HOT TOPIC

Stellar wedmin advice from those in the know

SELF-RAISING FLOWER

We love flowers and want to incorporate them into our cake design. What do you recommend we look for?

Incorporating flowers into your wedding cake design is the perfect way to seamlessly tie your big-day bake into the overall feel and style of your day. As a sugar-flower specialist, 95 per cent of the wedding cakes I make have some floral elements, all made from sugar to match my couples’ flowers – they’re my favourite thing to create.

Choosing sugar flowers for your cake, rather than fresh flowers, gives your cake designer more flexibility to create something truly bespoke as the sugar blooms will be made in sizes and compositions to fit your bake perfectly. Sugar flowers also make ideal keepsakes, as they’ll last indefinitely. What’s more, there are no seasonal restrictions with these. So, if your favourite flowers aren’t in season at the time of your wedding, having them created in sugar is the perfect way to ensure you can have your beloved blooms in your favourite colour on your wedding day.

Another popular trend at the moment, which I love, is the use of edible flowers. I use fresh, organic, edible flowers to create pressed flower designs – a beautiful way to bring a floral element to your wedding cake.

Chelsea Prior | www.chelseabuns.co.uk

https://davidkingphotographer.co.uk YOUR PERFECT MATCH

We’re searching for a wedding photographer and don’t know where to start. What do we need to know when looking and booking?

I’ve been in the industry for more than 20 years and the way to find your photographer has changed so much over the years. You have a lot of options, but the easiest way is to use a search engine and look for “wedding photographer Kent.” You’ll then have several decisions to make from there. Recommendations from your chosen venue are always useful as they’ll be the ones who know the best places to shoot on the day, but it’s not always necessary and you may find a photographer whose personality just suits yours. This is an important part of your decision-making as you don’t want a grumpy photographer with you for nine hours of this most wonderful day! Social media and websites have to be the most utilised methods of deciding on a photographer, and again it’s a reflection of style and personality.

You should ask prospective photographers about their experience, style, awards, knowledge of the venue and view the wealth of images on their website. You’ll get a sense from this of whether they’ve shot at a lot of different venues and how experienced they are. Finally, you’ll get a feel for your photographer and know they’re going to capture those images that make you say “wow,” and sum up your day perfectly.

I just don’t seem to be able to find the right necklace and earrings to complement my heavily embellished gown. What styles would you suggest I look for?

Every bride should remember not to overdo the jewellery, allowing it to steal their shine. Try choosing something subtle, yet beautiful.

Understanding your neckline is important, as is the hairstyle you’ve chosen. For example, if you’re wearing a dress with an asymmetric neckline, perhaps it’s best not to wear a necklace at all. While off-the-shoulder and plunging necklines accommodate a necklace very well.

If the dress is already embellished, a simple diamond solitaire pendant or single pearl drop is more than enough. Plain diamond stud earrings go well with any hairstyle, representing a classy look. Or again, a pearl stud with a diamond accent will always complement any look.

Finally, I’d advise you to buy jewellery you can wear again. Investing in classic pieces over costume jewellery means you’ll continue to be reminded of your wedding day for years to come as you’ll get more use from it over time.

Lorraine Marsh www.thediamondsetter.co.uk

BAGS OF BLOOMS

I adore fresh flowers and would love some ideas for my bridesmaids and flowergirls outside of the usual bouquets. Can you help? wedding-day clutch bags are a fabulous alternative to a traditional bouquet for the modern bridesmaid. Covered in organic, textured moss they’re adorned with the prettiest scented fresh flowers in your colour choice, as well as foliage. A beautiful alternative with endless possibilities.

https://victoriacrockerphotography.com

ALWAYS

My hubby-to-be and I are having a Harry Potter/Wizarding World-themed wedding. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can (tastefully) incorporate this into our decor?

Recreating the floating candles from the Great Hall would be my first idea! We hire out LED taper candles, which can be suspended from a frame or from the ceiling using invisible wire. As they’re LED they’re perfectly safe and would create a magical ambience perfect for the wedding breakfast. Meanwhile, hanging our “you are magic” neon sign behind the top table would add a modern touch to the Wizarding World theme.

Another idea would be to create a seating area of a photo booth area inspired by the Gryffindor common room. Our vintage sofas and rugs in shades of red and gold would work perfectly. Other houses and sofa colours are available of course! Also, suspending gold vintage lampshades and dotting around brass candlesticks would add an ancient castle vibe just like Hogwarts.

Adding hints of inspiration is a subtle way of reflecting the theme of your wedding without making it the entire focal point. Don’t try to match every detail exactly, just have fun with it.

Scan to view video Roxanne Thomas | www.thelittleweddingwarehouse.com

Getty Images THE SILVER SCREEN

Our big day is fast approaching and having recently seen someone else’s wedding video, we’ve now decided we want one! We realise time is of the essence, what should we look out for in a videographer?

Click play or scan the QR code to hear the advice of Chris at The Kent Video Company.

Chris Wade www.thekentvideocompany.com