I'm back!!

I have been off of the wedding scene for quite a while! Wedding planning quickly fills your time and when you are creating a lot of it yourself every second is precious.

I am so happy to be back and sharing my experience through my blog, Instagram and pinterest (I feel like I have been away so long that the websites I have listed have probably been replaced with new ones) It's nice being able to write this blog knowing  the end result. We had an amazing wedding day and I have met amazing suppliers, super creative people and had lots of support and time from my family and friends. I can share real photos and real experiences. 

I can write about every decision, my doubts and worries (more about the bridesmaids dresses and marquee decisions than becoming a married lady)last minute decisions, the days running up to the big day and the days after. 

If you would like any help and guidance along the way then please email me the-wedding-assistant@outlook.com

I will hopefully also be getting out and about and taking a look at affordable wedding venues and meeting with wedding suppliers. If you are in the wedding sector and would like me to run a page on you then I would love to hear from you.

Now to get writing!!! 

Have a great day 

The Wedding Assistant 

 

Task 4 Continued - Decoration - Where to buy

You have picked your theme, had a good look on Pinterest for inspiration and ideas and you have planned the layout of your venue.

Now for the FUN bit..... SHOPPING 

I had such a great time exploring both the high street and the internet looking for pieces that would make my decoration unique and personal to me. I found pieces in shops I would never expect and have probably never even thought about shopping in. 

I am now the proud owner of a glue gun, a button pot, Spray mount and endless amounts of ribbon, craft stamps and fabric.

It has been exciting seeing it all come together and I am very excited to see the end result.

I wanted to buy everything cheaper than it would cost to hire. I also wanted to buy pieces that I could get creative with to give my decoration that personal feel. 

Buying also gives you the opportunity for people to take bits home with them or for you to re-sell or re-use.

Here are a few pieces that I found whilst on my travels that I thought would be suitable for a good mix of wedding themes.

These Metal Pitchers make lovely centrepieces or can be used to decorate feature areas like fireplaces.
To personalise them add ribbon to the handles or a transfer on the front and fill with flowers.
available from DiscountUK Small £1.99 Large £3.99

The 3 above pictures are all from B&M. B&M always seem to hold bulk quantities so fantastic if you have lots of tables to decorate. Again all can be personalised and made to suit your chosen theme. The hollow heart would look lovely hanging from beams.




Oversized glasses have been a very popular choice over recent years. I came across these ones in The Range in Stevenage. They were a nice sturdy quality and would look lovely with various different things in them. Autumn leaves for a Fall wedding or mini baubels for a Christmas Wedding.  

   





Ikea is a fantastic place to pick up bulk products at very affordable prices with small vases from 65p and larger vases from £1. I also love the big paper decorations. They create a fun focus. 

Vase £1

I found these tin Beer coolers in 'The Works' £7.99
Fantastic for inside and outside use - welcome drinks - just fill with ice and beers :)

All you need is love - Asda £7 Great for decorating a card / cake table.












This was one of my Favourite finds from Wellpersonalised £12. They have a lovely affordable selection of products. Take a look at their fingerprint guestbook. 



Don't forget to look on Ebay and Amazon.
I managed to buy my cotton chair covers on ebay for less than the hire cost and I am currently searching for some fabric to sew my own napkins. I will keep you posted!!


And remember you can always get creative and personalise items to make them your own.

Have fun CREATING!! The Wedding Assistant x

My visit to White Horse Weddings

 Today I went to White Horse Weddings to see how the venue is set up, watch the finishing touches being put together and meet a few of the team that put the beauty into each and every wedding.
The Sun was shining and the birds were singing. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Spring was certainly in the air and it was difficult to believe that we are only half way through March.

The White Horse is surrounded by beautiful county side views. The country side appears endless creating a beautiful background for wedding photographs.
As I was walking around my imagination was going crazy with the endless possibilities and fun you could have with creating a look that was personal to you. Natural and rustic, vintage.. you could even go for the extreme and quirky!

 

 The whole surrounding area is full of beauty and everything from the drive in to the view from the venue is stunning. There is also lots of parking and a great children's adventure playground which will keep the little lovelies entertained.

 As I walked into the venue the team were hard at work perfecting the finishing touches. You could see the amount of detail that goes into each wedding and the care that is taken to ensure every personal touch is perfect.

The venue looked delightful. The flowers and decoration were stunning and the attention to detail was spot on.
I was very impressed with how personal the wedding felt and excited that there was nothing generic. You could see that the time and care had been taken to make the wedding personal to the couple. 

I love these little love heart favours. They double up as place settings too. The fabric used on the jar lids is also used in the bunting and the flowers pick out each of the colours creating a perfect Spring look.

My favourite part of the day was meeting the team. They all have so much passion for what they do and you can tell that by the atmosphere that they create and the way that everyone works. Every single team member was full of enthusiasm and energy and had lots of pride. It was lovely to see.

Firstly I got to meet Laura who is one of the events coordinators. Laura has worked for the venue for over 2 years and has a wonderfully varied role where she gets to see events through from start to finish. Laura works closely with the events manager Jon and has a hands on approach with venue decoration, running the bar and ensuring that every event is run as it should be.

It wasn't long before we were having a good chat about the weddings that had taken place and the ones that stood out. Laura said that Jon has a lot of inspiration for weddings and she really likes it when Brides and Grooms 'to be' bring a selection of ideas with them so that the team can get creative. Her Favourite personal touch was when a couple had LOVE spelt out in Grass letters for their photos. Laura also enjoys that she can call out random dates to Jon and he knows the Bride and Groom that are getting married on that date "Every wedding is personal and a lot of time is spent with each couple so that their wedding is true to them."  Laura would love to go a little outrageous on her wedding day with some wonderful little details that I will keep secret :)

I then got to meet Alex who is the Events supervisor. He loves seeing the enjoyment of each couple planning their wedding and enjoying their Big day and helping the Bride and Groom bring their ideas to life. Alex has had a variety of roles and has worked for The White Horse for 4 years so has seen the wedding side grow into what it is today. We talked about how they had a smaller Marquee to begin with that Jon and Alex worked together to put up and then a year later they got a bigger one. Alex has seen a variety of weddings at the venue including the wedding of his Auntie. His favourite finishing touches are the old fashioned sweet carts but then said with weddings its mainly down to the Bride (I totally agree!! very wise words Alex)

Here's the Chefs!

Today they were cooking for 200 people.

I got to speak to Jason who has been a chef for over 12 years. Jason Knows exactly how to deliver a perfect meal and explains that planning and preparation is the key to success. 

Today they are cooking a chicken pate starter followed by a lamb roast and chocolate fudge cake for dessert. They are also creating an evening buffet. Sounds delicious!!

And Last but certainly not least Jon.
Jon brought the White Horse in 2009 as he saw the potential for the small country pub to be something to suit customers from all demographics - business, family, young couples, offering a fresh product in contemporary settings.
Jon quickly established that he needed to create an identity for the pub and worked hard promoting and creating the brand The White Horse - Tea Green.
Jon used all forms of media including their own website, social media, and advertising to share and promote the new look and what they had to offer.
During this time there was a downturn in the economy which brought many challenges for the pub sector where as many as 50 pubs a week were closing.
After analysing the business and the local area they decided that a small events company would bring additional revenue and provide the community with a place to host birthdays, christenings and even sadder events such as funeral receptions.
In 2011 they were asked to host their first wedding. This is when Jon realised that there was a niche to provide quality magical weddings without couples having to re-mortgage their house to achieve their ideal day and from then on White Horse Weddings was established.
Since then The White Horse has increased the size of the marquee to accommodate larger weddings and have added a list of strong suppliers to their inventory including DJ's, chair covers, florists, decorators and stationers with the sole aim of providing the Bride and Groom with the best package all tailor made to their requirements sticking firmly to their policy of “Quality, Value and Fun” 

To finish off I wanted to find out what Jon's favourite part of his role is and I must say that This is exactly what I first noticed about White Horse Weddings.

"My favourite part of the job is meeting with the couples and their parents and building a great relationship. We are proud to be flexible in our approach to our couples big days and want to achieve THEIR perfect day and not be: “you have to have this”, “you must do it that way” etc like so many of the larger wedding venues can be. Also seeing the brides face when she sees the marquee dressed on the day makes all the hard work worthwhile"  
    
I really enjoyed my time at The White Horse - Tea Green and felt very welcomed. The atmosphere was full of pride and the work that goes into each wedding is unique and beautiful. It is so nice to see a venue going away from the set expectations and assisting the Bride and Groom to create their day, their way...
I also had a wonderful time sitting in the garden taking notes and listening to peoples reactions to the venue that were very complimentary..

Take a look at the website and don't forget to give them a follow on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with offers and events.

http://www.whitehorseteagreen.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/White-Horse-Tea-Green

https://twitter.com/TheWhiteHorseTG

   

On the road - White Horse Weddings Tea Green

The Wedding Assistant On The Road..

White Horse Weddings

Location: Tea Green

Capacity: Holds up to 120 guests for dining 

price range: Packages start from £3995

As I drove to visit The White Horse I couldn't help but notice how picturesque the journey was. Little county roads, fields and trees. I could imagine how lovely it would be travelling from a wedding to the reception venue.

  

There are fields surrounding the venue which would create a lovely backdrop for photos and there are great facilities including a children's play area, parking and a marquee which can be decorated to make your wedding day experience unique to you. 

  

I love how the marquee is decorated in this photo. The colour range and the mixture of fabrics make the marquee feel extra special and unique.

The venue is very well loved and you can see that a lot of care goes into the business. There are  range of packages on offer that can be tailored to suit your needs and requirements.

When I was looking for a venue the flexibility factor was very important to me. I wanted to create a personal wedding and add details that would make the day my own and this venue allows you to do just that :) 

I also like that there are no hidden costs... There is nothing worse than finding a venue that fits your requirements and your budget and then being told that there are extra charges.

You can take a look at the packages on offer by clicking on the links below.

http://whitehorseteagreen.co.uk/images/wedding2014.pdf

http://whitehorseteagreen.co.uk/images/weddings_2015.pdf

I had a wonderful time viewing the venue and meeting Jon who owns White Horse Weddings. I have even been invited back to the venue to meet the team and see how they set up and prepare for a wedding and the attention to detail that goes in to making the day run smoothly.

I cant wait to go and see first hand how a big day is put together. If you have any questions you can contact the venue directly by calling 01582 722855 - or you can email INFO@WHITEHORSETEAGREEN.CO.UK 

If you have any questions please comment below and I can take them with me to be answered.

Have a nice day - The Wedding Assistant  

Wedding Dress Shopping

Wedding Dress Shopping can be the nicest experience where it all goes perfectly or the most frustrating experience where you are left feeling as though finding 'the' dress is just not going to happen!! But don't worry.. YOU WILL. 
I would say that my experience was a mixture of both.... 
The first time I went dress shopping was 15 months before the wedding.... It was more of just an ideas shop than a serious hunt for the perfect dress.
The first shop I went to was Expressions Bridal in Hitchin. The shop was recommended to me by a few friends. 
The shop had a lovely feel to it and the owner of the shop was extremely welcoming. We were given white gloves to wear which I found fantastic as it showed how much the store cared about the dresses. I was given discs to pop over every dress that I wanted to try. I gave a few to family members as I wanted to try a variety of styles as it was more for ideas.
The owner (Carole) was so helpful suggesting fits and styles to fit my shape and had a selection of shoes to try so that you could see how the dresses hung.
I really enjoyed my experience at expressions and would recommend the service that they provide.

After my first wedding dress experience I realised that the task of finding 'the dress may be a slightly longer process than I thought, but I was excited to get started and began doing my research...

I looked at what style of dress suited my shape, What material I wanted, the colour, and the size of the train.
I've worked in fashion retail for a long time so feel that I knew exactly the shape that I wanted but still visited websites for inspiration as I wanted to keep an open mind.
There's lots of information on-line and lots of pictures to give you guidance but overall you need to go with a style that you feel happy and comfortable with.

 (image from Pineterest)

I knew the material I wanted and decided on the colour.. So now the hunt for 'the dress' was on.

I put my ideal dress description into Google images and Pinterest and browsed for hours. I found that the dresses that caught my eye were all by the same designer so I narrowed down my search by looking at the designers websites. I was left with two dresses that I really liked and saved the images and the product details on my phone.

Later that day I met up with my friends for tea and cake and showed them the pictures of the dresses that I liked. Louise (one of my Bridesmaids) had seen the dress in the window of the wedding shop near where she lived so the next day without an appointment my Mother and I went to the shop to see if it was 'the dress' 

IT WAS!! The owner at Hammonds invited me in and allowed me to try on dresses without an appointment. The ladies must have spent a good hour and a half with me and again we tried on a variety of styles.. I then tried on 'the dress'. Before I looked in the mirror I looked down and just knew it was the one. I remember popping my head out of the changing room curtain and saying to my mum "I think this is the one' 

I really loved the dress but felt it was too early to buy.. 
The dress was a sample as the dress had been discontinued, and It fitted... but I left empty handed.

I then stopped looking 3 months but didn't stop thinking about the dress that id tried. My mum and I went to sample sales, shops in different counties and to other bridal shops that stocked the range.

My highlights were 

http://www.bradgatebrides.com/sale-gowns-bridal-sale-gowns-c-48_5.html

A wonderful shop that specialises in discounted dresses, really friendly staff and they hold dresses in a wide range of styles and sizes. I even got a follow up call from them a few months after when they had received something similar to what I wanted.

http://www.mignonette.com/
A Stunning shop where the owner was extremely helpful. The shop is beautiful and they hold a great selection of dresses. I could have easily spent all day there.
It was whilst I was trying on dresses in this store that the owner explained to me that I had already picked my dress in my heart and that I just had to go and buy it.
SO that's exactly what I did!! 

The bad bits.
We went to one 'discount wedding store' that I will not name. The owner  claimed that she could get me the dress that I wanted, in the size that I wanted without any trouble...
I knew that the dress that I had chosen was the last one in the country so I was a bit confused that she said she could get it.
Looking back... the quality of the gowns was not up to scratch. The materials were thin, The lace was not like I had seen in other stores and they didn't take much care over the gowns.
Its easy to get caught up in the moment of wedding dress shopping so if you feel that something is not right or too good to be true then you are probably right. 
The work that goes into a wedding dress, the structure of the bodice and the fit can not be copied. Fakes will never come close to an original. Do not waste your money on cheap copies unless your happy to throw money away.
If you want to save money on a dress then going to a Sample sale or a discount store is the way to go.

If you want to check the authenticity of a bridal shop, most designers list every shop they stock on their website.

Also please make sure when you go dress shopping that you remove fake tan and make up. Treat every dress as if its the one that you are buying.

I am buying my dress hoop and veil elsewhere. I will let you know how I get on.

If you would like any help on checking the authenticity of dresses or what sample sales / stores to visit then please comment below.

Please click on the follow button below to keep up to date with my posts.

Happy dress shopping 

The Wedding Assistant x 

Mini Post

Just a mini mini post to remind every bride 2 be to remember that Pinterest is a great place to create mood boards and gain inspiration.
I have spent the last 20 minutes looking through DIY pew ideas.
I love looking through the imagination that has gone in to DIY wedding projects-
Remember : Grow your own - Sew your own - Collect your own
If it goes wrong the first time try again :) 
Thank you for all for taking the time to read my posts.
The Wedding Assistant 
.

Task 3 continued - Reception venue ideas

I just wanted to take some time to share with you some affordable venues around the Beds and Herts area.
When your looking at venues you should view them as a blank canvas. Most wedding venues are a big empty room and its the decoration that gives them the WOW factor.
You can make an empty space beautiful with just a little imagination. If you put Village Hall wedding into google you will see exactly what I mean.
A lot of the venues below are in lovely grounds and even if you wanted to extend a venue you could always enquire to see if the grounds are suitable for a Marquee, or you could use party tents and gazebos to host the welcome drinks and give people and extra space to use.

This image is from google images. 



Venue: Woburn Village Hall 
Capacity:120 
Cost: £300 
http://www.woburnvillagehall.org.uk/Hire%20the%20Hall.html


Venue: Unity Hall 
Capacity: 80
Cost: £15 per hour 

We Went to view Unity Hall and I instantly fell in love with it.
It had such a welcoming feel and it was all nicely enclosed with grounds outside. It has a Kitchen, cloakroom and lots of parking.
As soon as I walked into the main hall I instantly decorated it in my mind.  

http://bartonunityhall.wix.com/home



Venue: Stanbridge and  Tilsworth community hall
Capacity: 150 
Cost: on application 

http://www.iloveleightonbuzzard.com/community/venues-for-functions/function-venues/756-stanbridge-and-tilsworth-community-hall.html



Venue: Millbrook Village Hall 
Capacity: 80 
Cost: price on application

http://www.millbrookvillagehall.co.uk/Millbrook_Village_Hall/Welcome.html



Venue Pirton Village Hall
Capacity 120 
Cost on application 

http://www.pirton.org.uk/VH%20Brochure%20aug07%20zigzag.pdf

We wanted to have an empty space from the start. Somewhere that we could make ours and the freedom aspect was really important.
We have hired our hall for 3 days so that we had a full day to set up, a day for the wedding, then the next morning to clear up.

I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration.

The Wedding Assistant 

So, Baking I can do but icing and decoration.... 
Lets just say I'm not the best!!

But I just wanted to share my idea with you for edible save the dates. I feel that if you're a bit more artistic than me or you take a little more time and care than me, then these save the dates could be really sweet and special!

I used a basic gingerbread recipe. Gingerbread is really quick and easy to make and creates a nice flat surface for you to work with. I decorated the gingerbread with roll out icing and icing pens. If you go to a specialist cake shop then there would be a lot more choice. You could match the colours of the icing to your wedding theme and you could buy special letters and numbers to make them look really professional.

I made a selection of shapes and pierced some with holes so that ribbon or information tags could be threaded through.

They would look lovely wrapped individually in cellophane bags with lace or ribbon ties. 

The Recipe 

75g light brown soft sugar
 2 tablespoons golden syrup
 1 tablespoon black treacle
 1 tablespoon water
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 rounded teaspoon ground ginger
 95g block butter
 ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

 225g plain flour sifted, plus a little more (if needed)

The Method
Put the sugar, syrup, treacle, water, spices together in a large saucepan. 

Then bring them to boiling point, stirring all the time. Now remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter (cut into lumps) and the bicarbonate of soda. 

Next stir in the flour gradually until you have a smooth manageable dough – add a little more flour if you think it needs it. 

Now leave the dough covered in a cool place to become firm (approximately 30 minutes). 

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.

Now roll the dough out to 3mm thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out the 
gingerbread into the required shape using cutters.

Arrange them on the baking sheets and bake near the centre of the oven, one sheet at a time, for 10–15 minutes until the biscuits feel firm when lightly pressed with a fingertip. 


Leave them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack