Do you really have Time to Plan a Wedding?

When you first start planning your wedding you may think to yourself this is going to be easy, think again...

On average it takes around 250 hours to plan a wedding, doesn't sound that much does it?  It's a lot more than you think especially when you take in your normal day to day life, not to mention the time you still need to spend with your future spouse.


There are so many things that you need to take care of it not just about booking a venue and off you go and there will be a million things that you won't think of and just as many choices, and it all takes time to organise and you will be surprised by just how time consuming it can all be.


Take a look at this and see just how little time you have each week


All these times are average per day

Sleeping	8
Eating (includes cooking etc)	1.5
Work	7.5
Travel	2
Exercise	0.5
Email, internet, watching tv	1.5
Personal (bathing, toilet, getting ready to go out, etc)	1
Socialising (visiting/spending time with family & friends	0.5
Shopping (whether it be food shopping or retail therapy	0.5
Cleaning  (washing clothes, cleaning house, washing dishes etc)	0.5
TOTAL	23.5

This only leaves you half an hour per day to be planning one of the most important days of your life! Yeah but I have the weekends I hear you say, for most of us catching up on all the things we can't do during the week.   So time is even more precious.   When people rush their wedding planning they make rash decisions which can end up being costly at the end of the day, something you might like today you might see something better in 3 months time.   I had one client buy her dress on a whim, it cost her over £1000 then a few months later she saw the dress of her dreams and ended up buying that too.   Not only did she more than double her outlay for her dress, she was left with a gown that she couldn't recoup the money back on.   I have had couples book wedding bands and again a while later see someone else they liked better, they lost their deposit on the original band booked.


Having a wedding planner on board can help you with the whole time management, we do the leg work for you, we collate information from suppliers for you to look at and make informed decisions at your leisure and more importantly you can make the decisions together as a couple, and save you money,  after all your wedding day is about both of you and making it as personal as possible.  You might think but I have friends and family who can do loads for me, that might be true, but it's your wedding and the reality is that its just not up there on their priority list and remember they too are also bound by their own busy lives and schedules.


Being a wedding planner I have a whole range of incredible suppliers who are not only reliable but offer the best services possible, each and every one of them care about every single wedding that they assist with as if it were their own, if they didn't have that mind set I simply wouldn't use them. 


Don't forget the day itself, you want your friends and family there to share your day and enjoy every moment of it just as much as you will, the last thing that you want is for your friends and family running around getting everything done and sorting out any blips that might occur, we can offer our On The Day Management, we will make sure that you have everything you need, that your venues are set up the way you want them and that everything is perfect, we will liaise with all your suppliers and make sure that all your guests are taken care of throughout the day.  


Your wedding is all about you both and the start of the rest of your lives together, I can help make that happen with the best suppliers, the best advice and guidance (all the decisions are yours! ) and bring it all together with the least amount of stress, so you are free to enjoy your engagement and wedding day.

For more information contact Fiona at Beauty Weddings
www.beautyweddings.co.uk

Julie Vance Photography

     

I want to introduce to you Julie Vance Photography.   Julie produces some really beautiful work, capturing the essence of the moment perfectly.   Julie has generously donated Wedding Day Photography worth £995 which is First Prize in our Free Prize Draw at Scotland's Exclusive Wedding Event at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on the 27th and 28th August 2011. (Visit Beauty Weddings on Stand 98 to enter)


Here is an insight into Julie and some of her amazing images.

I took my first photography course at school, in Paris, in 1989.  I spent the majority of that summer shooting photographs of my friends on black and white film in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and my love of photography was born... The rest, as they say is history!

21 years on I still love photography, having the ability to capture images of little (and big) moments in time, is for me, such an amazing thing.  Weddings are by far, my favourite thing to photography; nothing beats the emotion and sense of occasion that you experience at a wedding.  I always feel very privileged when a bride and groom choose me to play such an important part in their big day, I never take my job for granted.  Every wedding for me is just as exciting as the first one was.






I would say that my photographs are stylish and romantic with a hint of vintage elegance :) 






On a personal note.  I am a 36 year old mother of 3 (1 boy and identical twin girls) I've been married to my wonderful husband Stephen for 6 years... My live pretty much revolves around my family, my photographs and Cath Kidston goodies!  Nothing more exciting than that!! :):) 







As you can see Julie isn't just a very talented photographer but a lovely person too.  You can see more of Julie's work on her website www.julievancephotography.com 

Visit her on Facebook and Twitter 
          

How Beauty Weddings was born

How many of us actually write a blog of what inspired us to start up our own business?  Well the first wedding I ever planned was my own.

Back in 2005 my now husband proposed to me on the Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond, with a very romantic backdrop he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  That was on 31st March 2005.  We had talked about getting married in Tobago, in July 2007.  


Then a few months later he asked if I wanted to bring the wedding forward a year and I agreed.  So the idea of Tobago went out of the window and I started planning my own wedding.   We decided that it would be fitting to get married in the Loch Lomond area as it was both romantic and beautiful.  I absolutely revelled in the whole planning process and realised that I was really good at it.

The Wedding was booked for 30th September 2006 and the very beautiful Winnock Hotel in Drymen.  My florist was recommended to me by a colleague and Mel from Ribbons n Roses was just amazing, she knew exactly what I wanted and suggested the table centrepieces, supplied by chair covers, did my make up and set up  my venue.  Now she is one of my preferred suppliers when I am planning other couples weddings.  She can be trusted and relied upon to do the job, do it right and not break the bank.  

I found during the whole planning process how important it was to be assertive enough to let everyone know that this was MY wedding and I wanted it done MY way.   Because I did this everyone was really supportive and offered suggestions but never tried to take over.  Don't get me wrong I didn't turn into Bridezilla either.  If someone came up with a good idea or gave me a suggestion on how to do something a little differently I would take that on board and act upon it .  I involved everyone in my bridal party as much as I could.  A few examples are:  my wonderful father in law did a reading at my wedding, my best maid Bev was just amazing and did whatever I needed her to do, my daughter was a bridesmaid and I let her choose her own dress, my son who was very young was a groomsman and had the job of making sure everyone had an order of service on the day. 

The day of the wedding was fantastic, the week prior it had rained all week but on the day the sun shone.  We were up early and headed off to the hairdressers Belle & Blackley and with Bucks Fizz on the go our hair was done and by 11am we were heading home, via Arko to pick up 5 pairs of white wellies!  Yes white wellies... we were having our photo's taken at Buchanan Castle and to save our shoes from sinking into the damp grass we opted for wellies!   Mel arrived around 1pm with the flowers which were just stunning, did my make up and helped to decorate the wellies! 2pm and it was time to get ready, the Limo arrived from Platinum Limos, a gorgeous silver Limo to take us all up to the Winnock Hotel.

The White Wellies! 

It was around a 45 minute drive to the venue and on the way I suddenly needed to go to the loo, much to the amusement of our Limo Driver.  He pulled into the Craineach Milk Bar, where me and my best maid and sister jumped out and into the toilets.  When we emerged we were greeted with a round of applause from the delighted and amused of the patrons and staff of the milk bar, I suppose its not every day that a limousine and bridal party stops to go to the loo.

                  

    

From that moment on our wedding day was just amazing, all the hard work and effort from me and everyone else just came together and we had the most amazing day from start to finish

                        

It was after the wedding and honeymoon which was at The Cove in Kenya that I decided that this was definitely the right job that I wanted.  I went on to plan some friends weddings and this just confirmed that I was on the right road, from there Beauty Weddings was born.   My daughter who is almost 17 now works with me on a part time basis and helps with the venue decoration adding her artistic touch and keen eye for detail and learning the business as she goes along. We make a great team.  


I hope you have enjoyed reading how Beauty Weddings was born and enjoy the images of our special day.  

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Sinatra Weddings

Sharing with you the talent of Frank Holden with his Sinatra Tribute is a real delight for me this week.  I have seen quite a bit of Franks work in the past and he really is a fantastic and would make the day of any bride and groom, adding that personal touch as well as entertaining your guests with quality music and charisma.

Frank is among the lucky few who have actually seen Frank Sinatra live on three occasions. He has been providing his innovative Sinatra Wedding entertainment for some 13 years now and provides a superb quality and standard of service.

You will find an outstanding entertainment package here for your wedding reception, all designed by Frank personally, and all carefully structured in line with your budget. Frank writes and produces from a one-hour entertainment package to a four-hour package.

Frank said "On booking one of our Sinatra wedding entertainment packages, we will liaise with your chosen venue to ensure all goes smoothly. All formats have that "Sinatra Swing" feel to them, very cool and very laid back. Additional songs by Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Neil Diamond complement Frank’s range".

There are also additional specialised services available such as live piano through dinner and a customised disco to conclude your reception. Additional videos and audio samples are available on the website, as well as photos. 

Frank's attention to detail and presentation are second to none. So when your wedding requires a five-star presentation, call Frank because there is a package there for you!

Sinatra Weddings should be your first port of call for first class entertainment.

You can contact Frank by phone  Office: 0141 773 3755 or Mobile: 07932 177 954

or by E-mail: frankholdensings@yahoo.co.uk

and why not follow him on Twitter @FHsingsSinatra:

Website:  www.sinatra-entertainment.com