CELEBRATING GLASGOW AND ITS SCOTTISH-ASIAN HERITAGE

CELEBRATING GLASGOW AND ITS SCOTTISH-ASIAN HERITAGE

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

CELEBRATING GLASGOW AND ITS SCOTTISH-ASIAN HERITAGE

Following my last two styled photoshoots CLICK HERE & CLICK HERE, a new collaboration of award-winning Scottish wedding suppliers has come together to shake things up with a culturally diverse styled photoshoot celebrating the much-loved and celebrated industrial past of Glasgow in August 2022.

 

This project was born from a desire to showcase an exciting and vibrant amalgamation of Scottish and Asian heritage in the UK wedding scene.

 

How amazing is the vibrancy of this set, right? If you love it just as much as we do, give us 💛 in the comments.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

PLANNING

Derek Dunlop Photography and I have been working on this project since Spring this year and since then we’ve invited a portfolio of the best in the industry to elevate our vision.

 

At the last opportunity, I also pulled out my handfasting cord and we shot a few scenes featuring a Humanist Ceremony too.

 

Massive thanks go to my husband George from Edinburgh Wedding Directory for stepping in on the day to help us with the setup and the dressing of the kilts.

 

Which Behind The Scenes photo is your favourite 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6? Comment with the image number to let us know.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

PHOTOGRAPHY

Derek Dunlop Photography is a talented and charismatic photographer who specialises in wedding, editorial and personal branding photography.

 

Derek launched in 2018 and his photography featured in many printed and online publications including cover page photography. It was thanks to Derek’s connection that we connected with our models.

 

What’s the most important to you in wedding photography? Let us know in the comments below.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

VENUE

In order to set the scene, the newest and hottest city wedding venue in Glasgow was selected – Haberdashery Glasgow fully developed and directed by friend duo Afton Ferguson & Nikki Fairfull. The venue was once a ladies’ tailor which operated for over 50 years in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.

 

The scene was set and we moved around the venue as we tried to best capture each of the looks – from the beginning we wanted to work with a rustic venue and Haberdashery thanks to Dawn Stafford from Your Scottish Wedding magazine recommendation was the choice!

 

DM me “VENUE” if you’re unsure of your venue vision and would like some help venue hunting.

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

HAIR & MAKEUP

For hair and makeup, we were inspired by beautifully matching makeup and free flowing or pinned up hair styles. It was very important for us to ensure that hair and makeup connected closely with the looks presented.

 

We think that the fabulous team of two Sadias: makeup artist – Sadia Rashid and hair stylist – Sadia Chaudhry are absolute perfectionists and created the most amazing finishes.

 

The design of the looks has also been enhanced with henna application from incredibly talented Terij Kaur.

 

Sadia Rashid – Makeup Artist commented: “I am still in awe from the shoot we did – I was really impressed with everyone’s work and organisation, everyone gave their best. I can’t wait for us to reveal the final look!”

 

What’s your preferred look free-flowing hair or pinned up do? Let us know in the comments below.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

DRESSES

The looks have been inspired by Asia’s rich reds and vibrant blues, sage greens and dusky greys, complemented with matching jewellery, individually designed hair styling and makeup to highlight each individual design.

 

Dresses have been supplied by Glasgow’s Anjali’s Boutique and made an outstanding impact on fulfilling our vision.

 

Which dress is your favourite? Comment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 in the comments below to vote for your favourite look.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

KILTS

Following my consultation with Anjali, I connected with the team at 8 Yards to tie the dresses with perfectly matching or balancing kilts.

 

The team jumped at the opportunity and decided to showcase some of their most contemporary collections and WOW how well they matched what we had planned already.

 

The fresh and exciting finishing touches in shoes, waistcoats, sporrans or even kilt hose really elevated the final looks.

 

Are you a kilt or suit enthusiast? Let us know in the comments below.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

STYLING

The venue has been dressed in matching tones, highlighting the industrial richness of the space. The styling of tables, arches and ceremony was carefully curated by multi-award-winning Heather Spurling McGowan from Make Believe Events who once dined personally with George Clooney for her work in the wedding industry.

 

Would you want to see Heather in action? Make sure to follow her at Make Believe Events.

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

FLORISTRY

Sustainable and paper-based floristry including two bouquets, two buttonholes and two arch arrangements was designed especially for this photoshoot by Shona Rogerson from Papercut Posies.

 

How important is sustainability in your wedding planning? DM me “SUSTAINABILITY” if you’d like to get some ideas on some sustainable wedding solutions.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

MODELS

We’ve also been very lucky to work with two social media influencers and models – Ehab Ali & Taylor McTaggart who perfectly fitted in with the vibe that we had set out for this styled photoshoot.

 

Taylor McTaggart – Model & Social Media Influencer: “It was an absolute pleasure working with everyone and I hope to work with everyone again soon!”

 

Give us 💛 in the comments if you agree they’ve done a brilliant job best showcasing our vision!

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Have you felt inspired by this blog and would like us to focus on something else in the future - DM me with your ideas and visions today and we’ll add them to our focus list for 2023.
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If you’ve found this styled photoshoot useful? Give this blog a share to spread the word and give us more reasons to create more inspirational content for your upcoming wedding!

The Wedding Guru Oskar

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7766012164

Email: oskar@theweddingguruoskar.co.uk

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theweddingguru_oskar

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheWeddingGuruOskar

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@theweddingguru_oskar

CLEVER ABOUT WEDDING BUDGET with BBC Radio Scotland

CLEVER ABOUT WEDDING BUDGET with BBC Radio Scotland

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Recently, I’ve been talking “Clever About Cash” with BBC Scotland hosts Eileen Adamson & Kim McAllister!

Interestingly, I am often being asked why couples might consider a Wedding Planner when undertaking one of the first and biggest financial projects of their life involving many moving elements and opinions.

Apart from the obvious benefits of having an expert full of first-hand knowledge and experience at your disposal, we’re also often called ‘budget warriors’ and if you choose to work with a wedding planner, we will not only ensure you stay within your budget, but also ensure your £££ work that little bit harder for you.

Additionally, considering the network of industry connections, we have the ability to negotiate preferential rates for your benefit, which often means you recover some or even all of your costs and have your ‘best wedding friend’ by your side every step of the way.

Would you consider a Wedding Planner to help you manage your wedding budget? Let me know in the comments below.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

If we haven’t met before – My name is Oskar and I’m The Wedding Guru Oskar. ⁠
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I’ve been involved in the wedding industry since 2009!⁠
After 13+ years in the industry, I have run, delivered and planned over 600 weddings in my career and received 5 industry awards for excellence in my work.⁠
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Nowadays, I plan weddings in Scotland - the UK, conduct legally binding Humanist ceremonies, consult and coach wedding businesses internationally and in my spare time, I blog about all things weddings and feature as an industry speaker.⁠
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Most recently, I also partner with my husband George behind Edinburgh Wedding Directory - simply because we’re married to the job too! :)⁠
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So if you’d like to find out more, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date with my latest news and tips.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

Ahead of my interview for the BBC, I made sure to prepare a few notes on how you can be clever about your wedding spend and here are a few of them you might want to consider before you start your budget planning.⁠
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Firstly, are you set on a date, or would you consider flexibility - if this was to have a big impact on your venue hire cost? Expectedly, we’re experiencing high volumes of weddings in 2022, but this also means that you’re more likely than ever before to get invites for out-of-summer season or even mid-week dates and this can have a significant impact on wedding cost, so maybe it pays to be flexible – see what I did there?⁠
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Did you know that if you were to consider a winter date, that isn’t Christmas or New Year and falls mid-week, you might save more than half of venue cost in comparison with a Saturday in July – how attractive does that sound, let me know in the comments?

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

Weddings are becoming a lot more intimate celebrations – so would you consider downsizing your party? With an average wedding seat costing upwards of £200, would you be willing to treat everyone on your guest list to a meal of this cost otherwise? ⁠
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If it’s your family who are contributing to the cost of the wedding and calling some shots on the guestlist, you might want to be considerate of their involvement too, yet if you’re feeling frustrated or decision-making becoming too hijacked – relate to their feelings and express why you would prefer to make some of the decisions yourself.⁠
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Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

You also don’t want to fall a victim to additional costs – it’s great if you can pull off a beautiful DIY wedding, but consider all elements carefully and if you’re new to the concept, ask for advice from the experts or somebody who has planned a fully DIY wedding before (but focus on facts – rather than opinions) as you don’t want to fall into a trap of additional hire costs, licenses, facilities such as running water, catering, sufficient electricity facilities, WCs, staging, delivery charges, fire safety, VAT, etc.⁠
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How worried are you about additional costs when planning for a wedding? Let me know in the comments below.

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

Ensure you understand each offer and can easily compare them, especially when it comes to the venue and catering (statistically the biggest price items in your budget) – dry hire and all-inclusive offers can have a big impact on your wedding budget. This is especially true if you’re hiring a venue on exclusive use basis – you will need to be mindful that exclusive-use venues carry a higher cost to run, so if price-tag is important to you, you might want to consider hotels and all-inclusive packages.⁠
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Would you know how to compare all venue offers? Message me in the Chat Box today and I can send you a link to one of my templates.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

If you’ve gotten engaged around the summer holidays or the festive break – look out for the upcoming wedding fairs, exhibitions, and open days. Don’t undervalue the benefits of these events – not only can you brainstorm so many different ideas and options in one place and on the same day, price check and compare. You can also take your entourage on a creative wedding day out with you, which is lots of fun in itself! Most importantly, you can save yourself a lot on special deals, offers and discounts that are carefully prepared by exhibiting suppliers, especially for this occasion! ⁠
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Are you booked to attend any upcoming promotional wedding events? Give me “YES” in the comments below.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

If you’re lucky to have a dedicated team of venue experts, make the most of their connections – just like us wedding planners, we all establish relationships which can benefit you with specially negotiated rates to feature on the venue’s or planner’s recommended suppliers list and you’ll have the peace of mind that the supplier knows the venue well and you can trust they’ll deliver quality service!⁠
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Would you like to receive “My Recommended Suppliers List”? Chat Box message me today!

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Catering can also have a big impact on your wedding spend – so would you consider alternative and creative catering or set menu option? Worry not, whatever option you go for all your guests with dietary requirements must be catered in accordance with the latest legislation, for as long as your caterer is notified in advance. You might have also noticed already that there are often additional charges for choice menus, additionally three-course plated dining might not fit your celebration – would you consider a variety of artisan caterers, vans and grazing stations? If you consider your options carefully, your per guest spend might decrease accordingly – something worth considering and discussing with your venue as they might have their own safety policies in place.

Which would you go for? Comment below:
A. Plated set (one option) menu
B. Plated choice menu
C. Alternative => BBQ / Buffet / Grazing station

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

According to Forbes pre-loved wedding dress searches online have increased by 103% since March of this year and this is where a lot of your savings could happen too, but be careful before purchasing, because you do not want to spend as much in alterations as you’ve saved by purchasing a second-hand dress. This trend is also becoming a lot more popular amongst celebrities - Princess Beatrice wore a vintage dress on loan from the Queen’s collection for her wedding in 2020 and Carrie Symonds opted for a dress from My Wardrobe HQ where you can rent dresses from as little at £25 – now, how’s that for a saving? And how sustainable is this slow-fashion too?⁠
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Give me ❤️ if you love the idea of pre-loved wedding fashion in the comments below.

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

Finally, my favourite topic – wedding floristry! There’s so much you can do about your choice of wedding flowers that can impact your pocket! Firstly, seasonal flowers are always a lot more effective, and you get more for your money, so be careful before you hit those Pinterest boards full of Spring flowers for your Autumn wedding! Secondly, silk flowers have exploded here in the UK and they are better quality than ever before. Not only that – you can avoid unwanted allergies at your wedding and be more suitable by hiring, and this is likely to save you a few pennies too. Or simply be creative – some artificial to provide a structure, with fresh flowers filling it up to add value, now that’s an impressive use of your budget!⁠
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Which is your personal favourite? Comment below:⁠
A. Fresh flowers⁠
B. Silk flowers⁠
C. Mixed fresh and silk for the impact

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

All in all, my biggest piece of advice is that booking things sooner rather than later could also be a solution for avoiding the current price increases. And please be careful – if what you’re looking for seems too cheap to be true, it probably is! Ensure you work with recommended and reputable suppliers only, check them out online, their reviews and track record and use a credit card for payments where possible for additional safety cover.⁠
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Did you find my advice videos useful? Give this blog a share to spread the word and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

The Wedding Guru Oskar

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7766012164

Email: oskar@theweddingguruoskar.co.uk

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theweddingguru_oskar

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheWeddingGuruOskar

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@theweddingguru_oskar

HOW TO AVOID WW3 WHEN CONSIDERING FAMILY POLITICS AT YOUR WEDDING?

HOW TO AVOID WW3 WHEN CONSIDERING FAMILY POLITICS AT YOUR WEDDING?

10 MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Recently, I have been asked by Claire Muir – Feature Writer at Your Scottish Wedding to answer some of the most commonly asked questions by couples when it comes to managing family politics while wedding planning. 

In today’s blog, you’ll learn the best ways to navigate your way around some of the most challenging situations while wedding planning. My recommendations in this blog are solutions based on over 600 weddings I have planned, run and delivered in the past 13+ years. 

If you want to find out more, you’ll need to keep on scrolling…

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

If we haven’t met before - I’m Oskar and I’ve been involved in the wedding industry since 2009!

After 13+ years in the industry, I have run, delivered and planned over 600 weddings in my career and received 5 industry awards for excellence in my work.

Nowadays, I plan weddings in Scotland, the UK, conduct legally-binding Humanist ceremonies, consult and coach wedding businesses internationally and in my spare time, I blog about all things weddings and feature as an industry speaker.

Most recently, I also partner with my husband George behind Edinburgh Wedding Directory - simply because we’re married to the job too! :)

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

1.     Paying for the wedding – how do I navigate this when my parents are apart e.g. I’m not close to my dad but he’s still paying, and my mum isn’t happy about it?

• Not delving too much into the psychology of human relationships, some people simply show their appreciation and love through gifts and this could be what’s happening here.

• Secondly, weddings aren’t cheap - let’s be honest about it and if Dad wants to make this generous gesture and the couple is willing to accept it and appreciate it, then why not!

• My advice here would be not to bicker with Mum, but rather arrange for a heart-to-heart conversation and explain your motivations and reasons. Open up and allow your Mum in on your plan and explain what her support would mean to you, if that doesn’t work, put her in your shoes - how did it make her feel when she planned her wedding and others were pushing ideas, traditions and guilt on her - very quickly you should see the change of tone and all she will care about is that you’re happy and your day is just perfect for you.

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

2.     Stationery – what are the options for wording invitations if it’s a non-traditional family situation to avoid unwanted attendees?

• Addressing each and every individual invitation directly to the invited person is one of the options

• Arranging a seating plan in a way that conflicting members of the family don’t come into contact unnecessarily, same applies to ceremony seating - this might need to be arranged and sign posted on the allocated seats - ideally for everyone so that you’re not singling anyone out and upsetting them

• Using electronic RSVP services which limit responses to one per submission and personalised links is another way of avoiding unwanted attendees or plus ones you can’t have or want to have at your wedding

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

3.     Stepmother issues

• I love my mum and my stepmother but they don’t see eye-to-eye. Is it possible to include both in the dress shopping process?

  • Why not arrange two dress shopping trips and make a day out of it to treat them both - the last thing you want is for their conflict or mood to affect your experience

• I have a rather flamboyant stepmother and I’m worried about her upstaging my lovely mum’s outfit on the big day. How can I get around this without offending?

  • Why don’t you take them shopping and outline what design and colour theme you’re hoping for - the more expectations you can outline to them, the fewer chances of upsetting them or feeling disappointed yourself you will have

  • If shopping together or on two separate trips is not an option - why don’t you make suggestions to them both or ask them what they have considered wearing and give them your honest feedback of how it ties in the overall design of your special day

• The morning prep – I’m closer with my stepmother but feel I should have my mum get ready with me. What’s the answer?

  • No matter what - you do not want to remember your wedding for the things you haven’t done and feel disappointed or guilty. Why don’t you allocate roles for both Mums that you know they can fulfil together or separately and you know they would feel appreciated and make your experience more enjoyable

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

4.     The ceremony

• Who walks in and out with whom?

  • You don’t need to stick to tradition if you don’t feel like it’s you!

  • There are so many elements to ceremonies, especially in Scotland where you can get married as and where you want to so that you can involve all or just some of your family members in many symbolic elements, so choose wisely what you believe they can best contribute to.

  • Would Dad be more comfortable with setting up drinking from quaich, Mum walk you down the aisle, Stepmom doing a reading, Stepdad handing over the rings - really the choice and creativity is yours to have here

• Our family split means there are effectively three sides… But only two sides in the room to sit on! How do we arrange seating to keep it conflict-free?

  • Why not have two aisles? My husband and I had our Mums walking us down the aisle simultaneously, but I’ve had the Groom walking in with his Mum and the Bride walking in with her Dad before - honestly, you don’t need to be traditional :)

  • Alternatively, you can allocate seats for the first few rows so that you know they won’t cause issues

• My dad will be attending the wedding but I don’t want him to walk me down the aisle. How do I break it to him, and who should I choose instead? Or could I walk alone?

  • I think what you need to do first is make a decision about how the processional entrance will look like and who, if anyone at all will be walking with you down the aisle

  • Then, when you’ve made that choice, explain your motivations behind this choice to your Dad

  • Over the years, I’ve had Grooms awaiting their Brides at the bottom of the aisle to walk in together, I’ve had Brides walking down alone with an entourage ahead of them, and I’ve also had both parents walking the Bride or the couple’s children walking with their Mum - don’t feel pressured into this decision as it is an emotional element of the ceremony and you want to feel like you’re getting the right support for you

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

5.     Photographs – how best can we keep things under control during the formal photos whilst still getting the family shots I’ve dreamed of?

• Do your homework and prepare a detailed shoot list and allocate responsible people to help you organise them on the day - remember, this is not the photographer’s job as they will not know your family and the politics!

• If you want to keep conflicting families separated - choose different locations for each group you want photos taken with

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

6.     Table plans – how do I make it work?!

• Not just the issue of mum and dad potentially both being on the top table, what about their partners?

  • Having them host tables at the front of the top table can be fun especially if they all get on

  • If there is a clear conflict - you might want to ask both sides about their expectations and how your plan would make them feel - it’s all about compromise here

• What if one has a partner and the other doesn’t?

  • Consult the other side on how the seating of the partner would make them feel

  • Having them at opposite ends of the table could also be a solution

• And what about family members invested in this conflict – how can I keep the regular tables fight-free?

  • This comes down to the art of arranging the tables in your room

  • It will take quite a bit of moving and shaking things up to ensure it works and while you’re keeping the wedding war-zone-free, you’re not upsetting anyone by putting them in the back end corner

  • Do it visually - ask venue for a sample table plan, use colour coded post-it tabs and group guests by colours and then start placing tabs around the tables on the sample floor plan to see how it flows - having it visually in front of you, can make it a lot easier - do you remember Monica’s flags table plan from Friends? This is a simplified version :)

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

7.     Speeches with split families – what’s the etiquette and to what extent does it depend on my personal preference? Is it more important to go with what I want – or to not offend those who are potentially funding the wedding?

• If you’ve got certain family members involved in financing the wedding, be conscious and mindful of their involvement, you don’t want to upset them

• Traditionally, it’s three speeches of up to 8 minutes each - Father of Bride, Groom, Best Man

• Speaking from experience - the fewer speeches, the better - so that’s something that might help you in justifying your decision, you do not want your speeches to go on for longer than 30 minutes in total

• Some people are more comfortable with public speaking, so there’s no point in forcing your shy Dad to do a speech just because. Your Dad might be more comfortable with walking you down the aisle and Stepdad with a speech

• Alternatively, if the parents’ situation is too complicated - why not ask your sibling to do ‘the family’ part?

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We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌

8.     Any words of wisdom and advice that I can give to my warring family members as a ‘gentle warning’ to behave themselves ahead of the big day? Or should I be laying the law more seriously?

• If you strongly foresee things easily getting out of hand at the wedding, you might want to consider hiring security to help you handle the situation and make your family aware of it

• If taking such serious measures isn’t on the cards - ensure to allocate ‘conflict mediators’ in advance so that you’re not being pulled into uncomfortable situations on your wedding day

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I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌

9.     What about me – any advice on staying calm when I’m conscious that World War 3 could break out at any minute?

• The more planning, open and honest conversations and precautionary measures you can put in place in advance of the wedding the better

• Having a solid plan will make you feel more prepared and aware, and therefore worry and stress about it all less

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He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌 I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌

10.     How to communicate a children-free wedding?

• Let your guests know from the get-go – on your Save the Dates so that your guests can make arrangements

• Be clear and consistent if only family children are coming

• Explain budget or space limitations

• If for any reason you receive an RSVP with children on it, don’t react on emotion, relax and phone them, over the phone conversations will deflate the emotions

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I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022

💌

We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022

💌

I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022

💌

He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020

💌

I found Oskar quite close to our wedding date, My only wish is that I found him sooner to help me plan more of the wedding - Lucy & Aresh, April 2022 💌 We miss chatting to Oskar, he was and is a ray of sunshine ☀️ - Louisa & Bradley, March 2022 💌 I was dreading the seating plan, Oskar stepped in and spent an afternoon with is till it was done, going over and above as we’d only asked him to do on the day co-ordination. - Katy & Allan, February 2022 💌 He was with us every step of the way, through all the crazy changing restrictions and even a last-minute 'lift and shift' of more than a week! - Donna and Mark, December 2020 💌

Have you found this wedding planning blog useful? If you have why not check out more of my wedding planning blogs today => https://theweddingguruoskar.co.uk/wedding-planner/read-me-blog and check out my Instagram and Facebook for the latest trends and news regularly.

 

The Wedding Guru Oskar

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7766012164

Email: oskar@theweddingguruoskar.co.uk

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theweddingguru_oskar

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheWeddingGuruOskar

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXf4LcWlwmmb-wyl1IFD9zg

Your FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Answered

In preparation to my LIVE Interview with George from Edinburgh Wedding Directory on Thursday 15th July 2021, you have sent through a number of questions and having reviewed the most frequently asked questions in the past year, I decided to give you a snapshot of answers in my next few paragraphs below.

Are you ready to have your questions answered? Scroll down to check out what I have prepared for you this time in terms of tips and wedding planning hints!

Would you like to have a FREE 1-2-1 personalised consultation with me? Book it instantly at https://theweddingguruoskar.co.uk/wedding-planner/one-hour-wedding-planning-consultation

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WHEN SHOULD WE START OUR DAY?

Interestingly, I did cover your wedding day timeline recently in this blogpost - https://theweddingguruoskar.co.uk/wedding-planner/read-me-blog/planning-your-wedding-day-timeline

You should start your timeline from the end of the night and work your timings back.

Here is my quick formula on how to come up with a solution to this question:

Evening Entertainment – length of service? (you’d need to check with your entertainment supplier – on average 4 hours)

Would there be any comfort break after the meal? 30/60 minutes?

Speeches – if 3 x 10 minutes speeches, that’s 30 minutes

Wedding Breakfast – three course is 2 hours

Drinks Reception between 1h30mins to 2 hours (you’d need to check with your photographer)

Wedding Ceremony between 30 minutes to 45 minutes (you’d need to check with your celebrant, officiant or registrar)

Guest arrival from 30/60 minutes prior to ceremony time

Hair and makeup – will depend on the number of girls and the styling planned, an average 1h – 1h30mins per person

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HOW DO I PICK A PHOTOGRAPHER?

There are a few ways to do this – you might have already received recommendations or met a photographer you like at another event. If not, do #hashtag search for your venue on Instagram and you’ll come across portfolio of photographers images of your venue.

It is always a good idea to book a call or a Zoom appointment to check on availability, rates and general feeling for your shortlist of photographers – you want to ensure that your photography looks great, but also that you and your guests will feel comfortable.

If you’re in any more doubt – check out recent reviews on Google and listing directories, you might even book an engagement photoshoot first.

If you’re looking for recommendations, why not download My Recommended Suppliers List today?

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HOW SHOULD I VET SUPPLIERS?

If you’re new to weddings and feeling a little lost when it comes to booking wedding suppliers – check out my Six Red Flags When Booking a Supplier blog that touches upon what to avoid and look at when booking your suppliers.

You ideally want to work only with reputable suppliers on your wedding day plans, so check out their Google listing and social media. Look out for the length of service, any reviews, comments and recognitions.

Wedding venues and planners will often refer tried and tested suppliers for you to approach and believe me those recommendations comes after years of working relationships, giving you additional warranties when booking.

Are you looking for more hands-on support with booking your venues and suppliers? Have a look at my wedding planning packages – this is something I could organise for you at specially negotiated rates!

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HOW DO I PICK MY FLOWERS AND COLOURS?

This is an interesting question! If you’re asking it, you probably don’t have a set theme in mind or you’re looking for suggestions.

Now, if you’re Scottish you might want to check your family tartan colours first and see if they rock your boat… if that’s not the case, why don’t you look outside for what nature has in stock for you in the season of your wedding?

Seasonal flowers are not only perfectly matching to what you’ll observe outside on your wedding day, but they’ll also be a lot better value for money than trying to get peony roses in October 😊

Additionally, you might want to consider your venue colours and any favourite colours you like - the easiest way to identify what you like from the design is to create moodboards of style images. You’ll very quickly make most fitting choices that way?

Are you needing a wedding styling consultation? Book my one-off wedding planning consultation today!

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WHEN TO SEND OUR INVITATIONS?

There are many schools of thought on this matter.

My recommendation is that you firstly send your save the date as soon as you’ve booked your venue and set the date!

Invitations that way can be sent in the last 6 to 3 months before the wedding and this is also when you’re most likely to attend your menu tasting. Many couples don’t want to have their tasting too close to the wedding, but there is in fact a reason why venues and caterers encourage you to have your tasting as close to the wedding as possible – you’ll have a fresh recollection of it, you’ll be able to try seasonally fresh ingredients and lastly, stock levels of fresh produce are very unlikely to change in the last three months before your wedding. You must also remember that a menu tasting isn’t so much for choosing your menu, it is rather to discuss your choices with the professional Chef in terms of quantity, flavours and presentation.

Finally, I recommend avoiding big gaps between sending invitations and their RSVP deadline – the more time you give your guests, the less likely they are to deal with it instantly.

Are you looking for advice how to best collect and organise your RSVPs? Chatbox message me today and I’ll provide you with more quick and easy tips!

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HOW SOON SHOULD I BOOK MY FINAL WEDDING DRESS ALTERATIONS?

If you’re having your wedding dress bespoke made for you, your designer will schedule these appointments for you automatically, however, if you’re buying off-the-rack or online, you want to ensure you have your alternations booked in advance.

I am being told that alterations might take up to three appointments, first is the longest one, which could take up to an hour and should take place shortly after purchasing/receiving the dress.

Your fittings should normally be scheduled between 12 to 2 weeks before the wedding in incremental milestones.

Dress designers advise against buying too small dress for motivation – it’s easier to take a larger dress in than to let smaller one out.

Are you looking for a wedding dress seamstress recommendation? Chatbox message me today!

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WHAT’S THE LEGAL PAPERWORK TIMELINE IN SCOTLAND?

All wedding planning couples need to complete their notices forms and the most common form is called M10.

These notices cost £30 each and you need to submit one for each partner. There is a £10 cost for your marriage certificate, which you can request several duplicates of at £10 each – it’s good to take more then one copy as you might need to send these away to authorities if you’re changing your name following the marriage.

Marriage notices – otherwise known as M10 forms can only be lodged maximum 12 weeks before the wedding and no later than 29 days before the wedding.

Along with these forms, you will need send your birth certificates, any previous divorce decrees (if applicable), proof of address (bank statement or utility bills) and if you fall under immigration rules, you might need to supply proof of your immigration status. If you’re under the immigration rules – you’re best to submit your notices minimum 70 days before marriage.

If you’re looking for more hands-on support with completing your M10 form, book one of my one-off wedding planning consultations today.

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HOW TO PICK BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES?

Many couples find this challenging as very rarely will your Bridesmaids/Groomsmaids will be of the same size and shape and have the same tastes.

You might have already heard of the multi-tie dress options – these are ideal if you want to ensure the same colour palette and dress flow, yet give your girls plenty of options for how they want to tie the upper section of the dress – these dresses are made of stretch material, so it’s ideal for a varied size and shape wedding party.

Alternatively, you can try jumpsuits – these are very trendy at the minute and will definitely not upstage the bridal dress, additionally they are very comfortable for dancing and moving about. Most of the time these come with pockets! Added Bonus!

Finally, if you want to give your Bridesmaids plenty of freedom, why not give them one pantone colour to work with so that they are colour matching and only cover what you were planning to spend on their outfits? That way they can do the shopping themselves within your guidelines – it’s a win – win this means less pressure on you and they’ll be happy to pick an outfit that best fits within their style.

Would you be willing to give your Bridesmaids the freedom to pick their own outfits matching your chosen colour and guidelines? Comment “Y” for Yes and “N” for No in the comment boxes below.

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HOW TO BEST PLAN GUESTLIST?

If you’re finding this part of your wedding planning challenging – why not consider a couple of guest lists based on priority? If you decide to send your invites early, you might always have time to top up if your Top Priority guest’s respond with “No, I won’t be able to make it.”

If you’re already at the point of allocating your guests to tables, why not get creative? I get it – family politics might be challenging, but this can be fun, trust me!

Draw your tables on a large piece of paper – ideally flip chart size paper and bring stick on tabs - write your guests names on them. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll get through this and you can always move people about easily on this plan, if anything changes closer to the time, it’s just as easy as to peel the tab and place on another table – simple 😊

Would you need a hand with organising your tables? Book my one-off wedding planning consultation today!

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HOW TO BEST PLAN CATERING FOR THE MORNING OF?

This is so very important! Never underappreciate the importance of eating on the morning of your wedding – your Wedding Breakfast meal is unlikely to be served before dinner time and the last thing you want on your wedding day is to feel feint!

Good base breakfast makes a great start to a busy day!

You might not want to eat a lot such as a fry-up breakfast, but at least ensure you cover your morning catering with plenty of treats – continental buffet breakfast is ideal for that! Plenty fruit, pastries, hams, cheeses, yoghurts and cereals will ensure you’re not feeling bloated, yet you can nibble as the morning preparations get under way.

If you decide to opt in for a fry-up breakfast on the morning of your wedding - ideally you want to ensure this is first thing in the morning, so that you’re not feeling bloated and avoid this breakfast being made where you’re getting ready as the smells will penetrate the room and your outfits!

If you’re looking to book a light packed lunch, make sure it is delivered in plenty of time, so that you’re not eating last minute and already in your dress – you want to avoid any spillages before the ceremony and official photos.

Are you looking for recommendations for catering on the morning of the wedding? Chatbox message me today!

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SHOULD WE TAKE WEDDING INSURANCE?

I wish more couples asked me about this pre-Covid, yet statistics say that pre-Covid wedding insurance was rarely taken out, something many of you can’t even imagine starting to plan your wedding without.

As more and more insurers are starting to offer wedding insurance covers and policies, you shouldn’t underestimate this additional protection and not only for the pandemic, but for anything you contract for your wedding! Considering that some covers start from as little as £50.00 it is likely to be the smallest value items on your wedding budget, yet it can save you an awful lot of headache further down the line!

If you cannot take wedding insurance instantly, ensure you remain protected at all times and pay using credit card for additional protection.

Are you looking for advice on wedding insurance? Chatbox message me today!

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ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WEDDING MUST HAVE’S?

Following nearly two years of lockdown entertainment unique catering should be at the top of your priority list!

Your guests are longing for a good party and therefore if you’re going to be away for long periods of time ie. your photography, or changeovers or even transportation between venues – ensure this isn’t yet another dreaded hanging about time with nothing to do! You want to ensure that those gaps are filled in with creative and fun guest activities such games, magicians, live act music, quizzes, showstopping selfie opportunities, etc.

Catering is yet another important element of the wedding – unique catering options, full of variety is what your guests will remember and this doesn’t necessarily need to apply to your main meal, but maybe consider something different for your evening snack, that isn’t just another bacon roll display.

Being creative with the drinks will also set the tone for the day – pimp your prosecco is very cool, personalised cocktails and mocktails and theming of the bars can really make a difference to your guests experience and therefore memories.

Would you add anything else to our list of “MUST HAVE” suggestions? Comment below.

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BOHO-INSPIRED SAME-SEX EDINBURGH ELOPEMENT

You might have already noticed that Gerlof from Geebz Photography and I love to stir some photoshoot excitement every now and then, therefore it is with great pleasure that I would like to present to you the extraordinary work of all those involved while celebrating #pridemonth #loveislove #lgbtq

We all decided that while we’re waiting for the big and exciting changes to happen, we could get creative and that creativity once again lead us to produce something magnificent, but I’ll leave this for you to judge 😊

Another motivation for us was the success of our Autumnal Photoshoot in November 2020 and we simply knew there was so much more we could do, therefore in this blog I will present to you our spin on a spring boho style city elopement in some of the most picturesque locations of our glorious capital city of Edinburgh, so allow me to take you on a journey in the next few paragraphs…

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HAIR AND MAKEUP

For hair and makeup, we were inspired by natural makeup and free flowing locks. It was very important for us to ensure that hair and makeup wasn’t too busy, too heavy and too arranged – our aim was to achieve a very natural look for an outdoor wedding. I think that the team behind Bryony Quate Hair and Beauty Couture managed to pull of this inspiration so perfectly, don’t you think?

Bryony jumped on board with us as soon as I said that we were working on a bridal photoshoot and I wouldn’t expect anything less from this top-class team!

What stuns me about working with Bryony and her team is how they manage to create an atmosphere of celebration at the point of morning hair and makeup – Bryony’s team is young, fun and vibrant and immediately uplifts the atmosphere in the room and deflects the nerves among the Bridal Party!

Did you know that Bryony’s team also do beautiful hairpieces for your special day? Give them a follow to find out more!

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OUTFITS

Mette from Freja Designer Dressmaking is absolutely outstanding – not only did she supply us with those two beautifully complementing looks, she actually made them from scratch for this photoshoot, now that’s dedication!

Mette – the designer says: “I was delighted to be invited to take part in this photoshoot with this amazing line up of suppliers. I was told it would be a same sex wedding, taking all the good from micro and outdoor weddings and in a beautiful setting. I wanted the brides to wear something which was modern and easy to wear on the hill, but which had some elements of traditional bridal wear and feminine details. The dress was made of beautiful guipure lace, it was soft and contemporary, the skin showing through the lace. I felt the sequins would add a little bit of sparkle in the sun, without looking garish. The trouser suit, had the traditional corset style top and illusion neckline with lace motifs on the skin and drapes on the back, again similar to a veil but in a new and contemporary way. I am so pleased with the photographs and felt it all came together to the same vision"

In the initial conversations with Mette, I only suggested that we wanted two distinct, yet complimenting looks for this same-sex elopement photoshoot. We didn’t want long trains as majority of the photoshoot was planned for the outdoors and I suggested a tea-length dress and a jumpsuit, Mette just jumped at this idea with excitement and run with it. Don’t you think she’s exceeded the brief? Make sure you follow Freja Designer Dressmaking today!

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VENUE

The dream was to have the entire photoshoot at the Edinburgh’s iconic Arthur Seat, which we had the pleasure of featuring on the day! Having been in this wonderful and creative industry for many years now, I knew we couldn’t bank on the weather (especially this year!), so I ensured to work with one of my highly recommended wedding venues to have another unique backdrop to our photoshoot!

Therefore, we started our day at the SkyBar of the Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre and featured our ceremony and drinks reception shoot against the absolutely breathtaking and uninterrupted backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle. If you haven’t been to the SkyBar before, you should definitely check it out, they regularly host ticketed and bar events there mid-week to experience this unique location.

We then proceeded to climb Arthur Seat… well… not exactly, we settled on St Margaret’s Loch and the beautiful hill there overseeing the Auld Reekie! This is where the weather cleared, and we got to enjoy true Scottish spring and the iconic city views in the distance. The scene was romantic and simply perfect for a city elopement wedding!

Would you like to find out more about the fabulous team behind this photoshoot? Make sure you follow all suppliers involved today!

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STYLING

For this photoshoot we were inspired by moody, yet rich and vibrant colours of our Scottish spring! We focused on two scenes, indoor ceremony and outdoor romantic city view picnic scene.

Lynsay Borthwick Weddings and Events once again exceeded our expectations – we’ve asked Lynsay to create the perfect frame for our ceremony view encompassing the views of the Edinburgh Castle. She produced this trendy ivy and rose drooping copper frame for us along with cylinder vases filled with pillar candles.

On the hill by Arthur Seat, she set the scene perfectly with your dreamy picnic scene complimented by seasonal moss, floral accents, carved out wood trunks and earthy finishing touches.

Massive thanks also go to Dawn Stafford from Your Scottish Wedding who stepped in to help us with the setup on the day of our photoshoot – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Do you think the theme introduced by Lynsay fits with the landscape? Make sure you follow Lynsay on Instagram for many more of these gorgeous treats!

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FLORISTRY

Once again, we had the pleasure of working with the best of the best in the wedding industry and Kathrin from White House Flowers hasn’t disappointed! Planning for this photoshoot we wanted something different, rich and lively, yet natural looking for our boho idea.

We’ve asked Kathrin to create two similar, yet slightly varied looks for the bouquets and headpieces, in order to give off a slight bohemian vibe.

Kathrin says: “When Oskar approached me to be involved in a photoshoot that celebrated the love of same sex couples , I jumped at the chance. Creating 2 flowers crowns that were the same - but different,  was something I was really interested in doing. Providing complimentary bouquets that were individual but also cohesive, one with pops of spring coral - the other more classic, was also fun. I guess I saw it as a marriage of flowers too. I loved working with this team of professionals again. It makes my job as a wedding florist just brilliant.”

Would you like to be inspired by more stunning floral looks from Kathrin? Make sure you follow her Instagram page today!

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Now, let’s focus on the fabulous duo who captured the amazing work of all suppliers involved in this photoshoot!

We had the pleasure not only to be guided by Gerlof from Geebz Photography and Beate from BBPicture Photography on the day, but we’ve also been greatly entertained by them both – you wouldn’t expect anything else though! This is why these two don’t just make your wedding photography a tick box task on your special day – they make it a very special and fun event in itself and create special memories to cherish! All of us involved in this photoshoot can assure you of that!

They also don’t only work magic together, but they create some incredibly inspiring and distinct looks – don’t you think? Now, if you haven’t followed these guys on social media yet, you must do so!

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VIDEOGRAPHY

We didn’t only settle on photography – this time we decided to involve a videographer to show behind the scenes footage of this truly beautiful elopement wedding photoshoot in one of the most picturesque locations!

You might not know this, but Daniel from Fern Photography is venturing out with a new string to his bow – videography!

It was amazing getting Daniel involved in our photoshoot and the scenes, views and settings he’s captured for us in his short trailer video showcase the beauty of all of our work! I am excited to learn more about the new videography element from Fern Photography and if you haven’t followed Daniel and Matt on their social media channels yet, you must do so now!

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ACCESSORIES

The wonderful team at ScotlandShop came to the rescue when we realised that Spring this year is very much unlike anything we’ve seen in the past few years!

Anna, Susan and Monja couldn’t have been more helpful – when I approached them about getting involved with the photoshoot, they invited me to their shop in Queensferry Street where they presented me with a vast variety of choices to keep our Brides warm on the photoshoot day!

We could choose from wraps, shawls, scarfs and structured jackets and we made sure to feature them all in our photshoot!

If you’re looking for first class wedding accessories, kilts, jackets, handbags, brogues, tartan high heels and much more for your special day – look no further as this shop offers a range of high quality items produced locally in Duns in the Scottish Borders! Are you not following them yet? Here’s their Instagram page for you to check out today!

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PLANNING AND HUMANIST CEREMONIES

I said this many times that I am lucky to be surrounded by a network of some of the best Scottish wedding suppliers out there and it is an absolute honour to be entrusted by these fantastic people to plan such an important event like the showcase photoshoot! I am especially humbled to be working with such a loyal and dedicated team on these very creative projects, where we all can allow ourselves plenty of freedom to showcase our best!

This time wasn’t different! Not only did we put together something special, but we had a brilliant time doing it – just like we do at the weddings we all work together on!

Massive thanks also go to our fabulous, stunning and fun to be around supermodels – Holly and Ellie, you’ve not only been a pleasure to work with, but you’ve embraced every element of this photoshoot and it is also thanks to you that we’ve got such an outstanding work to showcase now! Thank you!

On another note, in this photoshoot, I decided to focus on another element of wedding I could work with you on – humanist ceremony. For those of you who haven’t heard yet, I am also a fully qualified and licensed Humanist Celebrant with Fuze Ceremonies and although I can’t offer this most important part of your day as part of my wedding planning services, I am sure I can help many of you elopement planning couples to ensure your ceremony is truly special and meaningful. If you would like to find out more about Humanist Ceremonies with Fuze Ceremonies, follow their social media channels today!

Alternatively, if you’re interested in working with me and my outstanding portfolio of my industry network on your upcoming wedding, chatbox message me on my website today!

Massive thanks to all photoshoot partners - without your enthusiasm, vision and determination this fantastic project wouldn’t have been possible!

📷@geebz_photography

💁‍♀️@bryonyquatebridal

🎀@lbweddingsandevents

👰@ourmodel

👰@ourmodel

💐@whitehouseflower

📌@skybar_edinburgh

💕@fuzeceremonies

👐@yourscottishwedding

👗@frejadesignerdressmaking

🎥@fernphotography_scotland

📷@bbpicturephotography

🧣@scotlandshop_edinburgh

📋@theweddingguru_oskar

PLANNING YOUR WEDDING DAY TIMELINE

Wedding day timeline blog

*by George Gilchrist-Grodnicki

Planning Your Wedding Day Timelines

I am asked quite often “when should we start with our ceremony?”

The easiest way to work out your wedding day timeline is to start from the end of the evening and work your way back. This is something that naturally causes many couples worry especially as this is the very first time you’ll be planning such large event, but it needn’t be this hard! Start with a rough timeline, then as you fill in more details your timeline becomes more solid. An adequate timeline will ensure you feel in control of your day, and able to relax and enjoy yourself, while providing all those involved accurate timings, because timings are key to the success of every wedding, right? 

Give me ❤️ in the comment below if you think having an air-tight timeline for your wedding will ensure its success!

End of the evening

As the timings of your day are worked out from the end of your night, the big question is how long is your entertainment booked for? Speak to your venue to find out when the room hire ends. This gives you carriages time, and from there, after speaking to your entertainment, you can plan when your entertainment starts. Don’t forget to include any extra entertainment i.e. small acts who are also to perform in the evening. For example, at our wedding, the venue licence was until 1 AM, and our entertainment was a DJ, who was booked for three hours, preceded by a live ceilidh/covers band played for three hours. This meant our evening entertainment started at 7 PM.

How long do you think an average entertainment runs for?

A.    6 hours

B.    5 hours

C.    4 hours

Let us know in the comment boxes below

Comfort break

Now that you know when your entertainment starts, you can start to plan the end of the meal. Do you want a comfort break? Is there turnaround time? Do you intend taking photographs after the meal? Are there any small entertainment acts booked for this time, such a Signing Waiters? Your venue will advise you of any turnaround times, so make sure to ask about this.

Average band setup time and sound check will take around 60 minutes too, so if your band can’t get in to setup during the meal, comfort break might be advisable. Secondly, who wants to be throwing shapes on the dance floor right after a three-course meal?

If you need help understanding this part of your special day and how much time is good, too little or too much, chatbox message us today.

Speeches

Next comes the speeches, by allocating maximum of 10 minutes per speaker, you avoid boredom in the room! Ideally, you wouldn’t want to have your speeches for longer than 30 minutes, if you do, speak to your venue, caterer or planner to see about the best times to split them up – the last thing you want is your speeches overrunning if you decided to host them before the meal and having your guests seating hungry for hours.

Traditionally, which by any means is not a norm, speeches are structured in the following format: Father of the Bride goes first, Groom goes second and Best Man presents the closing speech.

You might want to decided if you’re having your speeches before the meal or after and this will very much depend on the public speaking confidence of your speakers and whether you feel your guests should be fed first or after the speeches.

At our wedding had four speeches, including ourselves, which meant our speech times ran into an hour [scary face emoji] (we spoke too long, due to translations into Polish) which meant our speeches started at 5:30 PM.

Are you feeling a little unsure about your speeches and don’t know how to best go about them? Why not book one of our one-off consultations today to help you put a plan together?

Drinks reception

The drinks reception is an excellent opportunity for guests to mingle, family to catch up, and photos to be taken with the happy couple! Some couples may choose to have entertainment booked for this time, or even couples’ photos to be taken. Speak to your suppliers to understand how long your entertainment or photographer will take, as this will give you the start time for your drink’s reception (otherwise known as cocktail hour).

When we got married, we arranged for a magician who entertained our guests, canapes were served, all while we had family portraits taken and disappeared for our wedding day photoshoot for 1 hour.

This allowed our venue enough time to turn the ballroom round and gave our guests a little mingle and catch up time. Our drinks reception started at 1:30 PM.

Are you planning to head away for your photoshoot? Chatbox message us today if you want to better understand the timings you might need to consider in order to ensure you’re not running late on the day.

Wedding ceremony

Wedding ceremonies vary dependent on the ceremony style chosen.

On average Civil ceremonies may take between 15 to 25 minutes, religious ceremonies may last around 45 minutes, and humanist ceremonies between 30 to 45 minutes dependent on the ceremony script, reading and the symbolic gestures chosen.

Our wedding ceremony was conducted by a humanist celebrant, we had three symbolic gestures and parts of our ceremony script was translated into Polish. This meant our wedding ceremony lasted 30 minutes, starting at 1 PM.

Let me know in the comments below what style of ceremony you have chosen.

Preparation time

Finally, this leads on to preparation time, therefore speaking to your hair and makeup artists will help you understand how long each of them needs.

Hair styling may take 30 to 60 minutes depending on the style and hair structure, while makeup can also take 30 to 60 minutes.

Speak to your photographer and other suppliers to understand their timelines for the delivery of their services.

Consider things like, when your flowers arrive; is the photographer taking preparation photos or group photos when you’re ready and dressed; what time is your Dad arriving, etc.

This enables you to build a timeline and ensure you’re prepared in plenty of time.

At our wedding, we each had four groomsmaids, and mother’s hair and makeup. We got up at 6 AM to spend some time together before the chaos of the wedding day began!

Have you considered how much time hair and makeup may take? Chatbox message us today if you need some estimates and recommendations for the best in business!

Full day timeline

What did you think of the breakdown of your wedding day? Did you know you’d need to consider your timings from the end of the night?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and feel free to use the template below to help you plan your special day!

Evening Entertainment – length of service? (you’d need to check with your entertainment supplier)

Would there be any comfort break after the meal? 30/60 minutes?

Speeches – if 3 x 10 minutes speeches, that’s 30 minutes

Wedding Breakfast – three course is 2 hours

Drinks Reception between 1h30mins to 2 hours (you’d need to check with your photographer)

Wedding Ceremony between 30 minutes to 45 minutes (you’d need to check with your celebrant, officiant or registrar)

Guest arrival from 30/60 minutes prior to ceremony time

OUTSTANDING Wedding Industry Awards 2021 - by The Wedding Emporium

I'm a little late in the game to share with you this exciting news - apologies it's been a busy few weeks recently...

I've been recognised with the OUTSTANDING Wedding Industry Award 2021 from The Wedding Emporium!

How amazing is that - it's been a hard 2020 and so far 2021 too, but I am the proudest of my amazing, resilient wedding couples that never give up! They are all fantastic and this award I dedicate to them!

It often hasn't been easy, but things are definitely looking up for weddings and I can't wait for what's to come very soon with weddings opening up again!

Cheers to you all!

P.S. Did you know that I am also now qualified as an Humanist Celebrant to conduct legally-binding ceremonies in Scotland with Fuze Ceremonies?

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING - a Guide by The Wedding Guru Oskar

“HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING?”

Recently, I’ve researched what advice wedding planning couples are most popularly looking for online and the above key term came up amongst top 10 wedding related searches online, so here is my spin on how to best plan your wedding based on over a decade of experience and 600 weddings in my career this far.

Do you want to find out more? I encourage you to scroll down now!

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IDENTIFY YOUR VISION

In order to make your life easier on many levels, you must identify how you see you day and what’s important to you. Ask yourselves – what’s the big vision? Anything you must have or anything you’d rather avoid? Creating moodboards on the styles, venues, outfits, etc. can very quickly help you identify what you like and what you might not be so keen on.

This step is crucial in moving forward with your plan, otherwise, you might be going round in circles, until you understand your dream and perfect wedding day vision.

Would you know how to create your moodboards? Chatbox message me if this is something you think you’d like to learn more about.

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DEFINE YOUR PRORITIES

So you say, “vision is a good focus point to have, but do I need it all?” and, I hear you!

Once you’ve identified your vision, it’ll become a lot easier for you to start defining all the elements of what’s truly important to you and what wouldn’t upset your dream wedding plan if you need to downsize or alter.

We will talk about your wedding budget shortly, but to give you an example – let’s say that as part of your vision you identified that you like big impressive entertainment, several acts, etc., yet you know that you’re also big foodies and want your guests to enjoy plenty of quality food and drink – now what’s more important to you? What can you compromise on in order not to upset your dreams if you need to make this decision?

Do you see what I mean about priorities? Have you come across this dilemma before? Give me ❤️ in the comment boxes below if you did, don’t worry we all compromise on some things 😊

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CREATE A GUESTLIST

Now, this one is crucial and once you’ve got it done, it will truly help you multiple times down the line and if you can make it in a spreadsheet, that’s even better as it’ll make your life easier if you need to change or update it.

I often meet with couples to shortlist venues, catering and so on, so I ask about guest numbers and rough estimates are good, but then I ask about children or evening guests and this is where things get tricky, because these can have impact on your budgeting.

My advice is, spend one evening and write down all guests you’d like to invite, discuss with family, plan for +1s if you want to – remember this will help you not only in selecting the right venue or catering, but also with posting Save The Dates and Invitations, budgeting, assigning tables and so on… one task that will make a big difference to the rest of your planning.

If you’re looking for advice on how to best plan your guest list – head over to my blogpost on “Effective ways to plan your wedding guest list.”

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CREATE AN ESTIMATE BUDGET

This is very important especially when you’re starting to plan your wedding, because in all the excitement it’s easy to make rushed decisions. You might wonder though, how will I know what’s a reasonable price and what’s not?

If you take time to assess your top wedding budget including your existing and future savings plus any contributions, this will give you a very good idea of how much you could spend on your special day.

You can then break it down into each element of your day – how do I do that – you might ask?

Head over to one of my latest blogs

“PLANNING YOUR WEDDING BUDGET - Realistic estimates that will help you stay within the budget!”

 to get an idea of costs involved in your wedding.

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GET AND COMPARE SUPPLIER QUOTES

Now, let’s get the quotes! If you don’t know where to start, wedding directories and online wedding planning platforms will give you access to multiple suppliers in the same category that you can email at the same time to compare what they offer and find out their pricing – it’s a brilliant time-saving activity.

And remember, the more information you can provide about what you’re looking for, the more accurate quotes you will receive in return. Once you start receiving your quotes, you will be able to easily identify how realistic your budget is and if you need to adjust any of it.

If you’re working with venue or wedding planner suppliers, they will not only come verified by these suppliers, but they might also be offering preferential rates for referrals – so remember to always ask about these recommendations.

Chatbox message me today if you would like to find out about the suppliers I recommend and work with already.

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TRACK ESTIMATES VS. ACTUALS

Interestingly, often this is when the budget is considered done and forgotten about, while you move into finer detail planning.

My advice is to have your budget saved in a spreadsheet as a master working document that you can regularly update and keep on track of your spending. This will ensure you’re keeping within your budget as much as possible.

Why not create a column for your estimates/quotes and actually contracted values. You can also include what you’ve paid for and what’s still due to be paid. As you progress and make payments, your budget document can keep you right.

Would you like to try out one of my templates? Chatbox message me today.

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BREAK YOUR DAY/DAYS DOWN

Breaking down your day or even days will help you compartmentalise the smallest of details into each individual element of your wedding.

You can start planning for what’s needed for your hair and makeup, then ceremony, and so on. If you’re planning for additional days, you will be able to identify what’s happening, and when and what you still need to organise for each event.

When wedding planning we’re all guilty of collecting little nick knacks as you shop around – I remember doing so myself when planning for George and my wedding nearly four years ago now and when you do so, you can note down which part of your day these little decorating features will compliment, you don’t want to forget about these, right?

You will also be able to note down what you still need to confirm with your venue, caterers or suppliers for each part of your special day.

Over the years, I’ve developed my own wedding planning checklist that identifies all of these events, details and questions you might need to ask yourself – would you like to try it out?

CLICK HERE to download yours today!

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SORT OUT PAPERWORK

One of the most important elements of your wedding planning is the paperwork for your legally binding ceremony, so don’t forget about it and don’t leave it to the very last minute, especially if you’ve opted for a civil ceremony only, there will be nobody there to keep you right or send you reminders.

If you choose a humanist celebrant or a religious officiant, they will keep you right.

In Scotland you need to give minimum of 29 days’ notice of your intention to marry, however, don’t be too quick to do it either, because you will be disappointed to find out that notices aren’t accepted more than 3 months before your planned marriage ceremony.

These timings will depend on your location, so it might be worthwhile checking all the requirements at your ceremony destination and what paperwork you will be required to supply or even if you might be falling under any immigration checks.

If you’re looking for help and support with your M10 forms (marriage notice forms) in Scotland, chatbox message me today and I can talk you through these.

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CREATE A TIMELINE

This matter is often approached the wrong way about – many couples’ perception is that you need to decide on when you want to start your day. Interestingly enough, the ceremony start will be defined by the end of your reception as you work your timings back from the end of the night – did you know that?

You need to identify how much time each event of your day takes and this will require a bit of work and communication with your venue, caterers and suppliers – watch out for my next blog as I will be offering a suggested timeline to help you out a little.

You will be asked about this wedding day timeline by almost all your suppliers in the final months before the wedding, but most importantly, you will need to have this figured out for your invitations, so the sooner you do it, the better.

Did you know your wedding day timings are worked out for the end of the night and not from your ceremony? Give me Y for yes or N for no in the comment boxes below.

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ASSIGN GUESTS TO TABLES

This is the bit that I see many couples struggling with and honestly, it doesn’t need to be that hard of a task. I recently turned this into a fun activity for my couples.

You will need a large piece of paper to map the room, your guest list, post-it tabs and markers.

Doing it visually and in colour makes all the fun and before you know it, you’ll run out of guest names. It’s fun, simple and so easy to update as you get your RSVPs.

One thing you want to avoid is leaving table planning until after your RSVP deadline as it is likely to come at a similar time when you’ll have a lot more on your mind and deadlines piling up, so do it earlier rather than later and make adjustments only when you’ve got 100% confirmation on changes.

Are you dreading this part? Would you like me to help you plan your tables and assign your guest? Chatbox message me today and we can do it together and make it fun!

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COLLECT AND ORGANISE RSVPs AND PREORDERS

Now, this is the tricky bit – when do you ask for RSVPs? When is too early? When is too late?

When you know you might have a complicated multiple-choice menu pre-order – you might want to do it earlier rather than later and ideally online if possible. Online RSVPs will save you a lot of time and you will be able very clearly to see who’s accepted, who’s declined, dietary requirements and any pre-orders. Remember that if you’re using an online service that you accept only individual RSVPs especially if you need a menu pre-order.

In my experience, I often observe too big of a time-gap between invitations being sent and RSVP deadline – this unfortunately, allows your guests to put their invitation away instead of dealing with it then and there. Save the Dates are there to ensure your guests block their time off for the wedding, invitations are only a confirmation and shouldn’t take longer than a couple of weeks to one month to be collected. Don’t make a mistake of giving your guests too much time to respond and remember you will still need to organise them, double check, and potentially confirm pre-order with your caterers.

Give me ❤️ if it makes sense to shorten your RSVP deadline.

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COMMUNICATE FINAL DETAILS TO ALL SUPPLIERS AND VENUE

Around one month before you wedding, you want to ensure you’ve got all your details in check and organised into a cohesive plan. You might think – surely there will be changes in the last month and yes, you’re correct, but rather than organising chaos, you’d rather update smaller things as you finalise things.

If you work with my wedding planning checklist, I highly recommend you share it with your suppliers, caterer and venue one month before and updating your changes as you go along on the form, yet communicate the updated form in the last week before the wedding to avoid loss of communication or confusion.

This might come across controversial, but you’re always best to create a list of updates and share this as infrequently as possible. In my career I’ve worked at venues with over 130 weddings each year, sometimes even 6 weddings on in the same weekend, so I understand that it’s hard for venues and suppliers to find the correct information when they are working other weddings and events, and receive several and sometimes conflicting updates in the same day – this is where errors can happen.

Wedding planning is about keeping communication organised and cohesive at all times – would you like help with your final plan to ensure you’ve got everything in check? Why not book my One-Off Wedding Planning Consultation today?

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ARRANGE REHEARSAL AND FINAL DETAILS APPOINTMENT

You might think – “I’m not doing a rehearsal dinner!” and you don’t need to. What I mean here is that if you’ve not had your wedding party together for a ceremony rehearsal and they don’t fully know what they are expected to do and when, it might be a good idea to meet together in the final week before the wedding (if you can) to decide on a quick run-through of the ceremony. Some celebrants offer this at a supplement to be there and guide one practise run for you or if you’re working with me, I can help you with that!

Additionally, it is always a good idea to arrange for a final details meeting with your venue and caterers in the last two weeks before the wedding, to ensure that if there are gaps, you can still make this update to them one week before the wedding. This handover opportunity will give you peace of mind and the opportunity for the venue and caterer to ensure they clearly understand and can deliver your vision.

Chatbox message me today if you need a bit of support with the preparation to your final details’ appointment or with your ceremony rehearsal.

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AGREE DROP OFF AND SETUP

Finally, make sure you arrange a time for venue drop off – you don’t want to turn up and find locked doors (especially if it’s an exclusive use venue) or even worse turn up in the middle of somebody else’s wedding… ooopps 😊

Ideally, if you need to go over anything as you drop things off, make sure you check the correct person can meet you then, so that you’re not handing over to an irrelevant person.

Finally, if you’re working with a dry hire venue, plan with them for when you or your stylists can get into setup, prepare and dress it for your special day and when things need to be collected by.

WOW this has been a long blog with a lot of advice and information – what did you think of it? Give me ❤️ if you’ve found it useful or DM me if you need help with some of the things I discussed in it.

PLANNING YOUR WEDDING BUDGET - Realistic estimates that will help you stay within the budget!

PLANNING YOUR WEDDING BUDGET

- realistic estimates that will help you stay within the budget -

Due to some popular demand, I want to talk about the important things to you!

Working out your wedding budget is super important and one of the early activities you should put the time aside for to ensure you plan realistically and that you don’t overspend where you don’t want to or need to.

It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of wedding planning and go overboard before you realise it - I’ve been there just before our wedding in 2018, which is why I now work out a budget with my couples first. This is when we identify your must have’s, wants, desires and priorities. Similarly to mood boards, you’ll very quickly identify what’s important to you and where there is the flexibility to downsize or upgrade.

According to Hitched UK, the average UK wedding is £32,000 including the honeymoon, but statistics vary starting from £20,000. Don’t worry if this is not what you had in mind, but do remain realistic that a wedding could easily cost you a deposit for your first house or a new car.

Would you need help identifying and understanding your budget, message me in the chatbox today – this could be your one-off consultation that will save you a lot of headaches further down the line.

How to assess your budget? 

Have an honest conversation together and identify your savings, how much you could contribute to the wedding before your day comes and if there are any other prospective contributors.

The last thing you want is anxiety about where the money comes from to fund your special day.

Once you’ve figured it out, you can start breaking things down into each individual item on your wedding list – you might wonder… how will I know the expected price to pay?

Want to find out more – check out the full blog below.

What can I expect to pay for…?

FLORIST

Flowers such as bouquets and centerpieces are such a personal taste and therefore it is difficult to put an average price tag on these beautiful decorations, however, I can help you with a range of pricing for your estimate. Most prices will vary dependent on the season and therefore the price of the flowers at the market.

Decent-sized bridal bouquets in Edinburgh, Scotland will cost you in the region of £100-125, bridesmaid’s bouquets around £85 a piece, buttonholes and corsages will be around £15 each.

When it comes to centerpieces this is where the real differences happen and this can be influenced by the size of your arrangements, smaller low arrangements will start from £150 each, but the more opulent and sizable arrangements you would like to have, the more you will pay, on average many of my couples work with a budget of £300 to £500 per centerpiece.

Another trick that might help you maximise your wedding budget when it comes to florals is considering seasonal flowers, flowers out of season can be up to 4/5 times as expensive and therefore downsize your arrangement.

Additionally, you might want to consider artificial hire filled in with fresh floral accents – artificial florals nowadays offer higher quality than ever before and almost natural look to build your structure, accented with fresh florals, they can make a truly impressive arrangement and they are a lot more durable when transported or setup outside even in windy conditions.

Are my floral estimates in the region of what you’ve considered for your wedding? Let me know in the comments below.

VENUE HIRE

The biggest element of your wedding budget will be wedding venue-related expenses, and these can vary dramatically.

Hotels and venues with all-inclusive packages might offer more competitive hire rates based on set minimum numbers. On the other hand, exclusive use or dry hire venues might offer you more flexibility and the ability to do your wedding your way!

Venue hires can start from £2,000 for all-inclusive package venues or mid-week hires, to £10,000+ for peak dates and multiple days hires at exclusive-use estates and dry hire venues.

Always check that you understand exactly what they include, because some venues will only offer bare walls and the rest is for you to arrange – so look out for A) accommodation inclusions, B) equipment provisions such as tables, chairs, linens, cutlery, crockery and glassware, C) VAT inclusions and D) additional things you might need to hire such as PA system for your music, staging, lighting, heating, power, toilets, catering units, etc.

Did you know that there’s such a vast choice of options available for you? Chatbox message me today if you’d like a bit of help navigating your way around venue hires, I can also negotiate special rates for you too.

CATERING

This is another area of your wedding that will consume a big part of your budget – quite literally consume, did you see what I’ve done there? 😊

All-inclusive venue package will take care of it all for you, however, you might want to consider upgrades if food is important to you and your guests’ experience – menu tastings are brilliant for that!

External catering can provide you with more flexibility on the format of the dining choices available – anything from buffets, plated or family-style service or even BBQs.

Food catering will range from £100 per person to £150+ per person – it will very much depend on the style of catering, the number of courses, the choice of options on the day, and so on.

On the other hand, you’ll also need to consider your beverages too!

Once again all-inclusive packages will look after the main parts of your wedding from the drinks reception to your meal, after that, you will be offered a bar facility paid for by guests or something called an Account bar where you can provide some or all drinks to your guests on the account.

With dry hire venues, you might need to arrange for a bar service to cover service on the day, glassware, ice, setup and derig – some catering companies will offer this as an extra to their catering, so that you’re not having to source another service separately. Dry hire beverage fees may vary from per spend or per volume corkage to flat service fee – as an average, you’ll be looking at £1,500.00 to £3,000.00

Were you aware of these options and charges to consider for your special day? Give me ❤️ in the comments below if this has helped you to understand your wedding budget better.

WEDDING CAKE

Wedding cakes are also such a personal taste – these days you can have three-dimensional character cakes, naked cakes, statement cakes, cake swings, upside-down cakes, tower cakes, you name it- there’s probably somebody out there who has done it before or would love a challenge.

The average spends I am familiar with working with my couples ranges from £500 to £1,500 and you’ll have plenty of flavour choices available serving an average of 100 guests.

If you would like to go for a much more personalised choice, you will be offered upgrades and extras to supplement your vision.

What cakes have you considered for your special day? Let me know in the comment boxes below.

LIVE MUSIC

A very important element of your wedding day, but don’t just focus on your evening entertainment, remember to consider your ceremony music, background music for drinks reception and meal.

Music makes such an integral part of your special day and it can truly make or break the atmosphere of your wedding.

String quartets are very popular to accompany ceremonies and drinks receptions and can offer their services from £650 to £1,000, but if live music isn’t your priority ensure you check your venue for PA system and if you could connect a device to supply some music for these parts of your day.

Nighttime entertainment again is down to each individual preference, some couples will choose Ceilidh only bands, some will select Ceilidh + covers band, others will book a DJ.

Bands start from £1,500 and DJs start from £500 – if you’re going for mix of music such as Ceilidh and covers or band and DJ or DJ + saxophone player – prices will automatically reflect these additional extras. As an average you’re looking at £1,500 to £3,500 for your evening entertainment.

What choice of evening music are you going for? Let me know in the comments below.

CEREMONY

This can vary between belief bodies, independents, and legal fees.

As of January 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland, your legal fees include – M10 form (Lodging marriage notices) is £90 per couple and marriage certificate is £10 per certificate.

In addition to that you’ll need to pay your ceremony room hire fee and celebrant, registrar or religious officiant fees – these can vary from £450 to £700 per ceremony.

Without these your ceremony will not be legally binding; therefore you need to ensure you cover all fees and remember venues don’t cover legal fees.

If you need help with organizing your ceremony paperwork, go ahead and book one of my one-off consultations today and we can get it all organised for you and have it checked ready to be submitted.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY / VIDEOGRAPHY

I would almost want to say that wedding photography is the second most important element of your event after the ceremony as photography will remain the biggest tangible memory of your special day and you want to make sure it is captured perfectly.

Therefore, price tag for photography and videography reflects the detailed work it requires – it is the hours of preparing, shooting on the day and then weeks of editing.

Wedding photography can vary from £1,500 to £3,000 on average – this will also depend on the demand, peak/off-peak dates and travel.

Wedding videography can vary from £2,000 to £10,000 on average – this very much relates to the production required for your desired video and if international travel is required, this might also add to the overall cost of production.

Would you need some advice on recommended suppliers? Why not download one of “my resources” available on my website?

HAIR AND MAKEUP

This is an important element of the wedding where all the girls in the wedding party get to relax and unwind ahead of the big day. Don’t sorry boys, you’ll get looked after too!

For wedding trials, you can expect to pay in the region of £85 for hair and £85 for makeup.

For on the day hair and make-up you can be looking at anywhere from £85-100 per service for the Bride and in the region of £75-90 per service for Bridesmaids and Mums. Some bridal salons will charge an additional venue fee if they’ve got to leave the studio to carry out your hair and makeup – this fee can vary from £80-£120.

Have you considered your on-the-day hair and makeup arrangements – how many you’ll need it for? Will you do it at the venue or in the studio? Chatbox message me today if you need a bit of support with this.

HONEYMOON

According to Hitched UK, the average destination honeymoon for UK couples costs nearly £5,000 and although some couple opt in for mini-moon first with an average of £1,100 – you might need to identify your preference on the matter.

Some couples try to finance their wedding entirely from their saving, earnings and family support, while asking guests for contributions towards their dream honeymoon – would you consider that option? Give me Y for yes or N for no in the comment boxes below.

WEDDING RINGS

Weddings traditionally can’t happen without a wedding band, although traditionally, it was the Bridegroom that offer a wedding ring to his Bride, these days you will likely both exchange your rings during a wedding ceremony, but how much do you think you’ll spend on your bands?

The average UK couple invests around £2,500 into their wedding rings – have you considered your options yet?

Why not chat box message me today for a referral to my recommended jewelers to offer you the best deals possible?

WEDDING OUTFITS

So, you’ve always dreamt of this perfect white gown, or maybe not! There will be some considerable amount of time you might want to spend on considering just the perfect fit and feel for your wedding dress.

The same will apply to gent’s outfits, no matter if its suits, kilts or tuxedo, you should consider colours, fits and all the accessories that come with it.

Average UK wedding dress will cost you between £1,000 to £3,000 and bridesmaid’s dresses will range from £100 to £500 each.

Finally, Gents outfits can very, because if you’re hiring you’ll be considering outfits in the region of £125 per hire per outfit, however, tailor-made outfits will start from £500 to £2,000 on average per outfit, this applies to both kilts and tailor-made suits.

Have you booked your dress shopping appointments or kilt fittings? Not sure where to start? Chatbox message me today to take care of it all for you.

COST SAVING

When you’ve assessed your budget and you realise it is a little steep, you might want to reassess a couple of things:

-        Consider your guests numbers again – venue and catering will be your higher cost, the more guests you invite, the higher overall cost of the wedding will become – think about it, average wedding guest costs you in the region of £100-£200 per person

-        Consider your date – could you move to off-peak dates to benefit from special venue deals or move your wedding back by a year, how much could you save in that extra year?

Would you need more help assessing your wedding budget? Why not book one of my one-off consultation? I can help you make sense of your wedding spending, and often ensure money savings!

MOST FORGOTTEN COSTS

There are a few hidden or often forgotten costs you might want to be aware of before you end up clearing your bank balance.

-        VAT exclusions - make sure that you check all quotes for VAT exclusions, you don’t want to be surprised with additional 8%-26% bill before your wedding day

-        Delivery, service and corkage charges – once again, worth checking before you get surprised with these at the final invoice

-        Additional equipment and facility hires, such as cake stand, table and chairs or even toilets or the correct power supply if you’re getting married at a location with none of these things provided already

-        Wedding insurance is often forgotten about and it can be lifesaving! You want to ensure you’re protected just like you are with your car or house!

-        Stationary – not only invitations, but save the dates, on-the-day place cards, table plan and post-wedding thank you cards + stamps

-        Wedding day gifts for bridesmaids, groomsmen, Mums, Dads or other loved ones

-        Wedding outfit alterations or second trials – all these little things quickly add up

How did you find my estimates advice? Has it helped you plan and prioritise your wedding budget elements accordingly? Give me ❤️ in the comment boxes below if you’ve found it useful!

Christmas Eve City Wedding Story - Donna and Mark - REAL WEDDING

Christmas Eve City Wedding Story - Donna and Mark - REAL WEDDING

It’s been quite a start to 2021 for everyone so far, hasn’t it?

In order to liven up the mood, I would like to share with you the very inspirational story of Donna and Mark over the next few days! I have had so much fun planning their most special day. There were plenty of giggles and even tears too, but what a day it was in the end! What was meant to be my very first wedding of 2021, turned out to be my very last wedding of 2020!

Would you like to learn their story? Follow their journey in the next few paragraphs.

THE BEGINNING

Donna emailed me an enquiry on Thursday 20th August after receiving a message from her former venue that they wouldn’t be reopening in time for her and Mark’s wedding. Donna was distraught but beknown to her, Mark did his research and suggested contacting wedding planners to help them bring their vision to life again as they weren’t sure where to begin- again!

Upon Donna’s enquiry and without any commitment, I got busy organising provisional quotes and availability in order to give Donna confidence that her dream wedding day can happen 100%!

We were on the phone that same evening to discuss the options available.

Would you have considered a wedding planner to help you if you found yourself under those same circumstances?

THE VENUE

It didn’t take  long  to get the venue organised – by the weekend, I had Donna and Mark visiting 5 fantastic venues in the city with me. I knew the city centre was their number one preference and we had such a great response and reception from them all – Hilton Carlton, Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre, The Old Dr Bell’s Baths, Kimpton Edinburgh Charlotte Square and finally The Bonham.

We matched and booked the perfect package within one week from the initial enquiry – With the weight lifted off their shoulders, the fun of wedding planning truly began for Donna and Mark.

Would you like to find out what venue they selected in the end? Follow their story below.

THE SUPPLIERS

Very quickly after selecting The Bonham, the perfect wedding venue for our couple, we focused on sourcing the best team of wedding suppliers to complement their special day.

The next few posts will reveal to you who supported Mark and Donna along their wedding planning journey with me.

How do you choose your suppliers? Let me know in the comments below:

A - Word of Mouth Recommendation

B - Directories

C - Google searches

Geebz Photography

We had a range of photographers to consider but when Donna and Mark told me that it is important that their wedding day photography isn’t long, dull and all staged and that their daughters are very important for them to be featured too – I immediately knew who I needed to speak to!

No matter the age of the group, I know Geebz can make photography fun and all guests naturally relaxed and they all had a brilliant time having their photographs taken and the effects are amazing!

What is most important in your opinion when choosing your wedding photographer? Let me know in the comments below.

Mo Ackroyd

Donna and Mark also told me that they were looking for ceremony recommendations – they initially considered civil ceremony, but when they heard how personalised humanist ceremonies could be, they asked me to check availability with my connections. I know that personalised ceremony was important to them from the first moment we spoke. We were in luck! My recommendation Mo Ackroyd was available on their date!

I was very lucky to be responsible for the ceremony music and 19 guests joining on Zoom from around the world. Everyone agreed what a moving and heartfelt ceremony it was!

I hear about the statistics around the ceremonies, but I wonder how many of you – my followers are choosing each type of wedding ceremony – let me know your choice in the comments below:

A. Civil

B. Humanist

C. Religious

DJ Edinburgh

Music and evening entertainment were one of the wedding elements that we weren’t too sure about from the beginning, but thankfully Jim at DJ Edinburgh was on hand to help us with suggestions and recommendations.

In the end, Donna and Mark performed their first dance, assisted with Toastmaster announcements and post-dinner games including Kahoot!

What evening plans would you make for your micro-wedding? If you’re looking for recommendations, message me in the chatbox now!

BagPiper Online

As always Pipe Major David McRobert didn’t disappoint!

It was Donna and Mark’s personal request to ensure a Piper was available on their special day and David arrived an hour prior to the ceremony to greet all guests on arrival in his full highland dress.

He was then available to play the couple to the Top Table and raised a well-wishing toast to our couple with a dram of whisky (which was actually just an apple juice – he was driving after, you know 😊)

One thing that always impresses me with BagPiper Online is how David and his team can come up with tunes on the day and we weren’t disappointed this time either. David played himself out of the room to Jingle Bells.

Do you enjoy bagpipes at weddings? Give us ❤️ if you do in the comments below.

EightYards

My next recommendation was the kilts for the male part of the wedding party! Mark’s Mum said that the service from Eight Yards was impeccable when dressing the boys!

As mentioned before – Eight Yards also now supply tartan face masks matching their range of kilts, which is what Mark chose for his special day too.

All the gents looked absolutely outstanding in their smart outfits, don’t you think? Live chatbox message me if you’re looking for some advice on the matter of outfits today.

George Gilchrist-Grodnicki

My husband George got introduced to Donna and Mark during one of our consultations as we were looking for some winter wedding inspiration. George, having worked with flowers in his career, managed to pull off the perfect design for Donna and Mark’s wedding. Further to this consultation, we also met at the hotel to discuss the final touches and arrangements.

It was very important for Donna and Mark to ensure their wedding was matching the season perfectly with not flowers, but rather plenty of pine branches, pinecones and mistletoe to set the perfect winter backdrop to their nuptials.

George played an essential role in building the arrangements on the morning of the wedding and setting up the space in accordance with Donna and Mark’s brief.

Don’t you think he’s got a good eye for these things? Chatbox message me today if you’d like to speak to George about your upcoming wedding décor if you’re looking for inspiration consultation.

The Dress/es

Now, this will be a very inspirational part of Donna and Mark’s story!

From day 1, Donna wanted to make her own wedding day dress and four dresses for her daughters, and she did it!

Initially, it was meant to be a 1920’s inspired dress by Vera Wang, however, along the process it became apparent to Donna that she wanted something a lot more flowing and open!

Her daughter’s dresses were finished in early December when Donna was working on the final elements of her dress, but by that point her dress changed to cigarette-style trousers with a stunning wrap-around train – when she arrived at the entrance to the ceremony, I truly appreciated her vision – it was breathtaking!

Give Donna ❤️ in the comment boxes below!

THE 1ST CHANGE

Not long into the wedding planning the Scottish five tier Covid guidelines system was introduced and Edinburgh was immediately placed in the 2nd most restrictive tier, meaning we had to consider our options for evening entertainment and relook at the numbers again.

I was very proud of Donna and Mark for having persevered through yet another change to their wedding plan after having to find a brand-new venue all over again already!

We discussed the options and came to the conclusion that no matter what – their wedding was going to be epic! Donna and Mark managed to work out their final numbers and worked with their girls on games to keep their wedding fun, exciting and entertaining all round and they managed this!

Are you looking for inspiration for a micro-wedding? Chatbox message me today for some fabulous ideas!

THE BIG CHANGE

On 19th December a big blow arrived when the First Minister of Scotland announced the full lockdown starting at 00:01 on Boxing Day – we didn’t think we’d get any further restrictions before the New Year and here we are back to the drawing board as Donna and Mark’s wedding was planned all along for 1st January 2021!

Initially the wedding was meant to have 40+ guests joining from around the world to celebrate. Starting with the torch Procession on 30th, followed by the Hogmanay street party and a late  wedding ceremony on 1st January- commencing at 4pm.

Without much notice or even anyone to speak to as the lockdown announcement was made on Saturday evening, I was quick to contact all suppliers and had options to present to Donna and Mark.

Knowing that Donna and Mark worked so hard on this wedding plan, Donna made her and her daughter dresses, and her parents arriving from USA over two weeks early to quarantine for their wedding (after four flights cancelations – I might add), I couldn’t imagine them not having the perfect wedding day, when we were so close!

A few private messages later with all my amazing suppliers and The Bonham, and we had a plan – we could move their entire wedding in its finalised format to Christmas Eve and they loved the idea!

How amazing is that with only four days’ notice? Give us ❤️ if you’ve loved this story so far!

THE PERFECT DAY

After countless changes- venue change, supplier changes, date change, number changes, cancelled flights and many more… the day has finally arrived for Donna and Mark to tie the knot!

And it was the perfect day in every possible way – which started with a crisp, dry weather outside complimented by occasional rays of sunshine!

George and I arrived at the venue early at 10am to set up and dress the spaces -the hotel had everything ready for us and Mark delivered the remaining items for the décor. We got busy and had everything ready by 2pm.

Donna and the girls arrived at 1pm to get ready in the Bridal Suite- stunning, spacious and full of daylight. George and I greeted her on arrival and popped a bottle of Champagne to the room to help get rid of the nerves.

Guests and suppliers started arriving from around 3pm, and by 4pm we were ready in the ceremony room and on Zoom to announce the arrival of our stunning Bride to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Kina Grannis – you could quite literally hear pin dropping in the room!

From there guests proceeded to drinks reception while I helped the couple with their photographs.

When the meal was being served, George and I had another surprise for our lovely couples – beyond the double doors to the function room, we set up a round first dance dancefloor including cylinder vases and pillar candles surrounded by a circle ring of pine branches, pinecones and mistletoe to help capture their first dance and give their guests the best view from the dining table.

After that guests remained in their seats and enjoyed the games organised by the youngest in the family until the 10pm curfew.

So much persistence from this fabulous couple ensured the most magical wedding day – it truly proves that it’s not the numbers and the volume that make beautiful weddings, it’s those that truly care that make it happen!

If you would like to find out more on how I could help you with your elopement or a micro-wedding, chatbox message me today!

SIX RED FLAGS WHEN BOOKING A SUPPLIER by Monica Cutler

SIX RED FLAGS WHEN BOOKING A SUPPLIER by Monica Cutler

Lately, I have been observing quite a few engagements popping up on social media and since it’s this exciting time of the year, I thought to share something I believe to be incredibly important to know for newly engaged couples.

Following my Facebook Live interview with Monica Cutler – I remembered that she’s worked with industry experts on a guide for wedding planning couples and came up with “Six red flags when booking a supplier” which she’s agreed for me to share with you.

If you would like to find out what to look out for when booking wedding suppliers, you’ll need to check out the next six paragraphs.

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ONLY OFFERING PAYPAL PAYMENT AS FRIENDS AND FAMILY

PayPal buyer protection is not as iron-clad as it used to be. If you send a supplier money using the f&f feature you will not be covered.

 Excuses to look out for: "It will take X days to clear. If you want it before a certain date you would be better off paying f&f."

Remember that Credit Card payments may give you additional protection – would you normally pay using credit card for wedding services? Chatbox message me if you’d like to find out more.

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NO WRITTEN CONTRACT

Even if it's a friend, family member or someone you've known for years. Getting an agreement down in writing saves so much trouble and shows empathy for your future self. Get a contract and ensure there's a copy for supplier and couple.

A contract doesn't have to be complicated or full of jargon, but it should include the service you're paying for, exact payment terms, and a refund and cancellation policy. 

Have you received a contract for all your wedding services? Chatbox message me if this is something, you’d need help with.

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STOLEN IMAGES

Reverse search images to check if they're from other companies.

Most wedding professionals are comfortable using some stock imagery as fillers on their site but would never claim them as their own product. This is completely different to one wedding supplier stealing images from another and claiming them as their own.

Would you be able to identify this? Let me know in the comment boxes below.

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ONLY ONE METHOD OF CONTACT

There are many successful wedding businesses who only operate on social media, without a website.

But you should have multiple contact details, such as an email address, mobile number, postal

address. If you can only get in touch via Facebook messenger back away. If they don't have a physical postal address ask them why. This address should match any accounts you pay. 

Is this something you have given thought to before? Let me know your thoughts in the comment boxes below.

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MULTIPLE NEGATIVE AND SPECIFIC REVIEWS

If there are a small number of poor reviews ask your supplier about them. It could have been a challenging circumstance where they might have a completely sensible response to.  

If they did upset a client ask how they used the experience to move forward. No

business gets it perfect 100% of the time so always compare with their positive reviews and check the dates for their most recent customers. 

Do you normally check supplier reviews before booking? Give me YES in the comment boxes below if you do.

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CHEAP PRICING

If it looks too good to be true it probably is!

If their price is way below market value they could be brand new or not as legitimate as you would like. 

If they are a newer business make sure you talk about their level of expertise and what they are capable of delivering. If you pay for a Mini don't expect a Rolls Royce. 

Would you opt-in for a cheaper option based purely on pricing? Chatbox message me today if this is something you’d like help with in order to understand what you can expect to be paying for a specific service.

STYLED PHOTOSHOOT - Autumnal Intimate Wedding Experience

STYLED PHOTOSHOOT:

Autumnal Intimate Wedding Experience

I’ve got a very exciting project to share with you, which I’ve been working on in the background with some amazing industry partners lately.

It was following an informal coffee with Geebz Photography that an idea was born. We’ve identified that many couples who were due to get married in 2020 and early 2021 still want to go ahead with their plans on a smaller scale but often don’t know where to start when they had initially planned for a large gathering. Therefore, we’ve put our heads together to bring to you the idea of a perfect romantic elopement or micro-wedding which we believe will blow your socks off! We’re sure you’ll be impressed at how personalised and beautiful intimate celebrations can be, so stay tuned and learn more about our project below.

STYLING

We were inspired by the natural tranquility of the autumnal and scenic Scottish countryside. From the beginning, we were keen to have our photoshoot in an iconic Scottish location that would allow us to capture the intimacy of an elopement or micro-wedding perfectly and I think we managed to achieve that and a lot more!

Lynsay Borthwick Weddings and Events beautifully dressed an arch for the ceremony with leafy fern, pondweed and autumnal florals. Setting the scene with atmospheric pillar candles, earthy moss and wood-inspired finishing touches – arranging the perfect stage for a romantic ceremony.

Lynsay has been involved in the wedding industry for nearly two years and what a breath of fresh air she brings with her. Her creative flair and enthusiasm allowed us to capture our photoshoot perfectly against a stunning backdrop, don’t you think?

FLORISTRY

The romantic atmosphere was perfectly finished with a stunning creation of a bridal bouquet and a buttonhole from Kathrin at White House Flowers. They were both blooming with peach avalanche and black bacarra roses, asparagus fern, orange euphorbia, vintage lisianthus and eucalyptus gunni.

The colours were truly eye-catching, and perfect for our autumnal wedding theme, for the very first time, I could smell the beautiful scents of roses and botanicals used for this rich, yet natural looking bouquet – Kathrin simply never fails to impress me!

Having worked with Kathrin on many weddings over the years now, I would highly recommend her to all those couples who look for something truly special – she’ll not disappoint!

LOCATION

From the very beginning we were keen to make the most of the Scottish scenery surrounding the stunning estate of Glencorse and we were so lucky to shoot the majority of our project inside this privately owned ‘Glencorse Old Kirk’ dating back to 17th century.

Sarah Chambers who owns the estate and is pictured here, looks after all the wedding planning couples in the lead up to the wedding, as well as on the day of delivery. She greeted us so warmly and kindly with a welcome smile and prepared for us refreshments – a true testimonial to a truly personalised and caring service this unique venue provides.

If you’re still undecided and looking for you dream venue that radiates the true Scottish spirit in every way possible – you should contact Sarah today at sarah@glencorsehouse.com

An interesting fact to mention about this stunning location is that the chapel used for our photoshoot was also used in the filming of the “Outlander” Wedding in episode 7 of the 1st season!

Can you imagine a better location for your truly Scottish elopement?

CEREMONY

All current restrictions were taken into consideration when planning for this gorgeous photoshoot including working with the best of the best in the industry.

Mo Ackroyd (pictured) from Fuze Ceremonies helped us with the ceremony plan for the project. Mo is up-to-date with all the latest regulations and was able to instruct us on appropriate distancing for all the photography.

She’s also come up with some fantastic symbolic gestures including drinking from the quaich, hand fasting and the official exchange of rings. Humanist ceremonies definitely make weddings more personable and memorable, no matter their size.

Having worked with Mo for many years now and very often on weddings and showcases together, I know for a fact that she is loved by all her wedding couples. She emanates caring approach with all of her couples and out-of-the-box approach to performing ceremonies that is personalised, yet fun – I continue to recommend her to all my couples too!

OUTFITS – THE DRESS

Thanks to Jade from Crystal Bows Bridal Boutique and Kyle from 8 Yards, we were able to dress our models, including Geebz Photography and I, in attire perfectly fitting for the occasion.

Don’t you just love that full-length cathedral veil over the stunning Victoria Kay dress full of lace and delicate embroidery? Our model Lynsay looked absolutely stunning in it! Can’t you spot that she played as a double act?

Crystal Bows once again didn’t disappoint – one message from me to Jade was enough for her to say: “Yes to the dress” at our photoshoot 😊 Lynsday and I were invited for a dress fitting and the dress Jade picked for us was just stunning, don’t you think? It’s the personalised touches that make a difference and even the assistant at the shop – Liz also supplied us with a gorgeous feather balero from her daughter’s wedding! There is a reason why Crystal Bows are one of the most loved Bridal Boutiques in Scotland!

OUTFITS – THE KILT

Joel on the other hand was perfectly matched to the autumnal feeling, perfectly matching the season. For the photoshoot he wore the Hebridean Kilt range exclusive to 8 Yards in modern tartan with no specific clan affiliation and matching tie. It was complemented by a colour coordinated tweed waistcoat and jacket in addition to copper-coloured brogues and sporran.

A lot of men these days like to opt in for something a little more modern, fashionable and matching to the rest of the celebrations and with the latest range from 8 Yards – you can clearly do that! 8 Yards can provide you with a full range from matching flashies to the same tartant face masks – how cool is that? You can get kitted out from top to toe in one place and they also offer a great range of hire and ex-hire outfits too.

Don’t you think our couple looked perfectly dressed for the occasion and the theme?

PHOTOGRAPHY

Geebz Photography is very close to my heart. For this reason Gerlof photographed my wedding to George, I know the lengths he will go to for the perfect shot! He is an outstanding photographer.

He doesn’t just shoot, he is a magician who transforms photography into a fun activity and creates a vibrant and exciting aura around him.

I’ve observed Gerlof’s master photography on many occasions. Every photo tells a story, every photo captures the moment perfectly! Its almost as if his elopement weddings were big and elaborate parties– not a micro wedding at all!

Additionally, Gerlof introduced us to Beate from BBPicture who accompanied his efforts and captured so many outstanding moments in the photoshoot – it was great observing the two working together!

After the photoshoot everyone messaged me how relaxed they felt around him. He was coming up with off-the-cuff jokes, orchestrating a  perfectly photoshoot-fitting playlist, we didn’t even realise how quickly the time passed us.

PLANNING

I have said this many times, that I am very lucky to work with the best in the wedding industry and I am very glad that Geebz Photography and I met for that informal coffee chat – our photoshoot was organised within a short 9 days and everyone truly pulled all the stops to make it happen and make it the best possible!

It was great fun putting briefings together, sharing ideas, scheduling things in and bouncing ideas off each other. The hard work clearly paid off and everything came together creating this very special piece of work. It brings me great joy to announce to you that if you’re looking for that perfect elopement or micro-wedding and don’t know where to start, I have got it all covered for you. With the best portfolio of partners, years of experience and four wedding industry awards! If you would like to find out more, why not get in touch today for an informal chat? Who knows, we may turn your vision into a yet another stunning Outlander-worthy wedding scene!

Massive thanks to all photoshoot partners - without your enthusiasm, vision and determination this fantastic project wouldn’t have been possible!

📷@geebz_photography

👰@lbweddingsandevents

💐@whitehouseflower

📌@glencourse_house

💕@mo.ackroydscottishcelebrant

👗@crystalbowsbridalboutique

🤵@eightyards

📷@bbpicture_photography

📋@theweddingguru_oskar