Talking about weddings...
Some people choose to spend a lot, some not so much, some choose not to spend very much then the price creeps up!
Weddings are very expensive... It costs to give Notice of Marriage, to book a registrar separately if you're not getting married in a Registry Office, dress alterations, if you're doing food & alcohol and they don't come in with the package at your chosen venue, table and chair covers, chair sashes... The list is endless!!
We decided to make everything of ours as simple as we could. The Registry Office is a gorgeous Georgian grade II listed building and is licensed to hold Civil Ceremonies. It is the place my parents tied the knot some 29 years ago! They even got married in the same room (how romantic!). It seems to be 'the place to get married'- everyone in the area has either gotten married there or knows someone who has!
This gorgeous Registry Office offers a package including the ceremony (with registrar) then the adjoining hall complete with tables, table and chair covers, sashes on each chair. We thought this was really good, as many places you'd be paying loads more just for a (pointless, in my opinion) sash! The hall was an empty shell apart from the tables - we could hire a band or DJ, a mobile bar, a buffet, hire a caterer, bring our own alcohol. We decided to provide our alcohol (courtesy of my mother in law), we hired a caterer (our most expensive outlay - but well worth it!) and have a DJ who was a friend of our family.
The catering company was recommended by the venue and we are so glad we chose them! We had 50 guests and every single one of them has said it was one of, if not the best food they've ever had at a wedding! The staff were amazing! They worked hard all afternoon and evening but still looked pleased to be there! We ran late on our ceremony as some guests were late and we chose to wait, the catering staff altered the time for eating so we still had time to do our photographs after. They brought champagne and alternatives out to the grounds for all of us and liaised with my husband all day to ensure everything was ok. They catered for my 19 month old niece when I'd told them her preferences, they had them there for her. There was a couple of times my mum and dad had to ask for things - but they hadn't realised they'd not been given them and they swiftly rectified this.
We decided to make everything we could ourselves - my amazing mum made the cake from scratch, and the favour cookies, my husband and I made our Save the Date cards, invitations and Thank you cards, table plan, table centres, table names and bagged up and wrote out 50 labels for the favours! It was hard going at times but we did it!
I am a control freak and the idea of handing over control to a stranger to do what my husband is more than capable of, did not appeal to me! We decided to make our Save the Dates about a week after booking the venue, he used his Apple Mac to put together some pictures and I came up with the wording (his strength is Art and Design, mine is English, poetry and writing). We then printed about 20 out without checking... Do they fit in the envelops we'd already bought? Of course they don't! In our blind excitement, we'd forgotten to check!! After a little moving around of the features on the card - they were ready to go.
That all feels so long ago now, we've been married 8 weeks yesterday so save the dates were done exactly a year ago!
We did the invitations 6 months ago now, and they were much the same process. We bought lots of cards, a half-decent guillotine to cut them up, a gold pen and lots of glue! Then my then-fiancé started researching what he liked the look of online, whilst I researched what the writing should say (then changed it to suit what I wanted - we didn't go traditional!) although it was hard work cutting and sticking lots, it was definitely worth it, and again, when I work out how to get pictures on here, I'll put some on.
Our wedding suppliers:
Venue: http://www.langtonshouse.co.uk
Caterer: http://www.leaveittouscaterers.co.uk
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