Vintage teacup: Charming favour and name setting

A beautiful favour, table decoration and a name setting all in one from sugarlily. The tag can be personalised with your own message and colours to fit your theme, they look prettier still with a cupcake or flower in each cup. Visit www.sugalily.co.uk for a browse of the gorgeous and arty site.

I'm engaged! Now what do I do?

Firstly congratulations on your engagement! Enjoy this exciting and happy time with your fiancé. The important initial wedding considerations are when you would like to get married, what your budget is and the venue.

When
Is there a particular season you would prefer, is it important to have a summer or winter wedding? Are you inclined to opt for a traditional Saturday over weekdays? These considerations can affect the cost, out of peak times can mean venue hire and many suppliers are less expensive.

Budget
Do you know how much you want to spend on your wedding? Are you planning a long engagement to give you time to save, have your family been able to offer to contribute towards the day? Be honest with yourselves to eliminate any anxiety further in the planning and use this budget as a guideline when choosing your suppliers.

Venue
Will you have your ceremony and reception in one venue, or is there a church’s alter you have dreamt of walking up? Is it an urban city wedding, a sandy sunny destination wedding, a marquee in the countryside or a grand stately home celebration? Regardless of where it is held, the venue must be one of your first decisions to book and set the date. When you walk around take a check list with you to help compare against other options, does it match your vision for the day, is it easy for guests to reach, is there accommodation, is there parking etc

Once you have decided on when, your budget and the venue, you should start selecting the team that make your special day happen. It really is crucial to take the time to find suppliers that match your requirements and that you like. This may be when you decide to hire a wedding planner who can help source options that fit your style and budget.


Photo credit: www.stylemepretty.com

Q&A: What size wedding cake do I need?

Janet from The Cake Fairy in Reading helped us with today's question by providing this handy chart we ofter refer to.

The table illustrates how many and what size tiers you should choose to have enough cake to serve your guests, varying on the shape of cake you prefer and the slice size.

Fruit cake is generally served in finger size portions and sponge in dessert size portions. However the finger size slices are perfect if you are having different flavour tiers and would like to give guests a selection to taste.

Don't forget to consider extra if you would like to keep your top tier after your wedding.

Enjoy picking a delicious cake!

Venue spotlight: Brockhurst, near Newbury in Berkshire

We co-ordinated Nicola and Chris’s perfect wedding day at Brockhurst and it truly is a gem of a venue.

As a boarding school it is only available during school holidays limiting the number of weddings the house hosts, maintaining an air of exclusivity for your day.

Brockhurst is licensed for both civil marriages and partnership ceremonies and also has a beautiful ancient church in the grounds just steps away from the house.

The fairytale setting is complete with stained glass windows, a huge oak staircase, open fires, a high beamed ceiling, chandeliers and outside sixty acres of sweeping lawns with a lake.

At a glance:

• Civil Licence - 120
• Indoor Dining Capacity - 116
• Marquee Dining Capacity – 200
• Address- Hermitage, Newbury, Berkshire, RG18 9UL
• Telephone- 01244 571208

Look out for Nicola and Chri’s wedding photos which will be posted here soon.

Photo credits: SugarBlossom's own