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REAL WEDDING IDEAS & INSPIRATION
WEDDING CAKE
WHAT SIZE IS YOUR CAKE GOING TO BE?
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FLOWERS BY SEASON
HELPING YOU CHOOSE YOUR BOUQUET
pages of inspiring wedding ideas
FIND YOUR PERFECT
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04 Find Your Venue 06 The Savvy Bride 2019
W
elcome to our Staffordshire Wedding Guide! If you’re planning a wedding in this gorgeous county, then we have all the advice and inspiration you’ll need to plan the perfect day. Staffordshire has plenty of licensed venues to choose from, from country houses in Burton-on-Trent to chic hotels in Wolverhampton, so if you’re on the hunt for the ideal place to say ‘I do’, take a look at our venue guide on page 4. Once you have your venue sorted, then we have top tips for all the details you’ll need to create your wedding vision, from flowers to cakes and jewellery For inspiration, take a look at Jessica and Michael’s white, navy and gold wedding at Aston Marina on page 8. Want even more wedding planning advice? You can find more fabulous Staffordshire suppliers at guidesforbrides.co.uk, and check out the pages of our blog for even more beautiful inspiration and handy tips.
08 Real Wedding: Jessica and Michael 10 Your Perfect Wedding Dress 12 Which Metal is Best for Your Wedding Band 13 Wedding Flowers by Season 14 What Size is Your Wedding Cake Going To Be?
Happy planning!
Alison Hargreaves
Follow us on
@guidesforbrides
Editor Alison Hargreaves Account Managers John Maddaford Ali Moore Amy Jaremchuk Christine King Denise Huff Elaine Rough Megan Wiffen
Features Jennifer Brooks Isabel Hicks Helena Jones Design Claire Rowland
GfB Staffordshire Wedding Guide 2018-19
Guides for Brides Ltd Larkhill Farm Wantage Oxfordshire OX12 8PJ T 01235 770078 E info@guidesforbrides.co.uk www.guidesforbrides.co.uk © Guides for Brides 2018
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Choosing Your
Dream Venue in Staffordshire
See our favourite wedding venues near you If you’re hitting the road to ‘I do’, with no idea of what kind of wedding venue would suit your tastes, this guide can help! Here are some of the most popular wedding venue types and who it would be suitable for, and we’ve picked some of our favourites from the local area to help get you started…
Own it! Showcase Your Venue on a Double Page Spread
Hotel Wedding Venues
Hotel wedding venues come with all the mod cons, often boasting luxurious rooms, on-site catering and acres of breathtaking grounds, with expert staff on hand catering to your every whim and desire. Plenty of hotels offer easily customisable wedding packages to make wedding planning as easy as possible, and your guests can easily retire to their rooms after dancing the night away only to meet you for a delicious breakfast the next morning.
Barn Wedding Venues Barns are a classic choice for an English wedding, as we have so many beautiful barn wedding venues throughout the UK. With their gorgeous rustic feel and wooden interiors, barns are perfect for couples who want something relaxed yet romantic. Enjoy the countryside views, beams strewn with fairy lights and bunting and beautiful photo opportunities, all while enjoying modern heating and sound systems. 4
Own it! Showcase Your Venue on a Double Page Spread
OUR FAVOURITE VENUES IN STAFFORDSHIRE
Country House Wedding Venues
For glamorous brides who want to feel like something out of a fairytale, you can’t go wrong with an elegant country house wedding venue. Country houses and stately homes have stunning spaces for both wedding ceremonies and receptions, so if you’ve always dreamed of tying the knot in a picture gallery or orangery before enjoying an evening reception in the ballroom, then a country house may be the ideal wedding venue for you.
Outdoor Wedding Venues When it comes to outdoor wedding venues, the possibilities are endless. Ranging from a botanical garden wedding to a relaxed beach celebration by the sea, if you’re a bride that’s at one with nature, this type of wedding venue is for you. So, swap your wedding shoes for cowboy boots or flip-flops and get hitched in the great outdoors!
Hotel: The Moat House, Stafford See more from this venue
Barn: The Ashes Barns and Country House, Stoke-on-Trent
See more from this venue
Country House: The Heath House, Stoke-on-Trent See more from this venue
Outdoor: Pendrell Hall, Wolverhampton See more from this venue
Still looking? Find more Staffordshire wedding venues here!
Satu rday
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Savvy
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If you’re feeling on edge about the cost of a wedding, don’t worry, it’s totally normal! Couples can often be too focused on prices and end up compromising on areas of their wedding that they loved at the beginning. Our savvy pointers will help you stay within your budget, keep calm and find ways to incorporate everything you want for your big day. 6
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How to be a Savvy Bride 2019 Pinterest is a great way to follow trends and gather inspiration for your big day. If you don’t have it already downloading it is an absolute must. It will soon become your best friend. Pinterest allows you to pin your favourite images, build a board and even share your ideas. This is a nice way to involve your mum, bridesmaids and friends in the wedding planning process, plus it’s free!
www.pinterest.co.uk/guidesforbrides
Being organised is one of the most important elements in order to stay savvy. If you love spreadsheets, you’re going to be in your element! However, if spreadsheets aren’t your thing and you want someone to do the hard work for you, sign up for the free online Guides for Brides Wedding Planner. You can work through a checklist in the lead up, manage your suppliers and quotes, organise a guest list and table plan, all while keeping track of your budget! www.guidesforbrides.co.uk/wedding-planner
It sounds cheeky but everyone does it! Have a sneak peeak at other people’s weddings and see what it is you like about them and what worked well for them. The perfect place to do this is our Real Weddings section, where we feature endless beautiful weddings, oozing inspiration.
’ s weddings e l p o e p r e th O
A personal touch is what makes a wedding your own. Being a DIY bride is no bad thing and can end up saving you hundreds of pounds! Friends and family are often happy to help, so why not organise a night in for you and your nearest and dearest to get creative! www.guidesforbrides.co.uk/find/wedding-greatideas-and-vintage A massive trend this year is couples creating their own wedding website. You can add your engagement story, collect your RSVP’s, share the menu choices and order of the day, all with your guests! You don’t even need to send physical invites but ‘e-versions’ – a great way to save on stationery costs.
GfB Staffordshire Wedding Guide 2018-19
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Wedding Real
The sweetest love story from Aston Marina.
Jessica & Michael Photography Jodie Brennan
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essica and Michael have the sweetest love story - because they met while working at an ice cream shop! They dated for five years before Mike popped the question after a meal out at Aston Marina with a beautiful white gold ring with a cluster of diamonds. The couple loved Aston Marina so much that they chose to marry there two years later! Jessica and Michael chose an elegant white, navy and gold colour scheme for their September wedding, with Rose from The Topiary Tree providing the stunning white flowers. Both the groom and the two bridesmaids looked chic in navy blue, and the table decorations were sparkling gold jam jars and bottles decorated by the bride herself.
Pie & mash, along with prosecco were on the menu. 8
Jessica and Mike fed their guests a delicious meal of gourmet pie and mash, and chocolate brownies and prosecco and passionfruit cheesecake. In the evening, guests could take a break from dancing to enjoy beef and turkey baps with salad and chips. They had no excuse not to dance, either, as Jessica had thoughtfully provided a basket of flip flops for sore feet. We love it!
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top tip “For our guest book I bought a polaroid camera, and now we have all sorts of selfies and group pictures of almost every guest. Our friend’s kids loved playing photographer and got some great shots for us!”
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Dress by Phil Collins Bridal
ne of the best things about wedding dresses is that they come in all shapes and sizes, so no matter your bridal style, there’s something to suit everyone. Here’s our guide to finding the perfect silhouette for your big day…
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It’s a classic for a reason!
Dress by Phil Collins Bridal
If you’re imagining a typical fairytale princess dress, then what you’re thinking of is probably a ballgown! The most voluminous wedding dress silhouette, a classic ballgown is fitted on the bodice, and flares out from the natural waist in a full skirt. This silhouette suits pear-shaped, hourglass and bigger busted brides, as it makes the most of your curves and still gives you a fairytale look; but it can also make apple shapes look wider. Taller brides will be able to pull off the large skirt, but petite brides may look swamped, so we’d recommend steering clear if you’re under 5’3”!
Dress by Lyn Ashworth, Daydreamer Collection
Dress by Willowby
The A-line silhouette (so-called because the shape of the skirt looks like a capital A) is flattering on practically every body type, thanks to the fact that it’s fitted up top and flares out from the waist. The wider skirt gives you plenty of room to walk and dance without being too big, and the fitted bodice shows off your waist while skimming over your stomach. If you want something a little more fitted without graduating to a fit and flare, then a modified A-line flares out a little lower, at the hip rather than the waist.
If you love the curve-hugging cut of the mermaid but are worried about it being unforgiving (or difficult to walk in!), then we recommend you try a gorgeous fit and flare gown. The fit and flare is also known as a trumpet silhouette, and is becoming more and more popular with brides thanks to its flattering cut. Unlike a mermaid wedding dress, the skirt on a fit and flare starts at the mid-thigh, rather than below the knee, which gives you more room to move as well as a more forgiving cut on the thigh and a more understated silhouette.
GfB Staffordshire Wedding Guide 2018-19
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Which metal is best for your
WEDDING BAND? Pick the perfect practical and stylish metal for your bands with our handy tips. Once you’ve chosen, find your nearest wedding jeweller here!
metal types Platinum Hard-wearing with a cool luster, this rare metal is perfect if you’re after a durable ring that won’t lose its colour or brilliance. Despite being a more expensive choice, a platinum ring will last a lifetime and is considered the most prestigious metal for jewellery.
White Gold If you’re looking for the natural white colour of platinum without the pricetag, white gold is a great option. White gold rings use pure gold alloyed with various other white metals and are plated with rhodium to give their brilliant white colour, which does wear away over time. Replating is a simple process, which will restore your band to its former brilliance.
Palladium This white precious metal forms part of the platinum group, but can be more affordable. Popular for its hardness and natural white colour that won’t fade, palladium rings are durable option that provide a stunning backdrop for diamonds.
Yellow Gold With its warm mixture of pure gold, copper and silver, yellow gold is once again proving a popular choice for wedding bands. The carat of yellow gold you choose will make a difference to the colour and hardness of the band, so bear this in mind when matching your wedding band to your engagement ring.
Rose Gold Rose gold includes a higher percentage of copper, giving it its red tones. An on-trend choice for wedding bands, it is surprisingly affordable and more hard-wearing than yellow or white gold. Like with yellow gold, the carat affects the colour of the ring: A higher percentage of gold will give the ring a lighter rose gold tone, while more copper will give more of a red colour. Our beautiful photographs are courtsey of Charlotte Cornelius -Southsea
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Wedding Flowers by Season Seasonal wedding flowers are cheaper and easier to source, so we’ve created a helpful guide of what’s in season in the UK! For more advice, find your nearest wedding florist here…
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er Summ Peonies
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er Wint Hypericum
Sprin
Calla Lillies Tulips Ranunculus Anemones Irises Narcissus Forget-Me-Nots Freesias Gerberas Hyacinth Hydrangea Sweetpeas Lily of the Valley
Autu
Mimosa Alstroemeria Anemone Gladioli Orchids Cosmos Hydrangea Berries Roses Calla Lillies Physalis Chrysanthemum Phlox
GfB Staffordshire Wedding Guide 2018-19
Foxgloves Stocks Dahlias Gypsophila Sunflowers Lavender Carnations Chrysanthemum Roses Lilies Marigolds Zinnias
Wax flowers Amaryllis Poinsettia Hellebores Ivy Holly Anemones Gorse Narcissus Pussy Willow Snowdrops Euphorbia 13
What does a Wedding Cake Symbolise? The wedding cake symbolises good fortune and fertility. It also brings good luck to everyone who eats it. The wedding cake should be made with an abundance of good quality ingredients to symbolise a long-lasting, rich, and happy marriage. The bride cuts the first slice of cake to provide good fortune in the marriage.
Tradition of Saving Your Top Tier Back in the 19th century, couples saved their top tier for the christening of their first child. Today, couples generally wait a little while after their “I do’s”, before having children, so they’ll save the top tier for their first wedding anniversary.
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WHAT SIZE IS YOUR
WEDDING CAKE GOING TO BE? Deciding the size of your wedding cake can depend on the number of guests – using the information below will help avoid any leftovers! Find your nearest cake maker here!
6”
7”
8”
9” 51 Servings
9” 52 Servings
10” 65 Servings
6” 8” 40 Servings
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(32 without top)
(32 without top)
(40 without top)
7”
6”
8”
8”
9”
9”
10”
10”
11” 78 Servings
12” 78 Servings
12” 78 Servings
6”
79 Servings
(65 without top)
(64 without top)
(64 without top)
(64 without top)
6”
6” 8”
8” 10”
10”
12”
12”
14”
134 Servings
(120 without top)
210 Servings
(196 without top)
Our Top Favourite Cake Flavour Combinations When it comes to the cake, the flavour is just important as the look. After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts! Here are some of our favourite flavour combinations... Vanilla Sponge, Fresh Raspberry Jam & White Chocolate Icing Toffee Sponge & Salted Caramel Icing – Red Velvet Sponge & Cream Cheese Icing Lemon and Elderflower Sponge with Elderflower Buttercream Icing Chocolate Sponge & Baileys Buttercream Icing – Fruitcake, Marzipan & Royal Icing Pink Champagne Sponge with White Chocolate Buttercream GfB Staffordshire Wedding Guide 2018-19
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Image credit: Her Creative Studio hercreativestudio.com
Plan your wedding, your way with the Guides for Brides Online Wedding Planner • Checklist • Budget Planner • Suppliers List • Guest List
www.guidesforbrides.co.uk/wedding-planner