Famous love quotes

"There is only one happiness in life - to love and to be loved."

George Sands

Beautiful blooms on a budget

Flowers can take up to 5-10% of your wedding budget so it is no surprise that they can turn an ordinary room into a striking wedding venue. Having to budget with your flowers does not mean that you cannot create the wow factor. Here are my top tips to help you get the most from your flowers.

• Check with your florist which flowers are in season as these will be cheaper. Even if you have your heart set on a particular flower there will normally be an alternative which looks similar and is cheaper e.g. Lisianthus rather than Roses, Iris rather than Orchids.

• Choose a few selective flowers to fit in with your specific theme and then use greenery to pad out your arrangements.

• Opt for large flowers which will take up more space within your arrangements and therefore you will need less of them e.g. hydrangea or Gerbera Daisy.

• If you have chosen a venue where you need tall flower arrangements on the tables this could end up taking a large chunk of your budget. Try having some small arrangements alternating on the tables with the tall ones and this will reduce your budget while still maintaining the height in your room.

• Find ways to re-use your arrangements more than once during your day e.g. move your church/civil ceremony flowers to your wedding reception to double up as table arrangements or favours or use the bridesmaid bouquets to decorate your cake table.

• Identify a realistic budget and be very specific when discussing this with your florist and they should be able to come up with ideas to fit within this.
  

• As a Mother of the Bride/Bridesmaid treat, arrange to go on a flower arranging course and do some of the flowers yourself. Depending on the scale of flowers you are looking for you need to make sure you are not trying to achieve too much so be realistic e.g. make your own button holes or the bridesmaid bouquets.

• Consider cheaper alternatives to flowers for your table arrangements e.g. potted plants for a summer fete themed wedding, tea pots and cup/saucers (which can be bought relatively cheaply from your local garden centre) that you can plant yourself or get a family member to help or fruit centre pieces which can double up as dessert or candles (depending on whether your venue will allow these).

• Providing you have a few green fingered relatives, ask them to grow flowers for you in the run up to your wedding. Flowers grown in pots or tubs can be used to decorate the grounds of your wedding venue and single stem flowers can be used in bouquets, as decorations for your cake or as favours tucked into napkins.

• If you are getting married in a church and there is more than one wedding on your day see if you can speak to the other brides to see if you can agree on the style/colour of flowers and then split the cost.
  

Photo credits:
Iris - Northern Shade Gardening
Orchid - Myspace
Lisianthus - Valley Flowers Inc
Rose - CJ Images

Wear your wedding dress to work

For those of you brides who long for an excuse to wear your dress again, I have the perfect solution! The National Wedding Show has teamed up with Breakthrough Breast Cancer to launch a new charity 'Brides at Work' to raise money for this very worthwhile cause.

Brides at Work day takes place on Friday 17 September so dig out your dress and start getting sponsors. If you do not fancy wearing your full outfit (or are like me and probably wouldn't fit back into it if you tried) you could always put on your tiara, veil or any other accessory. Why not get everyone involved and encourage your full bridal party including your bridesmaids, mother of the bride and groom etc to get involved and wear their outfits as well.

Over 46,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK and Breakthrough Breast Cancer works to save lives and change futures through research, campaigning and education. For more information and to register for a fundraising pack visit breakthrough.org.uk.

Famous love quotes

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart."

Helen Keller

Afternoon De-Light

I think afternoon tea is a fab 'hen' way to celebrate your impending nuptials but if you're trying to slim down to fit into that dream dress it can sometimes feel like a treat too far. Well, the Metropolitan Hotel has come to your rescue introducing 'Afternoon De-Light' the traditional British afternoon tea with a cool twist.

Offering a tasty selection of 'no-bread' sandwiches which are little pots filled with savoury snacks, sweet and savoury cupcakes and fruit scones made with low-fat creme fraiche, organic jam and olive oil rather than butter.

Available Monday to Saturday 2pm - 4pm and at £25.00 per person this is a definite guilt free treat.

Children and Weddings

Should you invite children to your wedding? It is a topic that will rumble on for ever and always sparks debate with many differing views. I do not think there is ever a right or wrong answer, it is down to the individual and what you want for your wedding day.

Some couples will consider the family element of a wedding to be the most important with children being an integral part while others will want parents to be able to let their hair down without the worry of taking care of the little ones.

In the recent edition of Stylist Magazine, Zoe Williams gives her views on why children and weddings don't mix. Please click below to read the full article.

Petite Cake Balls

If you haven't already realised - I love cup cakes! So, I was excited to hear of a new company 'Petite Cake Balls' offering an alternative to the traditional cup cake. This idea started in America and has now come to the UK.

These hand made cake balls are bite size tasters of moist cake blended with rich frosting and a delicious chocolate coating. They come in a variety of flavours including chocolate, carrot, strawberry's and cream, coffee and walnut and jaffa cake (see leaflet below for a full list), decorated in any colour and can be displayed in cake cases (cake balls) or on sticks (cake pops).

These could make a great addition to any wedding adding a little quirky touch. Why not consider using them as favours or as dessert. Prices start from £1.25 depending on the design.

For more information visit Petite Cake Ball on Facebook.