Home | Wedding Planning | Choosing Your Wedding Style
Choosing your wedding style
Choosing your style
How you decide to do this is your own personal choice. There is so much choice out there, do you want a traditional white church wedding or do you want to have a more relaxed day. Perhaps you would like to do something completely different such as, having your ceremony in a football ground, hot air balloon or even at a zoo.
The important thing to do as early as possible is to set a budget and stick to this budget. Also sit down with your partner and jot down your initial ideas of how you see your wedding.
Church Wedding
If you and your partner have a decided that you would like a religious ceremony, your normal place of worship is the obvious choice. In some cases it may be possible to marry in a different church however most ministers will want evidence of a good reason to marry in a different parish. If you are having a church service the minister will arrange to read the banns (the publication of your intent to marry) on 3 consecutive Sundays and your marriage ceremony must take place within three months of the banns being read.
Register Office
It is perfectly viable to marry in any register office in England or Wales, as long as you live in either country. You both need to be resident in your individual registration district for 7 days before giving notice. You must then wait a further 16 days before the wedding date.
Licensed Premises
It is perfectly possible to have your ceremony and your reception at one location. The office of National Statistics (0151 471 4817) can give a full list of licensed premises.
Marrying Abroad
This could be your idea of paradise, however remember not all your family and friends may be able to attend. Your local tour operators can help you organise your wedding abroad, often providing package offers.
Guest List
This can be one area that can often cause problems. You and your partner need to produce a guest list that will stay within your budget, but also keeps you both happy. Not only do you need to consult each other but you also need to sit down with both sets of parents and discuss the guest list you need to look at the practical conditions, such as how many guests are allowed in the church or registry office and your reception venue. It is at this time you and your partner need to discuss whether you want to invite children to your wedding. This is a hard decision to make and it is better to decide at the beginning and stick to this decision. It is also best to say either all children or no children.
The Dress
This is one area of wedding planning that should be a total pleasure. Start looking for ideas through magazines or check out the Dress sites advertised on thewedding-guide.net. Decide on your budget and whether you are going to buy a new dress a second-hand dress, hire one or even have one made for you. If you are going to buy make sure you look well advance of your wedding date. Try on many different styles to see which dresses suit your shape and colouring. Take somebody along with you for a second opinion, maybe your mum or your chief bridesmaid. Once decided on your dress you should consider your lingerie. As some lingerie will change your body shape, make sure you wear the same lingerie that you will be wearing on the day to all your fittings. Also choose your wedding shoes and take those to your fittings. Remember to enjoy yourself.
The Reception Venue
If you are getting married in a church you will to choose the reception venue that is close by, remember you may have transport but your guests will need to be able to get to your reception. To find that perfect reception research all your possibilities, ask around for people is personal recommendations, look in books, websites and yellow pages. Once decided on a few places ring up and book appointments for viewings and quotes. Go armed with a list of questions that you want answered. Once you and your partner have decided on your venue, book as soon as possible as most venues get booked very early.
Catering
This will make up a big slice of your budget, so plan this area carefully. The first thing you will need to do is decide if you want a formal sit down meal or a less informal buffet. A sit down meal requires a seating plan, whereas generally at a buffet your guests will choose their own seats. Make sure you know what diet requirements any of your guests may have, such as allergies or vegetarians.
Stationery
The style of your invitations may set the tone and theme of your wedding. You have plenty of options, you can buy readymade cards, have your invitations specially designed or if you have access to a computer you could try designing and making your own.
Photography
Photos are a lasting memory of your most memorable day, so you want them to be perfect. Check out websites and local magazines. Decide on a style, do you want formal pictures, candid shots or both? Once decided, provide your photographer with a timetable and a list of shots that you would like to be taken. Check with your minister when and where photography is allowed in the church and the grounds.
Video
If you are on a tight budget a professional video may seem like an unjustifiable luxury, but remember this is a record of your day which you can treasure and look back on in years to come. Request a demonstration tape from a few companies and see what the quality of their work is like.
Flowers
Whether you have a tight budget or have enough to build a mini-florist flowers are important at a wedding, especially the bouquet. You bouquet tends to set the style for the other flowers at the wedding so bear this is mind when choosing. Also be wary of the time of year as some flowers are seasonal and cheaper at some points in the year.
The wedding cake is a centrepiece of the wedding feast. There are some issues to consider: • How many the cake will need to serve • Do you want fruit or sponge, or sometimes maybe both. Make sure you double check when tea cake can be delivered and who will arrange it at the reception venue.
Get flowers delivered for any occasion