HOT TOPIC

Our local experts solve your wedding worries

Making The Right Choice

What should we consider before booking a photographer?

•Do you like their work? Don’t just decide based on price, have you seen a wide selection of their work from different weddings.

•Do you get on with the photographer? You could be spending approx 10 hours with them depending on your requirements and if there’s no connection between you it could be an unwanted partnership, make sure your personalities connect.

•Have you seen reviews and testimonials from previous couples to see what they have previously done?

•Are they receptive to your ideas or shoot the style of work you want from your photographer?

•Know what you want from your photographer, do they shoot the style you want, do they provide you with the images you want, can they accommodate your needs to ensure you have a wonderful day?

•Do they have the resources to ensure there are no loss of images or damage to equipment during the day?

Bespoke Ceremonies

My partner and I have different backgrounds and cultures, how can we incorporate this into our wedding ceremony as we’re feeling limited with the conventional offering from a registrar.

A celebrant-led ceremony can include absolutely anything that you want and there are no limitations to what you can do. Therefore this would be the ideal option in order to give you the freedom to include elements from your respective backgrounds in your very own, personally designed bespoke ceremony. A celebrant will strive to incorporate all your requests to fulfil your wishes by creating the perfect wedding day for you to remember forever. The only point that you will need to consider is that if you wish your marriage to fulfil the legal requirements required by law, then you will also need to organise a separate ceremony performed by a registrar.

Karen

Dapson, Bespoke Ceremonies

bespokeceremonies@outlook.com

by Karen

Your Surrey Wedding says: Why not incorporate different readings/ poems reflective of your cultures? You could use the colours of your country’s flags for a sand ceremony or hand-fasting ribbons! Could you include traditional wedding elements from either background, such as plate smashing or jumping the broom? A celebrant-led ceremony allows you to write you own vows where you can reflect on your backgrounds and faiths, and you’re unrestricted with musical choices where, again, you can pick songs that mean something to you both.

•Are they insured?

•How long have they been shooting weddings?

•Don’t over complicate booking your photographer, select a few whose work you like then find the one you get on with so you can trust them on the day to give you beautiful images and tell your story.

•To avoid being disappointed once you have found your photographer, book them! I have seen a few very disappointed couples who wanted to book me but left it too late, someone else had then booked me and their desired date has gone.

•Hire someone you can trust and then trust them to give you the images you want so you can enjoy the day and look back at the memories after with their beautiful images.

Ryan Cox, Ryan Cox Photography www.ryancoxphotography.com

Just Desserts

We’d love a dessert table at our summer wedding, but would like it to have a cohesive look, is this possible with such a variety of treats on offer?

Display your main wedding cake, whether it be a single tier or a five-tier creation, on a dessert table and offer your guests a selection of sweet treats that complement your wedding cake. Choose from cupcakes, mini cupcakes, macaroons, cake pops, cakesicles, decorated biscuits, baked donuts, meringue kisses, mini pots and iced mini cakes.

Lisa Broughton, Wedding Cakes by Lisa Broughton www.weddingcakesbylisabroughton.co.uk

Your Surrey Wedding says: To ensure a cohesive look across the desert table you could have complementing flavours running across all the treats, as well as a colour scheme to bring the whole table together. If you have a marble pattern on the wedding cake, how about using this on the iced biscuits and cakesicles too?

MUM’S THE WORD

I’d love to treat my mum to having her hair and makeup professionally done, but she’s self-concious while going through the menopuase due to her hair and skin changes. How can you work with her to make her feel her absolute best?

If you have booked a professional hair and make-up artist for yourself and the wedding party, they should have no trouble dealing with the mother-of the-bride/ groom too. The best option is to let her have a trial run, which I offer all my brides’ mums.

There is a knack to doing make-up on mature skin think: lifting and not too much sparkle/glitter, not too much powder and don’t forget to colour those lips!

Try to have an adult hairstyle as well, a nice blow dry or chic up do is much classier than ringlets hanging around your shoulders. Linda Leonard, Linda Leonard Hair and Make-up https://lindaleonardhairandmakeup.uk

Get The Look

I’m not sure I can get all the bridesmaids together before the big day for us all to have a trial with the hair and make-up artist. How do I make sure the chosen hair and make-up will suit everyone?

One question you may be left asking yourself is, do all of your bridesmaids need to have the same look on the day? The answer is not necessarily.

The looks do not need to be identical, let’s face it, hair thickness, length and texture will vary as do skin tones and undertones, but they could have something that blends the looks together such as a pretty hairclip, comb or a braid, if the hair is long enough, and perhaps a nice nude lip to tie in with their dress colour. Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic Pillow Talk lipstick now comes in three different nude tones to suite all.

Don’t over think it though, these days anything goes, there are no rules!

Amy Lacey, Amy Lacey Hair and Make-up Artist www.amylacey.co.uk

Ring The Changes

With so many different materials available for our wedding bands, how do we know the difference and benefits between them all to make the right choice for our wedding day?

Since the bride’s wedding ring metal should be the same as her engagement ring metal, choosing a wedding ring can sometimes be easier than expected for the bride! However, the groom has a little bit more to choose from, the most popular wedding ring metals are:

9ct Or 18ct White Gold

White gold is a modern twist on traditional yellow gold. It’s made up of lighter alloys and is plated in rhodium, which it what gives it its bright ‘white’ and chrome-like shine. It is chosen as a cheaper alternative to platinum or palladium, but it does need plating every couple of years or so (depending on the wearer).

9ct Or 18ct Gold

A shiny, bright yellow metal that symbolises the light of the sun. Also known as yellow gold, this metal is very traditional. 18ct gold costs more than 9ct because it contains double the amount of pure gold.

9ct Rose Gold

Rose gold was popular for lavish jewellery pieces in the 1920s, and this blush metal is coming back in fashion. Rose gold looks beautiful on those who have olive skin because of the pink, rosy tones and it matches other rose gold and yellow gold jewellery pieces very well.

Platinum

Arguably one of the most luxury wedding ring metals, platinum is a very sought-after, strong and precious metal. It has anti-tarnish properties so it keeps its beautiful bright shine without needing to be replated (unlike white gold).

Palladium

Palladium is a strong, light and durable metal and is often chosen for its hypo-allergenic properties. Part of the platinum family but a cheaper alternative, it is a more precious than gold or titanium.

Titanium

Discovered in Cornwall in the 18th century, titanium has a slight natural grey colour to it. It’s a wedding ring option if you want something that’s light, strong and hard wearing.

Titanium is a lot cheaper than other metals like palladium and platinum, so works well if you’re on a budget. If you do a lot of hands-on tasks or work in a manual labour environment, then it could be the ideal wedding ring for you!

Tip: When choosing the ring metal keep your lifestyle in mind. If you work with your hands, then a stronger metal like titanium, palladium or platinum might be best for you.

Natasha

House,

marketing manager for F.Hinds www.fhinds.co.uk