First
Steps
The first thing you will be planning is the
budget. Talk between yourselves about the kind of
service you would like; you may wish to be
Married in Church or prefer a Registry Office.
You will find that your parents will be of
enormous help to you in discussing the budget,
they will have first hand knowledge of the best
way to allocate the money. On your very special
day, you will want the finest of everything so
plan carefully the style of Reception and
Honeymoon.Booking
Your Reception
When you have the date, arrange and book your
Reception. We will be more than happy to offer
you any professional advice on catering matters,
styles of seating arrangements and anything else
you may be unsure of. You have probably discussed
between yourselves who to invite, so make a
checklist. It is easy to forget somebody when you
have so many people who will want to be there on
your special day. Think of all your relatives and
friends on both sides and write them down for
your respective mother's to compile a guest list.
Bridesmaids
and Best Man
It is now a good time to think of Bridesmaids or
Attendants and the Bridegrooms Aide ..... The
Best Man. When your decision is made, you can
start shopping with them. This is an especially
exciting time for the Bride and Bridesmaids,
going from shop to shop, almost spellbound by the
beautiful selection of gowns, dresses and fabrics
available. The Bridegroom and Best Man can
discuss their choice of attire too. Top hat and
tails can be hired inexpensively for the day or
they can choose to wear tailored suits.
Wedding
Etiquette
The Bride selects the type of service, decides on
her dress and the Bridesmaids attire, whilst the
Bridegroom selects the Best Man and Ushers, buys
the ring and pays the Church fees. He can also
buy presents for the Bridesmaids, Best Man and
Ushers as a gesture of gratitude for their help.
He buys flowers for his Bride, Brides Mother, his
own Mother, Bridesmaids, and buttonholes for
himself and the Best Man. He arranges and pays
for transport for himself and the Best Man, and
for the Bride and himself after the Wedding.
The Best
Man
The Best Man is the Bridegrooms right hand man,
who keeps the ring and ensures that the
Bridegroom gets to the Church on time. He pays
the Church fees on behalf of the Bridegroom. He
cheeks and ensures transport for all guests to
the Reception and that any travel arrangements
for the Honeymoon are in order. At the Reception
it is the Best Man's honour to read any
congratulatory telemessages
The Chief
Bridesmaid
The Chief Bridesmaid assists the Bride to dress,
holds the bouquet during the Ceremony and
organises other Bridesmaids.
The
Bride's Father
The Brides Father gives the Bride away and
receives guests at the Reception. He pays for the
Wedding Dress, Bridesmaids Dresses, Cars (except
Bridegrooms), Photographs, Church and Reception
Flowers, Invitations and Press Announcements (if
any).
The Brides
Mother
The Brides Mother is traditionally in charge of
all the proceedings. She decides on the guest
list together with the Bridegrooms Mother and the
venue for the Reception. She handles any catering
arrangements and ensures that the Wedding Cake is
ready. After the Wedding Ceremony, the Brides
Mother and Father, greet the guests at the
Reception.
Other
Arrangements
For guests attending the Wedding, a special
accommodation rate is offered. In fact, we would
be delighted to arrange postage of your Wedding
Invitations together with a rate card offering
preferential rates for your guests. Please ask
for details. Two months before the big day, call
in at the hotel and finalise the Reception. Check
and confirm all other details to ensure your day
will run smoothly and according to plan. On the
day before the Wedding, deliver your cake and
don't forget top tier arrangements, name cards
and Wedding favours.
The
Perfect Reception
At the Reception the usual line-up waiting to
greet the guests is as follows: The Brides
parents, followed by the Bride and Bridegroom,
then the Bridegrooms parents and lastly the
Bridesmaids and Best Man. This line-up ensures
that both families have the opportunity to speak
to all the guests. But, conversation should be
kept to a polite minimum as the queue can become
quite unwieldy. Most Receptions begin with an
aperitif of sherry or champagne served before the
meal. Include non-alcoholic alternatives for
children and those who are driving. Wedding
etiquette need not be strictly followed if you
want your Reception to follow a more informal and
relaxed course. Many couples decide themselves as
to the level of formality they may require.
Toasts and
Speeches
These would normally take place at the end of the
meal and would accompany the distribution of the
Wedding Cake. The following is the usual order of
proceedings.
- The
Brides Father, or close family friend,
proposes a toast to the Bride and Groom.
- The
Bridegroom replies, gives thanks to the
Brides Parents (or both sets) for the
Reception, the guests for attending and
proposes a toast to the Bridesmaids.
- The
Best Man would then respond to the
Bridegrooms speech on behalf of the
Bridesmaids. He would also read any
telemessages to the guests.
Other
Services to Arrange
You will always want to be reminded of your
Wedding Day. Professional Photographers make all
the difference, so book your Photographer now.
Video needs expert handling if you are to be
satisfied in years to come. Choose you video
camera operator carefully and book early. Arrange
for your Wedding Cars. Traditionally this expense
was shared between the Bridegroom and the Brides
Father, but today arrangements are less formal.
Discuss your plans together. Check with your
Baker about your Wedding Cake. He will be able to
help you with size and design, and will tell you
when he needs to have your definite order.
Flowers are another shared expense. Usually the
Bridegroom pays for the actual Wedding flowers,
whereas the Brides Father pays for the Church and
Reception displays. Book your Florist early. One
of the most delightful things you will be doing
is arranging your Honeymoon. Take a trip to your
local Travel Agency for brochures that you can
study before you make a final decision. Whatever
you decide, book your Honeymoon well in advance
so you will not he disappointed. You should now
go to the Printers too, and have your Invitations
printed. He will be able to show you a catalogue
of the different styles available for your
Wedding Stationery, Invitations, Place Cards etc.
Your Home
You and your partner will be looking for your
future home. Your local Estate Agent will he able
to show you property to rent or buy. Following
your decision you will probably need a mortgage
or a loan to cover future events, and your Bank
Manager and Solicitor may need to be consulted.
Start to plan your furnishing arrangements,
decide on colour schemes and decorations too.
This is an ideal time to begin a Wedding Present
list. Think of all the essential items. It will
he easier for you to go through each room in your
mind and think what each one will need.
Shop
Around
One of the most romantic moments for you both
will be selecting the Wedding Ring. Choose
carefully and savour this beautiful time together.
You could both shop for presents for the
Bridesmaids and the Best Man at the same time. It
is a great honour for them to hold these
positions and a gift from you to show your
gratitude would he greatly appreciate and make
your Wedding Day even more special for them.
Continue with your Wedding Present list. It is so
easy in all the excitement of getting Married to
forget the practical things like knives and
forks, sheets and towels etc., or small items
such as can openers or cork screws. Look around
together for items for your "bottom drawer".
About four months before your Wedding, make your
travel booking and ask the Travel Agency to
confirm the arrangements in writing. When that is
done, you can anticipate that in four months time
you will he Married and on your own. Three months
before the big day, finalise your Wedding attire.
This will allow time for fittings and final
touches.
Traditions
The
Wedding Bouquet
In olden days this was made up of strong smelling
herbs to frighten away evil spirits. and to
surround the couple with beauty. Most flowers
have their own meanings. The bouquet used to
always contain Orange Blossom that symbolised
fertility.
The Dress
White was the colour that the ancient Romans
believed would ward off evil spirits. It had
nothing to do with purity or virginity. The veil
was also designed to protect the Bride from evil
spirits seeing her beauty and being jealous.
The
Honeymoon
Centuries ago, it was customary for the Bride and
Bridegroom to drink Mead (a wine made from honey)
for a month after the Wedding. A month was known
as a "moon" - hence Honeymoon.
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