I'll Be Back!

I'm sure it hasn't gone un-noticed that I haven't been able to dedicate the time needed to My Wedding Wonderland for the past month or two. This has been mainly down to all my time being invested in launching my new company - http://www.militaryweddingdiscounts.com.

I have decided that the best thing for me to do for the moment is take a break but I will be back very soon! I just need to invest the time in launching the new site and trying to spend some time with the husband too but as soon as I manage to find a decent balance then I will be right back and will be treating the site to a make over too which I am excited about!!

Hope everyone is well and looking forward to blogging again in a short while.

Love
Emma xxxx

Introducing......Military Wedding Discounts

Today I would like to explain my absence from Twitter over the past few weeks and introduce to you all to my new website – MilitaryWedding Discounts.

My husband is in the Army and a few weeks back we had news that his best friend was injured while serving in Afghanistan. Thankfully he is now recovering well after his recent surgery but it has really bought home how much we would like to help raise money for a worthy cause.

Supporting a military charity is something we have wanted to do for a long time and combining it with our love of weddings has made the project such a joy to work on and we are very much looking forward to the exciting times ahead.

Military Wedding Discounts has been created to help members of the Armed Forces in both the UK and USA save money when planning their wedding.  

We also donate 50% of all advertising fees to charity - Help For Heroes (UK Suppliers) and Operation Gratitude (USA Suppliers).  

As well as donating 50% of the advertising fees, we will also be looking into organising fundraising events of our own so keep an eye on the News & Events page for further updates. If anyone has any ideas or would like to get involved with this then please feel free to contact us – we would love to hear from you!

If you are a bride/groom who would like to submit your wedding to be featured on Military Wedding Discounts or if you are a Photographer and you would like to submit your work, please check out our Submissions page for further details.

If you are a wedding supplier who would like to advertise with us or are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact us for further info.

So there you go, that’s what I have been up to over the past few weeks! I’m sorry once again for the lack of posts but I promise I will try my hardest to keep on top from now on.

Lots of love

Emma xx

I just have to tell you about......

Chanel's Ultra Correction Restructuring Anti-Wrinkle Firming Cream

I have just tried this product for the first time and all I can say is WOW!

The lovely hubby treated me to a bottle of one of my favourite perfumes Chanel Mademoiselle for Valentines Day and the lovely lady at the counter gave him lots of free samples Chanel's Ultra Correction Restructuring Anti-Wrinkle Firming Cream for me to try!

Last night my skin was feeling very dry and unloved so after my bath, instead of whacking on the usual Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Moisturising Lotion I decided to crack open one of the samples and give it a shot.

The cream is very light and goes onto your skin like a dream. It's smells lovely and fresh and you could feel the effects straight away. You don't need to use much at all - a little goes a long way. When I woke up this morning my face felt as smooth as a baby's bum and just feels fab! Apparently 'Your skin will appear visibly younger-looking in just a few weeks' so I will be sure to report back.

Emma xx

A quick update from me!

Hi guys, 

I am so sorry for the lack of posts over the last few weeks but I have been so busy working on another project that is due to launch tomorrow which we are very excited about and you will be the first to hear once it goes live! 

As you can see, the blog looks a bit different! I had real trouble with the last template design so had no choice but to temporarily change to this format. I’ve made it look as pretty as I can for the time being but I will be working on a big overhaul in the next few weeks!! 

I have got lots of exciting things coming up on My Wedding Wonderland now that the wedding planner has finished (I do have a PDF copy of the planner available if anyone would like this – just email me and I will have this sent to you). I have got two competitions and some fab featured supplier interviews coming up - all very exciting stuff!

I’m going to love you and leave you to get on with your Monday but I will be back tomorrow! 

Emma xxxx

Wedding Planner - Choosing your Honeymoon!

Today's guest post is by the lovely Zoe Rogers of Designer Travel who gives us some top tips on choosing your perfect honeymoon. This post should really come with some kind of warning as I have just spent over two hours looking into The Cove, Atlantis resort and trying to justify a trip (in my dreams lol!) Readers of this post may suffer severe 'Honeymoon Envy' - Hope you enjoy! ...

Hello I am Zoe and I am part of a fantastic team at Designer Travel I have been specialising in Honeymoons for longer than I can remember and have sent Brides and Grooms away to many far flung destinations. With that in mind I have compiled so useful information to help you choose your Dream Honeymoon...

Here are a few top tips for you when you’re choosing and booking your honeymoon:

Honeymoon Top Tips

Book as early as possible to ensure your favourite destination and hotel are available. These days discounts and rewards are offered to those who book early not late. Holidays are available to book 11 months before the month you want to travel, so get those enquiries in and ready and book as soon as you can. (Especially is you’re getting married at peak times like July/Aug, Easter, Christmas and New Year).

Seychelles

Weather- not all destinations have all year round weather and the month you’re getting married may not be the best time to visit a chosen destination. If you have your heart set on a destination you may need to plan your wedding round it

Hawaiian Sunset

Special Honeymoon Offers – There are lots of hotels that offer complimentary upgrades and extra special offers to make your honeymoon unforgettable- so don’t forget to tell the agent it’s your honeymoon and ask what offers are available. This could be anything from free room upgrades, to a complimentary romantic candlelit dinner on the beach.

Africa Safari

Budget- This will vary greatly for your own personal honeymoon, but on average Brides & Grooms to be are spending around £4500 on their dream honeymoon. With that in mind a good travel agent will work with your wish list and your budget to find the very best honeymoon they can for the price you want to pay and providing options to help you choose. You don’t have to spend a fortune have an unforgettable honeymoon.

Carlisle Bay Beach - Antigua

Bridal Registry Services- Some travel agents can provide an excellent alternative to the traditional gift list. Guests can contribute towards your first holiday as Husband and Wife. Designer Travel can offer this service for FREE.

The Cove, Atlantis - The Bahamas

Passport name change- If you’re going to change your passport into your married name make sure all your booking and documents are in the same name. Make sure you have plenty of time to send the documents off and be returned. If you are going to be visiting or travelling through the USA there are new ESTA regulations that need to be complete and if you are travelling within a week of getting married it may be a good idea to travel in your maiden name.

Sandpiper Hotel - Barbados

Honeymoon Hot Spots

Here are my top ten destinations to honeymoon:

Maldives

Caribbean

Mauritius

Thailand

Africa

Bali

Sri Lanka

Mexico

North America

Cyprus

Burj Al Arab - Dubai 

Why have one honeymoon when you can have 2 or 3....

More recently I have noticed that more and more brides and grooms are wanting to experience more than just a week by the beach combining it with and exciting or cultural sector within their honeymoon itinerary. Tailor made honeymoons are really on the rise and by booking savvy you can get an amazing itinerary for a fantastic price. So if you get bored staying in one place too long then you really need to look at a multi centre honeymoon here are a few of my best:

Maldives and Sri Lanka and or Dubai

Dubai and Mauritius

Vegas and Mexico

Miami and Grenada

Bangkok and Koh Samui

Malaysia and Cambodia

USA and Hawaii or Caribbean.

The options are endless don’t be afraid to ask........

Tel: 01942 522221  Mob: 07877 233065

Email:  zoe@designertravel.co.uk

Visit: www.designertravel.co.uk/zoerogers

Wedding Planner - Choosing a theme for your wedding

Today's post has been very kindly provided by the lovely Lucy of Lucinda George Wedding & Event Design who talks about the important things to consider when choosing a theme for your wedding and even includes a gorgeous pistachio mood board - makes me want to get married again!! I hope you enjoy....

Choosing a theme for your wedding

Choosing a theme for your wedding enables you to create a celebration that perfectly suits the desired style and atmosphere of your big day.

Selecting a theme for a wedding can be initially off-putting. For some, the idea conjures up thoughts of fancy dress parties and/or an entire catalogue of Disney films! In reality, deciding on a theme need be no more strenuous than selecting a single colour or few words that inspire the design of your wedding.

A theme influences your venue and supplier selections, as well as your choice of decorative features. It also focuses your attentions more closely on the aspects of your nuptials that are the most important to you and makes you less likely to get distracted by a number of different design options that aren’t cohesive. This is always beneficial for those really needing to stick to their budget throughout the planning process.

Consider the style of your nuptials

Do you want a wedding that appreciates the great outdoors and combines the simplicity of beautiful landscapes? If so, would a wedding on a farm appeal, or even a reception that invites guests to set sail on a boat as part of your celebrations? Would you like a much more casual wedding that resembles more of a family reunion? Or would a formal wedding with lots of adherence to traditional customs be preferable to you? Would you like to inject real drama and glamour and design the theme of your wedding around a particular TV show or film? If this doesn’t appeal, would you prefer a more arty approach to your celebration or possibly an environmentally friendly one? Perhaps you are both sports fans and would like to incorporate that interest into your marriage? Or look at your love of history- do you covet a certain era, which you would like to recreate for your wedding celebrations?

Pictured: The home of cricket, Lord's is now licensed for civil marriage and civil partnership ceremonies.

Identify a common interest that you and your fiancé share.

Write down separately things that define your personalities and interests, for example ‘the colour green, visiting Italy’. These ideas can be combined to create your theme. Your wedding design can be influenced by anything that mattes to you, whether it be a hobby, a favourite holiday destination or a language. This is a vital first step to personalising your wedding.

Produce a mood board sourced from pictures online or in wedding magazines. Cut them out and take time, selecting the ones you ‘love’ and discarding those images that are just a ‘like’. Blue tack them to a neutral background and see how the ‘love’ pile works together. Return to them after a break and review your selections again – so often a few days away really sorts out your preferences!

Creating a mood board is very useful in reviewing whether a desired theme will work, as well as clearly showing if it really wouldn’t! Don’t hesitate to collect images that do work under your ‘theme heading’ but you would not want to feature in your celebrations! For example, your wedding theme could be ‘cinema’ but you might have a real aversion to featuring popcorn in any way during your celebration! These things are useful to know from the outset as it saves a lot of time if you are clear on what you would hate to feature in the design of your wedding. Sometimes a mood board that shows a couple’s ‘dislikes’ is even more useful to the planning process than one which shows ‘loves’. It narrows the search and establishes the things to definitely avoid in the design.

This mood board Pistachio Perfection was created for the couple that simply share a love of the colour green and visiting Italy.

  

This theme combines stunning pistachio features (starting with the dress!) punctuated by chocolate brown detailing on a cream canvas - with candles, flowers, car and lounge furniture all matching the exquisite marble reception décor.  The decoration is simple to complement the venue: understated clear glassware and traditional lanterns combine beautifully with natural light as it floods the venue, showing that spring has definitely sprung!

Photo Credits

Dress  - by Lazaro via http://idoinspiration.blogspot.com/

Invitation – designed by Fine Moments for www.weddingpaperdivas.com

Lantern & Flowers – Photography by Abby Ross Event Planning/Design by Atlas and Campbell Event & Floral Design by TFS Studio via www.stylemepretty.com

Favours  - unknown via http://idoinspiration.blogspot.com/

Cake & Flowers – unknown via www.marthastewartweddings.com

‘Just Married’ Car – Jessamyn Harris Photography via www.stylemepretty.com

This post has been provided by Lucy of Lucinda George Wedding & Event Planning 

You can follow Lucy on Twitter - www.twitter.com/lucindageorge

Wedding Planner - Tips on how to choose your wedding food and drink

Today, I am very pleased to welcome back Melanie Helen of Cranberyy Blue Weddings & Events who has very kindly provided this post which includes tips on how to choose your wedding food and drink. Hope you enjoy....

Tips on how to choose your wedding food and drink

To get the most out of your budget, always ensure you choose food that is in season as this will be much more cost effective, plus it’s nicer to have dishes that suit the time of the year. Fillet of Sea Bass, wilted greens and saffron potatoes are great in the summer and braised shank of lamb, studded with rosemary & garlic with a red wine jus are perfect in the winter.

Don’t compromise on the quality of the food as this makes up such a large part of the wedding and will be remembered.  Choose a well regarded caterer and use their expertise to help you put a menu together that works for your budget.

If you want to reduce your food budget then you could have a later ceremony and therefore a later wedding breakfast, so you are unlikely to require anymore food in the evening.  Alternatively a later ceremony at the same venue as the reception could mean a shorter champagne reception without serving canapés.

When choosing a potential caterer, always ask for references and people you can speak to.  Ensure you are able to have a tasting session so you can try several of the dishes you like the sound of. Be sure to get a clear idea as to the overall cost, which includes service, waiting staff, crockery and glass hire, any equipment costs and of course VAT.

There are plenty of options for food at your wedding.  Consider the overall style and timings for the day and choose something that suits.  For example if you are planning a contemporary city wedding then by having slightly unusual and interesting canapés would be pefect, served with a signature cocktail.  This could be followed by a sit down meal and then potentially a cheese board later on.  If you’d like a more relaxed and informal wedding then afternoon tea instead of a traditional canape reception could be lovely, with bite-sized cakes and scones.  The wedding breakfast could then be served later as a fork buffet or even a barbeque.

Another good tip to keeping the cost of the food down is to serve the wedding cake as dessert.  Choose a cake that is more of a gateaux and and accompany it with cream and mixed berries.  This also helps to avoid guests being too stuffed and cake being wasted.

Champagne is obviously the traditional drink served at the reception; however there are some excellent sparkling wines that can be served instead at a fraction of the cost.  Alternatively why not choose something a bit different such as mulled wine in the winter or an elderflower cocktail in the summer?

If you’re not sure your budget can stretch to having an open bar then I would suggest it is better to have good quality wine with the meal rather than scrimping on this to allow money for drinks later.  Alternatively you could set a limit at the bar in the evening which could allow everyone to have a couple of drinks without things getting out of hand.  The choices could also be limited to beer, wine and a particular spirit with a mixer.

Melanie @ Cranberry Blue Weddings & Events
www.cranberryblueweddings.co.uk
enquiries@cranberryblueweddings.co.uk
Follow Cranberry Blue on Twitter - www.twitter.com/cranberrybwed