Wedding Suppliers

Preferred supplier of Thornton Hall

Top tips for finding the Dress

This is a moment you have likely dreamed about for a long time, and whilst very exciting it can also be a little daunting, with so much choice and pressure to find the perfect dress.

Sugared Almonds Bridal Emporium have been established for over 28 years and know a thing or two about wedding dresses. Here are their top tips on finding ‘The One’;

1. Start searching for your dream wedding dress at least 12 months before your wedding, if you have the luxury. This gives you time to research, visit stores or designers. Did you know it can take up to 6 months for a wedding dress to be made?

2. When setting your budget for your wedding gown it can be easy to forget all the additional details. Make sure you consider the alteration cost and those all-important wedding accessories, such as a veil.

3. Make sure before visiting any stores you do a little research on wedding gowns, try to find which styles, colours and fabrics you like, making it easier when you are faced with hundreds of gowns in person. Pinterest is a great place to start.

4. When you do start trying on wedding dresses consider your venue and theme. Imagine yourself on your wedding day in your dress, how you want to feel and does the dress fit the wedding style that you desire?

#sayidoinlancs | sayidoinlancashire.com

Preferred supplier of Thornton Hall

Top tips for the perfect make-up

Whether you consider it an essential cost or an indulgent treat – how your makeup looks can make or break how you feel on your big day. Makeup Doctor, a leading make up coach, gives their top tips for picture perfect makeup;

1. Choosing the style of your make up for the day is a completely personal decision. Spend time trawling the internet for inspiration, Pinterest and Instagram are brilliant places to start.

2. Book make up coaching sessions, where you will learn what colours are best for you, how to apply the make up and any tips and tricks to look your best.

3. You may need to wear a touch more make up than you usually do for your special day, for photos and for it to last, but you should still always feel comfortable in the amount of makeup you are wearing.

4. When it comes to trying anything new, whether products, facials, tans, ensure you try them months before the big day so you know it will be suitable for your skin. Sometimes new products can react or behave differently to what you would expect or affect makeup application.

5. Remember that above all else, the most beautiful people, are happy ones!

#sayidoinlancs | sayidoinlancashire.com

Mark Tattersall - The Out Barn

Pictures say a thousand words

There is nothing better than reminiscing with your loved one over the photos that captured the essence and feelings from one of the best days of your life. Often a treasured sentimental momentum for generations to come, your chosen photographer has high expectations to live up too. Therefore, choosing the best one for you and your beloved will be as personal as choosing your wedding rings. Here are some top tips from Mark Tattersall on how to choose your wedding photographer;

1. Find the right photographer for you! An award winner or the photographer your friend used may be a great photographer, but they also need to be a good fit with your personalities, sense of humour and style of wedding.

2. Make a short list and meet your potential photographers and see who you have great chemistry with.

Mark Tattersall - Eaves Hall

Mark Tattersall - Thornton Hall Farm

Mark Tattersall - Lytham

3. Don’t practice posing, practice getting lost in the moment. Wrap your arms around each other and forget everything else... your pictures will be beautiful natural moments.

4. Tell your photographer what type of pictures you love but avoid telling them what pictures to take. You have chosen someone who’s work you love, now trust them to do their thing. Every wedding is different, and photographers thrive with the freedom to get creative.

5. Nominate a bridesmaid or friend to keep an eye on your hair and make-up and carry spare hair pins and lipstick, especially just before your couple portraits. Most photographers will tell you if you need a lippy top up but it’s good to have someone on hand to help.

Mark Tattersall - Falcon Manor Settle

Preferred supplier of Thornton Hall

Top tips for finding the cake

From cupcakes, to cheese wheels, chocolate ganache to a traditional fruit cake, choosing which flavour might not be the only decision to make when selecting your wedding cake. Sugar Fancies, Colne, give their top tips to help make the process easier;

1. With cakes, as with all suppliers, if you have seen a cake designer and you love their work, get in touch as early as possible. You don’t need to have the design finalised straight away as this can be done when you’ve made more decisions around the look of your wedding. Often cake designers work alone and therefore only take on a couple of wedding cakes per week so can get booked up quite quickly.

2. Whether you’re paying a professional to make your wedding cake or a friend has offered, always think about the presentation. The cake should be fully incorporated into your day, don’t stick it in a dark corner! This is especially important if you’ve paid someone to create your dream cake. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, think about the stand you might use or adding some flavour cards along with some foliage or flowers to tie in with your bouquet.

3. Think about how much you’d like to spend on your cake. The overall cost must include any delivery and set up charge along with the cost for a consultation or samples. If you’re thinking of having fresh flowers added to the cake, your wedding florist would usually supply these to the cake designer and would be an additional cost to factor in. When you contact wedding cake designers do explain your budget from the start. They can most likely make suggestions as to the finish of the cake if they understand how much you would like to spend.

4. Following on from budget DON’T choose a cake designer purely on price! Look closely at different designs and think about if you would be happy with them compared to another designer charging only slightly more. If you discuss your budget with your cake designer, they may be able to suggest options to reduce the overall cost of the cake order without compromising on the finish. If you have a large number of guests, you could have fewer tiers for the main cake with an extra cutting cake for additional portions. This is more cost effective as a cutting cake would be simply iced and served along with the main cake.

5. Do choose the design and flavours that you as a couple like! It’s your wedding day and it should represent you as a couple. If you really love a wacky flavour discuss it with your cake designer and see how it could be incorporated into your day. Don’t be scared to show your personality through your cake design. It’s great to make a statement. And although a four-tier cake might look imposing in your own kitchen when it’s sat in a large room at your venue it’s a great focal point.