RS Wedding Designs

Earlier in the year Rachyeta featured us on her lovely Shaadiesque blog and we are very proud to be featured in her Supplier Lounge there, so I am very pleased to be able to share with you news of her exciting new planning packages.

Think you can’t afford a wedding planner? Think again! RS WeddingDesigns  is offering pick-n-mix planning from just £280 with their Theme Design packages.

“No bride wants a cookie cutter wedding but all too often weddings try to foist a package wedding onto them that really doesn’t reflect their personality,” says Rachyeta Singh. “With a Theme Design package, it’s a small outlay that can really open your eyes to what else is out there.”

“It’s your opportunity to do something different and make your big day stand out.”

The package starts at £280 for design ideas, rising to just £395 if you would like RS Wedding Designs to recommend suppliers as well.

The idea for the Theme Design package came from customer demand. Rachyeta often updates her blog with gorgeous reception decor ideas and her eye for colour and attention to detail can turn a dreary hotel package wedding into something rather wonderful.

One bride who avoided a cookie cutter wedding, but ordered some gorgeous cookies, is Catherine, who booked a Theme Design package with Rachyeta.

“The theme Rachyeta chose for us was a paradise dream theme, because our love story was something out of a dream,” Catherine says.

“The place names were little puffy clouds, the set up was a light blue and pink infusion. Our favours were a mix of a thermometer shaped ginger biscuits and an aeroplane shaped biscuit, as I am a doctor and my husband is a pilot.”

“Her venue suggestion was spot on and everyone had a blast.”

So how does RS Wedding Designs come up with these special touches? The company takes an innovative approach to wedding planning, building up an online directory of preferred suppliers to add to the creative flair of Rachyeta and her team. As such, RS Wedding Designs brides not only get great ideas, they also get great discounts.

“Brides use Google a lot nowadays to research wedding ideas but it’s a real shot in the dark,” Rachyeta says. “You may find the supplier of a product you want, but how can you be assured of quality? There has to be a degree of trust and nothing beats a recommendation from those within the industry.

“Our suppliers are people who will deliver. There is a great deal of vetting going on before they are added to our directory. We want to get to know the company behind the business logo - and, in the wedding industry, the photographer behind the camera.”

You can contact Rachyeta through her website, follow her on Twitter and get gorgeous inspiration from her Shaadiesque blog and her Bridal Street, rs1 blog.

Surrey Networking Tweet Up

One of the great things about working for myself at home is being able to use Twitter while I work. I've made some valuable contacts and lovely friends through it and it provides virtual 'office gossip', which is in some ways better than 'real' office gossip as you can literally switch it off if you're too busy or don't feel like getting involved. Twitter is great for picking up on different things such as information and events like networking meetings. Earlier this year I picked up on the Taunton Tweet Up which I made the effort to go to (yes, it's a long old drive from West Sussex to Somerset, but it was worth it as I tied it in with visiting family). It was great to meet some of the people I'd been tweeting with as well as making new contacts within the industry.

I'd been quite apprehensive whilst driving down to Somerset - sometimes it's difficult to walk into a room full of people you've never met before, but I'd committed myself to going so there was no chickening out! The first people I met were the Marry Me In Somerset girls, Abi & Lisa, along with Rachel and Lucinda, two of the Wedding Ideas Magazine 'herd' - all of whom were very friendly and welcoming. Another person I met in Taunton was Pam Wallin who is the driving force behind the Weddings In Surrey Directory. Having tweeted with her many times over the past year or so it was wonderful to finally meet her - like the Marry Me Somerset girls and all the WIM herd she is as lovely and friendly in person as she is on Twitter! I met many more wedding industry people that evening and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

When I saw a tweet a while ago about another Tweet Up, this time a little closer to home, I signed up for it immediately and put the date in my diary! Organised by Pam Wallin and Wedding Ideas Magazine, it was held at Fetcham Park House in Surrey, a beautiful wedding venue near Leatherhead.

buildingphotography.co.uk

The superbly elegant Grade II* Listed Queen Anne building is set in grounds which were originally landscaped by the famous Capability Brown and is believed to be one of only two remaining buildings which combine the work of architect William Talman and the artist Louis Laguerre.

parallelbusinesscentres.co.uk

parallelbusinesscentres.co.uk

I'd allowed plenty of time to tackle the A24 to Leatherhead as the evening was due to start at 6.30pm and arrived around half an hour early, plenty of time to admire the splendour of the reception rooms before they filled up with other attendees. If it's country house elegance and  style you're looking for then this venue definitely fits the bill and the Laguerre murals in the hall and stairway give a dark, richly opulent feel whereas the reception rooms are decorated in light creams and gold with intricate and colourful high ceilings.

Louis Laguerre Mural, Fetcham Park
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In contrast to the previous networking Tweet Up in Taunton I was not feeling at all apprehensive and had been looking forward all day to meeting more people that I had been chatting with on-line and some that I had yet to connect with. The list of attendees was for around 160 and we certainly filled the place up both physically and in noise level! 

By the end of the evening, this country girl who is usually found in either slippers around the house and office or wellies outside walking the LGs was feeling decidedly footsore after several hours in gorgeous high heels, but very positive, buoyed up and raring to go! I may not be a wedding planner, but I do have an incredible list of contacts within the industry now and it's always wonderful to be able to recommend a supplier to a bride - weddings and their planning can be an absolute minefield of information and can leave couples and their families feeling that they don't know where to start. So if you're looking for a Wedding Planner, a Florist, a Harpist, a Caterer, a Cake Designer, a Candy Buffet or a Chimney Sweep (yes, really!) if I can't personally recommend one it's likely that I know someone who can.

I's so easy to become insular and isolated when you work at home for yourself, easy too to be in need of a little 'spark' or 'va va voom' and meeting like minded professionals can really help to give you a boost. So many thanks to Pam and WIM for organising such a lovely evening!

The Wedding Day PA

So much time, effort and money goes into planning a wedding and no one wants to have a disaster on the day, our guest blogger this week, Claire aka The Wedding Day PA share some words of wisdom on how to avoid this!

How To Avoid A Wedding Day Disaster

Upon telling people I meet that I am a wedding planner - most people  ask what do you do when there is a wedding day disaster and thankfully  (touching a bit of wood) I haven't yet encountered a major wedding day  disaster but this isn't due to the fact I am lucky or God was looking  down on me that day - for the most part the reason why the weddings I  co-ordinate, and indeed the success behind any big celebration or event,  is.....it's all in the planning. Sounds simple but what amazes me most  about weddings and brides/grooms planning a wedding is nine out of ten  couples spend so much time, energy and money ensuring they have planned  their perfect wedding that most forget that the actual day itself needs  planning and a "go-to" person for any last minute questions or surprises  this as you will find out this doesn't need to be a wedding day  co-ordinator. If you have a couple of capable friends dividing some  simple wedding day tasks and checks can ensure the difference between a  wedding day disaster and your perfect day....

 The main tip I would give to brides is to have all your paperwork and  supplier information sorted in a neat and tidy wedding file. This file  should contain all the suppliers contact details, what services they are  supplying and copies of receipts paid along with any monies due in a  sealed envelope. Give this file to a trusted bridesmaid/maid of honour  or sibling who can have the file stored in a secure place and refer to  it if and when needed.

Secondly, I hate having my photo taken - I avoid it at all costs, if you  also dread the photographers camera flash ensure you book a engagement  shoot - now for those of you that do hate having your photo taken this  may seem like a crazy idea to have more photos taken than required, however having a pre-wedding/engagement photo shoot will make you feel  at ease with your photographer and means you can practise some wedding  type photo poses. On your wedding day ask your photographer's assistant  to do a quick walk around the popular photo opportunities at your venue  to make sure there are no cigarette ends or big muddy puddles on the  gravel etc.

Most brides spend hours choosing the right centrepieces and table  decorations to turn their wedding reception into their perfect dream,  ask your venue co-ordinator if you can set one table up prior to the  wedding exactly how you want it to look on the day itself and take a  photo, hand that to whoever is setting up your decorations - nothing is  more clear for them than a photograph to work from.

Have an emergency wedding day kit close to hand - I have for example  over 100 items in The Wedding Day PA's emergency kit which includes a  spare bouquet and wedding cake! Having a few essentials such as some  loose powder, lip gloss and a small sewing kit can keep you looking a  bridal beauty all day long!

When booking your DJ/band who are to play your chosen track for your  first dance ensure they have the CD/can play the track chosen - nothing  can turn a perfect wedding day into a wedding day disaster than not  being able to dance your first dance to a track you don't know and  haven't chosen. Here at The Wedding Day PA I carry a Ipod with powerful  speakers and make sure the first dance of the chosen couple is  downloaded and ready should the worse happen!

But above everything remember to enjoy yourself!

If you would like more top tips on "How To Avoid A Wedding Day  Disaster" please visit my website to download  your free copy.

Many thanks to Claire for some valuable tips - you can also follow her on Twitter.

Sunkissed Ceremonies

Well we've had an extremely dry Spring this year with some glorious sunshine then June arrived, more damp squib than Flaming June! Although the rain is desperately needed for the crops it would be good to get some sunshine and warmth back again - on Sunday evening Mr LG even suggested lighting the open fire, something which the LGs and I needed no persuading about! 

Today I'd like to welcome Julia Tsiaka from Sunkissed Ceremonies to our blog. Julia is a Celebrant on the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes .......

All About the Ceremony By Julia Tsiaka

If you’re looking for a wedding ceremony that’s completely your style and totally unique, consider a Celebrant wedding ceremony on the beautiful sun-kissed Greek island of Rhodes.

Sunkissed Ceremonies is a brand new Celebrant wedding service in Rhodes which creates tailor-made wedding ceremonies, in the English language, for couples who want to make their special day extra special.

Celebrant wedding ceremonies are becoming increasingly popular all over the world because they allow couples the freedom to express themselves in their own way; to celebrate their wedding day in the way they really want, with respect for their personal beliefs and cultures.

You can hold your Celebrant wedding ceremony in Rhodes at any time of the day or evening, you can express yourself freely when you say your vows to one another and you can include elements of any and all religions and beliefs.  You can include readings and music of any kind and mix up traditional and modern rituals.

The exchange of rings, the exchange of vows, the readings, the music and any other ritual held at a wedding is purely ceremonial and can be performed at any time and in any location.  And that’s where I, as a professional Celebrant can help you to make your wedding ceremony unforgettable.

                                                          

Many couples choose to register their marriage with a simple visit to their local Registrar first before jetting off into the sunshine with family and friends to celebrate their “real” wedding ceremony.

Banish any thoughts of not holding your wedding ceremony at exactly the same time as your marriage registration.  After all, you wouldn’t Christen your baby or hold a naming ceremony on the same day that you register their birth, would you?  There are few events that we celebrate at the same time that we register them.  Why should weddings be any different?

As your wedding Celebrant, I will spend a great deal of time getting to know you before creating your personalised wedding ceremony.    The ceremony will be completely unique to you, revolving around the story of your lives, your interests, how you met and how you feel about each other, and moulded around your beliefs and lifestyle. 

You are free to keep as much of the traditional wedding service as you would like and I will suggest some ways to make your ceremony unique with the inclusion of less traditional rituals that might suit your circumstances, like the sand ceremony, the unity candle or the wine ceremony.  See more examples of rituals on my website

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Consider the benefits of having a Sunkissed wedding ceremony in Rhodes. 

• It’s an economical option to holding a full-blown traditional ceremony with a Registrar in attendance at an approved UK venue

• You can choose to have a simple UK marriage registration before or after your Celebrant wedding ceremony in Rhodes or combine your Celebrant wedding ceremony with your legal Greek marriage registration on the island

• You can invite the family and friends that you really want to have with you on your special day – perhaps ask them to splash out on airfares rather than give you a wedding gift.  Ask those guests who cannot join you in Rhodes, and/or the traditionalists amongst them, to your legal marriage registration in the UK.

• You can hold the ceremony almost anywhere you like, at any time of day and there are no time restrictions

• You can style your wedding with a fun or favourite theme, e.g. roaring 20’s, masquerade, wild west, geek, movie stars, Titanic, ancient Greeks, etc. or perhaps just a colour or particular style such as blue and white, ecological, vintage or simply something that fits in with the gorgeous sun-kissed location

• You can express yourselves in any way and with any words, e.g. vows, readings, music, songs, dancing, etc. and stage your own ceremony choreography

• You can include other members of your family in the ceremony, e.g. children, or include a remembrance for someone that is no longer with us

• You can include any religious elements that you like from one or more religions, rituals such as breaking the glass, jumping the broom, handfasting, or even make up some of your own

• You don’t need any documentation, expensive legalisations or translations for a Sunkissed wedding ceremony – everything is in English

• It’s fun and it’s in the sun!

• You can have one heck of a long wedding celebration following your Sunkissed wedding ceremony – it might last until your return flight lands in the UK!

So, if you really want to put some sparkle into your wedding ceremony, come to the Greek island of Rhodes and say your vows in a very special location.

My thanks to Kitty for hosting this article on Celebrant wedding ceremonies in Rhodes.

You can find out more about Julia and the services she provides on her website, email her and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

In April we featured Laurra and Maria Nalty from One Life Ceremonies with suggestions for those of you who would like to do your wedding ceremony where and when you wish, and I'm a supporter of The Any Campaign which is working towards changing the law so that you CAN get married anytime, anywhere - please do visit their website and sign the petition if you think the law should be changed!

Marry Me In Somerset

Planning your wedding can be a stressful time.  You have so much to organise and it can be a daunting prospect! One thing that we hear from brides on a regular basis is that they worry about things going wrong on the day itself and even have nightmares or dreams about it during the planning process.

Marry Me in Somerset was set up by Abi & Lisa to help couples achieve the wedding of their dreams – as stress free as possible!

Our aim is to show couples who wish to get married in Somerset the very best of what Somerset has to offer from highly recommended suppliers to the fantastic choice of stunning, unique and quirky Venues throughout the County.

We believe Somerset is one of the most beautiful counties in England and possibly one of the greatest places to get married in the Country. Somerset is becoming increasingly popular with couples throughout the UK looking for that ‘special something’ as their choosen destination to host their Wedding!

With so many wedding directories online set up for profit purposes, we are passionate about promoting only the very best suppliers that Somerset has to offer. All of our suppliers are by invitation only and we thoroughly research all potential members before inviting them to join MMIS giving you the confidence that any supplier you contact in our directory will give you the high level of service we would expect you to receive.

We hope our site helps you with your Wedding planning!

If you work within the Wedding Industry and believe you offer a service to the standards we expect, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@marrymeinsomerset.co.uk. Likewise if you are a Somerset Wedding Venue and would like to be listed please contact us for further details.

Inspired Celebration

Today Zoe Grant from Inspired Celebration shows that a small budget for your wedding does not mean that you can't have the wedding day of your dreams!

A Handmade Wedding

One of the first things we think of after the initial excitement of becoming engaged is the cost of the actual wedding.  Before you can even think about trying on a dress, booking a venue or tasting cakes you need to think about your budget.  Whilst we hear of people spending vast amounts of money on their big day not everybody has the same amount of funds to spare for an expensive wedding day.  But the lack of funds should not deter you from creating the day you want.

With a bit of creativity and researching for inspiration you can have the wedding day you want.  Firstly speak to friends and family as I am sure you will find somebody either makes fabulous cakes or knows somebody who does. They may also know a photographer or consider hiring a third year photography degree student who may have already shot a couple of weddings and is looking to enhance their portfolio before graduating.  Stationery can easily be made by yourselves if you know the theme you are wanting to create and supplies can be brought from many retail outlets and websites, yet many stationery designers also have budget ranges that will save you time that maybe precious in the run up to the wedding.  Another option when thinking about your stationery is if any friends or family work as graphic designers, I am sure they will be happy to produce an original design just for you.

Decorating your venue may seem quite daunting but with the help of the wedding party you can achieve the look you want.  Choosing a vintage or country theme fete requires bunting, which can easily be made from remnants of fabric or old shirts from the charity shop, which is also a great place to pick up vintage crockery and glassware for stacking with cupcakes and serving cream teas when you greet your guests.  

Flowers are an important part of your day, both for you and your maids but also for decorating tables. The bouquets can double up as flowers for the top table and it is worth asking Auntie Kitty who creates fabulous floral arrangements for her home if she would consider helping to create the floral display for your big day.  Perhaps your Dad and Mum even have a flourishing garden that could be raided for your wedding flowers.

I know there are some things you cannot make yourself unless you are a jewellery designer or a fabulous seamstress.  The high street offers many reasonably priced options for bridesmaid dresses, bridal jewellery and shoes. Online marketplaces like Folksy and Etsy  offer you the chance to buy unique handcrafted jewellery, dresses and even decorations for your shoes. 

So you have asked mums friend to bake your cake, Auntie Kitty is doing the flowers, you and your fiancée have made your stationery and your maids are sewing metres of bunting but the venue and entertainment are still expensive.  Time to think outside the box! The village hall is a walk away from the church, so no need for transport and you can decorate it to suit your theme or Mum & Dads back garden is big enough to hold a marquee.  Now all you need is some entertainment, how about going back to the local university and see if any music students can help, a string quartet or a jazz band, I’m sure you will not be disappointed.

A small budget does not mean that you are limited you just need a sprinkling of imagination, a big spoonful of time and people willing to help mix until all the ingredients are ready to make your wedding day everything you dreamed of and more.

Many thanks Zoe.  I would just add that it's worth being totally honest with yourself whilst deciding what you are capable of doing yourself both in ability and in the time it will take, the last thing you need is to be stressed in the run up to your big day!  

Guest Blog from Your Wedding at Loch Lomond

Over the last year or so we have attended numerous wedding fairs. They are expensive for the exhibitor, and tiring for both exhibitor and attendee! Today we are very pleased to introduce Your Wedding at Loch Lomond and on Sunday there will be an on-line Wedding Fair organised by them - Register now to be able to chat on-line with wedding suppliers without leaving the comfort of your own home!

Whilst Lil'Guy is based in West Sussex we can supply to the whole of the UK - our latest booking has come from 40 miles north of Aberdeen!

Your Wedding at Loch Lomond is an on-line wedding directory for brides and grooms to be getting married at Loch Lomond in Scotland. We are free to use and free to advertise in (providing the supplier can provide to Loch Lomond).

The idea for our directory was born several years ago and we registered several domains then. We spent time meeting with local suppliers to find out what they wanted from a directory. We found that many new and small businesses in particular struggled to find customers due to very high advertising rates in magazines, newspapers and other websites. We came to the decision that our on-line directory would be free to advertise in, and that each interested advertiser would be offered the same advert. 

www.ciaphotography.co.uk

Our not for profit directory went live in June 2010 with just a few suppliers. Now, at the end of the year, we have grown to offer a wide variety of suppliers as well as regular discounts, a discussion forum and wedding fairs.

We also have a blog where we offer additional advice and support as well as interviews and submissions with a variety of wedding suppliers. We also keep our suppliers and brides to be updated through regular email newsletters, our Facebook page and Twitter account.

Our aim of making the directory 'everyone's directory' has been achieved. Its demonstrated by the fact that many advertising requests come from wedding suppliers who have been speaking to our listed suppliers. We do appreciate our suppliers spreading the word and helping with recruiting other suppliers! Many suppliers have become friends with each other, recommending each other, purchasing from each other etc. We love it!

 www.greatscotphotography.co.uk

We have made so many friends from our suppliers and received support from many experienced and respected wedding professionals and from other wedding directories

Highlights of 2010 have included being nominated for six awards, such as 'best business support' and 'best supplier directory'. We've been mentioned in local and national newspapers and bridal magazines. We are also currently on the list of “Top 100 Wedding Tweeters”.

This year, we are running a few wedding fairs to allow our brides and grooms to be to meet our suppliers face to face. We also have a second edition brochure with our suppliers' details which is available at our fairs and on our supplier premises.

www.ciaphotography.co.uk

We can be found at:
web: www.yourweddingatlochlomond.co.uk
blog: www.yourweddingatlochlomond.wordpress.com
facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3yslvlq
twitter: www.twitter.com/wedatlochlomond
email: info@yourweddingatlochlomond.co.uk

Please join us for the on-line Wedding Fair on Sunday 6th February and help to make it a memorable occasion for all involved!