Wedding Planning, Wedding Professionals, Tips and Ideas

Bachelor Parties

The whole point of the bachelor party is to have as much fun as possible - without your wife-to-be! Traditionally,bachelor parties, (stag nights, stag dos, stag weekends, last-night-of-freedom) were a last ditch attempt to lead the groom into temptation before the wedding and to ensure he was fully committed to his marriage proposal. But bachelor parties do not all have to be expensive all-nighters in Las Vegas. There is a plethora of female exotic dancers, pole dancers and strippers to add some stylish spice to the groom’s farewell to all that. Parties do have to be held for the groom-to-be and attended by men only but could be anything from an at-home Poker Night Extraordinaire to a road trip, a day of golf, swimming and a barbecue or a guys’ camping weekend. Let your Best Man take the lead and use us to customise a fun bachelor party to remember.

Bachelorette Parties

A bachelorette party, hen party, hen do or hen night is an opportunity for female bonding and to allow the stressed-out bride-to-be to relax and have some fun prior to her big day. It generally happens between three months to a week before the wedding day - definitely not the night before! Usually, the Maid of Honor will organize it and invite close friends of the bride, including bridesmaids. However, they are not obliged to attend. The party is still all about the bride and doing what she likes, what will bring her fun and relaxation. This is the time for a more playful take on the change in the bride’s sex life: slumber party, male strippers, sexy lingerie adult parties or just girls night out ...as long as the presentation is humorous and doesn't unnerve the bride! Although far less formal than the bridal shower, it probably involves more planning from transportation, possibly travel, choice of location, activities and food/drinking. Hopefully, whatever is chosen, the bride and friends all have fun and are firmer friends than ever for the wedding!

Bands

A live band at your wedding reception playing romantic wedding songs as well as more upbeat cross-generational ones can dramatically bring out the joy and exuberance of the occasion, taking care of your guests and ensuring you are free to enjoy yourselves too. But do you want your favorite band or a band that specializes in playing for wedding parties? And booking a band, as any tour agent or manager will tell you, requires thorough planning…Use the diverse range of band options and contacts to book the band to make your wedding reception swing, rock or bang!

Beauty & Make Up

For those of us who aren't professional supermodels, our wedding day is going to be the one day when we are the total focus of aesthetic appreciation - from the hair, to the dress, to the shoes, to the close-ups...for up to twenty hours. The professional photographer, the guest photographers, the videographer, the guests - all eyes are going to be on the bride. Yes, the groom is important but only in the fact that we want to see who he actually chose to be his bride! To have impeccable make-up and hair all day is a task many professional makeup artists would find challenging. To have perfect make-up that does not look like make-up is another feat as is the ability to cry, kiss, laugh, eat, drink and not look like Ronald McDonald’s clown three hours’ later. Let us direct you to the ideal beauty professionals to enhance your awesomeness and fit your budget.

Bridal Registry

On top of asking your guests to travel hundreds of miles and probably a new outfit, you feel awful for suggesting they may also like to purchase a wedding gift for your new home together. Don’t! Family and friends would love to give something you will remember them by and commemorate your wedding. Besides, there is no obligation and wouldn't you rather get what you really want than six ornate milk jugs, a cheese grater and a framed piece of modern art when one of you is lactose intolerant and the other prefers Rembrandts. Plus, you still have no tableware!. You are not being greedy by placing a load of items on there; you are in fact giving your guests more choice. Have fun and stop feeling guilty!

Bridal Shower

Bridal showers are there to build up the anticipation in the months prior to the wedding and also to provide goods and financial assistance to the bride. They grew out of early dowry practices when a poor woman’s family didn't have enough money for the dowry or if a father refused to give it due to disapproving of the daughter’s choice of husband. The friends of the woman would then gather to bring gifts to compensate for the dowry and allow her to marry the man of her choice. Nowadays, bridal showers are a way of celebrating the bride-to-be, giving her some attention and literally showering her with gifts, love and support with which to set up her new home. Allow us to provide a variety of options and services to suit your taste and budget.

Catering & Food

Food and catering for your wedding! Probably one of the most important factors of the total experience and enjoyment of the day. Even if you are not too excited to eat, your guests will. Excellent wedding caterers are beyond great chefs; they have an understanding of the themes of the wedding and will aim to not only excite the taste buds but provide service and layout to enhance the delight of the day. Once you have settled on your theme, style and venue, catering is your next priority. Let us reveal the ideal catering and food for your wedding style, theme and budget from our gamut of delicious options. Taste and see!

Ceremony Locations

Your choice of wedding ceremony location is significant. Whether it be in a civil registry office, a grand cathedral, a somber synagoge, public park, beach in Bali or a hotel suite, it is the key moment when you actually legitimately become husband and wife. Without the wedding ceremony, there is no wedding so its location defines everything. Depending on the jurisdiction where you are both living, you may need to get a marriage license prior to the ceremony as permission is first required by the state. The wedding ceremony will be what you personally remember as the event which brought both of your lives into one union. While your guests will be focusing on all the extraneous details, the intimate moments within the wedding ceremony are the ones you will be treasuring most so make sure the location is one where you are able to do this. Let us direct you through its thorough range of options to the ideal location for your wedding and budget.

Decorations

Wedding decorations can be almost works of art, grandiose centerpieces and cascading turrets of tealights, part of an eloquent theme. Or they can be simple, DIY elements to add color, atmosphere, warmth and the festive mood to an otherwise sterile room or garden. Either way, decorations are there to say:’This is a party and a very special day!’ From balloons, candles, varieties of lighting, plants, props and scenery, chair covers and tablecloths to delicate table centerpieces, banners and flags, wedding decor is important in setting the scene and declaring what kind of party you are throwing, what atmosphere you wish your wedding to maintain. We catalogue every imaginable decoration and an extensive range of service providers.

Destination Weddings

If the thought of wedding planning is sending you into a total tailspin, maybe you are more suited for a destination wedding. You may also both have a desire to ‘get away from it all’ and finally just focus on each other and your new commitment. Perhaps you always wanted to get married in an Italian villa or a remote beach hut in Bali or a fjord in Norway, of making this moment entirely distinct from the rest of your life. Destination weddings can be planned and budgeted for more precisely than at-home weddings and can be just as personal and intimate as a wedding you designed yourself at home.We will inspire and guide you towards the perfect destination for your wedding from our range of options.

DJs

Finding a DJ to bring your guests together on the dance floor, create the ultimate music playlist and build the atmosphere you want at your wedding reception party is as important as choosing the venue; it can make or break the wonder of your day. DJs are the ones whose job is to get the party cracking, to ensure your guests are brought into festivity mode - not left alone at a table staring at the place name cards. DJs direct the vibe of joy and sharing your love created in the first place. Use the eclectic, diverse range of disc jockey services to grab the music maestro who makes your wedding reception pop!

Entertainment

Everyone wants their wedding to be memorable, entertaining, fun and unique! And entertainment should surprise, amuse, intrigue and engage. It should not be standard or ‘Oh yeah, I did that last week at...’ Let your story, your day be original in every way and make your guests feel special and involved in this experience too - from the youngest to the oldest.

Flowers

Wedding flowers set the tone and theme of the wedding, possibly even more than the bride’s dress. From the bride’s bouquet to table centrepieces, cascades, buttonholes, posies, pomanders and tied bouquets, wedding floral arrangements declare the wedding’s love story and inspire warmth, romance and joy. Let us introduce you to an excellent cornucopia of flowers and options for floral wedding arrangements.

Formal Wear

Whether your wedding is going to be a grand, formal affair or a laid-back beach wedding, the attire of guests and wedding party is important. The formal wear of the bridal party is critical in setting the tone and sense of celebration - from the bridesmaids’ dresses, the too-cute-for-words flower girl three quarter lengths, the page’s and ring bearer’s mini-cummerbund and bow tie, the sophisticated, accessorized elegance of the mother-of-the-bride outfit and, of course, the groomsmen’s tuxedos. Obviously, there may also involve formal wear alterations.The main accessory, however, will be the happy, encouraging presence of your loved ones. It is helpful to indicate on the invitation whether the wedding will be black tie,formal, casual or require cultural dress. Renting or buying formal wear requires some thought and preparation so everyone feels comfortable on the day - especially if a tuxedo and cummerbund is a novel outfit for them! If you need your whole bridal party kitted out in formal wear, you need to work out how this fits in with your color palette and theme of the wedding. We cover everything from bridesmaid to groomsmen to mother-of-the-bride to ring bearer - check out our range of options!

Honeymoon

The honeymoon is the official start of your marriage and the holiday where newlyweds celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion. Although traditionally no one should know about the destination, choosing it should reflect your shared tastes and preferences. A city destination can be more romantic than a beach in Bali, depending on the couple. You may want variety or culture; perhaps you are outdoors, active types who prefer to try a range of new sporting activities together. No place is typical anymore and we have a range of options and logistics to make it truly ‘a time of nothing but tenderness and pleasure’ (Samuel Johnson). From the travel agent, the passports and the exclusive spots, we've got it all.

Invitations & Printing

Wedding invitations and the save-the-date stationery are the first experience your guests will have of the personal taste, style and theme of your forthcoming wedding. They are the first intimation of your expression of the love you will be celebrating and not just a cordial invitation with essential information about the event. The announcing of your wedding via this stationery is very significant. Let us guide you to the right printing services and designers to make your wedding stationery distinct.

Musicians & Singers

The wedding music played by professional wedding singers and wedding musicians can really accentuate a theme or motif in your wedding. They also produce a rich ambience and sense of the wonderful. Whether it be a steel drum band, acapella singers, bagpipes or a harpist, romance is eloquently declared and the scene is set for your entry and special day. By boldly selecting wedding singers or particular musicians, you are highlighting the occasion; you don't hire a brass band to announce you've just bought a house or got pregnant. Let us find you the quintessential musical element from our diverse and exemplary range of options.

Photographers

Wedding photography is the crucial documentation of everything about you as a couple and your wedding day: from the engagement photo, the preparation, the ‘first look’ to the final ceremony and reception. Check out reliable, creative and professional wedding photographers - the wedding and event photographers with proven ability to capture the emotion, style and beauty of your wedding.

Reception Locations & Venues

Deciding the reception location and venue is one of the first solid fixings of your wedding day. Most wedding venues are booked at least one, if not two, years in advance - although if you have some flexibility regarding the day of the week, it may take less time. Fixing the location enables you to fix the date, the theme, color palette, catering, transportation...everything else! Choose from a broad range of exemplary, unique and romantic reception locations to suit any wedding style, theme and budget. Check them out!

Rentals

For most weddings, event rentals of some kind are required, from essentials like extra tables and chairs, tableware to more specific elements such as oxygen bars and flooring or staging. Whatever your needs, assessing the reliability of your vendor, who is going to set the rental up, take it down and whether it will fit in your location are all considerations impossible to guess. Great rentals can vamp up the occasion to a whole other level so it is worth scouting round to find the best fit and get your dream to happen!

Transportation

The transportation on your wedding day is critical. What is the point of being dressed up to the nines on the most important day of your life so far and being stuck in your usual car? Transportation needs to keep with the total sense of celebration and ceremony. From chauffeur services, wedding cars, stretch limousines and town cars to horse and carriage affairs, there is a whole gamut of options available to bring the sense of occasion to your wedding. Pulling up in a grand vehicle is a way of making a special entrance and also conveys importance to the bridal party themselves. There are many ways to bring your theme - whether it be laid-back, unique or formal and elegant -to life. Transportation also includes how you will be transporting your guests from the ceremony to the event or after the party. We have the greatest range of options and services available.

Videographers

Thanks to smaller, mobile, discreet professional video cameras, videographers can disappear into the background of your wedding and ensure they are no intrusion to the day. It is far easier to capture all the special details of the day that you may miss due to all the meeting, greeting, eyes for your beloved and getting through the official festivities. Wedding Videography also often include many extras such as love stories, photo montages, music videos and family bios. We cover the complete range of videographers and styles for you to select the right one for your wedding.

Wedding & Bridal Accessories

Your special day is all about the details, every piece of wedding accessory counts - from the tiara to the borrowed pearl earrings, the groom’s blue silk handkerchief, the veil, the hairpins and daisies, the braces for the groomsmen and the lace garter for the bride - not to mention the shoes. They have to be as perfect as the glass slipper yet comfortable enough to withstand your weight and hours of posing, walking and dancing. We aim to source everything from contemporary, traditional, the most exquisite to the eclectic, rare or vintage elements to turn your wedding day into unique perfection.

Wedding & Engagement Rings

The engagement ring is the first proper investment in a future together as man and wife so it is significant. Also, it reflects the man’s awareness of his bride-to-be’s tastes and is still an intimation of how much he values her!. In Western culture, it is usually just the woman who wears an engagement ring - on her left hand ring finger. Wedding rings are usually mutually exchanged although they do not have to be the same style or even made from the same metal. Choosing a wedding ring that will last the years, is as unique as your relationship and as precious is no easy task! We have done the hard research for you so check out our span of awesome, rare options.

Wedding Cakes

What is a wedding without a wedding cake? There should be a museum or art gallery for the variety of incredible artistic culinary creations available. Fortunately most of them taste even better than they look so they don't last that long. Cakes are an opportunity to go all out in every kind of way, a chance to declare your quirkiness or nod to tradition, your personal romance, themes, the particular tastes or fashions as a couple you love. The cake for your wedding can be symbolic or exotic, tiered, square, multi-shape, round or even dozens of cupcakes.Obviously, visuals are the first indicator of a great cake but, unless you really are going to place it in a museum, you will need to do some cake-tasting too!

Wedding Dresses

The wedding dress. Every little girl’s fantasy. But turning fantasy into reality is another thing altogether. bridal gowns are more than just clothes; they are the gift-wrapping for the most precious, amazing present the love of your life will ever receive - YOU! So make sure the wrapping does not let you down...it should hint at all the hidden beauties and glory that make you the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. It should not swamp him with confusion or get him worried he is giving his name to a pile of meringues or Liberace. Yes, the wedding dress may seem like a superficial concern and yet it will undoubtedly be a defining theme. It is, after all, where fantasies finally hit the truth of reality - marriage. Part of knowing you chose well is that, while you may not be a wearing a Kim Kardashian design or the flamingo-d tulle glory you dreamed of as a 14 year old, you have something far, far better, something most definitely YOU. We have a vast variety of options, styles to inspire and reliable, high quality vendors to ensure you get that perfect gown.

Wedding Favors & Supplies

Wedding catering in the twenty first century is a vast, imaginative terrain but, once you know your theme, style and venue, you can have a lot of fun designing your perfect wedding food. Wedding catering is a true art form and can bring your wedding theme to life in a wonderful way. Once you have decided whether your wedding is outdoor, indoor, formal or informal, you can start deciding on your specific wedding meal, the serving of drinks and other wedding food titbits like hors d'oeuvres and quirky food stations.The options now are as endless as your imagination and the execution ability of your chosen caterer. Your guests may have dietary considerations and you will need a caterer with the flexibility and ability to accommodate the Kosher, gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free,vegan, vegetarian among many others. The challenge of providing a meal which includes everyone and is a source of pleasure to all your guests is one your caterer is able to meet with confidence and creativity.With careful planning and a discreet note on your wedding invitation’s RSVP regarding meal choices or dietary considerations, your wedding meals will run smoothly. Many folk hire in a personal chef. Some want restaurant catering where your guests are treated as if they are in a restaurant with full waiting service. Family sit-down affairs are popular but, if most of your guests are friends, you may want to have a more informal meal such as a barbecue or wedding buffet. If you are bringing in a caterer to your venue, does the venue have the facilities to provide for the preparation or will a catering trailer be needed? If the venue is providing the meal, how customized can you make it?If you and your other half are from different cultures or traditions, choose how you will accommodate these. Kosher, Pakistani, Gujarati, Italian, French, European, Asian, Latin American, deep South, Afro-Caribbean, Polish, Nigerian...your decision on the cuisine served will be seen by many as a stamp of the dominant culture in the relationship so choose wisely. If you have a really creative, considerate chef, maybe you could mix it up! The way you time the delivery of your food is another element of the catering for your wedding day. If your guests are travelling miles and the wedding doesn't start til early afternoon, you may wish to provide hors d'oeuvres or food stations pre-ceremony. If your wedding reception party is likely to go on into the early hours of the next day, you may wish to get in a food truck - a taco truck after several hours of drinking and dancing is always welcome! And don't forget the bar. Does your venue has a drinks license or do you need to get one? The drinks can be served as part of the whole wedding invitation or are you prepared to foot the bill for an open bar? Some couples provide some served wedding drinks but then the bar requires guests to pay for additional drinks themselves. Who will be in charge of stocking the bar? If you are teetotal, how will you accommodate guests who do like to drink while ensuring they don't ruin your day? Many weddings also provide a coffee and tea bar for refreshment and rejuvenation of flagging guests. Now the real fun begins: tasting and sampling a range of different vendors’ food prior to making your decision. Don't go for the first barbecue specialist you find; no matter how time-constrained you are, scout around. Eat. Enjoy. Discriminate. Talk about the how, what, where, when and why. Is the sourcing of the produce important to you? Does your caterer use organic or locally grown produce? On the day, you need to know your food will be fresh, at the right temperature (the hot meals should be hot, the frozen dessert not melting, the wine chilled) and delicious. There will be no room for fixing errors when you are in full-blown wedding mode. Go with a caterer who has done his/her homework, has a thorough reputation proven to deliver and is dedicated to meeting your catering demands and dreams. A wedding meal is a big affair; you are hosting a party for all the people dearest to you on the most special day of your lives so far.If you have bands, musicians or other professionals at your wedding, allow for a non-guest meal to be provided which won't cost the same but still amply refresh them. Decide on the drinks policy too. Elegance need not be limited to formal, sit-down dinners. You can have simple, elegant informal meals too. If you want a fun element or to take your guests by surprise, include a cookies and milk station or a dipping donut stand. Just ensure it ties in with your theme and personalities. With foresight, planning and a caterer and waiting staff you can trust, everything is possible. Enjoy your dream meal!

Wedding Officiants

Most weddings require an officiant to conduct the ceremony - be it religious, non-religious, non-denominational, spiritual, eclectic or civil. Finding an officiant who will make you feel both comfortable and, at the same time, provide a sense of the significance of the ceremony is important and we have a range of wedding officiants who can help you do just that! If you have a wedding package or a destination wedding, we can still help you find the right officiant. Wedding vows, regardless of your religious perspective, are what cement your wedding ceremony and the wedding minister or officiant is going to play a large part in this process. We will provide you with a plethora of options to ensure you get the wedding ceremony you want.

Wedding Planning

Your wedding is quite possibly (unless you are a professional events programmer) the most challenging event you have ever organized. While some have lived for this moment of creating their dream wedding, others are in morbid epic fear of the whirlwind of details, essentials and deadlines. A wedding planner can really help matters. Some wedding coordinators can take over the reins entirely while others just support or give you tips. Either way, you have someone experienced and professional on hand to help ensure your day happens as you want it to.

Wedding Services

Arranging the big day is one thing; ensuring it is developed and maintained without any issues is another. There are a range of services that can provide the assurance you want on your big day - from wedding cleaning services, event insurance, security services to valet parking. Some wedding venues do not include cleaning of the premises or event insurance. If the parking lot is tight or there are young families who need to leave early, valet parking services can smooth over any potential parking issues. Maybe you have famous guests, a band or family relations are not always so harmonious after alcohol and you require security services to keep the peace and everyone safe. We have every need covered with high quality wedding service providers - check them out.

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Band or DJ?