Last night the fantastically glamorous Goldbrick House hosted a wedding tweet up organised by the Little Wedding Helper and it was a great networking event for Bristol Wedding Suppliers. Loads of local suppliers turned up to sample the free champagne and canapes and make some new Bristol wedding contacts.
It made me realise what a great City Bristol is to get Married in with so many talented and enthusiastic people on your doorstep ready to make sure that you have an amazing Wedding. Kirsten Butler aka the Little Wedding Helper organised the event to allow everyone to put some faces to names we regularly see in our twitter feeds such as Cloggins and West Weddings. Kirsten offers a bespoke wedding, event and marquee styling service to ensure that wedding venues look amazing.
I arrived at about 6:30pm and the event was already in full swing. Katherine from Goldbrick House was on hand to welcome everyone and hand out some delicious canapes. Goldbrick House in situated on Park Street and is a conversion of two Georgian town houses and a Victorian factory. It is now an incredibly stylish "food and drink emporium" that is licenced to hold civil ceremonies. Looking at their wedding pack, I was actually surprised at how affordable a glamorous wedding at Goldbrick House could be as they don't charge venue hire, just a minimum spend that you could easily meet with a reasonably sized reception.
It was lovely to meet Emma Woodhouse, aka Cloggins or "The Wedding Reporter" who offers brides a really original service where she will come along to your wedding and experience it as a guest and then write you a detailed report of the day that you can treasure forever alongside with your photos. Emma is an experienced freelance writer who is currently writing some pieces for Wedding Ideas Magazine.
Speaking of photographers, they were out in full force and it was brilliant to meet so many passionate people including Marie Man, Taylor Barnes, Sam Gibson, Nevil Lane Studio, Proof Photography and Jacqueline Helen. I also met Abi and Lisa from Marry Me in Somerset who have also just launched a photography directory, called Marry Me in a Flash.
I was lucky enough to win a free cut and blow dry and some great L'Oreal hair products from a raffle prize donated by McQueens Hair Design also based on Park Street. Here's some of the people in attendance. Well worth checking out their websites if you are getting married in Bristol or the surrounding areas.
The Little Wedding Helper -Bespoke Event Stylist www.littleweddinghelper.co.uk
Goldbrick House - Licenced Wedding venue www.goldbrickhouse.co.uk
How 2 I Do -Wedding Planning Workshops www.how2ido.co.uk
The Wedding Reporter -Freelance Writer www.theweddingreporter.co.uk
Marry Me in Somerset -Wedding Directory www.marrymeinsomerset.co.uk
Cheltenham Wedding DJ -Wedding Specialist DJ www.cheltenhamweddingdj.co.uk
Marie Man - Documentary and Fashion Photography www.marieman.com
Taylor Barnes Photography -Wedding Photographer www.taylorbarnesphotography.co.uk
Jacqueline Helen - Wedding Photography www.hacquelinehelenphotography.co.uk
Proof Photography - Family and Wedding Portraiture www.proofphotography.co.uk
McQueens Hair Design and Colouring Specialists www.mcqueenshairbristol.co.uk
Nevil Lane Studio -Styling and Photography for Kids www.nevillanestudio.com
West Weddings - South West Wedding Magazine westweddings.blogspot.com
Perfect Wedding - National Wedding Magazine www.perfectweddingmag.com/
The Mews Clifton - Luxurious Bridal Boutique www.themewsclifton.co.uk/
Sam Gibson Wedding Photography www.samgibsonwedding.co.uk
Lizzy May Photography -Wedding Photographer http://lizzymayphoto.blogspot.com/
Bridezillas Ltd Bridal Accesories Boutique www.Bridezillas.biz
Rachel Goodchild -Wedding Blogs www.weddingblogdesigner.com/
Apologies to anyone I've missed out. I hope to meet you at the next event.
Thursday 19 May 2011
Saturday 14 May 2011
How to Plan a Wedding Your Guests Will Love
When you get engaged it is really easy to become engrossed in the planning process and want your Wedding to be a reflection of your personal wishes and desires. I hear lots of Brides say "It's my day and I don't care what anyone else wants". I was probably like that myself when I got married almost 3 years ago but what I really tried to do was make it a reflection of us but also think about my guests.
If you really think about what you want your wedding to be, you want to include all your own individual touches but you also want your guests to have a great time and really enjoy the day as that will create the great atmosphere that will make your day a success.
When I say think about your guests I don't mean do everything your Mother in Law wants or try to accommodate your Great Aunt who wants you to wear her own wedding dress, but think about the whole wedding experience from your guests perspective. Try to visualise the day as someone who has come to your wedding from a long way away and doesn't know the area or many people.
Start with the venue. Is it easy to find and accessible for all guests including any elderly guests or small children? Our venue was quite remote and had a very steep walk up from the car park so we created a wedding website with loads of information for guests. We included all local hotels with how much they cost and the distance from the venue. We also drove the routes and wrote detailed directions from each hotel.
On our website we put a note about the steep hill so people could be dropped off if they were wearing high shoes or had trouble walking. We also mentioned that there was open water so guests with children could keep an extra eye on them. Providing this sort of thoughtful information can really make your guests feel welcome. Also think about facilities for your guests like toilets and somewhere to get a drink if they have travelled on the day.
Our website also included a run down of the timings so people knew what would happen and when as well as information on the venue, food and things to do in the local area. We even added taxi numbers and car rental places as some of the guests flew down from Scotland.
It's also important to make sure that your guests are entertained while you have your photos, so we had a harpist and lots of food and drinks. Another nice touch was a basket in the ladies loo with things like deodorant, wipes, sun cream, safety pins and blister plasters and these were really popular.
I have also been to weddings as an evening guest and felt like a real spare part. Make sure that you value your evening guests and be there to greet them when they arrive to make them feel part of the wedding. Ensure there is enough space for everyone in the evening too as too often tables are removed and there is no-where for new arrivals to sit. With your evening entertainment try to have something to appeal to all ages and don't skimp on this area. You want your guests to not want to leave, not try to leave at 9pm because they're bored or feel ignored.
Here's some tips on how to keep your guests happy...
If you really think about what you want your wedding to be, you want to include all your own individual touches but you also want your guests to have a great time and really enjoy the day as that will create the great atmosphere that will make your day a success.
When I say think about your guests I don't mean do everything your Mother in Law wants or try to accommodate your Great Aunt who wants you to wear her own wedding dress, but think about the whole wedding experience from your guests perspective. Try to visualise the day as someone who has come to your wedding from a long way away and doesn't know the area or many people.
Start with the venue. Is it easy to find and accessible for all guests including any elderly guests or small children? Our venue was quite remote and had a very steep walk up from the car park so we created a wedding website with loads of information for guests. We included all local hotels with how much they cost and the distance from the venue. We also drove the routes and wrote detailed directions from each hotel.
On our website we put a note about the steep hill so people could be dropped off if they were wearing high shoes or had trouble walking. We also mentioned that there was open water so guests with children could keep an extra eye on them. Providing this sort of thoughtful information can really make your guests feel welcome. Also think about facilities for your guests like toilets and somewhere to get a drink if they have travelled on the day.
Our website also included a run down of the timings so people knew what would happen and when as well as information on the venue, food and things to do in the local area. We even added taxi numbers and car rental places as some of the guests flew down from Scotland.
It's also important to make sure that your guests are entertained while you have your photos, so we had a harpist and lots of food and drinks. Another nice touch was a basket in the ladies loo with things like deodorant, wipes, sun cream, safety pins and blister plasters and these were really popular.
I have also been to weddings as an evening guest and felt like a real spare part. Make sure that you value your evening guests and be there to greet them when they arrive to make them feel part of the wedding. Ensure there is enough space for everyone in the evening too as too often tables are removed and there is no-where for new arrivals to sit. With your evening entertainment try to have something to appeal to all ages and don't skimp on this area. You want your guests to not want to leave, not try to leave at 9pm because they're bored or feel ignored.
Here's some tips on how to keep your guests happy...
- Provide lots of information for your guests on hotels, travel and directions
- Make sure there's not too much waiting around for guests or boring lulls with no entertainment
- Provide thoughtful touches for your guests like personalised favours and complimentary toiletries in the loos
- Make sure the evening guests feel welcome and involved and not ignored
- Make sure there is enough seating for the ceremony and for extra people in the evening
- Get all of your guests together for informal drinks the night before so people get to know each other before the Wedding
- Ensure there is somewhere dry for guests to wait on a wet day
- Provide large umbrellas if it is likely to rain
- Make sure the food and entertainment will appeal to all ages, religions and tastes
- Keep the speeches appropriate for older guests and children
- If you have a lot of children, provide goody bags or childcare if the budget allows to keep them all entertained and allow the parents to relax
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