Are you lucky enough to be saying “I do” in a lavish winter wedding in the upcoming weeks? Then not only will you be amazingly excited but we’re guessing, you’ll be doing your best to ensure any loose ends are tied up. To make things easier, and hopefully, a lot less stressful, we thought we’d share these few last minute winter wedding tips to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible on your imminent big day. Winter wedding planning is indeed much better when done months in advance but as we all know, life doesn’t always go to plan, leaving you with things to do at the last minute. With this in mind, it can be all too easy to get carried away focusing on things that would otherwise be fine. So we’re going to draw attention to some of the more important things. First up, let’s take a look at the budget.
It’s always incredibly important to take a last look at your budget. Most of your major expenses should already be signed and paid for, which will give you a much better idea for what you have left to spend or in some cases, where you’ve gone over budget and may need to readjust. If you’re in the position where you’re still negotiating last minute prices with people such as photographers or florists, then it’s time to be upfront about what you can and more-importantly, can’t afford.
Next up, you’ll want to ensure your paperwork is all in order. This prevents you from being bogged down by paperwork on the big day itself and of course prevents any mishaps that could prevent you from marrying. You’ll also want to ensure that if you’re heading out on your honeymoon straight after, you have all of the necessary paperwork that you’ll need to fly out happy and stress free. Think travel money, passports, visas and of course, all the correct numbers to leave your loved ones should they need to get hold of you.
Once all of the business of budgets and paperwork is out of the way, it’s time to focus on the last minute finishing touches; from adding extras to your centrepieces to making sure the reception drinks are still what you want. For winter weddings, we find things as simple as glass jars with tea lights in make for a magical walkway, and are great especially when you don’t have much left in the budget to add a little extra sparkle.
Planning a winter wedding at the very last minute isn’t the easiest thing but it most certainly isn’t the end of the world. It’s simply a matter of taking stock of what still needs to be done and keeping calm throughout – easier said than done, we wholeheartedly understand. Here’s to a fabulous winter wedding at our amazing country house wedding venue, we simply can’t wait to have you here.
The honeymoon, while not the most important day of your life, certainly comes a close second, which makes getting it right very important indeed. Let’s face it, after the stress you would have no doubt felt at some point while planning your wedding, a relaxing and stress-free honeymoon is just the ticket. To help things along, we thought we’d share some of the best advice we’ve heard to help you plan the perfect honeymoon.
Timing is essential –We know a great deal of couples have their dream destination in mind but there is of course, only certain times of the year in which you can attend said dream destination and still enjoy the hot glistening weather or even the cold, cool powder on the slopes; this makes timing essential. It’s also incredibly important in terms of finances too. Planning your wedding too soon will simply mean that not only do you have to gather the finances to cover the wedding, but it will also mean much less time for you to gather the finances for your dream honeymoon too. Giving yourself more time will mean more money to spend on both, making the honeymoon you dreamed of well within reach.
Budgeting – This moves on from our above mention of timing. By giving yourself enough time to put together a sensible budget, you’re helping yourself to ensure any plan will unfold as it should. Budgeting is often spoken about when talking about the wedding but it must also be focused upon when discussing the honeymoon. It’s best to consider it one big budget for the both. By including the honeymoon within the budget, you’ll find it much easier to make a little saving here or there in order to spend on other areas of more importance. Whether you make a saving by changing flight timings to spend more on your florist or vice versa, you’ll find yourself much happier for it
Choose your perfect destination – Many couples have a dream destination in mind but if you don’t, picking the destination is all part of the fun. It can sometimes become tricky when one person wants a beach and the other wants to hike on mountains but it doesn’t mean you can’t both get what you want. It’s simply a matter of looking for a package that provides exactly what you both want; team it with a big glass of wine while you trawl the internet and it can actually make for a rather fun evening of endless possibilities.
Make it count for you – When it comes to your wedding, it’s super easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything needs to be super glam and ultra luxurious and while a little extra special treatment never goes a miss, it isn’t a must and most certainly isn’t what’s going to make your honeymoon. Weddings can often be incredibly stressful to organise which makes a honeymoon all the more important to really sit back and relax. So if there’s something you’ve always wanted to do but can’t quite afford it along with the first class lounge visit, think about what’s more important for you and just…well, enjoy!
When it comes to weddings, everyone’s favourite part, “I do’s” aside of course, are the wedding speeches. From funny to sentimental, they can take any route but for the person actually giving the speech, it can feel like any entirely different story. Traditionally, speeches tend to fall on to the groom, father of the bride and of course, the best man but regardless of who’s giving the speeches on your big day, here are some top tips to help yours go as smoothly as possible.
First things first, we cannot emphasise enough the importance of practicing your speech and at least, getting it a little familiar. While it’s totally acceptable to read your speech from note cards, it’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with what you talk about and at which point. It’s the secret to a smooth sailing speech and that’s what we all want, right? It’s also a fantastic way to gauge the appropriateness of some of the funnier lines in your speech – just as important, if not invaluable. Next, it’s time to look at timing. We all like a speech, especially when it’s about the ones we love but no one likes to be listening to a speech that’s over ten minutes long and most certainly not over fifteen minutes so keep it short, sweet and to the point for maximum effect. Any longer than ten minutes and you’ll find people begin to drift away, no doubt wondering when the bar will open once more and the cake will be cut.
When you’re given the honour of giving a speech, it’s important to think about others. By this, we mean considering others may have some fantastic stories and anecdotes to tell. This will give your speech extra depth and make others in the room feel even more special when they’re mentioned. Don’t underestimate the value of the bride when it comes to gathering stories on the groom especially and vice versa as they’ll be the ones who know each other the most and will no doubt have a wealth of stories and funny anecdotes to share, for all to hear. From their first date to proposals and more.
While we aren’t suggesting putting on a full show, we do suggest the use of props such as photos and sometimes videos to add a little visual humour. They’re also great in terms of taking the focus off you when you start to feel nervous. Just ensure the props you use are appropriate too. Practice, practice and once again, practice. Wedding speeches are meant to be a source of fun, enjoyment and a way to really get everyone involved on the big day, remembering just why we all chose to join together to celebrate the happy couple.
There are a number of websites online that offer not only help but basic templates too, check out Confetti online for more inspiration and guide articles!
When it comes to your wedding music, are you struggling to decide what would be best? Perhaps one of you wants a DJ and the other wants a band? Whichever the reason for your indecision, here’s everything you need to know about choosing the right music for your big day. There’s no doubt about it, music can quite simply make or break a wedding. We’ve all seen the famous scene in Love Actually when the wedding DJ solidifies his existence as the worst DJ in history with his last song choice. Music should be thought of as the heart and soul of a wedding; which makes hiring the right person the hardest thing to do. So how can a couple decide what it is they want? Well it all starts by asking yourselves a few simple questions such as what’s your budget? What space do you have to play with? What sort of wedding vibe are you going for? Let’s look at everything you need to consider…
What’s Your Wedding Vibe? As anyone no doubt knows, the type of music you pick will have a huge impact on the overall tone of your wedding and more often than not, it’s what most people will remember. Think about what you want your day to represent. How you want it to feel and go from there.
Do They Offer Variety? Whether you choose a DJ or a Band, you need to know that they offer variety. You’ll want a good mix of fast and slow songs as well as tunes from different eras. Can a band offer the variety you need? Likewise, will a DJ offer the mix of eras you’re after?
What’s Your Budget? Budget will always come into every aspect of your wedding, including your wedding music. Perhaps the band you always dreamt of are out of budget however, a DJ could play their songs for you? Or maybe just maybe, your favourite R&B music that you’d have expected a DJ to play could actually be played by a tribute band. Look at your budget before anything else, and then look at what’s available.
How Much Space Do They Have? This may sound like a silly question but it will certainly have an affect on your choice. If you have a limited amount of space, you’ll be unlikely to fit a whole band in without taking over vital dance floor space that your guests would want to enjoy. This is perhaps where a DJ would come in handy. Likewise, if you have a lot of space to play with, then that favourite band of yours could be the perfect choice after all.
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A Few Last Tips: Last but most certainly not least, whomever you choose, do make sure you see them live first. As heartbreaking as it is to believe, reviews can be written by friends, recommendations made by someone who has different taste or expectations to you. Going to see them live yourselves will be the best way to ensure they’re exactly what you’re looking for. Here at That Amazing Place, we’re honoured to have the fabulous Piano DJ as our house DJ offering live band style music and DJ spots. For more information on this amazing set-up or for more information on our country house wedding venue, simply contact us today.
When it comes to planning your wedding, before anything else, before you pick the venue, or even think of the dress, your wedding budget needs to be established. It’s no big secret that weddings are a costly event. Regardless of whether you’re trying to rein it in, or going all out and in spite of having the best of intentions, so many couples find themselves overstepping the initial agreed budget. Thankfully, here at That Amazing Place, we’ve seen enough weddings to know that there are some rather easy ways to ensure you stay in budget from the second you set it. So get your pens at the ready…you’re probably going to want to take notes.
Write Your Wedding Budget Down At Every Stage – This may sound rather tedious but your budget is there for a reason and must be adhered to. Write it down and just as you would with your taxes, make a note of what your budget is and what’s remaining at every step of the way. It’s not fun (unless you’re an accountant) but it’s necessary unless you want to spend your honeymoon worried up to your eyeballs about the debt you’ll be returning to. To make things super easy you could always simply jump online and check out wedding budget calculators and even download the odd app or two to help. Make a note of everything you spend from bridesmaid dresses to flower arrangements and as the budget begins to grow a little thin, you can adjust the budget for each area accordingly to ensure the things most important to you, get the biggest portion of the budget allocated to them.
Consider Extra Costs – Here at That Amazing Place, what you see is what you get however, there are some services out there that may charge an extra cost for a service you may have assumed is part of what you’re already paying for. Extra bridal gown alterations perhaps? Extra flower arrangements? Extra table decorations or even extra food within the catering budget. Ask about everything. A particularly good one to remember, that many forget, is that trials aren’t always free. Whether it’s a florists demo, or a cake tasting, even a hair style trial; these can all cost unexpected amounts, taking vital pennies from the budget that could be better spent elsewhere. Ensuring you’re aware of this will mean there are no scary surprises and that budget of yours stays on track.
Plan To Go Over – As crazy as this sounds, it’s always worth putting a little extra aside, should you need to go over budget because if you account for the overages, then you’ll never actually go over the budget. We’ve seen some couples decide on a budget and then aim to come in under the budget by one or two thousand, when they don’t, it’s no big deal as their original budget covered the cost anyway. Some areas that you may find yourself struggling to stay within budget are areas like flowers, any weather-related incidents (we are in Britain after all) and in case of any small hiccups such as gown alterations last minute.
For more hints and tips, simply contact us today. We’ll be more than happy to discuss our fabulous Twilight Wedding Package that gives you all the glamour of a wedding at That Amazing Place for a much lower the cost.
The first dance at weddings has taken quite a turn in the last decade. While it may once have been met with some anxiety, the first dance now is a time to shine. Couples have been taking their first dances to new heights with choreographed shows including the wedding party becoming a centerpiece for their big day and why not. There’s certainly no denying now just how important and of course, how exciting the first dance is so let’s take a look at just what’s involved and how you can make sure it goes off without a hitch.
First and foremost, you need to find the perfect song for you; it’s your wedding day after all so it’s only right that your chosen song represent the two of you as a couple. Whether it’s silly or serious, find your perfect song and stick with it. We’ve known couples to salsa dance to their favourite Spanish inspired song and even some to grab their friends and make it a joint effort. It’s all about what works for you. On that note, if you’re not the sort of couple who enjoy taking centre stage, the perfect way to deflect the attention and still get to enjoy yourself is by getting your nearest and dearest involved. It’s ideal for getting the party started too and ensuring everyone’s up on the dancefloor. Whether you choose to do a routine with the girls or have the guys hustle round you as you swoon over your partner, it’s always going to be a case of “the more the merrier”. Struggling with ideas? Think flash mob and you simply can’t go wrong.
Now before we build you up too much, we thought we’d rein it in a little by reminding you that it’s important to know your limits; for the sake of your sanity on your big day of course. While the Dirty Dancing lift may seem like the perfect way to display your union, if you’re not a dancer or at least have some kind of dancing background (and of course a partner willing to lift you), then it’s best to stick to something a little less likely to end in a trip to A&E. Let’s not forget, there’s still plenty of time for merry relatives to attempt this and believe us, they more than likely will.
With that in mind, can we just remind you that your first dance isn’t meant to be perfect? Unless the pair of you are professionally trained dancers, then trying to be perfect is just silly. While the dirty dancing lift may be off limits (because it’s a health hazard), having fun with your friends and enjoying your first dance certainly isn’t. Miss a beat or forget the next step? So what! Who cares? Just keep on smiling and show everyone just how happy you are on your big day. We guarantee everyone will be fixated on your smile, not whether or not you got the dance right! Your first dance should be about having fun, enjoying yourselves as a new happy couple and allowing everyone to see just why you said “I do” in the first place.
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