Happily Ever After

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he times are changing and current wedding magazines fail to cater to all and we’re here to change this! It is a common misconception that women are the only ones stressing over everything when it comes to wedding planning.

Not only that. The topic of gender is the one that has been in the media constantly over the past few months. From National Geographic’s iconic Gender issue, to pop culture’s giant MTV announcing the change from male and female recognised awards to a single gender neutral award for TV and Film.

We try our best to become a gender-neutral wedding magazine.

Starting with our name Happily Ever After, we absolutely believe that sexuality and gender do not matter when it comes to love and marriage and everyone can live their lives, happily ever after.

04: It’s the little things 06: Stage do’s and dont’s 08: Gender-neutral rings 12: Castle weddings 16: The perfect car for you 22: Get the cover look 30: Beauty tips for him and her 34: A guide to pick your bestman

MAJA JANKOWSKA

38: Add sweetness to your day 40: First dance

HAZEL URQUHART Cover Image CORINNE HALL

MATT BRYAN AGATHA LATORRE OLIVIA OGILVIE

Photography: Maja Jankovska Retouching: Anastazja Szulc Make up: Kay Felvus Hair: Anna Wade Models : Rebecca and Nicol at Superior Dress: Mirka Bridal Couture Suit: Topman Flowers: Briar Rose Design Jewellery: Eva Marie

It’s the little things WORDS BY OLIVIA OILVIE

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wedding is nicknamed the ‘big day’ for a reason, everything to do with it is BIG, the dress, the venue and all of the details in-between. Though every arrangement of a wedding is important, the small things can often get forgotten about and the effort goes elsewhere.

The gestures such as the wedding invitations, wedding stationery, place cards, order of service, wedding signs and save the date cards can be overlooked. However there is room to make these small details big and add a modern and stylish touch to your wedding.

E.Y.I.Love (Everything Yours I Love) is a print and design studio based in Glasgow who specialise in wedding stationery, invitations and foil prints. The business is ran by husband and wife Jack and Lorna who both have backgrounds in engineering and textile design guaranteeing the precision, feel and finish is just as important as the design itself. All of their work is made the old fashioned way using vintage foil presses and luxurious papers, they have an ever growing collection of stylish stationery.

“It’s really important to us that our stationery is as stylish and full of personality as our couples. Each design we produce has a little bit of our heart poured in. We love what we do and we truly care that each of our clients absolutely loves their stationery too. We use only the best quality materials we can source and we believe that every single detail matters”. Lorna tells Happily Ever After.

Although their studio is in Glasgow, Jack and Lorna work with couples all over the UK and beyond, internet communication allows them to work with their clients via email for designs and proofs. The duo then ship their orders to anywhere in the world. They both have an important role within the business: Jack works with the

printing presses whilst Lorna likes to keep up to date with all the current trends by reading fashion magazines, this keeps their stationery stylish and fashionable.

“Our customers themselves are probably our first and most important point of inspiration. They inspire me daily with their passion and style and I love nothing more than receiving an email from an excited bride-to-be with her wedding day vision. Passionate people they are so inspiring and it’s infectious.I also adore fashion and probably spend the majority of my time pulling inspiration from fashion magazines, books, blogs and even stores. I adore a wander around a department store or two, particularly at the perfume counters. The bright lights, beautiful packaging, the pretty colours, the glamorous girls. Oh, and Paris, everything about Paris inspires me and of course, True Love”.

Jack on the other hand pulls his inspiration from bolder graphic design, traditional typography and tattoo art. Jack also has an attention to detail like no other and finds much of his inspiration whilst the couple are out and about, receiving great customer service.

E.Y.I.Love have a signature style that adds a stylish and modern twist on vintage elegance. The opportunity to have them create the designs different couples ask for creates individuality and reflects the couples’ personality. Their stationery would be a great addition to any wedding.

I asked Lorna what the current trends in wedding stationery are; “We are noticing a huge trend with greys right now. Grey and gold, grey and copper, matt grey and velvet grey. Art Deco themed stationery has also been very popular with us this year.

There has also been a huge demand for our modern calligraphy and brush lettering”.

The creations remain at the cutting edge of print design thanks to the couples’ experiences and their ongoing commitment doing the work they love and the exceptional level of customer service they provide. With an ever growing collection of stylish stationery you can browse the full collection of invitations, save the dates, foil stationery thank you cards and

WORDS BY MATT BRYAN April marks the unofficial beginning of ‘stag season’. Men who are soon to become husbands have one final blowout before they settle down to married life. Unfortunately for them, they usually have little say in location or activities that will take place at their stag party.

Groups of sometimes up to 30 people are involved in the party - all agreeing to transfer several hundreds of pounds to a supposed best man and take the week off work. The chances are you know at least some of the men going on the adventure with you. They are probably of the same relatively sensible character as you. So why does a long weekend of emotional and physical trauma sound so appealing?

A stag do is supposed to be wild. It’s not a ‘lads’ holiday. It’s up a level from that. The fact that it is a one-off event makes it all the more inviting give your mate the great send off he deserves.

This usually gets interpreted to: let’s embarrass the life out of him! The first item on the agenda is the location. Common places over the years seem to be Amsterdam; Palma; Berlin; or even London.

However, many want to venture out to eastern Europe now to places like Prague and Krakow.

The truth is nobody really cares. If the place sells alcohol, you’re on board. Eastern Europe is popular these days though as countries like Czech Republic and Poland are notoriously cheap for drinking. You can buy a pint of beer in these places for as cheap as 80 pence.

Depending on how organised your best man is, you may have novelty t-shirts to wear on this trip.

These will be distributed at the airport and will display a most likely crude nickname. You must adhere to this part of the stag to conform with the group, but normal advice is - don’t do this - if you can help it, it is embarrassing.

A small but important detail in booking the stag that is foolishly overlooked is your living arrangements for your stay. The sensible thing to do here is be prepared and organise this in advance.

Although, more often than not, the chief organiser has already booked out half of a cheap hotel and cared not for the different cliques of people or sizes of rooms. So this is almost certain to be a free for all when checking in. Stay with your mate, agree to look after each other, and good luck!

The inevitable is coming - the main event. The man of the hour; the stag will enjoy some sort of adult entertainment - most likely in the form of a stripper. Depending on where you go for the stag weekend, the experience can range from all sorts.

Whatever happens to the stag should be organised and not get out of hand, although we know this won’t be the case. Basically, the only don’ts here are: Don’t do anything illegal; and don’t tell anyone else once you’re home. We’ll leave it at that.

By all means, on the stag weekend you need to play a prank on the stag. This has the potential to contend with the highlight of the trip, depending on how elaborate you make it.

Some of the best activities to arrange are the ones of the unexpected. In Poland, for example, you can organise a staged kidnapping. Other countries offer this too, but it is probably best to book something of this nature through an independent organiser in advance.

What happens is the lads all arrive from their airport transfer to the main city and a pre-booked van of actors in balaclavas abduct the stag, bag his head and force him in the back of a van. They proceed to drive him around for five minutes or so before releasing him in to a welcoming pub where you and your mates are waiting for him with a beer. If your stag can handle something like that then you will get him good and proper. If not, you may have to enjoy his stag party without him while he recovers from Stockholm Syndrome in his room for 3 days.

Again, there’s plenty to enjoy with stag do’s, but keep it safe, and at least try to be responsible. It might just be the last time you get to throw away money like that for a while.

WORDS BY OLIVIA OILVIE

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he newest trend to hit the engagement ring market in 2017, has been the gender-neutral ring from Spinelli Kilcollin’s new bridal jewellery line. This is a modern ring collection with a range of engagement rings to custom gender-neutral wedding bands. Spinelli Kilcollin’s jewellery combines detailed craftsmanship with modern and minimalist aesthetic detail and these new alternative rings are no different.

We caught up with Brandon Jardine from Spinelli Kilcollin’s press office, to find out how the collection came around.

“While we have always sold wedding and engagement rings, Yves Spinelli, the owner, was recently married. He and his wife designed each other’s wedding rings and the full collection followed naturally.”

The 2017 wedding bands collection includes the gender-neutral rings that can be customized and feature either a solitaire-set diamond or stone of your choice. Each couple can purchase matching wedding bands similar to their partners whilst having the freedom to add their own personal touch by changing the colour of the gold, the width of the band and the size of the stone or diamond. The more adventurous couples can design the bands for each other and reveal them on their big day.

What is so special and unique about this brand is that the engagement rings are linked together with the wedding bands after you tie the knot.

This clever idea symbolises the unity and connectedness of marriage.

Brandon tells us what makes them different from other engagement rings in the market: “The Spinelli Kilcolin signature linked ring has infinite potential for symbolism to fit your unique story. The line offers a full range of customization options, as well as the option to add-on to an existing ring and build a design out over time.”

The Spinelli Kilcollin wedding experience starts with a single band and the idea is that as your relationship develops so do the rings. Bands can be linked to the rings at any time to commemorate milestones and special occasions including engagement, wedding, travel and anniversaries.

Within each collection there are a wide variety of rings all symbolising a different meaning.

The core collection represents the purity and strength of commitment. Our favourites from the collection are Orpheus and Adonis.

Orpheus was a musician, poet and prophet who could charm all living things, and even stones, with his transcending music. This ring is deceptively simple, it has a hidden from plain sight conflict-free diamond, which represents power that isn’t always visible but always present.

Adonis on the other hand is the God of beauty and desire. Aphrodite, Goddess of seduction fell in love with him after being wounded by Eros’ arrow of love. The 18k rose gold band symbolises her love; the annulet of 18k white gold represents Eros’ arrow.

CASTLE

WORDS BY HAZEL URQUHART

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WEDDINGS

any couples dream of a fairytale wedding and for many the dream of a fairytale goes hand-in-hand with a castle. With more and more couples choosing to wed in elaborate castle venues, this may be the perfect choice for your big day. With many modern couples opting for a humanist wedding as opposed to the traditional church ceremony a ballroom and classic castle décor could give your celebration the traditional feel it needs. Castles generally offer much more character then the average hotel venue.

Achnagairn Castle in Inverness-shire was awarded ‘Best Scottish Venue 2016’ by Harpers Bazarre Magazine, but what is it that makes the castle so special? I spoke to the Castle’s designated wedding planner Samantha Skinner to find why the castle is so popular: “I think for a lot of brides a castle venue is perfect for their childhood dreams of being royalty for the day”.

A Caste has a very grand, romantic feel to it. Think of beautiful ballrooms, antique chandeliers, big staircases and turrets.

The majority of Castles are steeped in history and on your wedding days it feels like you are making your own little bit of history. With each castle hosting its own unique charm, this is the perfect opportunity to enchant your guests and transport them to a far gone time where lords and ladies feasted at banquets in grand halls. Whether you’re looking for a historical re-enactment, a Disney fairytale or a quirky tea party this could be the ideal venue for you. As most castle venues offer

activities on sight you could save time and money traveling from your wedding location to the reception venue.

Castle venues can also accommodate outdoor weddings as they are almost always surrounded by beautiful grounds where celebrations can continue in beautiful lawns and grounds. With hundreds of outsourceable companies available for marquee rental and catering, you can select a package which is ideal for you. Exclusive venue hire allows you to make sure you are surrounded by only your closest friends and family. This is another great way to exclude wedding crashers or avoid seeing other wedding parties (and other brides) on your special day.

For many brides a castle may be the perfect destination to fulfil your childhood dreams of being a princess for a day, and although many of you grooms out there may not be as keen to take on the role of the prince, many of these castle venues offer a wide range of other activities for you and your wedding party. For many grooms the wedding planning process can be a tedious one, to say the least.

However marrying in a castle could be just what you need to get the groom involved. From local historical tours to Clay pigeon shooting and archery, castle venues offer a wide range of extras which could be the perfect way to keep everyone happy.

THE PERFECT CAR FOR YOU WORDS BY AGATHA LATORRE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOMMY CAIRNS

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irst impressions matter and the first image of you and your other half is something not just you but your guests will always remember. Weddings are exciting in so many ways. That arousing feeling, right before the bride walks in and a whole new chapter of life is about to start is part of its charm, but how does the happy couple get there and how do they leave?

The way in which a bride arrives at the venue or chapel is just as important as how the new marriage leaves together to enter in their new life together. Such a little detail could be the difference between a well-planned wedding or a scheduled catastrophe.

Melissa Evans, recent bridesmaid at her best friend’s wedding, comments about how poor organisation can evolve into a ‘mess of a wedding’: “The wedding wasn’t planned very well. Nothing was tried and tested before-hand. Nothing ran on time.”

Planning a wedding is a stressful process, and some people start planning it years before or

even earlier. The reason for this is all of the tiny details that everyone who is planning on getting married should look at, and while transport may not seem like a pressing matter, it can make or break your big day. Melissa told me her view: “I don’t think there’s much of a problem with the bride not arriving in a big fancy car. Most brides stay at the venue the night before and that makes it easier and cheaper for them. But I do think that the groom should then arrive in a nice car to welcome the guests.”

After this wedding experience that she recently had, Melissa realised how she wants to arrive on her own special day: “I’d arrive in an old fashioned car. No idea what type but something classic and old.”

In order to find the perfect transport for you as a couple it’s important that it suits you both in style and comfort.

When it comes down to weddings, the only limit is your imagination. The day of your wedding is for you and your partner to have fun with your family and friends. Rob-

in Woods, recently engaged, knows all about this and talks about his thoughts on the matter: “I want it to be a fun wedding, I want to have things that will make me and my partner smile. That’s why choosing a car or a carriage is something to show off in but at the same time something that is appreciated by myself and my partner.”

Every couple is unique, and the way they decide to plan their wedding can be seen as a portrait of how they see themselves as a couple. The theme that they choose, the cake they pick, their venue... And the way they get there! On the bright side about the wedding car is that just as Robin says: “It is important but it would not be something high up on the list.”

This is a decision that the couple needs to make, even if it’s not the most exciting one, it is a fun detail that could turn the day around.

From a Volkswagen Van to a carriage lead by horses, the choice is yours and this could be a good point when the deciding the theme of your wedding. Your first image as a couple should be something you think about, even if it’s not the priority, in a wedding, every little detail counts and makes a huge difference. Nothing ever goes as planned, but the more things that you sort out in advance, the better.

At the end of the day all that truly matters is the fun and the happiness that you experience on your wedding day. Whether you want a classic car, horses drawing a carriage or Nissan micra, the choice is yours! From all of the days in your life, this is the day that you get to pick everything, this is the day where you get to relax, enjoy and let everything run (or

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA GRAHAM

HOT TREND ALERT! Floral hoops are the newest addition to your wedding venue styling. Scotland might be a little cold for outside weddings but the floral hoops can be used to warm up a cold castle setting. They can hang from the ceiling and act as a perfect selfie frame! Now, isn’t that just perfect? Melanie from Briar Rose Design created this vibrant hoop for our cover shoot.

The clashing colours warm up the place, would you believe that it was raining when we shot this?

Check out our Pinterest board for some styling inspiration for your own wedding and tag us in pictures of your hoops on instagram uing #hoopseverafter

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAJA JANKOWSKA

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his year offers a lot of changes not only in gowns but also hair accessories. Last season, veils have been replaced by capes, which often matched the dress (yes, the floral appliquĂŠs were in full bloom!) Unexpectedly this season veils did not make a huge come back and forehead bands took their place. This dramatic new head accessory is a great alternative for a bride looking for a little bit of bling without wearing a tiara. A big advantage to this is also the fact that it holds hair strands off your face, even in the Scottish winds! Sarah Blue Simms of Eva Marie Accesories is the ultimate go-to designer for versatile hair pieces. This designer is not shy to make bespoke pieces for her clients. Do you want your accessory match your hair, no problem!

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en in BLUE! Even though Scottish grooms usually pick kilts and tweed jackets. There is nothing stopping you from getting your suit from TOPMAN! Topshop has recently launched a limited edition wedding collection for women, and while they did not include a separate collection for men, there is plenty to choose from their mainline collection.

We have seen the stunning wedding collections from Debhenams, do you think Topshop will be able to compete?

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he latest wedding dress looks to make their way on the runway, and most importantly down the isle are a lot more sexy and sensual than expected. Last seasons floral embroidery and appliqué details are still on trend, but this time bare shoulders and deep v-shaped necklines are seen in almost every collection. We absolutely love it when brides take a bit of a chance with their dress, and go for something less traditional. It is apparent that designers hope for brides to make a bold choices for elegant yet sexy gowns. Our cover image features Vivian from Mirka Bridal Couture’s latest collection. This love heart neckline gown features a thick, 3D floral fabric left slightly see through around the waist. Baring a little skin and showing off the design of the corset. Mirka Bridal Couture said: “This gown is well suited for brides looking for something more modern and unconventional. This dress is definitely something every wedding guest will notice and talk about.”

The days of heavy lace dresses are gone, at least for this year. 2017 is the year of bold, confident brides.

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BEAUTY TIPS: FOR HIM & HER Happily Ever After’s designer, Corinne Hall tried out the bridal look of the season with make up and interview from make up artist, Jenna Clayton

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAJA JANKOWSKA

ne of the most important parts of a bride’s day is how she and her bridesmaids look. A bride will most definitely carry out an extensive search to fine the perfect hair stylist and make up artist for her big day. That involves hours of scrolling through websites and magazines to find a look she wants and trials to find out if it’s the perfect look for her.

But, not only is this important to the bride, it seems that even the grooms are looking after themselves that little bit more now to look perfect on their wedding day.

We spoke to a Glasgow based make up artist, Jenna Clayton, to find out just what brides are looking for and what measures are the grooms taking to look their best on the day.

Jenna has been a make up artist for two years working in areas such as weddings and fashion editorials and even hosts her own one to one make up lessons.

Not only did we find out about Jenna’s experience and got some sessential tips for our brides, we also tried out her recommendations for this up coming season’s wedding make up trends.

HEA: What are some of the classic looks women go for?

JC: Red lips and a defined, nude shimmery eye with liner is an enduring classic that can’t be dated - it’s what I went for on my wedding day! Also neutral smoky eyes, with a pinky nude lip is asked for a lot!

HEA: Are there any new up and coming trends that are become more popular?

JC: It’s really interesting, trends these days can come from anywhere; in the past, brides really only had magazines and current film/TV looks to go to for references. Now we have Instagram, YouTube, beauty bloggers, a tone of makeup brands, and the runway looks have never been as accessible before. So, things I’ve noticed becoming more popular are actually fashion and celebrity influences; for the last few years most brides were asking to look like Kim Kardashian. This translates to contouring, warm colors and quite heavy makeup that photographs really well.

This year I’ve definitely noticed that brides are turning their back on this a bit and looking for more custom looks; I think as the knowledge about makeup is now so accessible, brides are getting more confident in saying what they like and knowing what will suit them. Generally I’ve noticed more brides are asking for shimmer and even glitter on the eyes - it used to be all matte shades just a few years ago, so it’s nice to see brides embracing slightly more colorful and fun styles - it is a fun day after all! Last year I was often asked for copper and rose gold tones; my prediction is over the next year peach will be asked for a lot more;

it’s been seen on the catwalks, Kylie Jenner has a lip kit called Dirty Peach that is flying off the shelf, and it’s a universally flattering colour that’s still in that warm toned family.

HEA: Have bridal make up trends changed over the years?

JC: A little, I think years ago when makeup artists really only did makeup for brides (outwith tv/film/theatre), the makeup artist kind of dictated the style more, whereas now it’s absolutely more client based. Airbrushing used to be a huge trend but as brushes and applicators (hello beauty blender!) and foundation formulations have improved, there’s really no need for airbrushing anymore.

You may think that women are the only ones sitting in a make up artists chair and striving to look their absolute best. For makeup artists, they find, it’s often not only the brides but also the grooms who follow a strict beauty routine in the run up to and on their wedding day.

Jenna went on to tell us about some of the intensive skin care routines she has come across amongst men whilst working at weddings.

HEA: Have you come across any male beauty routines that

the grooms follow before their big day?

JC: Yes! There have been a couple of grooms who have requested a bit of concealer or tattoo cover up for the big day, and as for my own husband I bought him some Embryollise moisturiser to use in the run up to our wedding... Which i swiftly nabbed back to use in my own kit! For men my top tips are - drink lots of water in the lead up, don’t get drunk the night before, moisturise early in the morning and use Kiehl’s lip balm before you get to the venue - it has a nice matte finish so perfect for having soft lips for your bride!

Oh - and don’t overdo the aftershave!

The bride does not only care about how she looks on the day but she also wants her whole wedding party to look beautiful.

Bridesmaids also have their own vision of how they want to look and Jenna explained how they are often open to being more experimental with their looks.

HEA: Do bridal parties all go for the same looks?

JC: Not at all, there’s been a real move away from that. Even if everyone in the bridal party

wears the exact same look, it does look slightly different on everyone, as I certainly make adjustments according to face shape and skin tone. My advice to bridesmaids is - avoid asking for the same look as your bride, and, like the bride, don’t try anything new in your routine in the weeks before the wedding!!

HEA: What trends do bridesmaids usually go for?

JC: Bridesmaids a lot of the time are just so thrilled to get a pamper that they will let me do my thing, however one thing I’m asked for a lot is a gold or champagne smokey eye and nude lips.

It’s a classic look that works with pretty much anything. Also, matte lips are popular with bridesmaids as they want their lipstick to stay on as long as possible, and I’m often asked for specific Mac or Charlotte Tilbury shades - Velvet Teddy, Faux and Twig are some of my most used bridal shades.

HEA: Can you be more creative with brides or bridesmaids?

JC: Definitely bridesmaids. Brides usually want to look like themselves on a good day, look great in pictures, and look flawless from day to night.

So with brides, a lot of the time you work with tried and true looks that tick all of those boxes - obviously looks are tailored and there’s still a lot of creativity and fun that goes into a trial but most brides will usually go a bit safe - which is understandable - you want to say ‘doesn’t the bride look beautiful?!’ not ‘isn’t the bride’s makeup beautiful?!’ Bridesmaids often want their makeup to be a bit more trendy, with bolder brows or a bold lip.

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ne of the first decisions a newly engaged man needs to make is who he would like to be his best man. Traditionally, it never requires much thought, as the groom’s brother assumes this duty. However, nowadays, the decision is less of a formality, and the role needs to be earned.

To be clear, the brother of the groom is not ruled out completely. He has merely been demoted to the same right of heir as the groom’s closest friends. This means there are now several candidates for the position.

Of course, there are always scenarios where the groom has no brothers, or has several. So there is always a decision to be made there. Having just one brother has always made the decision easy if gone about it the traditional way, but even in that case it is becoming more and more common to assign the role of the best man to someone outside the family instead.

Stephen Martalo, wedding organiser at the Bothwell Bridge Glasgow, welcomes all new forms of wedding arrangements that extend to the best men. He said: “Over the years, weddings have gotten all kinds of weird and wonderful. We host some very strict religious weddings; some

A guide to picking your

WORDS BY MATT BRYAN

wild ones where the party almost literally drink our bars dry; but of course now weddings come in different forms now like civil partnerships, and even vow renewals.

“As far as the wedding party goes, I see a lot of different people at the top tables. I think nowadays best men are really whomever the groom wants. Some grooms have one, but it’s probably just as common now to have two or even three best men.

“I think weddings are just less formal now in that respect. Your best man doesn’t need to be a solo job, and it doesn’t even need to be done by someone in the family.

“In my job I usually need to introduce the top table for speeches and all the formalities, so I’ve seen it all. A groom once had his father as his best man which was something different, and that’s happened the other way about too. I think the groom just wants to have someone up there who knows him well enough and doesn’t give him too much of a hard time in the speech.”

Andrew Cowan, 27, believes it should just be the person you’re closest with. He said: “I chose my best friend to be my best man simply because

it felt right.

“I have one brother, but I don’t think even he was surprised who I picked. My best friend, Gabriel, asked me to be his best man for his wedding also, so that probably made me more obliged to pick him too.

“I’ve known him all my life, really, so he even matched my brother with that. At the end of the day, I was closer to Gabriel and I didn’t see anyone else up to the role.”

In the modern day, wedding arrangements are more flexible than they were 20 or 30 years ago. The traditional approach is becoming less common and so picking a best man becomes a job advert for the groom to fill with whom he thinks is best up to it.

Some grooms just simply can’t decide on one person they want by their side, and so end up asking two of their closest friends to take on the task together.

That’s what Daniel Burns, 24, did. He is getting married this year, but he thought choosing a best man was a difficult decision to make.

He said: “I gave it quite a lot of thought. It was a strange one for me because I have two brothers. Although, I wouldn’t say I was too close to them.

“I ended up deciding to have two best men at my wedding, and the two people I chose are my two friends outside my family. I liked the idea of having one of my brothers as my best man but I don’t know how I would have chose between them, and to be honest I don’t think either of them would do a decent best man speech.

“I am closer to the friends that I chose and have known them a long time so I know it will all go down well. The idea of having two best men grew on me and so basically one of them is the witness for the register and the other is saying the best man speech which will be good because I can’t really picture anyone else doing it.”

Weddings are special occasions, and so the more people celebrating it the better. Most people nowadays tend to stray from the conventional format of a wedding and so choosing a best man is a more thought out process than simply asking your brother. Sticking by your friends throughout their life seems to earn the groom’s approval for you to fulfil the role of his best man.

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Add SWEETNESS to your day WORDS BY AGATHA LATORRE

Cakes are special. Every birthday, every celebration ends with something sweet, a cake, and people to remember. It’s all about the memories.”

The great Chef Buddy Valastro couldn’t be more right, cakes simply add sweetness to any celebration, and that includes weddings.

According to “Vegan society” website there’s at least 542,000 people in Britain who are now following a vegan diet, the numbers of the people who decide to take a vegan diet keep raising up each year, and they also get married! Everyone deserves cake no matter what, so why not make your wedding cake vegan?

Kirsty guild, recently engaged and with a vegan maid of honour, gives her thoughts about her ideas for her wedding cake: “We haven’t got a defined guest list as of yet but I am aware of a few people we are considering inviting who are vegetarian or vegan (and also gluten intolerant).”

Kirsty will get married in 2019, and while there are many other things that she has to worry about, the wedding cake is still one of them. She said that while she never thought at first about offering a vegan wedding cake, she does think it could work for her and her partner: “I think offering a vegan cake is a good thingI’ve noticed a big increase in people choosing a vegan diet recently and I don’t think they should have to choose between no cake or a homebaked cake at their wedding. I actually haven’t had vegan cake options advertised to me from any of the bakeries I have researched though.”

It happens that while the vegan diet is becoming more and more popular it’s still lacking good advertisement.

“It never occurred to us to buy a vegan cake but I don’t think we would stay away from a vegan cake if it was the same price and tasted as good as a non-vegan alternative.”

When it comes to price, vegan food is tricky, including cakes. Nevertheless it’s not impossible!

There are some bakeries which are specialised in vegan baking, and so are restaurants, but what about birthdays, or in this case, weddings?

‘The Butterscotch Bakery’ based in Glasgow, is one of the many bakeries which have realised how many people have changed to a vegan diet but that do not want to give away the sweetness in their life: “We’ve never actually been asked for a wedding vegan cake, although we have been asked for vegan cakes in general, but they definitely can be done if the customer asks for it!”

One of the concerns about vegan diet is mostly about price. Going on a vegan diet is more expensive, and the same thing happens when it comes to cakes. While vegan cakes could perhaps cost more money, it all depends on what you want in the cake: “In relation to the price it all depends on the ingredients, normally they would have an extra price depending on what is it that we use to bake them. For example, we would use coconut oil instead of butter, which unfortunately is more expensive, but at the end it all comes down to the customer’s preference really.”

Since the vegan diet does not contain any food that comes from an animal or has been produced with the help of any animals e.g. cheese, this makes its price a little more expensive than the rest. Even so, this does not mean that a vegan option should not be taken into consideration when it comes to the decision of picking a cake for your wedding.

‘The Buttersotch Bakery’ isn’t the only bakery in Glasgow which offer vegan options, there are many others, all of them to your disposal in order to decide which taste suits you better.

Life is too short not to eat what makes you happy, and if that’s a piece of cake you shouldn’t retain yourself for being a vegan and neither should your guests. At the end of your day it is the happiness and the memories that you will take with you (aside from your other half), no one should deprive themselves from what makes them happy. You wouldn’t want to look back on your pictures and realise some of them weren’t smiling right? There is a way to fix this in advance: adding sweetness to your day. Give all of your guests and yourself the cake that you

FIRST DANCE WORDS BY HAZEL URQUHART

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usic is one of the most vital aspects of your wedding day. The music you play can completely change the theme and mood of your wedding depending on what genre you choose. Whether you’re having a celidh band, a DJ or a wedding singer, the songs that you play on your special day are those you will listen to for years to come, when you reminisce about your wedding.

Martha Stewart once said: “The music entertainment you select for your wedding or party is responsible for 80% of the event’s success.” This could not be more accurate as the music you play on your special day could make the difference between dreamlike and disastrous. With more and more couples opting for a song to be played as they walk down the aisle, it’s important that you have selected the most appropriate music for you as a couple, but also something which will be appropriate for all of your guests, young and old. . Whether it’s you and your partner’s song or a family favourite, the song that you walk down the aisle to will go hand in hand with the first moment that you see your partner on your wedding day, therefore the music which is being played

is imperative to the mood you want to create in this moment. Paul Mackenzie who plays the guitar for Ayrshire wedding band ‘The Common Crowd’, says that they often have to cater to couples specific needs on the big day: “We always get asked to play a certain song for the first dance but more recently we’ve been asked to play a special song for the bride as she comes down the aisle and also one for her dance with her father”.

With thousands of songs to choose from it is worth taking your time to select a romantic and happy song. Mackenzie went on to stress the importance of these musical choices by adding: “It can really make or break the day, once we were asked by the best man to play heavy metal as a joke when the bride walked into the church and it didn’t go down very well.” Whether you’re a fan of country or classical, it’s important that you remember that your big day is exactly that, yours! No matter what anyone else wants, at the end of the day all decisions should be made by you and your partner. Just make sure that when you come to arranging the music for your big day, that you don’t live to regret any of these decisions when looking back at your wedding video to see yourself cha cha sliding out of the church.