’ve taken the guess work out of self-assembly – even a crafting beginner can get professional and consistent results.

Paper flowers add a touch of feminine glamour to lots of situations. Enjoy creating your own decorative accents with our giant paper flower self-assembly kits for a wall at home, a stunning backdrop for wedding photos or an eye catching motif for an important event. And of course you can take the credit because the flair you add is all your own (we’ve just made it effortless!)

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Cake – The Cake Element Bakery

We are a successful duo of husband and wife working together to produce a really superior product.

Any size and any design, we love making wedding cakes. We offer a variety of delicious flavours and fillings. We use the best ingredients and passion to create a beautiful and delicious wedding cakes, making your special extra special.

We are committed to quality and excellent customer service. Our cakes are fleshly baked to order and crafted by hand.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Blankets – The Witney Blanket Hall

Witney Blanket Hall was built in 1721 by the Company of Blanket Makers. For over 120 years, every blanket woven in the town came to the Hall to be weighed and measured, and upstairs in the Great Room the Company set the Rules for the Trade. After 1845 the New Mills established their own measuring, and the redundant Blanket Hall became variously a Brewery, a Lemonade Factory, Engineering Shop, Office of births marriages and deaths, Dancing School, and latterly, a distinctive gentleman’s house. During most of its history, the Hall is also where many of the town’s Public Meetings took place, the death of Kings solemnly commemorated and the birth of Princes celebrated with great feasts. In the 18th Century, the Hall housed the town’s Fire Pump. In 2015, the Hall reopened its doors to reveal this illustrious past and offer woollen blankets and throws, coffee pies and assemblies, both commercial and cultural. Visitors are always welcome and are invited to come and find out more about the infamous Witney Blankets.

The Pie Shop offers its famous pies and platters, as well as tea, coffee and cakes. We are licenced so wine and Blanket Hall Beer are always available. The Hall can also be open outside hours by arrangement and is often available for hire by Companies and Societies.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

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Delivery – Global 360 International Freight Forwarders

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Take a look at a behind the scenes look at the briefs that were given to these fabulous suppliers and how the Festival theme came to life with their designs and products.

Inspiration: festival

Inspiration: festival

A real break from tradition, this festival wedding showcased an abundance of hanging greenery, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl, using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.

See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

journey to the centre of the earth

journey to the centre of the earth

Images on this page taken by Squib Photography from Hanami Dream’s journey to the centre of the earth styled shoot at Oxleaze Barn. See all the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot.

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wonderful wedding wares

wedding budget

wedding budget

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.

For more about the money side of things, take a look at the holy trinity of wedding planning: how much.

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The holy trinity of wedding planning – Part 3: how much

The holy trinity of wedding planning – Part 3: how much

So far in the series, I’ve introduced the three key aspects of planning a wedding that pretty much affect every other thing that is connected with your big day. These are who, where and how much (otherwise known as your guests, venue and budget). This group of three things are very much intertwined. Plus when you hold your wedding is connected too! As previously covered (in the who and where posts), nearly all the decisions you have to make about your wedding will come back to one, two or all of the elements in what I class as ‘the holy trinity of wedding planning’.

This post deals with the tricky topic of money and how to allocate and prioritise your budget.

For example, where you have your wedding will affect the cost, as a wedding abroad, a local hotel wedding or a rustic barn venue will all vary considerably in price.

Likewise, when you have your wedding will incur different price structures, especially for venues. Different times of the year vary in price and peak season (summer months in the UK) will be more expensive than winter or off peak times. Less popular days of the week are often cheaper than weekend days.

Finally, who you invite or how many guests will obviously have an impact – the more you invite, the more it will cost.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

There’s often a perception that anything labelled ‘wedding’ will be more expensive. In certain areas, I don’t believe that the type of event that you’re holding should affect the costs. However, I do understand that a wedding is a really special day and so it demands a certain level of consideration, time and effort to create the special day the couple have envisaged. Couples do have a greater expectation for this life changing event (that they’ll hopefully only do once) and so this will mean more attention from suppliers which can often increase costs to cover additional involvement and interaction.

Photography by Farrow Photography

So, how much will your wedding cost?
Well, this is like asking how long is a piece of string? Because everyone has a different sized budget and it can vary 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.

Fixed costs
Pivotal to all your planning is how much money you have to play with. This will determine whether you can go to town or be a bit more creative and diy some elements yourself. How much you have to spend will definitely factor in to how many people you can invite, where you can afford and what they can eat.
There are some costs that won’t change no matter how many people are at your wedding. These are called fixed costs such as:

  • Ceremony fee
  • Decorations
  • Entertainment
  • Insurance
  • Photography
  • Rings
  • Venue hire costs
  • Wedding dress

Variable costs
There are a number of costs that will alter depending on how many people are enjoying them. As well as the number of guests, you should also consider the size of your bridal party too. These variable costs include:

  • Accommodation
  • Cake
  • Drinks
  • Favours
  • Food
  • Flowers (for attendants)
  • Gifts
  • Stationery (such as invitations, menus, orders of services, name places etc)
  • Suits and dresses for the bridal party
  • Transport

Photography by Squib Photography
Here are my top tips for planning and managing your wedding budget:

  1. Ascertain how much money you have available
  2. Determine who is paying or contributing and by how much
  3. Decide whether to include your honeymoon in the wedding budget costs
  4. Set a budget
  5. Stick to the budget
  6. Have a contingency of about 10%
  7. Determine the size of your bridal party (and who is paying for all elements of their attire etc)
  8. Calculate number of guests attending
  9. Prioritise the budget categories to ascertain your ‘must haves’ versus your ‘nice to haves’
  10. Adjust the budget according to your priorities
  11. Research costs – get at least three quotes for each item for comparison
  12. Work out your fixed costs
  13. Calculate the difference in variable costs depending on the number of guests attending
  14. Confirm when and how much deposits and instalment are payable
  15. Ask about cancellation fees and timings
  16. Write down what you’ve paid, when you’ve paid it and what you’ve still to pay
  17. Include tips for waiting staff etc
  18. Remember it’s just one day and focus on what is really important – your life together!

With the who, where and how much at the fore front of your mind, you can set the date and everything else can fall in to place so you can start planning all the other finer details. Take a look at this handy wedding planning timeline to see when you need to plan for other elements of the wedding day.

Please contact me if you’d like further help and guidance with your budget allocation and a budget spreadsheet template to help with all aspects of your wedding planning.

MODELS WANTED: winter hygge styled bridal shoot

MODELS WANTED: winter hygge styled bridal shoot

Hanami Dream are looking for ‘the boy and girl next door’ type models for a winter hygge styled wedding shoot with a literary theme. The shoot will take place at a beautiful venue near Lechlade, Gloucestershire this October half term.

  • Female – think Tess Daly or Margot Robbie (from the Will Smith film Focus) approximately 20-30 years old, 170 cms tall or less, size 10-14
  • Male – think Chris Hemsworth (though not with the hair extensions in the film Thor), approximately 25-35 years old, around 175 cms tall, 40” chest, 32” waist

The shoot will be approximately 2-3 hours in the afternoon of Wednesday 25th October (weather permitting) and will provide some fantastic lifestyle shots for your portfolio (it’s also great as an engagement shoot or brilliant practice being in front of a camera before your big day).

One fitting prior to the date may be necessary. Own transport is required to GL7 3RB.

This project is supporting and showcasing local, independent wedding businesses – everyone provides their services and products for free and in return gets some wonderful lifestyle shots to use at a later date. This is a collaboration of like minded people that create great things together though don’t have the budgets to produce this kind of work if they all worked independently. See the images from Hanami Dream’s last styled bridal shoot.

Close up of couple with heads together on lawn by Manor House | The Secret Garden | modern Edwardian styled bridal shoot by Hanami Dream | greenery | perspex | Cogges Manor Farm | Witney | May 2017 | Photography by Squib Photography www.squibphotography.co.uk

If you’re available and would like to be involved in this fantastic styled bridal shoot then please email Hanami Dream on info@www.hanamidream.co.uk including

  • a quick intro
  • your stats
  • a contact number and
  • 2 images of yourself (1 x face shoot, 1 x full length)

Couple under greenery arch | The Secret Garden | modern Edwardian styled bridal shoot by Hanami Dream | greenery | perspex | Cogges Manor Farm | Witney | May 2017 | Photography by Squib Photography www.squibphotography.co.uk