Destination Weddings

There are so many things to think about with a destination wedding. I think that some people think it is a great way to avoid all of the stress of a planning a wedding and many people think it is going to cut down on the cost of their big day. It may be the case, but I don’t really think so.

I guess it depends too why you have chosen a destination wedding. Some people choose to have a destination wedding so that they don’t have to pay to have every person they know there, and an easy way to cut down your guest list. Perhaps consider eloping if you don’t want anyone there with you. However, there are going to people who still expect an invitation, and there will be some wondering why they are not invited, just like weddings in your home town. On the flip side you need to realise potential invitees to your destination wedding may not always be able to come and share your big day due to health or financial constraints. A destination wedding or elopement can be a wonderful wedding choice if you really don’t like being the centre of attention or speaking in public, or if who don’t like fuss. It is a great way to take the pressure off you both as a couple. However, be prepared to accept some of your friends and family may be disappointed that they were not part of your special day.

Some couples choose a destination wedding because it is a great way to start off a wonderful holiday and your honeymoon in an exotic, faraway place. It could also be a great way share it in part with family and/ or friends, especially if it is somewhere that you have both been before and really love, or somewhere that you both want to experience for the first time together.

Cost is a big factor. Some people seem to think that it is going to be a cheaper wedding alternative, but I don’t know this is always the case. It can be cheaper compared to a 150 guest sit down dinner at one of the top function centres, but not for example to simpler home catered options.

Paperwork such as passports and visas, and legal requirements are issues you need to take into consideration. Every country will have different laws about marriage, such as how long you have to be in the country before you can be married. If you decide on a country where resorts offer package deals, they may provide information, but you should still contact someone at the Australian Embassy and in  your country of choice and ask questions to ensure you abide by all legal requirements before your departure.

Something else that I didn’t really think about until I was discussing with my friend who had her wedding in New Zealand (check out the blog about it here) is that you need to take everything with you, or send it there in advance. She had to organise and transport the table decorations, gifts for the bridesmaids, and her dress. Luckily she did a couple of trips over there prior to the big day, but if this is not an option, you may want to think about this or find out what the venue can provide and what is specifically included in the package.  This can sometimes be a problem if you are the kind of bride or couple who have unique requirements and it may be difficult with a destination wedding to coordinate these things. It can sometimes become out of your control especially when you can’t visit the venue or speak to the event organiser in person. It may not be possible to have everything exactly as you have dreamed of and you may have to compromise.

Whatever your reason for a destination wedding there are pros and cons and lots of things that you need to consider. Did you have a destination wedding or were you considering one?

Thank you again to Untamed Images for the photos from this weeks blog, check out their website here, and go over and like them on their facebook page to keep updated with all of their photos.

Bouquets

Bouquets are an important part of your wedding day. I cannot remember a time when I have been to a wedding and there hasn’t been a bouquet, or some kind of flowers that the bride has carried down the aisle.  However, the traditional bouquet is not as common and times and aesthetics change. Trends and fashions dictate what we choose in terms of colours and styles. If you think back or look at photos from the past, bouquets have changed dramatically. Again with all things wedding, it is much easier to have what you desire. Long gone are the traditional white bouquets with the distinct tear drop shape, brides now are spoiled for choice.

More and more brides are choosing to reflect their own personality, and lots of bouquets now consist of just one flower type or colour, and use different flowers for the bridesmaids to make the brides’ own flowers stand out more distinctly. I know that when I had my wedding, I only had red roses, I wanted them to stand out from the dress and have something a bit different. I love red roses and knew I would never have 50 of them at the one time perhaps ever again. I remember some people telling me that I should have white flowers as this was a traditional colour for bride’s bouquets.  I’m glad I could choose to be different and that they looked great in the photos. At a recent wedding I attended, all of the bridesmaids had gypsophila as the bride loved this flower and it looked really stunning and made the bride’s flowers really stand out.  Some brides are even choosing to have bouquets that have little or no ‘flowers’ or choose plants such as succulents, or feathers, or something even more original – I have seen suggestions for confectionary and origami bouquets.

Some newer popular trends are button and brooch bouquets. The good thing about these styles means if you are crafty you can make them yourself, and they are not something you will worry about on the day as these can be made in advance and made to match the style and the theme of your wedding. These materials are also popular mixed with traditional flowers, and an option if you don’t want to commit to an all brooch or button bouquet, but like the idea of something different and unique. The Internet is a great place to search for ideas on how to personalise your bouquet.

An interesting bridal bouquet I saw recently had a number of small photo frames attached of people that had passed away and is a great way to remember those cherished people in your ceremony and throughout the day. This is a great way to honour people who can’t be with you on your big day and is something I have blogged about in the past. Check out my blog on accessories with special meaning.

Ultimately like other aspects of your wedding, your bouquet is a great way to express who you are and show your individuality as a bride. Have what makes you happy and what you love. It is the one day where you can choose all of the things that you love. Why not let your bouquet speak for itself and let your personality shine through.

Thanks again to Vision House Photography for these stunning photos, check out their website here, and don’t forget to go over to their facebook page and like it to keep up with all of their great photography.

Sick on someones wedding day

Has this ever happened to you or your significant other, being sick on someones wedding day? It recently happened to me when my husband fell very ill on the day of my friends wedding. He had some sort of bug or food poisoning that had him up violently ill all through the night and most of the morning.

I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what to do. Do I ring or text the bride? Is there someone else that I should let know? I had a little bit of a look online for an answer but this just confused me more as there were forums and all sorts of blogs about being sick with time to spare, but nothing about falling ill on the day (or through the night before).

I think it depends on who the bride is as to what you should do, and how far in advance that you become sick. One of my other friends that I sat with at the wedding was unwell too, but just had  a flu and decided that feeling a little bit off colour wasn’t going to keep her away from the big day of one of our very special friends. I ultimately decided that my friend that was getting married would be stressed out enough getting ready for her big day, and that it probably wouldn’t affect too badly that my husband was ill so I would tell her at the wedding. I knew she would be concentrating on what she needed to do for the day, and also isn’t one of those people that would let it bother her either. It wasn’t like she could invite someone else on such short notice or let the venue know and take his meal off the cost of the reception. I think that it is something that there is no hard and fast rule for, but I also think it is important to consider what kind of person your friend is too. Some people would want to know before the wedding as that is just the kind of people that they are, then you should call or text them on the day.

I think it also depends on what kind of sickness you are affected by. Food poisoning or vomiting isn’t something I want to be around at a celebration and wouldn’t want that person to come to my wedding if they were suffering. I think if you have a little cold, then you shouldn’t let that keep you away from the wedding that you have already RSVPed to. That is just plain rude. If it is something that might happen like the upcoming arrival of a baby or a family member is gravely ill, make sure that the couple that are getting married know about this in advance and if you are a no show to their big day they will know why.

If you know in advance that you or your partner or someone else in your invited group will be too sick to attend and there is enough time for the bride and groom to invite someone whom they may not have originally had space to invite before or let the venue know to reduce the numbers on the day so that they will not have to pay for the person, then you should absolutely do so.

Has this ever happened to you and what did you do? What would you want your guests to do in this situation?

Check out more images from Untamed Images, by clicking here for their website, or click here so you can be kept updated by liking them on Facebook. Also have a look and like my facebook page too.

Social Media at your Wedding

It is popular now to have a ban on Social Media at your wedding, I have seen stories on news programs, read about it in papers and even conducted weddings where the bride and groom have chosen to impose a ban on all social media for their big day. One article discusses how it takes away from your professional photographs. I don’t really agree as the moment people see their professional shots, if taken by a professional, will be thrilled with the results. But I can see the point of view that it is a moment in a couples lives they have chosen to share with a group of people, not the world and not friends of friends that just want to sticky beak. I think that if a couple choose to place a ban on sharing their pictures with the world, it is up to them, respect it and let it be something that they can share on social media if they choose to do so.

I can understand why people don’t want their wedding shared with people on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Maybe they are shy, and maybe they feel that it is a sacred moment in their lives that they don’t wish to share with their best friend from works, Aunty Colleen.  There are a few ways that people are choosing to do this.  Some ask the celebrant to announce it during the introduction and to inform guests that they do not want the photos taken or shared on social media. It can be done at the start of the service, even before the bride has arrived, about the same time that guests are asked to ensure their mobile phones are switched to silent. Alternatively, the attendant giving out your order-of-service booklets can inform them, or get someone who needs a special job, someone not in your bridal party or maybe a niece or nephew go around and hand out little rolled up scrolls with some information about the ban.

There is always a middle ground too. There is an App called “Wedding Party” you can set up and suggest your guests download (its free), and they can register and join the wedding. They can then post comments and photos to it, which is like a closed group on Facebook. My sister recently went to a wedding where they chose to use this option and she thought it was great as the bride and groom only had limited space at their reception, so a number of their friends missed out on that part of the day, but by using the App could see photos shared by the few people who attended the reception, and by others who used the app to notify if someone commented on a photo they had uploaded.

There is the other extreme too, where people want you to share their photos with the world.  I recently did a blog about Instagram use at a wedding and you can read that blog here. It was great too, and gives you an idea how much of your wedding you can choose to share on social media.

Would you love or hate having your photos posted on Facebook or Instagram or would you consider using an App for people invited so they could see your photos? Or put a blanket ban on all social media for your wedding day?

Thanks to Lauren from Purely Taken. Photography for the photos from this weeks blog. Check out her website here or her facebook page here.

The best time to have your ceremony

Some couples ask me what time they should have their ceremony whereas other couples have already made up their minds and know exactly how their day will be scheduled. Often people are not too sure about the timing of their ceremony or what time to start their reception.

There are a few contributing factors to consider. What time do you plan to start your reception? If this is already booked, for example your reception starts at 6pm and it is a 15-minute drive from the venue, the ceremony cannot be at 5pm. You also need to consider how much time is required for photographs between the ceremony and reception. I would always discuss this with your photographer and consider that you will need family photos as well as some lovely shots of the two of you.

You also need to consider logistics of your big day. If you are having your ceremony at the same place as you are having your reception less time will be required between both events. Your venue will allow time for your guests to have canapés while you are having your photos done, whereas if you are having your reception and ceremony at different venues you will need to allow travel time as well as enough time for all of your guests to get there before you, so you can make an entrance.

I generally recommend couples organise the ceremony time to start 15 minutes prior to the bride’s arrival at the ceremony. Most guests will be at the venue on time but there are times when guests come in after the bride and I had one wedding where the bride was stalled, as it was quite a small wedding, and the bride and groom wanted all their guests to be present before we started the wedding. I think it is better to have the guests wait an extra 15 minutes than have the bride worry about late arrivals. (Some other celebrants may not be fond of this idea. I like to make sure that I am there really early and don’t book other weddings usually on the same day, or at least make sure that there are a few hours between so that if the bride or guests are late, it is not an issue for me, whereas perhaps other celebrants may choose to try to squeeze as many as they can into the day.)

Also make sure that you are comfortable with the time of day you choose. If you have a lunchtime wedding like I did, be prepared that you will probably be up before the sun, to fit in hair and make up. Also if you are have a lot of attendants this is something that you will also need to consider. My friend recently had her wedding and we spent time with her getting ready at the house with all of her attendants, it was a lovely part of the day, and we all got to chat and it made for a relaxing start to her big day. These are all things that contribute to stress levels on the day, so make sure you work out how much time is needed, plus your travel to the ceremony, and maybe do a test run. For example drive from where you are getting ready to the ceremony venue at the same time/day to give you a rough guide including traffic flows.

Do you have any tips for others as far as working out timing on your special day?

Thank-you to Vision House Photography for the use of their stunning images. Check out their website here, you can also check them out on  facebook by clicking here.