Bridal Couture from the experts

When looking for your gown, ask your friends whether they been to a dress shop that they can recommend? You should feel at ease from the moment you enter the boutique and the only person they attendants should be worrying about at that time is you. When choosing a boutique have a look for who can offer you the service you want and deserve.

At Creatiques, when our brides come into the shop, we tend to choose dresses that would suit their shape and personality. Whether it is a full skirt such as the current and stunning Justin Alexanders 50's style wedding gowns, which will make your waist look smaller, or perhaps a drop waisted gown to ephasize a curvacoious shape.
Other flattering tips are an assymetiric shape bodice can be great to make your body look longer and your waist look slimmer which will create an illusion of a great silhouette.

We also take into consideration the location of the wedding; Questions such as " Are you getting married abroad?" will be asked as there are some beautiful destination dresses around at the moment which lend themselves beautifully should it be a beach wedding. Sincerity Bridal and Mark Lesley Paradise, offer a varied range of light weight dresses that are easy to carry on board your flight. These are made in a lighter weight fabrics such as chiffon and light weight silks. If traveling abroad to make your travel company aware as they will assist in the storage of the dress to minimise creasing.

If you are looking for a more dramatic effect why not think about a colour, this seasons bridal gowns are tending to be in pale silvers, pinks and even a dark red. But don't forget about the colour of your hair , dark hair tends to suits brighter whites, ivories and richer colours, blonde hair is great for ivories pale colours and red heads look great in a much stronger colour such as darker champagne colour dress


Article from Andrew & Robert Pearce @ Creatiques
http://www.creatiques.co.uk

Oh, What a Wonderful Workshop!

Well, what a fabulous time we had at our 'Love Weddings, Live Weddings' workshop. It's a day to find out all about wedding planning - the highs and lows, the essential information about starting out in this amazing industry and all the insider secrets from not one, but two multi award winning wedding planners. Really? Where else do you get that?!

The day was led by Julie Tooby and Tamryn Kirby but the real stars of the show were the wonderful people that came along - they joined in, they asked questions, they laughed, they cried (in a good way!) and they all left the room bouncing and bubbling over with enthusiasm. A huge success! It was great to have such a mixed bunch in the room - from those already working at venues and for Michelin starred chefs, through to stars of the West End, newlyweds and those looking for a career change. The one thing everyone had in common - a huge love of weddings - created a great atmosphere and so much energry, we could have powered most of Berkshire!

This day doesn't aim to teach you how to do the job because let's face it, who is anyone to pass judgement on your amibition? This day aims to be truthful - to answer questions (no reading from endless pages of pre-prepared notes for Julie & Tamryn - it's more thinking on your feet and dealing with anything thrown at them by those attending!), to talk about experiences and most of all, to be honest - about the good and bad. We talked about managing clients & budgets, trends, knock-out consultations and proposals, how to stand out in the marketplace, starting out and growing your business but the best bit was definitely answering all the questions from those on the course and there were hundreds! The opportunity to pick the brains of two wedding planners with almost twenty years experience between them was not one to pass up.

The day ended and everyone left clutching their notes and information CDs, with big smiles on their faces and minds buzzing with new ideas. The e-mails have been flooding into EY HQ ever since with lovely comments and happy vibes - more reminders to Julie & Tamryn why this is the best job in the world!

As we've already been asked to put more dates in the diary for another 'Love Weddings, Live Weddings' workshop with Julie & Tamryn, we're pleased to announce that we're doing it all again on Sunday 30th January 2011. If you'd like to be inspired and informed, contact us now to reserve your space and get ready for a huge dose of wedding planning widsom from two multi award winning wedding planners.


Here are a few of the comments we have received:

"The day has filled me with lots of confidence and boosted me self esteem, the whole day was brilliant and all very useful"

" Everything was interesting and full of useful information"

"Worth paying for and I could sit and listen about it everyday"

"You were brilliant. You've given me so many ideas I may burst. Thank you Julie & Tamryn"

"Lovely to meet you, you are both so inspiring, so wonderful to see the passion that you have for this industry"

"Just wanted to follow yesterdays wonderful workshop with a huge thank you. I feel completely inspired after meeting two such wonderful people and I hope to see you both again soon."

Article written by Julie Tooby and Tamryn Kirby

Getting Married - without breaking the bank

‘How can we get married without breaking the bank?’

As VAT is set to rise, brides to be are still spending huge amounts of cash to get their dream day and almost half admit they will blow their budget to get the ultimate day.

But the quest for the ultimate wedding on a budget has a sad side and 67 percent of brides are struggling with the stress of organising without overspending.


As a specialist in planning chic weddings on realistic budgets,I know it’s easy to get carried away when organising a wedding and this can lead to stress, arguments and massive overspending. So many couples think that the only way to get a dream wedding is to buy it and that’s not the case. A wedding where the couple has put thought, rather than cash, into everything is so much more impressive to guests.
 As Wedding Planner of the Year 2009 and 2010, I'm aware that all brides want ‘something different’ for their big day but what everyone seems to have forgotten is that the best way to achieve that is to use their personalities, rather than their purse. You should be thinking about your hobbies and likes & dislikes, not where you can buy the most expensive thing.

Amazingly, UK weddings are currently running at a whopping £60 per minute and those planning for weddings in 2011 should act now to stop their big day becoming a big payday.

Take a down to earth approach, write your budget plan early on in the planning and stick to it. As the day gets closer and panic sets in, it’s easy to start hemorrhaging money. First of all make sure you write down everything you spend because it's often the little things that can send budgets out of the window.”
 The average wedding costs £20,273, with one in 10 couples taking extra jobs to pay for the union. While the big spend is often the wedding dress (pitching in at around the £1,000 mark) it’s the incidentals that can break the bank. Easy overspends include £20 on rolls of ribbon, £25 on cards for the bridal party, £50 for mums’ bouquets and £50 on mini cameras for the tables.



Avoid impulse purchases. The internet is a big culprit because it's easy to browse wedding sites, see something you like and before you know it you’ve bought it. If something isn't in your budget, you'll need to trim costs elsewhere before buying.

Here are some top 

tips to help you tick to your Wedding Budget


1. Use a wedding planner. Using savvy know-how, especially when it comes to negotiating with suppliers, will save stacks of cash.


2. Don't provide a floral arrangement for a top table at dinner – use your bouquet to decorate it for the photos.


3. If you pay for a dozen cases of wine for the meal, check how many are used – any 'leftovers' can be put behind the bar in the evening. 


4. If you have a few large flower arrangements at your ceremony, move them to your reception and save some money.


5. Use your cake as dessert to avoid paying for an additional course and don’t forget that supermarket wedding cakes can look great and cost less.

6. Some hotel venues will give the bride and groom a complimentary room on the night. Negotiate before you book and remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get and remember, venues will often do deals on weekday weddings.


7. Don’t ignore the high street for your bridesmaid dresses where you can save up to half on the cost of speciality gowns.


8. Book a photographer by the hour if you're not bothered about snaps of you getting ready, or at the evening party.


9. If a supplier's contract stipulates that you've got to feed them, there's no need to give them the same as the guests. A bar meal or a plate of sandwiches is cheaper.


10. Kids activity bags are great but can be expensive to put together - use websites to print free 'clip art' instead of buying colouring books.

Article by Julie Tooby

Top tips for Choosing a Venue

Article written by Julie Toobby
Published by Wedding Ideas Magazine

10 tips for planning your wedding

1. Don’t Panic! I know the thought of planning one of the most important days of your life is daunting, but simplify it. Make a list of what you think you want and tackle each item at a time.

2. Read the expert wedding advice articles on The Wedding Community. You will find all sorts of ideas and advice from specialists in different fields of the wedding industry. The Wedding Community forum is an excellent way to chat to other real brides to get ideas and discuss your plans.

3. Remember you are the client. Do not be pushed into things you don’t want by suppliers. Listen to their advice but put your own stamp on what you want. It is your day and they want your business.

4. Check out the internet. There are lots of sites to help you and this is a quick and productive way to get ideas, compare costs, find items and get reviews on suppliers.

5. Choose your wedding venue wisely. There are hundreds out there and they all want you to pick them, so negotiate what you want within the budget you have set, but remain realistic.

6. Stay focused on what you as a couple want for the day. Everyone will have an opinion and they will voice it, but this is your wedding so make sure it is about you and your dreams.

7. Do not let budgets take a nose dive and get out of control. Set your limits at the start, be realistic but stick to them, it is easy to get excited and overspend.

8. Choose a theme for your day and work around that. If you do this before you begin buying things such as table décor, you will save money in the long run and not end up with a box full of stuff you don’t use.

9. Do not set your heart on good weather. This is the only thing you cannot plan so don’t let a spot of rain or overcast day ruin the whole thing.

10. Hire a wedding planner. They do not always cost the earth and will be able to offer invaluable advice, as well as negotiating with suppliers and helping to ensure your wedding runs smoothly on the day.

Article by Julie Tooby for the www.theweddingcommunity.com
Image by LLewellyn Robbins www.lrphotography.co.uk

Website

We have a new and exciting re-designed website and we LOVE it.

A huge thank you to Paul Rigby @ Ingensys, for working around the clock to make us look fantastic and just being a star and all round patient good egg!

With thanks to www.ingensys.net

The Wedding Community

Have a look at the latest newsletter from the Wedding Community. Lots of info and a fantastic competition from the fantastic Sandals Resorts.

http://www.theweddingcommunitynewsletter.co.uk/