The wedding planner

BUILDING THE BUSINESS – WEDDINGS The wedding planner

From Hen and Stag functions to wedding breakfasts and the wedding itself, clubs can provide the perfect welcoming environment for the happy couple. Top tips on hosting the perfect event.

The average cost of a UK wedding is now over £18,000 according to a survey. The survey of over 1,000 couples found that over 20% of couples were taking out loans and credit cards to fund the day, and one in nine newlyweds admitted to almost breaking up over their strained wedding finances. As a result, says the survey, modern couples planning to get hitched are becoming more thrifty than ever before – from home-produced invitations and wedding favours, to baking their own cakes. And, of course, finding more cost-friendly venues for the reception – and indeed the wedding itself. All of this is good news for those clubs willing and able to step into the brink.

Since the 1994 Marriage Act declared that licensed venues could hold weddings, the opportunity to provide all aspects of the event – from hen and stag do’s to the reception and the wedding itself – has proved an attractive prospect for club revenue streams.

FEES, FORMS AND APPLICATIONS License fees vary across the country, as you’d expect, and there are numerous regional variations. Rules laid down by the Registrar General, however, form the backbone of regulations across England, Wales and Scotland. (For variants to Scottish guidelines, visit http://www.groscotland.gov.uk/files1/ registration/approval-of-placesguidance. pdf).

The application is, of course, only part of the process. Is your club geared up to leading the bride and groom effortlessly up the aisle, or is it more a question of up the garden path? Can you have your wedding-cake and eat it.

THE WEDDING LIST The following list poses questions that the wedding planners will be asking when they visit their venues of choice. Obvious as the questions may seem, your visitors will be reassured when you have the answers at your finger tips, or presented in a professionallooking Wedding Pack.

FOOD AND DRINK • What is the maximum amount of guests allowed? • Do they need to bring in their own caterer? • Can they bring in their own wine/champagne? If so, is there a corkage charge? • What time can the club stay open until? • How many staff would be needed on the day? • Is there a single point of contact at the club who will take responsibility for the event?

VENUE DETAILS • Will they have exclusive use of the venue? • Is there a safe place for storing presents? • Is there a room the bride can use to get changed? • Confirmation of public liability insurance. • Is there the opportunity to see how the venue looks dressed up for another wedding first? • Are candles allowed? • Is there a reasonable rain-proof smoking area outside?

OTHER SERVICES • Can you recommend/book a cake specialist? • Can you recommend/book a photographer? • Can you recommend/book a car hire service? • Can you recommend/book flowers? • Can you recommend/ book a registrar (if needed/ appropriate)? • Can you recommend/book entertainment/band etc for the afternoon/evening festivities? • Can you recommend/book a toastmaster/Master of Ceremonies if required?

ACCOMMODATION • Can you organise any special rates with local hotels?

GENERAL • Are the parking facilities adequate? • Can people leave cars overnight? • Can children be catered for?

FINANCE AND WHAT’S INCLUDED • Is VAT included in prices quoted? • Are staff included in the costs? • What is the policy on postponement/ cancellation?

TOP PICKS FOR THE FIRST DANCE Top picks for that all important first dance include...

Marry You – Bruno Mars Accidently In Love – Counting Crows Brighter Than Sunshine – Aqualung For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder Nothing Else Matters – Metallica Everything – Michael Bublé Love On Top – Beyonce You Got the Love – Candi Staton Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra Dream a Little Dream of Me – The Mamas & The Papas Candy – Paolo Nutini Greatest Day – Take That It Must Be Love – Madness (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You –UB40 It Had To Be You – Harry Connick Jr Cupid – Sam Cooke One Day Like This – Elbow Close to Me – The Cure How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) –James Taylor More Than Words – Extreme Baby, Now That I’ve Found You – Alison Krauss Feeling Good – Muse She – Elvis Costello If There Is Something – Roxy Music Just Say Yes – Snow Patrol Stand By Me – Ben E King The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra I Only Have Eyes For You – Billie Holiday Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden At My Most Beautiful – REM Unforgettable – Nat King Cole Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong Gotta Get You Into My Life - The Beatles Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen Wonderwall – Oasis Yellow – Coldplay You're Beautiful – James Blunt You're The First, The Last, My Everything –Barry White Your Song – Ellie Goulding

You Do Something To Me – Paul Weller Make You Feel My Love – Adele Everlong – Foo Fighters Higher Love – James Vincent McMorrow Better Together – Jack Johnson I'm Yours – Jason Mraz You Make It Real – James Morrison Iris – The Goo Goo Dolls Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran Stay With Me – Sam Smith Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding All Of Me – John Legend Only Love – Ben Howard Grow Old With Me – Tom Odell How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding I Won't Give Up – Jason Mraz XO – Beyonce Happy – Pharrell Wiliams I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith Run – Leona Lewis Everything I Do – Bryan Adams You’re Still The One – Shania TwainChasing Pavements – Adele Come What May – Moulin Rouge Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe –Barry White Just The Way You Are – Barry White Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy Let There Be Love – Nat King Cole L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole Rule The World – Take That

Never Forget – Take That Time Of My Life – Dirty Dancing Can You Feel The Love Tonight Hero –Enrique Iglesias Explosions – Ellie Goulding You’ve Got The Love – Florence And The Machine Kiss From A Rose – Seal Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles Let It Be – The Beatles Hey Jude – The Beatles When You Say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating Elton John – Your Song I Get The Sweetest Feeling – Jackie Wilson Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye How Sweet It Is – Marvin Gaye Come Away With Me – Norah Jones No One – Alicia Keys Angels – Robbie Williams Flying Without Wings – Westlife Sway – Michael Bublé Moon River – Frank Sinatra Sky Full Of Stars – Coldplay We Found Love – RihannaI Only Want To Be With You – Dusty Springfield She’s The One – Robbie Williams Same Love – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Friday I’m In Love – The Cure

FOLK-LORE FAST FACTS Weddings are packed with superstition, so why not prove how in tune with the happy couple you are by presenting them with a Folk-Lore Fact Sheet.

Marrying months – Old folklore has it that ‘Marry in September’s shrine, your living will be rich and fine’. It also suggests that November and December are equally auspicious months to marry, with the former apparently bringing only joy and the latter, lasting love. So if weddings are on your radar, you can expect to be kept busy in the coming months.

From east to west the bride knows best –In Scotland one popular custom was for the bride to ‘walk with the sun’, walking from east to west on the south side of the church and then continue walking around the church three times.

Something old, something new –Something old, something new Something borrowed, something blue And a silver sixpence in your shoe The Victorian rhyme echoes far older customs. ‘Something old’ represents friends; ‘something new’ is the newlyweds’ happy and prosperous future; ‘something borrowed’ is often a valued item lent by the bride’s family (to be returned to ensure good luck!) Traditionally this was old garter which was

given to the bride by a happily married woman in the hope that her happiness in marriage would be passed on to the new bride. The ‘silver sixpence in your shoe’ was to ensure wealth in the couples married life. Today a penny is often substituted.

The wedding dress –It is unlucky for: • The bride to make her own wedding dress. • The groom to see the bride in her wedding dress until she arrives at the ceremony. • The bride to wear her entire outfit before the big day.

Flowers –If you’re decorating the club with flowers, check out this list of what flowers are supposed to represent: • Orange blossom – purity and chastity. • Peonies – shame (best avoided!) • Azaleas – temperance • Roses – love • Snowdrops – hope. • Red and white flower combination – blood and bandages. • Lilies – to some majesty, to others death.

On the way to the wedding –• Bride: a last look in the mirror brings good luck.

Returning to the mirror once the journey begins brings bad luck. • Seeing a chimney sweep is thought to bring good luck (you may have to hire one) • Other good luck omens: include lambs, toads, spiders, black cats and rainbows. • Bad luck omens: seeing an open grave, a pig, a lizard, or hearing a cockerel crow after dawn. Monks and nuns (because they are associated with poverty and chastity).

The wedding cake –Cutting the cake together symbolizes the couple’s shared future. In Yorkshire a plate holding wedding cake was thrown out of the window as the bride returned to her parental home after the wedding. If the plate broke she would enjoy a happy future with her husband. If the plate remained intact her future would be grim. The top tier of the cake is often kept by couples for the christening of their first child.

Bouquet –After the reception the bride throws her bouquet back over her shoulder to unmarried female guests. The one who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry.

Shoes –Tying shoes to the back of the newlyweds’ car evolved from a Tudor custom. Guests threw shoes at the newlywed couple. It was considered lucky if they or their carriage were hit. A Tudor bride’s father would give the groom a pair of the bride’s shoes, symbolising the passing on of responsibility for the daughter. The groom then tapped the bride on the forehead with one of these shoes to assert his dominance.

While all eyes are on the bride, what help’s out there for the groom? Astonish the club’s would-be grooms with these top tips from Tom Bourlet at specialist company the Eventa Group.

Choosing the suit Two or three buttons? Two button suits are generally considered to have a more timeless feel than three button suits. Two button suits can also help to lengthen the frame – making them suitable for all builds. Three button suits are a better choice for taller men over 6ft, and have a slightly ’60s-mod feel. When standing, the top suit jacket button (of a two-button suit), should be just above the navel. The bottom button on a suit jacket button remains undone (so for a twobutton suit, just the top button is done up). The same applies to waistcoats.

Picking the colour The three traditional colours are black, navy and grey. Charcoal grey is an intelligent choice for the younger member, giving an older appearance (unlike navy blue which can have the reverse effect). It’s also versatile enough to be matched with brown or black elements, depending on the shade of grey. Black can be useful due to its similarity to formal attire, and help project an image of authority while navy is a popular and an elegant colour that lacks the austerity that could be associated with black or grey suits.

Choosing the cloth Cotton – Cotton suits are great for hotter climes but do tend to crease. Wool – Versatile and warm, wool-based suits are ideally suited for chillier temperatures. They don’t tend to wrinkle easily, but can feel a little stuffy if you start to heat up. Cashmere – Made from the wool of Cashmere goats, these suits have a famously classy look. Worsted wool – Worsted wool is a great choice if you expect your suit to experience a lot of wear and tear. Linen – Light-weight fabric that makes a suit easy and cool to move about in. Like most lightweight suits however, they are easily creased and hard to clean once stained. Polyester – Practical as it can be machine washed (on a low heat). Beware however: these tend not to breathe well. Velvet – One of the slightly more out-there styles, velvet suits hark back to the 1920s Great Gatsby era. The more expensive velvet suits will be cotton-based, the cheaper will be Rayon-based, and dark. Rich colours will look best. Silk – Silk suits look great and are practical too. Silk regulates temperature, retaining heat when it’s cold while being lightweight and breathable enough to wear in the heat.

The cuffs Shirt cuffs should show around half an inch outside the jacket sleeve.

Trouser Length The perfect trousers sit one inch over the wearer’s shoes.

The tie-bar Along with cufflinks, a tie-bar can make a great addition to a suit. They should be positioned between the third and fourth shirt button hole and shouldn’t cover the entire width of the tie.

Ties As a rule of thumb, a tie should either reach the waistband of trousers or be slightly shorter. (It shouldn’t go over/be tucked in.) Overly wide ties are ‘out’, pencil ties are ‘in’ for those who like the ’60s mod look. The tie width needs to suit the lapel. On colour, plain ties should be darker than the wearer’s shirt and patterned ties work on a plain shirt.

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