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Planning Your Wedding
Planning Your Wedding
We asked our wedding co-ordinators to offer their expert tips for a great day. They had so many things to say, we couldn't fit them all in here!
So, start with our top eight tips, and follow up with our downloads which will help make you the perfect wedding planner!
1. You are cordially invited
Your guests will be extremely excited to receive their invite to your big day but deciding on the style of your invite can be quite a difficult task. Type of card, colour scheme, font, finishes, envelopes or presentation boxes; all these things must be thought about if your invites are to be personally designed by a wedding stationary company. We feel a more personal alternative would be to create the invites yourself. A lovely idea would be to have a black and white photo taken of yourselves and have this printed onto card with the invitation hand written or printed (time is of the essence after all) onto the back.
2. Roses, Lilies or Gardenias
Flowers are commonly used for bouquets, button holes and table decorations. A simple but effective gesture is for the groom’s button hole to be the flower used in the bride’s bouquet. A beautiful statement is for the bride to carry a single bloom rather than a bouquet, with the bridesmaids holding small bouquets complementing the bloom. There are so many options to choose from – make sure they suit you and the theme of your day. Our top tip is not to choose a flower that has an overpowering scent; the scent of roses can be extremely overpowering on a hot, sunny day.
3. Cutting the Cake
Whether you choose a traditional tiered cake or a contemporary cupcake tower, choosing your cake is definitely an enjoyable part of planning a wedding. Find a bakery that has lots of experience in making wedding cakes and that will also deliver your cake to the venue – the last thing you want to be worrying about is driving a delicate cake to your venue. Another tip is to find a bakery that will allow you to sample different types of cake; chocolate, sponge or fruit. The cake may look amazing but you must be sure it has a taste to match.
4. Arrive in Style
It isn’t a necessity to have a bridal car, but it is a very special way to travel to the venue. Perhaps a family member or friend has a car that fits the bill; car ribbons can be purchased from your florist. Make sure you consult the groom if you decide to book a bridal car; it may his dream to drive off in a particular type of car – boys and their toys!
5. The Rehearsal Dinner
Traditionally organised by the Groom’s mother and paid for by the Groom’s family, the rehearsal dinner is a pre-wedding dinner which is attended by members of the bridal party plus family and close friends the night prior to the wedding. A great idea if you have guests travelling to attend your wedding and to make those introductions that you may not get a chance to do on the day itself. Make it an informal night with drinks and canapés or a more formal night with a three-course meal in one of our private suites. For more information, please ask your
Wedding Coordinator.
6. Meeting with Suppliers
Once you have booked your venue and you start meeting with suppliers, it can sometimes be hard to visualise what the table centres may look like in the room or what colour sashes look best on your chair covers. Our Wedding Coordinators are happy to set your chosen function suite to your requirements so that you can meet with your florist or venue stylist enabling you to see and play around with what looks best in the setting. We can also give you our list of recommended suppliers who we work with to give you the best service possible.
7. Planning your Wedding
Wedding Fairs are a great place to source different suppliers and receive specialist advice about planning your wedding day. Here at Cedar Court Hotels we not only hold wedding fairs but also open mornings and evenings which allow you are more informal chance to come and view the venue set up for both a civil ceremony and a wedding breakfast. Our dedicated Wedding Coordinators will be on hand to answer any questions you may have whilst envisaging your wedding being held here at Cedar Court.
8. Be Our Guest
Whether you are getting married in a church or at your chosen venue, it can always be a difficult decision on how you get there. Why not let us take care of you, not only on your wedding day but also the night before so you wake up feeling refreshed? We are able to offer bedrooms for you, your bridesmaids and other guests who may wish to stay with us. A space to not only get ready, but to relax and know that you’re in safe hands.
9. Band of Gold
Or silver, or titanium, or whatever takes your fancy – just chose carefully and don’t rush into it. A wedding ring is a unique object which is full of meaning and symbolism. It’s a permanent reminder of your wedding day and your vows, and the giving and receiving of rings remains – along with the kiss – the most exciting moment of the day. The dress may be stored away, but the ring will stay with you forever.
10. Over the Moon
You’ve got loads of planning to do but you’ve got to start somewhere. Our advice? Start by booking the honeymoon. It’s so easy for it to become an afterthought, but having dealt with the suppliers, bridesmaid issues, seating arrangements and all the other things that you’ll have to tackle as you morph into a professional event organiser, you’re going to need a holiday. Chose somewhere memorable, pick a hotel with great views and check your passport.
11. Dressing Up
When it comes to choosing a dress, fashion should not be your starting point. No - think about you and your wedding. It may be winter when you choose your dress, but if you’re getting married in summer you’ll need something light and comfortable. What about your body shape? Find something that flatters – there’s a silhouette for every figure. And how about skin tone? Are you autumn, winter, spring or summer? It’s easy to find out and then select a tone that makes you glow.
12. Snap Happy
Your memories of the big day with be rich and sparkly. For a while. Then, gradually, it’ll all start to turn a little hazy, at which point you’ll turn to your photo album and wedding video. So your photographer/videographer is possibly the second most important person at the wedding – aside from you and your partner. There are lots of great photographers out there – and we can point you to some of the best. Just make sure that they’re experienced, versatile and have a fast trigger finger. Often the best pics are the ones that weren’t staged but just happened.