One of the things us Brits do best is the summer BBQ. Come rain or shine you’ll find families up and down the country tucking into charred food from April – September. Step it up a notch for your summer wedding and serve a delicious variety of kebabs. Guests could choose from meat, fish or veggie kebabs and top their plates up with heaps of fresh salads. The smell of a BBQ always invokes a party spirit and combined with a live band and some bowls of fruity punch you’ll really have a wedding to remember!

Image Credit: Roasted Vegetables, BBQ Beef Tacos

If you want something a little more organised you might consider a picnic. You can provide all the classics like cucumber sandwiches and a soggy quiche or take it upmarket – artisan breads, pate, rich cheeses and miniature desserts. You can hire picnic tables to fill a marquee as well as providing picnic blankets in the hope of having a sunny day, and make sure there is plenty of ice-cold ginger beer available too.

Image Credit: Summer Picnic

One of the key things to remember for a summer wedding is to forget the monochrome trend! Or at least use it sparingly. A summer wedding needs colour, and plenty of it! Bright bouquets full of gerberas, carnations, chrysanthemums and roses look absolutely stunning against a white or ivory gown. Bunting is most definitely still on trend for summer weddings, draped all around the marquee and between trees in outside areas you will be almost set. The final touch is to add bright lanterns for when the sun begins to set.

If bright colours aren’t your thing you can still inject some colour into the day. Pastel pinks, blues and yellows give a subtler, more sophisticated feel to a summer wedding. Pastel ruffled icing looks beautiful on a tiered cake, or opt for a tower of pastel coloured macaroons. White table cloths with pastel runners will brighten up the room and you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to flowers! Bouquets and vases full of roses, tulips and lillies will look gorgeous.

Image Credit: Pastel Summer Marquee

There are some real essentials when it comes to summer weddings. You will need a covered space, be it a marquee or indoor area, just in case you’re unlucky with the weather. It’s a good idea to have umbrellas available to match your colour scheme so you can have at least some outside photographs in the event of rain too. If you’re expecting the reception to last well into the evening you might want to provide some citronella candles to ward off bugs and mosquitos and it’s a good idea to have some blankets handy should the evening turn chilly, for the guests who will have forgotten to bring a jacket.

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Jess xxx

Tattoos

Tattoos have become so commonplace recently it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have at least one ink-blot on their skin. Whether it’s something stylish, cute or regretful, many brides want to cover up theirs or their brides-maids tattoos on their wedding day. There are a few ways to do this, which can also apply to scars and bruises:

Image Credit: Tattooed bride 1, Tattooed bride 2

• Makeup – you can purchase specialist makeup designed for covering scars and skin imperfections which will cover up any tattoo. By blending different colours you will be able to match your skin tone perfectly so that no-one would ever know you had a tattoo at all. Many companies offer testers either free or very cheaply so you needn’t spend a fortune just for one day’s coverage.
• Temporary designs – if it isn’t the tattoo that bothers you but the design (Tiggers and dolphins are often regretted!), you could cover it with a temporary design. You can buy ink kits with stencils for very realistic tattoos or ask your local tattoo studio if they will design and paint something for you.
• Clothing – Most tattoos can be covered by your clothes if you really need to. Dresses with lace panelling covering the chest, back and arms are very popular at the moment or you could opt for a bolero or scarf to cover up in the photos.

Hair

Perhaps you’ve had a hair disaster, just days before your wedding, or one of your bridesmaids has decided to go for a crazy colour which clashes with the scheme for the wedding. Fear not! Help is at hand.

Image Credit: Bad hair 1, Bad hair 2

• Extensions – If it’s a haircut which has gone wrong one of the simplest solutions would be hair extensions. Your best bet is to speak to a hairdresser about what would be achievable for you. A weave would be costly but clip in extensions can look fab if you use them well.
• Semi-permanent dye – If you have a colour issue you can solve it quickly with some semi-permanent or wash-in wash-out dye. This is a more reliable method than permanent dyes, which penetrate the hair, and is probably more agreeable if you’re dealing with a rebellious bridesmaid!

Skin

Everybody would love to have perfect skin on their wedding day, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen!

• Pimples – There’s no sure fire way to stop your skin breaking out in the run up to your wedding, but try not to panic! If you’ve hired a makeup artist, they will be able to hide any problems. If you are doing your makeup yourself try to get to a makeup counter and they will be able to advise you on the best cover-up. Just remember not to keep picking, you’ll only make it worse!
• Tans – Many brides and bridesmaids like to use a bit of fake tan for the wedding, and that can go horribly wrong. If you end up looking like you’ve been tangoed try washing alternately in washing-up liquid and lemon juice until the orange colour fades, and use a light dusting of a pale powder foundation if it still looks bad.

Of course, these are only a selection of the wedding day disasters you could have, we haven’t even mentioned the broken nails and over-whitened teeth! Just remember to stay calm, there will always be a solution and if there isn’t? There’s always Photoshop!

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Jess xxx

The great thing about a blog is that you will be able to access it from wherever you are. You’ll never lose it, leave it on a bench or spill a cup of tea over it. The children won’t scribble on it and even your best friend overseas will be able to read and enjoy the whole wedding experience from afar. You might find that you get lots of readers or even be able to make a little money from it in the long run. There is also a very slight danger that you might grow to love writing a blog…

Planning the Wedding

You can use a blog to plan every aspect of your wedding from the colour scheme to the food. Take photos wherever you go and upload them straight from your smartphone (the top two blogging platforms, WordPress & Blogger, both have really good apps for on-the-go blogging) so you can keep track of ideas and inspiration.

Getting in shape

So many people would like to get in better shape before their wedding. Whilst slimming down and getting fit is do-able on your own, it is much easier when you have support. Create a blog (or a section of your blog) devoted to this cause and you may find a community of support grow around you. Regular posts about what does and doesn’t work for you as well as details of difficult weeks and inspiration for keeping on track will really help you to achieve your goals.

Wedding photos – Lots of wedding photographers provide couples with a digital copy of their wedding photographs. You can use a blog to share these with people who couldn’t make it to the wedding. If they’ve been reading all about the planning of your wedding they’ll love to see the final pictures! Just make sure you ask your photographer if they are OK with this, and credit them in every post where their images are used.

Honeymoon

The likelihood is you won’t be taking friends, family and a photographer on honeymoon with you. Keep a diary while you’re away and add photos to your blog when you get a chance. Everyone will love to see the updates and it will create a wonderful record for you to look at and reminisce in years to come.

Married life

You might find you’ve caught the blogging bug after all of that. Just because the wedding is over doesn’t mean you have to give up your blog! You can keep it up with posts about how life has changed since you got married, plan the next stage of your life together or whatever else you fancy.

You can blog anonymously if you need to get some things off your chest or, if you don’t want to commit to doing it all yourself, think about writing as a guest on other blogs. Whatever you decide, writing a blog can be a wonderfully therapeutic exercise when all the stresses of planning a wedding are getting you down.

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Jess xxx

♥ This Bridal Sari makes a statement and demands attention. It is not the traditional bridal sari, but it is for a stylish bride who creates her own style and traditions. Not a sheep.

♥ Jewellery, in this board, we choose big and bold, almost 60s or 70s fashion to pop out at your guests. This is your day, there are classy and flattering ways to be centre of attention without being over the top, which this look is not.

Image Credit: 1. Bridal Sari, 2. Jewellery, 3. Shoes, 4. Groom’s suit, 5. Bouquets

♥ The shoes are probably my favourite part of this outfit, probably because although the rest of the outfit is very modern and chic, this little pair brings it all back to Little India. It is the one item that is classicly Indian (other than the obvious sari of course).

♥ The Groom will always complement his bride with a matching outfit, using similar colours, patterns and stitching.

♥ The Bouquet is the cherry on top for this outfit.

Image Credit: 6. Venue tables, 7. Alter, 8. Favour, 9. Place setting

♥ The Reception venue looks full and tremendously busy with plenty going on, but actually it is an illusion. there is only one fairly tall and large arrangement on each table, but otherwise they are small candles on the tables, and light displays reflected on the walls. All in all it is a classy looking reception.

♥ The altar is by far a godsend. It is simplicity at its finest with gorgeous accenuating floral arrangments perfectly positioned along the aisle framing the main stage.

♥ Favours are always a difficult one to master. Who even knows where to start? Most people leave these little gems last minute and resort to sugared almonds, and hey there is nothing wrong with that. But lets not be so generic, anything can be awaiting your guests in these boxes.

♥ The place setting is also my favourite. Gold, Chic, classy, almost Heavenly.

If you are a bride or groom and you love this inspiration board, then print it out, bookmark it, like it on Facebook  save it to your smart phone … show your suppliers or even better, get in touch with the wedding planners who put it together!

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Rachyeta xxx

Image Credit: Wedding Planning

What’s first? Idea collection, brainstorm, and the other half

Before you start getting the calculator out and slowly heading into a depressive state, what you should do is vaguely understand where in the spectrum you are comfortable spending. Personally, I want a small wedding (not that small ever means more affordable, especially with my ideas).

Ideas are your friend; magazines, blogs, google images, pinterest, even youtube. Use all the resources you can get your hands on because these will help sculpt the image of your wedding day in your mind and that is priority, well before pound signs and contracts.

At this stage you may already be clear of what you want, theme, colours and flavour of cake, but more times than not brainstorming, talking aloud and discussing the needs of your partner will chisel away into a more structured vision.

As a wedding planner, my mind is already a circus of wedding inspiration, so talking it aloud with my fiancé, was a little daunting. But being anxious was completely unnecessary – when you marry a photographer whose many gifts is to have the ability to story tell – he is the right person to have by my side.

Things to think about …

Ongoing thoughts after your vision is complete are types of venues, guest numbers, colour themes. And the rest will follow.

If you are planning your wedding alongside me, then stay in touch, email me your queries, your questions and absolutely let me know your thoughts.

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Rachyeta xxx

Start by doing some thorough research. Look through magazines and bridal websites, visit as many florists as you can and search on Pinterest for some inspiration. If you already have a colour scheme set for the wedding you can use that as a starting point, if not try to think about which colours appeal to you most. Would you prefer to stick to a simple, elegant two colour scheme, or does a rainbow burst of bright blooms really grab you? Find a florist who you feel comfortable with and who understands your vision and begin to discuss flower combinations that you both feel could work.

Image Credit: Pinterest

Before you get too carried away think about your budget. There’s no sense planning for 1000 red roses atop your mandap then realising you’ll have no money left for anything else. Be honest from the outset with your florist. Remember flowers are what they do and they will be skilled in making an arrangement look fantastic with cheaper fillers such as well placed foliage and ribbons. When choosing which flower varieties to have at your wedding think about the season. Flowers which have to be imported out of season will cost you a lot more than if you stick to what’s available locally, so forgoing the more exotic varieties will really help you to get your money’s worth.

Image Credit: Flower Market 1, Flower Market 2

When you have decided on the varieties and colours you can begin to design each arrangement. Begin with the bridal bouquet, which should be stunning without overpowering the dress. If possible take a piece of material from your dress to the florist so you can ensure the colours will complement each other. Once you have that sorted move onto bridesmaids, flower girls, groom & groomsmen, the rest of the bridal party and decorations. Phew! That’s a lot to organise!

Image Credit: Simple arrangements, Swan extravagant arrangements

You don’t have to keep to the same colours and varieties throughout the wedding. Consider using the same flower varieties but in contrasting colours for the different parts of the wedding, or stick to one colour theme with a larger range of flowers. As long as there is some co-ordination between the arrangements, everything will look stunning.

Most of all, try not to get too bogged down in the specifics. Whether you choose something simple or something more elaborate, whether you have a really tight budget or the sky is the limit, the right florist can help you to achieve your dream wedding florals.

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Jess xxx

Aston Martin DB5

Image Credit: Aston Martin

Some say the Aston Martin DB5 is the most beautiful car ever made, and if that’s how you feel it’s hard to move past that to look for anything else. Originally released in 1963 the DB5 was rocketed to fame by being the first ever Bond car, seen speeding round Swiss mountain roads in Goldfinger in 1964. Fast and furious (but not ever so spacious) this British beauty can be hard to find to hire for anything more than promotional events. If you do manage to hire one for your wedding try not to hit the little red button on top of the gear stick, an ejected passenger is not the best way to start a marriage!

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud

Image Credit: Rolls Royce

Arguably, the most classic of all wedding cars is not the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud but the Phantom. So why is the Silver Cloud on the list? This core 50’s – 60’s model is bigger than the Phantom and represents the very best of vintage luxury and style. You’ll find plenty of places hiring these out complete with the traditional ribbons along the bonnet. If you’re having a spring or summer wedding book a convertible and get the bride a headscarf for a true ‘golden age of Hollywood’ feel.

Ferrari F40

Image Credit: Ferrari

First produced in 1987, posters of the incredible Ferrari F40 adorned the walls of any self-respecting teenage boy. This ultimate supercar was the antithesis of luxury – no stereo, no carpets, no seatbelts – the F40 was more than a minimalist statement, it was raw speed and noise. You might not be travelling in absolute comfort but you will get where you’re going, and you will get there fast. You might struggle if you are trying to convince the bride to book this as a wedding car, but as long as her dress isn’t a big meringue you should have at least an outside chance! The classic red sports car is the colour of love after all.

Once you start looking for a wedding car to hire you will be surprised at just how much choice there is. Whether you choose one of the vintage classics, a new incarnation of an old favourite or something completely plain, if it’s your dream car, it will be perfect! Just make sure it fits in with your colour scheme.

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Jess xxx

Opting for self-catering will save you a fortune and is much easier here than abroad with all the familiar shops and products available, but you will end up spending your honeymoon in supermarkets and doing the washing up so really think about it before you go down that route.

Beside The Seaside

England’s South Coast has some truly gorgeous beaches. Choose Cornwall for stunning views and surfing with enough ice cream to sink the Titanic thrown in for good measure! There are plenty of quaint cottages and B&Bs to stay in as well as some really top notch hotels.

Image Credit: Seaside Bicycle, Parked at the seaside

If you’d rather be more sociable during your honeymoon, head East to Brighton. Packed with glitzy nightlife in the evenings, you’ll also discover Brighton is a city of culture and history by day.

To The Top Of The Hill

While our hills are nothing compared to some parts of the world, you will be hard pushed to find a better honeymoon than being tucked up in a mountain lodge, cuddling your new husband and sitting by a roaring log fire. Choose Snowdonia in North Wales, the Lake District in England or the rugged Highlands of Scotland for a really romantic break. This is a great choice if you live in a city, the forced seclusion of rural life will make your honeymoon an unforgettable experience.

Image Credit: Snowdonia

Take the opportunity to explore a new area of the country and you’ll be sure to find lovely little villages and markets, soon forgetting you didn’t even need to go abroad to find them!

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made

Discovering a new city can be so exciting. Choose a luxury hotel right in the centre, spend your days looking round the shops and museums, your evenings exploring the restaurants and theatres. The great thing about a city break is that you can get as involved as you like. There is always something to do, or you’ll be just as happy staying in and ordering room service.

Bath is a fantastic city to explore, and just a stone’s throw from the rolling hills of the South Coast. Full of history, the Roman Baths are a must-see. Further North you’ll find Manchester lively and exotic, or venture as far as Edinburgh for ghost walks, haggis and bagpipes.

When choosing your honeymoon destination don’t dismiss the UK, there is so much to explore here it seems a shame to miss it all lounging on a beach in Spain! Although, looking out the window now, maybe that would be nice …

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Jess xxx

Traditional Favours

If you want to stick to tradition you can simply give each guest a package of sugared almonds wrapped in fabric to match the wedding’s theme. Coloured tulle with crystal accents, all tied up with a co-ordinating ribbon look absolutely gorgeous laid out at each place setting. You can buy these for a few pounds each, or get a big bag of almonds and a few metres of material and set aside an evening or two to make them yourself.

Image Credit: Sugared almond favour

Living Favours

A really lovely idea is to give each guest a plant as a favour. You could use these as the table centrepiece and instruct each guest to take one at the end of the meal. Keep it rustic by using small terracotta pots, go quirky by painting the pots to match your theme, or even use vintage china for a really cute twist. You will probably be able to find someone to prepare these for you, but if you’re going to DIY make sure you have space to keep the potted plants before the day. And don’t forget to water them!

Image Credit: Plant favours

Personalised Favours

Think about combining the wedding favours and place settings to give personalised wedding favours. There are plenty of independent sellers online who will personalise almost anything for you, from notebooks and luggage tags to chocolates or lip balms. Your guests will not only have something useful, but it will also be unique. Again, you could do this yourself if you’ve got the time and equipment.

Children’s Favours

It’s a nice idea to create special favours for the children. Think more party bag than cracker prize. A nice idea is to fill a small bucket with several items that can keep the kids entertained while adults are enjoying the speeches. Colouring books and crayons are great, you could also include a personalised pencil case. Bubbles are always a big hit with the kids, but steer away from anything noisy like kazoos and party blowers, they’ll just annoy everyone else.

Image Credit: Children party bag

The key is to use your imagination. Try to find favours which show a little of your personality and will be remembered by your guests. Buying ready-made favours can be costly, especially if you’re having a large wedding, but making them yourself is a mammoth task. Try making one or two, see how long it takes you and work out the total amount of time you’ll need to get them all done. Think about everything else that needs doing, and if you honestly have the time to finish them all to a high enough standard.

Have you seen any truly amazing wedding favour ideas? Let us know in the comments.

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Rachyeta xxx

Where you choose to make your list is so important. You’ll want to choose somewhere which has a large range of products and something to suit every budget. Department stores are a great idea because most people will have a branch near them and the choice is huge.

You’ll be given a zapper (that’s the technical name, of course) and let loose to scan any and every item in the store your heart so desires. Then your guests are given the details and can shop at their leisure. Most stores will deliver all your gifts together after the wedding and honeymoon are done, so you don’t even have to worry about transporting it all from the venue.

If you don’t fancy going down the department store route there is another option, although it involves a bit more work. Choose items from several smaller shops, independent retailers and boutiques. You’ll probably want to ask a friend or relative help you organise a list which is sent to all the guests, then each guest can choose an item they’d like to buy. They must contact the list holder to get the item ticked off (and make sure no-one else has bought it yet) before making the purchase. You can also use online services such as Pinterest and Google’s shared documents to help you manage the list.

Try to develop a strategy before you start making the list. Include both things you need and things you want. If you and your partner are just starting out together you’ll probably be including more essentials like kitchen appliances, crockery and cutlery. If you’ve already been living together for a while you’ll no doubt have all the basics sorted, so artwork and ornaments might feature heavily on the list.

Don’t be scared to include some more expensive items on the gift list, friends and relatives might just decide get together to buy that leather armchair as a joint gift. As long as most items are between £50 – £100 you’re on the right track. Saying that, including some items in the £10 – £50 price range doesn’t exclude those on a tight budget.

Be prepared for some people to just ignore the list too, they’ll want to buy you something “more personal”. Though quite what could be more personal than items you have chosen for yourself I don’t know.

The best tip I can give you though is to have pen and paper at the ready when you open your gifts. There will be little extras and joint presents you need to remember for when you write your thank-yous. Forgetting who gave you what is a big no-no!

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Always, always keeping you inspired!

Rachyeta xxx