Wedding Tips start here...

caitybabes

I reckon it's totally do-able... my parents organised my sister's wedding in about 6 weeks so 6 months is positively generous!

I'm pretty excited about the cakes... we're having a cake table which will have three, yes three, types of tower: the normal 3 tier-cake, a cupcake tower and a cheese tower.

I'll be baking all the cupcakes in advance, freezing them and icing them with friends the day before the wedding. My mum and sisters will bake the 3 tier cake and we're buying the cheese in whole rounds from our favourite local cheese shop and we'll arrange it ourselves - exciting!

JesaRose

Yummy cake fest! Thanks, you have made me feel better. If someone can do it in 6 weeks we must be able to do it in 6 months

My mum is the worlds best cake maker so I am going to get her to make our cake. Someone else will have to ice it.

My mates mum has offered to do my bouquet if I give her the flowers. No flowers needed for the church as its gorgeous without. Reception comes with a wedding planner already and they do flowers for tables with that so really I just need to do invites, groom & guys clothes, bridesmaids dresses (not actual bridesmaid dresses though, just dresses), photographer and cars

Oh and I have booked the band too - half price as my OH went to school with the singer. They do AC/DC, Led Zep and other Rock covers so not your average wedding band. Our mate will do a disco between sets

Zoelikesjam

Hi everyone!

Well, am i glad im not the only one mad enough to plan a wedding in 6months! We originally planned to marry in Australia as my parents live out there, however after recieving the weekly MSE newsletter and discovering Holiday inn are offering wedding packages we deicided we could afford it. Phoned my mum and she is now coming over in the summer, so not only do i have a wedding to look forward too but also i get to see my family for the first time in 18months!!!!:Tdont know what im more excited about!
Anyway, we;ve only been planning for two weeks but(for a reason unclear to me as i am usually hopeless) everything seems to be coming together and in place rather fast!
We first looked at the holiday inn website to find out about the offer. We found two in our area we liked so started enquiring. Big note of warning here! The offer varies from hotel to hotel. We looked at solihull and ironbridge. For the £999 deal, solihull included the ceremony room, a sit down three course meal for 35, the reception room, a room overnight for the happy couple....that was it. Ironbridge offered ceremony, wedding coordinator, reception room, buffet for 100, dj, MC and overnight stay. However reading through their brochure i got a little panicky when it said to qualify for the offer we needed 60 to the ceremony and sit down....there cheapest menu was £40 a head :eek:
So yes, a heads up if your using the £999deal from holiday inn.
Talk to the co-ordinator as well though! After expressing my concerns for this massive outlay(which we cant afford) she sugested several other options. Such as a hog roast which has cost us £15a head! So, the wedding reception, disco, sit down for 60(we also discovered the 60 isnt mandatory)buffet for 100 is costing £1799.....:T

We've cut lots of costs with the following

No cars as everything is happening in one place=saving of £500
Wedding cake my friend is making a three tier butterfly cake for £40-saving us +£150
I discovered my maid of honours mum is a florist(how i didnt know!) and will give us a drastic cut in price
I am making my invites with a little ribbon and card. confetti.com has an online printing studio where you can customise your invites and print them off for FREE
My uncle has offered to do the video, his daughter is an amazing amature photographer so they will both help and a family friend who is breaking into the photo scene has offered to do the whole day for £100
Hair and makeup for me and seven maids-i was getting worried about this one as i knew it would be costly, however i want to look good. I contacted the local college to ask about students in their last year of beauty training/hairdressing. We now have a gaggle of students joining us on the day. Im happy with this as no cutting of hair will be involved(just prettyfiein!) and if makeup is pants it will wash off!
Dress, i went and tried some on to get ideas, i have now ordered from a hongkong seller. It has cost me £120 inc postage. If it turns out to be a disaster then i bung it back on ebay. We are going to the national wedding show at the NEC in march so if all else fails i am holding out for a sale/discount dress there!
Bridesmaids, we have seven which is a lot:eek: but i have a big family, three sisters(youngsters) two daughters a best mate and a neice! Sisters dresses my mums buying, neice her mums buying, mate will get her own and we'll get our daughters....even so the cost of the dresses weve choosen is £30inc postage, again from a hongkong ebayer. I've brought fancy princess dresses from her before for our daughter so i know they are beautiful.
Men are hiring morning suits, prob from moss

Registrar....now this one has thrown me! and again, for all those who are having a civil ceremony take heed! I contacted the reg in the area we are getting married. Despite booking the hotel/venue they will not take down your booking untill you have all the corect paper work. This worrys me as you need to attend your local registry office(we are marrying out of our county) and post notification of intention to marry. It takes two weeks for all the legal work and papers to come through. It also cost £30perperson)so another 60quid onto your budget) Whats worrying me is we go on monday to post intentions, however what if someone else gets their notification before us and jumps in on the day we want?!!! Nervous much? I am relying on the fact we are getting wed on a friday... Anyway, its then costing £250 for the reg to come out to the venue. A steep price lol!

Oooo, after thought, as my family live in australia its difficult for me and i have to keep mum and bridesmaids updated via email...i found a neat site that guides you through making your own wedding website. This way anyone you give the url to can go see your site, leave messages, look at picture of bridesmaid/your dresses wtc for ideas, you can keep a diary(so my mum knows whats happening)etc. It is a truely lovely idea, and i know i can revisit it after the wedding and look back on how much fun/stress/excitment i was experiancing!!! Plus, people can follow your plans!
the site is called
https://www.mywedding.com
and for anyone who is interested in our plans my site is
https://www.mywedding.com/jaseandzoeparkes

I cant think of anything else, but as my post is long enough already i shall say night nights!
xxx
ps, our budget is £4000 and i intend to keep it that way!
Soon to be mrs parkes on 16th july 2010

floss2

caitybabes wrote: »

...Bought my wedding dress yesterday (in my lunch hour!). I tried it on last Friday and really like it but it's got a stain on the top bit so I decided against. However, was thinking about it over the weekend and realised I could just cover it up with a ribbon all along the top so I bought it! It's beautiful and it was reduced in the Monsoon sale from £200 to £60! Am totally chuffed

Cait x

Have you thought about having it dry cleaned?

floss2

showtunesgirl wrote: »

I'm afraid Registry Office prices differ from County to County!

hazelrichardson wrote: »

All Register Offices will do the £40 price (I used to work there). Unfortunately this can be in the Registrars office! Many have decided that they will charge more for ceremonies in their marriage room but they must all offer the cheaper option. You would probably only be able to fit the witnesses in.

The prices for attending ceremonies at venues do differ county to county.

We were at our Registrar's on Tuesday to book our wedding: Every Registrar's office does a £40 wedding, with a deputy registrar, in their office, not necessarily their ceremony room. Superintendent Registrar may be more expensive.

lindaatno9

caitybabes wrote: »

Bought my wedding dress yesterday (in my lunch hour!). I tried it on last Friday and really like it but it's got a stain on the top bit so I decided against. However, was thinking about it over the weekend and realised I could just cover it up with a ribbon all along the top so I bought it! It's beautiful and it was reduced in the Monsoon sale from £200 to £60! Am totally chuffed

Cait x

Small diamante brooch perhaps or an applique?

Zoelikesjam

Have come across a little snag in our wedding plans!!! The holiday inn we were looking at booking aparently A. only three rooms available....B. they are £158.....i am now in a magor panick as one i cant expect guests to be paying £158 a room and we need over 15 rooms! Does anyone know if they put aside rooms in atticpation for weddings? I will give them a call in the morning, we are due to be visiting on sunday but now hearing this i'm not sure. Ekk!
At least we can still look at other venues....anyone got any ideas for the west/east midlands?!!! I'm going to be so gutted if this all falls through argh!

Toothfairy4

Have you already paid a deposit? It wouldn't be ideal but are there any other hotels nearby that might be cheaper? I think its probably best to speak to them as i assume your getting this info from the website? xx

showtunesgirl

zoelikesjam wrote: »

Have come across a little snag in our wedding plans!!! The holiday inn we were looking at booking aparently A. only three rooms available....B. they are £158.....i am now in a magor panick as one i cant expect guests to be paying £158 a room and we need over 15 rooms! Does anyone know if they put aside rooms in atticpation for weddings? I will give them a call in the morning, we are due to be visiting on sunday but now hearing this i'm not sure. Ekk!
At least we can still look at other venues....anyone got any ideas for the west/east midlands?!!! I'm going to be so gutted if this all falls through argh!

Hi, I don't know if this helps or not but where we had our wedding reception was just by a Holiday Inn and our venue booked as a matter of course 10 rooms for the wedding party and they only charged us £45 a double room and this was at the Holiday Inn Express Wandsworth in London so if it's possible for a London hotel to do it at that price, I don't see why it's not possible for a Holiday Inn outside of London to do it.

However, if the other rooms are booked, I don't think there's much you can do about that.

caitybabes

floss2 wrote: »

Have you thought about having it dry cleaned?

Hey floss2,

I went into a dry cleaners before I bought the dress and asked how much it would be. When I mentioned it was a wedding dress they quoted £75 which is more than I paid for the dress! So I'm going with the cover up route of putting a ribbon all along the top which will blend in nicely

Cait