Wedding Tips start here...

emujuice

Hi All,

I've just got engaged (lucky me!) and started reading the thread, it's going to take a while to get through all of it, but I thought I'd say a little about me and my plans, in case anyone has advise.

My boyfriend proposed on Saturday (unexpectedly!), we'd like to get married sooner rather than later, but we're about move to Singapore for a year (leaving in 6 weeks or so) - so we'd like to be married in the Autumn of 2007.

so some questions!
What are people's exprience's of autumn weddings (october specifically)?

How much, roughly, does it cost to get married at church?

Does anyone have experience of booking a church then moving out of the parish before the wedding? We have a lovely local church now, but we have no idea where in Sheffield we'll be living when we come back (but it should be sheffield, and besides my family are here).

Anyone know anything about buying dresses etc... in Asia? I'm hoping to get some bargains, but I'd love to hear of people's experiences.

I'd like to hire a large room and arrange the catering etc... ourselves but I don't seem to be able to find one in Sheffield that will hold 140 or so. Any ideas of where/how to find them? I know about the Niagara sports ground only through a friend, but no one looking on the internet would know it was there, I wonder how many other venues are hidden like that?

My idea's so far:
A caildh band for dancing and getting everyone mingling, then hijacking their PA system for playing our own mix of music for dancing later....i know a good band, but need to talk about the hijacking!

I'd like lots of pansies as my theme, so a simple pansy boquet, then lots of pots of winter pansies in the church and as table decorations, which we can then take home and keep!
We could also decorate an M and S cake with crystallised violets!

Anyone thoughts on any of this would be much appreciated!

Careful_girl

Read my post above about sweet peas and sustitute pansies!!
As for the Church you need to be on the Church's electoral role to be able to marry in the church so getin touch with your vicar or priest and he or she will advise. Churches vary; I can get out my costs but I am ssure someone else has theirs to hand. PM me if you don't get the info. You can choose all sorts of extras like choirs and bells etc. I would chat to the vic first as they will help.
I bought my dress at Monsoon. Tried a few on and had chosen in half and hour. Then they sent it through the post and it all cost about £200. It looked lovely.
I made place tags to go on the back of my chairs from brown card luggage labels from the Post Office. We painted a daisy on them and wrote the name in silver pen. They looked really good, and I am sure you could paint a pansy, just have a practise now. A stencil would work.
Congratulations!!!:j
CG

Claireandy27

Hi everyone! I am getting married on 16 June 2007, the wedding breakfast will be in a marquee and I am currently looking for Centrepiece ideas.......................can anyone help??
We are on a budget so want something cheap, and something with a little bit of height because of the height of the marquee.
We have considered balloons but are going off of the idea, so looking for any alternatives!

Tondella

Claireandy27 wrote:

Hi everyone! I am getting married on 16 June 2007, the wedding breakfast will be in a marquee and I am currently looking for Centrepiece ideas.......................can anyone help??
We are on a budget so want something cheap, and something with a little bit of height because of the height of the marquee.
We have considered balloons but are going off of the idea, so looking for any alternatives!

do you mean centrepieces for the tables? I have had exactly the same problem as i can't afford to fork out on floristry. Here are some of the options i considered:

big trend in the wedding mags at the moment is candleabras. you could probably hire them from somewhere. If you want to push the boat out then florsts can make you small bouquets which balance in the arms of the candleabra.

topiary: you can get table-sized clipped bay trees in all sorts of designs, lavender bushes etc. Decorate them with fairy lights. Here's the place i found: https://www.topiaryangels.co.uk

I've seen a few tables dressed with birdcages, through which ribbon, strings of beads or silk flowers are attached - nice and tall plus the advantage that your guests can see through it to the other side

storm lanterns with candles in, again gives you the height whilst allowing guests to see each other, alternatively you could half fill them with sweeties as favours - I've seen some striking looking ones filled with pale green jelly beans. yum!

Phatmouse

We are getting married in 2008 a long way off I know, but I am currently pregnant due December! the shame of it I know.

It was to be 2007 but now I will need time to get into shape and we would like our little one to be involved now.

Anyway, I want to get married outside, I would like to organise our own BBQ, buying the food and hiring all the stuff ourselves to save money. I would like to be able to supply our own alcohol and everything. We know plenty of bands so entertainment is covered. Does anyone know where you are allowed to get married in England and is there anywhere in the north east that we could hire to do the above ourselves.

It will save us a small fortune.

Thanks

emujuice

The sales have started (almost!)

BHS are selling their wedding stuff off, so there is 20-50% off most of it. But when it's gone, it's gone.
Debenhams sale is starting next week, 4 of the most popular dresses won't be reduced, but apparently the rest will...

Also, try TK Maxx for dresses, my mum picked up a really lovely dress she thought I'd like for only £20. It is lovely, but I'm not sure it's the one for me, but we might keep it as a back up, incase I spill soup on mine!
It's similar to dresses that are elsewhere £200 - £2000. A white bodice with 3 beaded panels and semi full skirt. Bargain! I'll certainly be looking to see if they have anything else that is more my style.

Tondella

Phatmouse wrote:

We are getting married in 2008 a long way off I know, but I am currently pregnant due December! the shame of it I know.

It was to be 2007 but now I will need time to get into shape and we would like our little one to be involved now.

Anyway, I want to get married outside, I would like to organise our own BBQ, buying the food and hiring all the stuff ourselves to save money. I would like to be able to supply our own alcohol and everything. We know plenty of bands so entertainment is covered. Does anyone know where you are allowed to get married in England and is there anywhere in the north east that we could hire to do the above ourselves.

It will save us a small fortune.

Thanks

You can't currently get married out of doors in England (you can in scotland, i think) however there is talk of the legislation changing in the not too distant future to accommodate this. I wouldn't make any firm plans though until you know for definate that you can get married outside. For the moment, your local registry office should have a big book of all venues that are licensed to conduct marriage ceremonies, you could have a look in there for possible venues. I think though, because you want to order in your own food and drink, you will be looking at getting married in a registry office and having the do in another, mainly because once these venues go to the bother of applying for a licence they like to make the money back on the wedding breakfast etc.

good luck!

Weggy

Several venues in my area (Kent, South East England) allow for weddings in a gazebo.... surely that's "outside"......

Rachie_B

in case anyone is looking for flower girls dresses ive seen some lovely ones in matalan !! starting from 0-3 months really cute £10 ! also little shrug / cardis to go over the top

also in mothercare from £14 with cute little matching shoes too

HTH someone

Olney23

Claireandy27 wrote:

Hi everyone! I am getting married on 16 June 2007, the wedding breakfast will be in a marquee and I am currently looking for Centrepiece ideas.......................can anyone help??
We are on a budget so want something cheap, and something with a little bit of height because of the height of the marquee.
We have considered balloons but are going off of the idea, so looking for any alternatives!

My friend got married at Easter and she just bought a load of vases from either Ikea or Dunelm. Glass, tall, really slender and cheap, and then got the florist to arrange a few long stemmed flowers in them. That way she only paid for the flowers. They looked great!