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HOT TOPIC
HOT
TOPIC
Our experts answer your questions
Meet the expert: Tony Dunne is an independent celebrant trained by The Academy of Modern Celebrancy.
We want to write our wedding vows. Can you offer us any tips?
Tony says: Writing your vows can be daunting, but if you follow some simple guidelines, then it can be the emotional highlight of your wedding ceremony. It’s important to discuss your vows with your partner before you start composing them, so you can agree how long they should be, whether you would like them to include humour or to be traditionally sentimental or romantic.
Remember to be yourself. If you’re a romantic person, then this is the time to be as sentimental as you wish, and don’t forget to tell your partner what you love most about them.
Read your vows out aloud a few times before the day to ensure you’re very familiar with them, as you may be nervous on the day.
Finally, keep your vows secret from your partner until you’re declaring them at the ceremony. This will heighten the emotion and love felt by both of you and your family and friends.
Tony Dunne | Stylish Celebrant | 07734 295 840 www.stylishcelebrant.co.uk www.facebook.com/Stylish-Celebrant-111432324073346 www.instagram.com/stylishcelebrant
HONEYMOON HOT LIST
Meet the expert: Emma Holden is an experienced travel agent planning vacations and honeymoons.
We want to book an adventure of a lifetime for our honeymoon but don’t know where to start and don’t have time to research it alongside planning a wedding. Can you help?
Emma says: I can offer a bespoke personal concierge service to build your once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon, and to create your special memories. I remove the stress from the planning, especially during these current times with the various restrictions in place due to Covid, and am ABTA protected so that you can book with confidence. I have years of experience and knowledge of the travel industry and can secure very competitive prices, offer quality advice and personal support from start to finish.
Emma Holden | Travel Concierge Club | 07850 538 594 https://emmaholden.travelconcierge.club www.facebook.com/TheTravelCociergeClub
Meet the expert: Bride To Be is an award-winning boutique based in Reading, Berkshire, selling dresses for brides and bridesmaids as well as a selection of accessories.
I’m about to start wedding dress shopping – what styles can I expect to see in store for the new season?
Isabella tells us: Here are some of our most popular dress styles at the moment. This style D265 by Essense of Australia is a popular gown for brides searching for a timeless clean-cut look. The matte mikado fabric creates a sophisticated and glamorous effect and having a V-neckline helps frame the face. The beaded belt accentuates the waist and the V-back adds a touch of something special while the dramatic train completes the look.
Style PH8008 by Phoenix Gowns is the ideal choice if you’re after an embellished gown and a more detailed design. This features Gatsby-inspired lace appliqué that adds detail to this strapless style complete with a sweetheart neckline. It enhances curves by gently flaring from the hips into a fuller skirt and the corset back leads to the statement chapel train with a full lace hem. The finishing touch is the elegant bolero jacket with cap sleeves featuring a delicate scalloped edge.
Bride To Be | www.bridetobe.co.uk 01189 575 115 | www.bridetobe.co.uk www.facebook.com/BrideToBeBerkshire
D265 by Essense of Australia EXPERT ADVICE
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Meet the expert: Danielle Newton Photography is a Buckinghamshire-based photographer specialising in weddings, baby, child, family and pet photography.
We’ve just got engaged so how do we go about booking a good wedding photographer?
Danielle says: The quality of the photographer’s work should be what captures your eye. If you’re drawn to a particular photographer then ask to see their full portfolio because they should be able to offer candid and posed pictures along with other styles. Be aware that images should not be heavily edited, they should be natural.
Enquire whether they have a contract and the relevant insurance because all good photographers will have this in place. To get the best images of the most important day of your lives it’s important that you both feel comfortable and relaxed with your chosen photographer. Ensure you meet them in person or via a video call before your big day to sense whether you have a connection.
Your photographer will play a big part in the organisation of your day. I have tweaked the hair for bridesmaids, dressed the bride and looked after children during my career as a wedding photographer. Taking photos is only a part of it so if a photographer does not have the necessary experience, the most important moments can be missed. Ask if they’re willing to visit your venue and call or meet with your wedding coordinator because a professional will do all of this to ensure that their couples don’t need to worry.
Most of my bookings have come from word of mouth from my previous clients. A good photographer will be able to give you some testimonials.
Danielle Newton Photography | 07876 767 555 www.facebook.com/DanielleNewtonPhotography www.instagram.com/daniellenewtonphoto
Love is in the air
County Wedding Magazines editor Melissa Barker shares her wedding planning journey
Ican’t quite believe that my wedding is only 10 months away! The time is going by so fast, and it still feels like we have so much left to plan! As some of you may know, within the first few months of being engaged we’d booked our venue, photographer and caterer and were on the lookout for the rest of our suppliers.
With the pandemic pushing most weddings back in to 2022, we found that a lot of companies we were interested in booking weren’t available. Not to be defeated, we carried on searching knowing it was best to get everything sorted as early as possible.
My fiancé, Dave, and I are enjoying the process, but it can feel slightly overwhelming at times. With such a big family and many coming from abroad, we’ve found it difficult trying to keep everyone happy while also maintaining our original budget, but we’re still super excited to see what the day will look like.
FLORAL WONDERS
I love flowers and fully believe they can transform any venue into a beautiful space, so choosing the perfect florist was really important to me. I wanted something to tie in with our blush and sage green colour scheme but also complement our barn venue. Despite working in the wedding industry for more than five years, I’m ashamed to admit my knowledge of flowers isn’t great, so I needed a supplier who would be able to make suggestions and help us bring our vision to life.
Whilst looking through social media, I happened to come across a stunning, oversized bouquet that was exactly what I wanted. I looked up the company and found they were based just five minutes from our wedding venue – I thought it was fate! The florist had a range of pre-made packages that suited our needs perfectly. We checked the company’s reviews online, confirmed availability for our day and discussed our needs. The team were fantastic and even suggested ways of helping us save money, which we really appreciated. We booked bouquets, buttonholes, pew ends, centrepieces and an arrangement for the top table, which we’re excited to see. As we were in lockdown at the time, we were unable to meet our florist in person, so when restrictions lifted slightly we travelled to meet them at a wedding fair. Being able to discuss our vision in person made us feel confident about our decision, and I’d definitely recommend meeting face-to-face if possible.
DRESSED TO IMPRESS
After being engaged for a few months, I decided to give in to my mum’s nagging and go dress shopping. I’m short, curvy and very selfconscious, so I was dreading trying on gowns! We visited our local boutique, and since I had no idea of what style I wanted, I must admit I felt quite overwhelmed. I started with a fishtail, which I liked the look of, but it just didn’t feel like me; I also felt like I couldn’t sit down without bursting out of it! I quickly moved onto an A-line silhouette. The second gown I tried on was one I’d seen online and loved. It had three-quarterlength sleeves, a detailed bodice, a plunging neckline and lots of lace. On paper, this sounds like everything I didn’t want in a dress, but strangely enough, it turned out to be the one. I tried on a few different options afterwards (mainly for fun), but I found fault in all of them and always came back to my dress. It needs some alterations as it’s slightly too big, but I purchased it there and then. I would share a picture with you all, but Dave reads this and is (annoyingly) traditional so is against seeing the dress before the big day!
One thing I didn’t anticipate was how I would feel after purchasing it. I always thought I’d feel over the moon, but instead, I felt quite panicked. Not because I didn’t love the dress, but after years of writing about weddings, I felt so much pressure to have this overcome-withemotion moment when wearing the one for the first time, that I started to question if I’d made the right decision. I’ve since come to realise that everyone is different, and I absolutely adore my dress whether I cried or not. I’ve spoken to a few of my married friends, and some had similar experiences, which was reassuring to hear! My advice to any bride-to-be is to go with your gut, don’t panic about how you should be feeling or what you should be wearing, do what makes you happy!
Make sure you check in next issue to hear all about our engagement shoot and my search for a hair and make-up artist.
Melissa. x
We haven’t decided on a table plan yet, but we like the idea of names hanging from string surrounded by gorgeous flowers. I love confetti pictures, and it’s something I really want our photographer to capture on the big day. We’re currently looking into eco-friendly options and trying to decide which colour to use. Our photographer has suggested taking pictures of my dress in different parts of the venue, and I’m excited to see what he comes up with.
Seeing as this July it rained, a lot, we’ve purchased some white umbrellas just in case the weather turns bad for our July wedding next year. How stunning is this flower arch?! I’d love to incorporate something like this into our day. Our colour scheme is blush and sage green, so we’re going to incorporate both hues into our table decorations.
@cwm_wedding
@CountyWeddings For further wed-spiration and to keep up to date with the latest news and trends check out our County Wedding Magazines’ Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages
What’s more, our editors are on hand to help brides-to-be with all their planning problems:
• Ask us anything, whether you’re on the hunt for a local venue or simply looking for ideas and advice • Find local suppliers • Top planning tips from the pros • Tell us about your big day for your chance to appear in the magazine • Special subscription offers • Win wedding essentials with our exclusive giveaways and competitions
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