In a word, YES, but then this would be a pointless blog if that be the case! Every one is different and a common thread with some of my recent posts so far have been budget. Don’t think of a wedding coordinator as a luxury for the rich and famous, see it as more of a necessity! With the average wedding taking around 6 months to a year to plan, many are turning to Coordinators and Planners to help assist with the big day. Having a professional assist in the planning doesn’t mean you’re giving up total control of how you want your day to be planned. You decide on how much or how little you require them to be involved. The job of a Coordinator or Planner isn't to take over your day and bombard you with crazy ideas. Our main role is to oversee and liaise with suppliers and venues, make sure that your day runs like clock work and be that 'go to' person on the day. What are the benefits and is it a good investment? 1. Helps minimise the stress when dealing with suppliers 2. Instrumental in executing all details 3. They are able to negotiate on your behalf and get vendors to stay within your budget, avoiding any costly mistakes 4. Manages your event timeline to ensure everything stays on track 5. Having a Coordinator/Planner means you have more time to enjoy your engagement. Leave the boring stuff to us! Now that you've decided that you need one, the hard part is finding one you connect with. As with anything else, shop around, find out what is on offer, as some will provide bespoke packages, whilst others can work around your budget. We understand that some of you may have already started the planning, but just need that extra help and there will be some that need us from start to finish. Once you have found the right one for you, arrange to meet and have a chat about what you want and what you would like assistance with. Remember it's your day not ours so you have full control!
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I thought I would share a few useful tips that are worthwhile knowing that could prove very useful whilst planning.
Style Tip No. 1– If you want to wow your guests with your colour theme/style, opt for colours that complement each other (3 maximum!) Too many colours that clash and your ideas may become lost. See my post 'A Pop of colour' on the latest colour trends for 2018. Style Tip No. 2 – Place conversation-starter or trivia cards on each guest’s place setting. Style the cards to suit your theme or even your guest. They’ll give people something to talk about and have all in good spirits until the food arrives. Budget Tip No.1 – If possible, book a weekday wedding, as these can be anything up to half the price of a wedding on a Saturday or Sunday. Budget Tip No.2 – If you can hire out certain items for your wedding and evening reception, do so. This will save you tons of cash and time. You wont have the worry about storage or buying multiples of anything. Useful Tip No.1 – Take out wedding insurance. It can protect you against any range of unfortunate events and help you make sure that you’re not out of pocket as a result i.e. loss or damage to wedding attire, such as the wedding dress, presents, wedding cake, rings, flowers etc. For peace of mind, it’s well worth having. Useful Tip No.2 – Don't under estimate how important your invitations are – they're the first impression of what your wedding will be like, so make them special. Useful Tip No. 3 – Secure a wedding photographer after you have confirmed the venue and wedding date. Photographers get booked up 2 years in advance; so don’t leave it till the last minute. For some, hiring makes perfect sense, others it seems like wasted money or you won't get the quality product you require. The Groom and his Ushers hire suits, so why not branch out further a field?! It all comes down to personal preference, what you need and that all important budget. There may be certain one off things you need, but when you've weighed up the cost, it probably works out cheaper to hire rather than purchasing something you may never use again. So why hire? Well my lovely friends at 'Something Hired' have come up with 3 main reasons: Save Money Hiring products for your event will ensure your budget goes further. Hiring from a single supplier keeps the transport costs to a minimum. Save Time Rather than having the hassle of searching through different companies for different products and then checking that they will deliver to your area, if you’re in the UK, we will deliver to you. Reduce Stress It’s already difficult enough planning a complicated event without the added stress of liaising with multiple suppliers. If you're venue doesn't provide all the linens, tables chairs, cutlery etc, then hiring is definitely the way forward. Shop around for quotes, find out the availability and quantity you need and most importantly if they deliver and collect after the event. Another good reason why you should hire is space. It would be nice to have space to store all the purchases you've made over the last 8 months, but we all don't have that luxury of extra storage. Some brides I've worked with have bought items they've seen and loved for the wedding, but not kept a list of what they already have. Before you know it, you've got 50 candle holders (various shapes and sizes), an array of table centre pieces (which none of them match), mirrored plates, (too many to count) and reams of fabric that you thought would come in handy for something! Solution to all the above is make a list of the things you require, what can to be bought, hired and borrowed. Before you hit the shop, see what you can get online first, as it may be cheaper, then when shopping take your list with you and some one who will stop you from splurging on the 8ft bird cage! Also ask friends, they may have items from their wedding that are currently living in the garage that they may be to see the back of! If you're still not 100% convinced then, check out these suppliers who I've worked with and who offer a fantastic hire service. SOMETHING HIRED We hire beautiful things for special occasions. Whatever your requirement, from a small intimate wedding to a large corporate event, we supply products from teaspoons to fairy-lit grottoes and a whole lot in between. We deliver throughout the UK and have no minimum order value. www.somethinghired.co.uk ALL THINGS BORROWED
We are a family-run business. Small but perfectly formed, we offer vintage industrial-style furniture, original hand-crafted place settings and beautiful floral prettiness.Take a look at our fab collection to hire for your event. If you have something else in mind, which you haven’t seen on our website, don’t worry. Just get in touch and we will create what you are looking for. www.allthingsborrowed.co.uk " A circle has no beginning or end and is therefore a symbol of infinity. It is endless, eternal, just the way love should be." Are you looking to pop the question or have you already said yes? Either way ring shopping is no simple task. Depending on your preference and personality, engagement and wedding rings can vary in style, from a simple plain band to a huge enormous rock! You want to make sure that the ring is right for you, so it doesn't hurt to do your research first! STYLES & CUT Solitaires, which are rings that feature one center diamond, are the most popular style for engagement rings. The shape refers to the appearance of the stone, and the cut to the diamond's ability to reflect light. Most diamond shapes are round, square (cushion), rectangular (princess, Asscher, emerald, radiant), heart-shaped, pear-shaped, oval, or marquise (like a pear but pointed on both ends) PRICE TAG There are various myths surrounding how much an engagement ring should cost. There’s the three-month’s salary rule, the one-month salary rule and even the split-the-difference rule. It really all comes down to personal taste and budget at the end of the day . Over the last 5 years the average a UK couple spent on an engagement ring was £1080. Thats a pretty big price tag, but you can still get beautiful stunning rings without breaking the bank! It's all about shopping around for the right one. DO'S & DON'TS DO choose a ring that's the same metal as your engagement ring Platinum and white gold look pretty much the same when they're brand new, but metals wear differently, so you could wind up with two very different looking rings in just a few years. DON'T pick a wedding ring that overpowers your engagement ring Your rings will look best together if the bands are similar in width. DO make sure the rings have something in common Your don't have to have matching wedding and engagement rings, but make sure there's one repeated element: same-shaped stones, a channel-set band, or similar engraving. DON'T worry about your ring matching your partners Your wedding rings should reflect your personal styles, not each others. DO remember THIS and THIS if you want an eternity band If it has diamonds (or gemstones) all the way around, your wedding ring will be hard to resize if you gain or lose weight. BUT, your wedding ring will probably spin around your finger a lot (since there's no center stone to hold it in place) so if you don't get stones all the way around, you might be constantly adjusting it to keep the stones right-side up. DON'T solder the rings together You might eventually want to wear your rings on different hands, upgrade one of the rings, or leave one ring at home when you travel. Once you solder together, there's no going back! As Spring is nearly upon us and many will be looking for ideas , I thought it would be an idea to see what the latest colour trends are for this year and also pick out my faves! BLUE I must admit I'm not a big fan of blue on its own, but after seeing it in various shades I am slowly converting! Depending on the shade of blue you choose, you can play around and experiment. Remember though no more than 4 colours and that goes for any colour you choose. Too much colour or variation and become a bit too in your face and you can lose your theme very quickly amongst the colour explosion. VIOLET/PURPLE/LILAC/LAVENDAR Whatever colour you want to call it, this family of purple is a big hit with brides for 2018. Expect to see plenty floral inspiration, table décor, invitations and dessert (macaroons!) With a colour this regal, it has to be complemented well and why not with a dash of gold accents to give it that extra wow factor. DUSTY ROSE & GREEN These colours may work if you're going for a particular look. Think country manor house vintage! You don't need to go to the extreme with either colour, but I do think subtle hints of green foliage/ accents would be perfect! BLACK, WHITE & GOLD You can never go wrong with black and white and they will never go out of style. Some may not opt for this option and I've heard people say that its boring or reminds them of a funeral (!) but sometimes it just needs an additional colour to set it off and why not with gold! To be honest gold can complement pretty much any colour as long as it’s done well and not too OTT. From mini's to midi's, hemlines took things up a notch this season. The one that stood out for me has to be Viktor & Rolf. Their collection is simple yet daring, especially their mini dresses that look like they’ve been transported straight from the 60’s.
Probably one of my fave trends of all time is the tailored jumpsuit. The jumpsuit is so versatile and can transform from day wear to night wear, just by changing a few accessories. What ever your fancy Pantsuits, jumpsuits or tailored trousers , designers ensured that this trend was a show stopper for 2018.
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