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Our local experts solve your wedding dilemmas

CUSTOMISE YOUR VENUE

What’s your top planning tip when it comes to looking for and booking the venue? When it comes to finding your venue, you have to be sure you’ve found the perfect location for your perfect day!

At Spicer Manor our team firmly believe you must have the full support and advice from your venue, who will be by your side throughout your journey and be with you on your special day.

Somewhere to suit your individual needs is essential, if you have some of your ideas already, then make it clear what you’re hoping for on your big day from the start so you know if your venue can cater for this. We strive to achieve everything our couples desire to make their day as special as possible for them.

A venue without a flexible structure means you may not have the choices to make your day just as you’d like it, to compromise for such a special event is not ideal. You should be able to choose a venue that will help you personalise your day and make it the day you always want to remember. Lisa Hunt | Spicer Manor www.spicermanor.co.uk MIDNIGHT MAGIC

What are your suggestions for creative night-time shots? I love night-time photos and if my couples are up for it, I never say no. There are always plenty of opportunities for these kind of wedding shots whether you plan them or not.

Sparklers exits are very popular and seen as one of the most romantic shots. They’re supposed to happen when you exit your ceremony site although these are often taken a lot earlier during a wedding do.

Fireworks. If there are any fireworks during your wedding, a picture with them will make an amazing photograph that you’ll never forget!

During your wedding when everyone is dancing the night away, I’ll always look for creative night-time shots. These can literally happen everywhere and most of them don’t take much time.

Venue lights always make for a nice backdrop. If you’re working with a photographer who knows how to work with light, try taking this shot at night when there’s low lighting! It will capture the romance of the evening and add some mystery to your shot. Whether it’s your venue lit up at night, dimmed lights of your reception room or street lights, combined with a touch of flash light it can inject a magical touch into your wedding photos. Michal Ufniak | Ufniak Photography www.ufniak.co.uk

ROLLING STONES

I want my wedding band to be a bit different, what stones would work well? First establish whether you’re a ‘hard wearer’ of jewellery i.e., does your current jewellery exhibit signs of heavy wear and tear like indentations or scratches on the surface? The gentler you are with your jewellery, the more choice of stone type you have as you can consider the inclusion of softer stones in your ring like topaz, citrine and amethyst.

As wedding bands are usually worn every day and often come into repeated contact with a wide range of hard surfaces, my practical advice would be to lean towards stones of a durable nature. Diamonds, sapphires and rubies are usually safe bets and represent a wide choice in terms of stone colour. Sapphires and diamonds are available in a rainbow of colours − although you may need to remortgage your house for a sizeable blue diamond!

The choice of stone, the metal and even the style of the wedding ring is largely determined by your choice of engagement ring. The wedding band is there to complement the engagement ring, not outshine it. I’m not saying that the wedding band needs to mimic, match or even fit the engagement ring but there must be some sort of synergy between the two rings otherwise the finger can look like a very small car crash.

Select a piece that is timeless. The wedding ring is to be worn for decades so be cautious of a stone or style of the moment. Teal green sapphires may be all the rage today, but will you tire of it after 10 years?

Most important is to consider what the wedding ring symbolises for you. What story does it tell and how does it embody your relationship? The wedding ring is the symbol of a union, but every story of a union is different. Consider how, in some way, that story might be expressed in the design of your ring and if you can’t find anything that you can relate to, engage a jeweller to realise your story in a bespoke design.

Whilst exploring the possibility of including stones in your wedding ring is a beautiful journey of discovery, remain open to the conclusion that the perfect ring for you and your engagement ring is one without stones! The Andrew Geoghegan Sunray is a perfect example of a wedding ring that’s fundamentally different in approach and design from the engagement ring, yet the two come together to tell a story. When worn with a vintage cluster ring for example, it elevates and modernises without being fashionable and faddy.

Finally, the overall design of the wedding ring is the key consideration. If stones will feature isn’t the starting point, more a question for the journey of discovering your perfect piece. Andrew Geoghegan www.andrewgeoghegan.com BRITISH BOUQUETS

What bouquet designs are currently on trend? The wedding bouquet style I’m finding on trend for this season is a very natural, organic handtied style. A number of my brides for this year are championing sustainability and are requesting British flowers. This is fantastic for our industry as we have such a fabulous array of seasonal British flowers available during our summer wedding season. The brides that have requested British flowers are leaving the flower selection up to me as we’re dependent on the weather and availability so on the wedding morning there’s an element of surprise as the bride doesn’t know what to expect, which can be very nerve-wracking as I hope when I arrive my bride is happy with the finished bouquet. Vanessa Wellock | Wildflowers https://wildflowersuk.co.uk