Dream Weddings Magazine - Dorset & Hampshire - issue.38

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Planning Makes Perfect Those all-important The Photographs If you’re anything like most brides, your wedding day will fly by all too quickly and the best way of reliving it in the months and years to come will be through your photographs. Though lots of your friends and family will take pictures on the day, it’s always a good idea to book a professional photographer for shots you can look back on with pleasure. Your choice of photographer should be based on whether you like the type of work he or she does. Visit a selection and ask to see examples of their work from recent weddings. See how the photographer has chosen his settings and make sure there’s a mixture of different types of shots. If the firm you visit employs several photographers, find out who has taken the pictures you like best and make sure you book that specific photographer for your day - and find out what happens if that photographer is suddenly not available. Discuss whether you want formally posed shots, or whether you would like the photographer to take informal pictures as they happen. Find out whether proofs will be available at the reception. Your photographer may well know the church and the reception venue you have chosen, but if he doesn’t, check he will visit both before the day so he can choose the best locations. Make sure you get a written quotation which specifies exactly how many photographs will be taken, at what points during the day and how much extra prints will cost. If you want photographs taken in the church, check that the priest is happy for this to happen and at what points during the service. details The Cake Ideally your cake should be ordered at least three months before the wedding. Though the tradition is for a multi-tiered fruit cake, the rich variety of styles and designs now means you can have anything from profiteroles to a rich chocolate fudge. The only thing to remember is that it will have to be big enough to give everyone a slice at the reception and to send slices to absent friends. Traditionally the top tier of a wedding cake was kept for the christening of the first child - if you want to follow that tradition, you’ll have to opt for a cake that will last that long. Ask to see designs of wedding cake and find out whether bakers will create one to your own specifications. Try to match the style of cake to the style of your wedding - and remember that The Transport It’s lovely to have a luxury chauffeur-driven limousine to drive you to the ceremony - and it’s also a practical choice. You can be sure you’ll arrive on time and with all that room in the car, you won’t have to worry about your dress getting creased. Normally the best man drives the groom to the ceremony and then takes the car to the reception. But you will need transport for the bride’s mother and bridesmaids (who usually travel together) and for the bride and her father to the ceremony and for the principals from the ceremony to the reception. Whether you want a traditional Rolls Royce, a classic Daimler, a convertible Cadillac, a stretch The Video Much the same advice applies to choosing a videographer as to choosing a photographer. Make sure you see samples of recent work, make sure the videographer you get is the one whose work you like best. Again check with the priest first whether he is prepared to give permission for filming during the ceremony. CAKE BY COAST CAKES you can save money on the reception by choosing a wedding cake which will double as a dessert. If you do this, you might want to cut your cake early at the reception, so it can be cut up ready to serve at the appropriate time. You will need the cake to be delivered to the reception venue on the morning of the wedding - and don’t forget to check that the venue has a cake stand and knife you can use. limo or even a horse and carriage, contact a variety of companies in your area and ask to see the cars themselves, not just pictures of them. Some companies offer a service which includes flowers in the cars and a glass of champagne for the bride and groom on their way to the reception. Check exactly what’s included in the price and get a written quotation. The Flowers The cost of your flowers depends very much on the time of year, so if you want a huge display don’t choose the middle of winter when you’ll have to pay a fortune for sufficient blooms. Spring and early summer are when the biggest choice of blooms is available - it’s something of a myth that flowers are easy to come by in the height of summer - though at other times of year dramatic effects can be achieved with foliage. Your florist will help you match both the colours and the arrangement of your flowers to the style of the wedding, teasing out the shades of your bridesmaids’ dresses, matching the men’s buttonholes and styling the arrangements for both church and reception to help you create an atmosphere which may be country style, dreamily romantic, classically elegant or even based on a theme. 2 8 • D R E A M W E D D I N G S I N D O R S E T & H A M P S H I R E PHOTO BY CP PHOTOGRAPHY cut out and keep
cut out and keep As this is likely to be the most expensive part of your wedding day, it’s important to set the standard early on in your planning. Popular venues get booked up well in advance, particularly on Saturdays during the peak wedding months so make sure of your choice by booking as early as you can. Do also make sure you confirm all the details with the venue in writing, paying particular attention to what is included in the price. Depending on your budget, you can have anything from a buffet catered for at home by family and friends to hiring outside caterers for a church or village hall to a formal sit-down meal at a hotel followed by an evening dance. A sit-down meal is obviously the most expensive option, but there are all sorts of alternatives from drinks and canapes to a buffet or even a barbecue. Whichever you choose, do make sure there are plenty of chairs for people to sit down while they’re eating - standing up balancing a drink and a plate while trying to eat is virtually never comfortable for guests. If you choose a hotel, do try to eat there and sample the food before making your booking. Check such details as corkage, parking space and whether the hotel will offer a cake stand and knife and a room for the bride and groom to change into their going away outfits. Many hotels offer a package which includes the services of a toastmaster and a complimentary room for the first night of the honeymoon. Once you have chosen your venue, confirm in writing what you understand is included in the price. Drinks for your guests will take up a large part of your budget. It’s reasonable to assume each will drink one or two glasses on arrival at the reception, three or four glasses with their meal and another glass with the toasts. A right royal reception Whether it’s a small buffet for a few close family and friends or a lavish do at the smartest of venues, your reception is the big celebration of your wedding - a chance for people to share your happiness and an opportunity for you to thank them for their presents and for coming to see you married. Though champagne is the traditional wedding drink, you can offer sherry, Chief bridesmaid Pimms or Bucks Fizz on arrival and wine with the meal, saving the champagne - or, indeed a good sparkling wine - for the toasts. For reference, you will get between 10 and 12 glasses of sherry to each bottle and between six and eight glasses of wine or champagne per bottle. Do remember to provide plenty of soft drinks for children and adults who prefer them or who may be driving. Allow between half and one litre per person. There can be a long break between ceremony and reception while photographs are being taken and some couples are now offering a glass of sherry outside the church and perhaps live music to entertain guests as they arrive at the reception. The usual order of events at the reception is: The receiving line The meal Speeches and toasts Cutting of the cake (though some couples prefer to do this before the speeches to allow it to be cut and served) Departure of bride and groom Top Table Seating Plan Groom’s father Bride’s mother Groom Bride PHOTO BY DIAMOND & SILK PHOTOGRAPHY Bride’s father Groom’s mother Best Man If you are having a sit-down meal, it is essential to have a seating plan. Try to put together tables of people who you think will get on well together. The top table seating plan for a sit-down meal is shown below. Don’t feel hidebound by what you think a traditional wedding breakfast should consists of - nowadays anything goes, from bangers and mash and jam roly-poly to pasta with wedding cake for dessert. It’s also worth remembering you may need to cater for vegetarians or guests on special diets. Do give considerable thought to the room and table decorations and the lighting at your reception. Flowers should match the theme colours of the wedding and a little money spent on atmospheric lighting can make an enormous difference. Favours for guests range from the traditional small baskets of sugared almonds or fortune cookies to little books of love poems. Crackers and balloons always help create an atmosphere and many couple now put a disposable camera on each table, so guests can record for you the parts of your reception that you missed on the day! If you are having a number of small children at your wedding, it’s worth giving some thought as to whether you can organise a creche - both to stop the youngsters getting bored and to give their parents a chance to enjoy themselves without worrying about what their offspring are up to. WHATEVER THE SIZE OF YOUR RECEPTION, it’s always nice to have a formal or semiformal receiving line to welcome your guests. This ensures that you get the chance to meet everybody and accept their congratulations. The bride’s parents, as the hosts are usually first in the receiving line, followed by the groom’s parents, the bride and groom and then the bridesmaids and attendants. Planning Makes Perfect D R E A M W E D D I N G S I N D O R S E T & H A M P S H I R E • 2 9
Page 3 and 4: contents Y congratulations... ou’
Page 5 and 6: D R E A M W E D D I N G S I N D O R
Page 7 and 8: SOPHIA TOLLI AT KELLY’S BRIDAL CO
Page 9 and 10: LADYBIRD AT SPECIAL OCCASIONS IN PO
Page 11 and 12: PICTURED LEFT & RIGHT: EDDY K AT KE
Page 13 and 14: style Bridal gown prices range from
Page 15 and 16: LEFT & RIGHT: LADYBIRD AT SPECIAL O
Page 17 and 18: TRUE MATCH AT ELEANOR FLORENCE IN Y
Page 19 and 20: BELOW: YOUNG’S FORMAL HIRE AT POS
Page 21 and 22: desserts! ABOVE & RIGHT: Jennifer B
Page 23 and 24: PHOTO BY DIAMOND & SILK PHOTOGRAPHY
Page 25 and 26: The Engagement Traditionally, the f
Page 27 and 28: cut out and keep REGISTER OFFICE To
Page 29: cut out and keep Who does what - an
Page 33 and 34: D R E A M W E D D I N G S I N D O R
Page 35 and 36: VENI INFANTINO AT IRENE IN BROADSTO
Page 37 and 38: mother of all outfits... GINA BACCO
Page 39 and 40: ▼Kingston Country Courtyard, Corf
Page 41 and 42: Your special day in Poole, the wedd
Page 43: ▼The Italian Villa at Compton Acr
Page 46 and 47: Skip to the loo, my darling! Ideal
Page 48 and 49: Your ceremony in Southampton Licens
Page 50 and 51: dates for your diary AUGUST 19: Rhi
Page 52: Our Perfect Venues HALLMARK HOTEL B

Dream Weddings Magazine - Dorset & Hampshire - issue.38

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