Bridesbook.co.uk

The saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You just need to look at a certain auction website to see thousands of listings showing designer pictures where the dress is for sale as low as £4.99 or even 98p! Brides go in to high street bridal stores looking at dresses then are amazed to see those same dresses on the auction website or other independent websites being sold for hundreds of pounds less than they saw in bridal store. Some brides then purchase these dresses maybe thinking that they are being sold at trade price and are expecting a genuine designer dress to arrive as the seller was using a designer image. Imagine the brides horror when her ‘dream dress’ is delivered to her house in a cushion cover or jiffy bag. Then she takes the dress out and instantly notices that it is a nasty fake copy. Can you imagine the look on the brides face when she realises that she has been misled by the seller and basically robbed of her money. Some people may say well ok the dress was only £4.99 plus £80 shipping charges it’s no big deal. But to the bride it is, her dream of a perfect wedding has collapsed around her. I must add that I have seen fake copy wedding dresses being sold for up to £700! Imagine that, a bride can pay £700 for a fake copy when she could pay that price or less for the actual designer dress in an authorised high street bridal store! I have seen the fake copies that brides can receive. They are utter rubbish and only fit for the rubbish bin. As the Company Director of Bonny Bridal UK Ltd, I have received many telephone calls from the shops that my company supplies where the store owner is looking to purchase a dress immediately because she has a distressed bride in tears who had received a fake copy dress after buying it online thinking she was going to receive a genuine designer dress. I am in a position to warn brides about the dangers from purchasing their bridal attire online. In 2005 I created a website called Brides Aware. This is a data base website where suppliers, shops, and brides can leave their horror stories from buying online to warn other brides. You can view this at www.bridesaware.co.uk  I also created Brides TV. This too can be viewed online. On here are videos of me showing the difference between a counterfeit fake copy and original designer dress. You will be shocked. These fake copy wedding dresses have no beading at all compared to the originals, the embroidery is terrible, and the dresses are made from cheap fabrics. View this website at www.bridestv.co.uk  Other fake copies can come with zips that are not sewn in straight and odd sized panels. When buying a dress online from other countries, these can be sent to the bride declared as a ‘gift’. The seller does this so that the bride does not receive a huge charge in respect of the Customs Duty and VAT charge. By doing this the dress enters the country illegally because the commercial value has not been declared. Customs & Excise can then enter the bride’s home and take the dress. It is also against the law to purchase counterfeit good. So not only has a bride wasted some of her wedding budget on a counterfeit dress, she may risk having her home raided by Customs & Excise. Not a good start to getting married! Designers do not sell their dresses online, let alone allow them to be sold on auction websites. I must state that brides will sell their genuine dress on auction websites therefore I will not commit myself by saying that only fake copies are sold online. But it is easily noticeable if the seller is a bride or a counterfeiter. All bridal stores have a sale rail. The dresses on them are usually ex samples. These can be purchased for half the RRP. Some stores may even offer a payment plan so that brides can pay for their dress in instalments. Brides also receive the guarantee and protection from the store and designer.

The Professional Toastmaster has been part of the Social scene for centuries and it is, perhaps, at weddings when one can really see him at work in close up, for there is no doubt that by having a Professional Toastmaster looking after the day, it enhances the event and by keeping to a pre-arranged timetable, he will make sure that it runs smoothly and to perfection.

He will have seen the Bride and Groom weeks before the wedding, going through the day in its entirety, advising how long each aspect of the day will take, running through the format and covering everything so that everyone will have a clear idea of the day and indeed, a fair amount of pressure is already lifted off the couple when they realise just how the Toastmaster is involved and the immense amount of work he does and support he gives. He really does take over the worries and responsibilities of the day allowing the bridal party to relax and enjoy the occasion.

This meeting not only forms a strong rapport between everyone, but also gives the Bride and Groom the confidence in the way that the Toastmaster, now no longer a complete stranger, will run their day exactly how they wish it to be.

There are so many points to be covered, if in a marquee, wet and dry arrangements, the logical drawing up of the seating plan and top table, is there a 1st Aid kit available just in case, facilities for disabled guests, who supplies the cake knife to name just a few matters which are dealt with.

Another very important part of the proceedings is who are making the speeches. Traditionally, it is the Bride’s Father (or close Member of the family) followed by the Bridegroom then the Best Man. The Toastmaster offers tremendous help and advice to those involved as it can be quite an ordeal for those not used to public speaking ! Aspects such as content, format, time and emotions are all covered.

So much of his time is ‘behind the scenes’, liasing with the photographer, videographer, the banqueting manager or caterers, and the entertainment in the evening, all helping to make sure of a great success. So much could go wrong, but by being one step ahead all the time, he takes care of all eventualities, quietly and efficiently.

All this should be considered very strongly when arranging the reception as so many venues offer their own ‘master of ceremonies’, a duty often performed by the duty manager or even member of staff and generally they are the first to admit that they are not a highly trained and experienced Professional Toastmaster !. Also, so often one hears the Bride, when asked if she has thought about having a Toastmaster, reply that she is having her Uncle, a brother or a great friend in the armed services to carry out those duties !  That poor person would spend his time worrying and continually asking the Banqueting Manager what he should so next, whereas the Toastmaster would know exactly what to do at all times.

Peter has been a Professional Toastmaster for over ten years, is a Fellow and currently the Vice-President of the National Association of Toastmasters that is widely acclaimed as the foremost group in the profession. He is extremely experienced in all types of weddings and his very warm personality, detailed knowledge and ability to adapt have earned him a superb reputation which has resulted in him looking after events, held in palaces and pubs, all over the Country.

So you've got engaged? Congratulations!
Of course once you've toasted your engagement you will realise you 
need to organise a wedding! Although this sounds simple, this is no simple task.

After all surely  all you need is a venue to get married and a venue for the
reception.  Right? If only things were that simple!

With weddings the devil really is in the details. Planning a wedding 
can be a delight or a chore depending on how organised or not you are.
Here are a few things you'll need to think about:

If you want to get married in a church? If so which church? And this 
limits where your reception can be as it shouldn't be too far away as 
you don't want your guests to get lost en route!

Of course you're going to want a cake, flowers, maybe a sweetie table? 
There really are so many options that you can go to town as much as 
you want!

You'll notice that I've not mentioned something that is in the title 
of the article so far - namely choosing a wedding photographer? Well 
read on!

Long after all the flowers have died, cake has been eaten and the poor 
jokes of the best man have been forgotten there are only a couple of 
things that will remain from your wedding. One of these is your dress; 
the other is your wedding photographs. What are you more likely to get 
out and show your grandchildren?

A dress and say "Look, what a wonderful dress we had a lovely day" 
of course we didn't hire a professional photographer so we haven't got 
anything else to show for our day? OR "Look at this amazing album 
what a beautiful record of our day, showing us both looking a million 
dollars and so happy, look at how we're looking at each other as that 
light really shows off my dress?". I know what I'd rather people say!

So now I've convinced you that you really want a professional 
photographer to capture your day, you want someone who will be able 
to react to any situation that happens on your day.
So here are the points to consider before committing to hire a 
professional photographer.

You're going to spend a lot of time with this person before, after and 
particularly on your wedding day so it's essential that you get on 
with them. It's no good them having an amazing portfolio if you can't 
imagine yourself working with them. So I'd say this is one of the most 
important things, as you need to feel comfortable enough that you know 
you will get the images you want and deserve!

Of course it goes without saying that you'll not only want to see some 
examples of their work but also some full weddings, ideally some 
finished albums as delivered to clients, but, complete wedding 
galleries are also good. This gives you a much better understanding of 
their work and ensures you don't just see a dozen lucky images plucked 
from a few weddings.

Of course there is the usual questions of cost, you need to be clear 
how much you can afford and to that end ensure you can accurately 
gauge how much your complete wedding package will cost including any 
extras.
That's it! Really it honestly is. If you get on with the photographer 
and like their work (and you are happy you've seen enough depth) then 
I say go for it! Sure there are lots of other questions that you can 
ask that are listed in bridal magazines, but, these are designed to 
sell bridal magazines rather than really help a bride decide on their 
wedding photographer.

I'll leave you with one last thought, if you're on a budget (and who 
isn't!), and you value having lasting memories of your wedding day 
when you look your best then really look at spending as much as you 
can on your wedding photography and not trying to cut corners. So I'd 
always recommend going for as nice an album as you can afford and for 
someone who is going to be able to capture those images that you'll be 
proud to show your grandchildren!

Greg Thurtle is a Dorset based wedding photographer living in Tarrant 
Hinton nr Blandford Forum and offers modern, contemporary and fun 
wedding photography for his clients.

As any 21st century bride knows you need to 'try before you buy'.  Increasingly, couples decide to live together before they get married.  The only downside to this pre-nuptial bliss? What gifts to ask for! But what do you do if you don't need a new steam iron or cotton sheets but the thought of asking for cold hard cash fills you with dread? What are the other options?
There is something that any bride and groom would find hard to refuse: the honeymoon of their dreams! A honeymoon gift list works in a very similar way to a traditional department store gift registry, but instead of kitchen implements or fresh towels, you put together a list of experiences and activities for your honeymoon.
Imagine champagne chilling in your upgraded hotel suite, a gourmet meal in the flickering candle light as the ocean laps nearby.  It's all so much more appealing than a blender - and so much more appealing for your guests, too, who'll feel that they've given you a really special treat instead of merely contributing to an anonymous pot of cash.
Some honeymoon wedding list services operate as extensions of travel agencies, forcing you to book your honeymoon travel and accommodation through them in order to use the registry service. Others cater to the independent traveller, but charge a commission on anything reserved through the site, so that your guests are funding the service directly from their gifts.
Buy Our Honeymoon (http://www.buy-our-honeymoon.com/) is the UK's leading honeymoon wedding list service, and takes a different approach. The site charges a one-off fee of £55 and allows you to receive payment for any gifts reserved from your list in whatever way suits you best - in cash on your wedding day, by cheque through the post, or online using a credit or debit card into your own PayPal account.
You can choose from a variety of beautiful design themes, personalise your wedding list pages with your own photos, and add absolutely anything you wish to your online list.  Buy Our Honeymoon offers dedicated telephone and email support to you and your guests, together with 70 customisable registry cards as part of the package.
The site was borne out of the founders' hopes for their own dream honeymoon road trip across the Deep South of the USA:
"We realised that we really didn't need any of the things traditionally found in wedding gift lists. We'd been living together for years, and had cultivated a fine habit of buying each other kitchen implements as Christmas presents. A normal gift list would have been slightly redundant and, frankly, a waste of our guests' money," says Shelley Green.
"We'd heard of people asking for money towards their honeymoon but didn't want to ask our friends and family simply to do that. We thought it would be much better if people knew what the money was for. So, we thought we'd ask our guests for specific things we were planning for our honeymoon: theme park tickets, a car upgrade, a cabin in the Smoky Mountains, meals, champagne."
And as for whether their guests approved... "We were surprised by how much our guests loved it, many of them going well beyond the call of duty in their generosity. We had been concerned that some of our older guests might feel that we were simply asking for cash and consider us rude. We needn't have worried, though: our guests each felt that their gift was the specific experience or activity they'd reserved and not the cash value we'd assigned to it."
For more information on how to make the most of your honeymoon gift list, visit Buy Our Honeymoon at http://www.buy-our-honeymoon.com/ or call 0845 224 0189.

Olivier Laudus of online bridal accessory boutique Olivier Laudus Design, talks about choosing the right wedding hair accessories (www.olivierlaudus.co.uk)

In this topic I would like to talk about how to chose the perfect hair accessory for your wedding.

1. Wedding tiaras come in different shapes and forms however there are certain things to consider. The advice I always give to my brides is never to rush their decision and choose a tiara according to your face shape. Here are a few useful tips:-

a) Round face: To make your face appear longer, choose a tiara with some height. I would recommend a tiara with a minimum central peak of 2 inches.

b) Oval face: Avoid tall looking tiaras which will only make your face appear longer. Wearing a headband or side hair comb will make your face appear less oval.

c) Long face: I recommend headbands or tiaras with little or no height that extend over your head from one side to the other at an even height. The other option would be to wear a brooch or a hair comb.

2. Some brides are confused by the type of headpieces available - below are explanations of the most popular types:

a) Wedding Tiaras: Known as the "princess of headpieces," tiaras offer the most impressive effect. Tiaras can be worn with or without a veil and are usually embellished with pearls, crystals, diamante, etc. They compliment upswept hairstyles as well as shorter hairstyles.

b) Headbands: We recently added a collection of headbands (http://www.olivierlaudus.co.uk/html/product_display.php?category=129&sub_cat=0) due to popular demand as it has become a fashionable option. This is often ideal for brides that want to wear their hair down.

c) Double Headbands: Similar to the single headband but slightly more stable on the head. Double headbands have a real wow factor yet are still a more elegant alternative for some brides who don't like tiaras.

d) Hair combs: In 2009 hair combs seemed to me more popular with my brides than tiaras. Hair combs can be decorated with chunky Swarovski crystals or with an array of freshwater pearls but keep the weight of the hair comb in mind as you don't want it to be uncomfortable.

e) Hairpins: hairpins are a great addition to a haircomb or tiara. They can be simple freshwater pearls to more elaborate designs which are usually placed at the back of the hair.

3. Harmony is key when choosing your wedding accessories. Try to match colour, size and style in order to project the perfect look.

4. Always try to match your tiara to your wedding dress. If your dress is made with a mixture of pearls and crystals I would suggest you wear a tiara with a similar arrangement. A dress made purely with crystals will allow for more flixibility when choosing the wedding tiara. On the other hand, if your dress is made only with pearls I would recommend having no pearls in your tiara (or very little) and have matching jewellery made. Ivory pearls and gold frames are a good compliment to ivory wedding dresses, silver frames with white pearls and crystals fit better with a white dress.

5. Also keep the weight of your tiara in mind as a lighter tiara won't need as much pinning to hold it in place as a heavier tiara.

Finally, try not to worry too much! Everyone will be thinking how happy and beautiful you look whatever you end up choosing! Have a wonderful wedding day."

A recent survey undertaken by Bridesbook.co.uk of over 3,000 Wedding Suppliers from all over Britain indicates that the Wedding Industry is optimistic about 2010. 

More than half of all Wedding Suppliers surveyed said they felt increasingly positive about the prospects for their own businesses, and nearly 70 per cent were positive about growth within the industry in general. 

There is no denying that, thanks to the credit crunch, the last year has been tough by anyone’s standards, and the Bridesbook.co.uk survey agrees with this as more than 50 per cent of all replies stated this year was financially worse than 2008. 

A contributing factor to the tough trading conditions was that Brides and Grooms were looking for deeper discounts than ever.  The survey indicated that 65 per cent of all suppliers had been approached to reduce their prices.

The survey does not indicate whether fewer couples were getting married in 2009, although 52 per cent of suppliers were involved with fewer weddings. In total however this means that over 47 per cent had either seen no change or had attracted more business than last year.

As with all things, there were still some exceptional performances as 28 per cent of Wedding Suppliers had seen their businesses grow over the last twelve months and 16 per cent saw no financial impact on their bottom line.  In fact overall, 55 per cent of suppliers had seen no decline in the average spend on the wedding services they provide.

One of Bridesbook.co.uk's 'Ask The Expert' panel members, Julia Munday from Perfect Day Bridal stated "It was a tough start to 2009, but I have just recorded excellent October sales figures and I feel confident and excited, not just for Bridalwear, but the entire Wedding Industry as a whole."

Finding the perfect venue for an intimate wedding can often create unwanted stress on the run up to your big day. It is becoming more and more popular these days to opt for the smaller ceremony and reception with just a few close family and friends to enjoy your special day with you. The size of your wedding doesn’t relate to how much you love each other and not everybody wants the big show, so one shouldn’t feel pressured in to holding one. However, many venues that are ideal for the larger wedding party are not able to cater for a small wedding, adding supplements and even giving a minimum wedding party number. You would be surprised the extra time it can take to find a suitable intimate wedding venue.

The Yarn Market Hotel in Dunster, West Somerset, recognises the niche in this market and is proud to be able to cater for your special day. Located in a picturesque, medieval village on the doorstep of the Exmoor National Park, there are some amazing photographic opportunities. Dunster Castle creates the backdrop, a perfect venue for the ceremony. The hotel itself offers a cosy, intimate suite for the reception holding up to 30 guests and even the option of a pianist to create that special relaxed atmosphere. We are a wonderful place to rest, relax, walk, ride and recharge your 'batteries'.

The most commonly asked question you will hear when your friends and family are informed of your engagement is "When is the wedding?" Choosing a wedding date is very important because almost all of your wedding planning details will revolve around the date that you choose. Here are some things to take into consideration to help you pick a perfect date for your wedding.

If you already know where you would like to have the wedding venue and reception venue, you should call them and confirm what dates they have available. If you are set on a specific location, your wedding date will have to coincide with the availability of the location, especially if you have chosen a very popular location because these places tend to get booked very quickly. Take into consideration what type of wedding you have in mind. For example, have you always dreamed of a beach wedding surrounded by the calming sounds of the ocean or an autumn wedding with beautiful red and orange leaves in the background? You will have to choose a date that is appropriate in terms of temperature and seasons. In addition, if there is a particular style of dress that you have in mind, the time of year will influence your bridal attire choices.

Have you always wanted a wedding during a specific holiday such as Christmas? Christmas is a popular time because many wedding locations are already beautifully decorated at this time of year. However, getting ready for a wedding in addition to all the activities that occur during the Christmas holidays such as shopping, parties, wrapping gifts can be too much for some people. Maybe you thought having a wedding during a bank holiday would be easier for your guests due to the three day weekend.

Some people may appreciate that your wedding is during a long holiday weekend while it might be difficult for others because many people plan their own holidays during these times of the year. Are there important people in

your life that you feel must attend the wedding? While there will always be people who will not be able to make it, some people may be higher on your priority list than others. For example, if your maid of honor is giving birth the same month you choose to have your wedding, you may want to give her a little time after the birth to feel more comfortable in her bridesmaid dress. Or maybe your parents have a holiday already planned for the same time. Prevent scheduling conflicts as much as possible by discussing your wedding date with these important people to avoid any problems.