Father of the Bride

We wanted to interview a Father of the Bride to find out their perspective of their daughter’s wedding day, so we thought, who better to ask, than John Relph! Find out what he had to say…

How did you feel when Lawrie asked for your permission to marry his daughter?

I was sort of expecting it but it was still a bit of a surprise. A surprise that is that Lawrie asked my permission! Anyway the real answer to your question is ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED!!

Beth and Lawrie then went on Holiday to Ibiza and everyday we were waiting for the news that Beth had accepted Lawrie’s proposal. It came eventually in the form of a photograph of a very happy & proud Beth holding up her engagement ring

When writing your father of the bride speech, did you already know what you was going to say?

Yes, I sort of worked the whole speech out in my head first so I wrote it down quite quickly. But after that I tinkered with it right up until the last minute, and what I said was only approximately what was written on the paper!

How long would you recommend the speech to be?

Someone told me my speech was about twenty minutes - which surprised me as I thought it was much shorter. I don’t feel (I hope) that it was too long - I suppose it all depends on the speaker. I had a few nervous moments but on the whole I was pleased with it (I got a few laughs!) and felt it was about the right length.

On your daughter’s wedding day, what was the best part of the day for you?

Well letting my hair down at the disco really! But the whole week was thoroughly enjoyable so it’s difficult to pick a moment.

If you could go back, is there anything you would want to change or improve?

Well I should have practised my speech more and there were a few hiccups; the bouquet nearly didn’t happen and the chair covers were the wrong size.

But we got through them and amazingly Beth keep her cool and didn’t panic, which, I feel, was mainly due to Mr ‘Level-Head’ Brand.

How did you feel walking your daughter up the aisle?

From the moment we got into the car to giving Elizabeth away was a quite surreal or perhaps I should say super-real moment. It’s one of those moments that defies words. It was an amazing moment that I shall never forget.

Can you tell us anything else about the day?

I would like to say that it was a wonderful day, and a wonderful week. I think the fact that Kate and I got to know Lawrie and Beth’s friends during four days before the wedding really enhanced our enjoyment of the day. Which meant that when I stood up to give my speech I was greeted with a sea of friendly faces most of whom I could name!

Of all the thankyous on the day the one that is too easily forgotten is thanking the guests. So I would like to end by saying a big thank you to everyone who came - you really made the day and the week an occasion Kate and I will away remember with great fondness.

What is The Wedding School?

The Wedding School - Something a little different.

Emma - the proprietor of The Wedding School got in touch to tell us all about her business. She begins her story of how it all started…

“My day job for the past few years has been as a registrar for the very busy Westminster register office. It’s fair to say I have been involved in a quite a few ceremonies in that time, hundreds in fact! While the ceremonies themselves come in all different shapes and sizes, one thing remains a constant: you are (hopefully!) only going to do this once, and you want it to be perfect.

In order to promote the service of Westminster register office I introduced open evenings where couples could come and find out about what we have to offer in terms of ceremony rooms and outside venues etc. This proved pretty popular but most of the evening was spent answering lots of different questions about what actually happens on the day of the ceremony and what you need to do to get to that stage.

So, I introduced a presentation part of the evening to go over all of these questions in one session, taking customers through every stage of planning the ceremony from the legal preliminaries right through to saying ‘I do’ and beyond. This received excellent feedback and got me thinking about how useful this would be for everyone planning a ceremony, not just customers in Westminster!

So, Wedding School was born. My aim is to provide impartial advice concerning your ceremony, making sure there are no surprises when it comes to dealing with the register office. I want to ensure no bride or groom ever has to utter the phrase ‘oh, I didn’t know about that’ on their wedding day. Although occupying perhaps only thirty minutes of your wedding day, the ceremony is why you are there; to formally commit to one another in front of your loved ones. But it can sometimes get overlooked with all the other planning to think of. I want to ensure it receives the attention it deserves and goes exactly how it should.

What can The Wedding School do for you?

Let’s face it, some register offices are not in a hurry to answer the phone or reply to your emails, and registrars are guilty of assuming you know what they do - not me, of course, I am an excellent registrar, honest! Forums are great but time-consuming; you can’t be certain you actually have the correct legal advice, rather than well-meaning but, ultimately, incorrect information. Mistakes at registration stage can cost time and money and, if things go really wrong, can prevent you from having a legal ceremony at all.

And what about other types of ceremonies? Registrars are never going to be forthcoming about independent celebrants or humanists, for example. But I can explain all of these options to you as I am impartial.

Likewise, wedding planners are excellent at what they do but don’t tend to get involved much with the registration side of things. Wedding venues are booked by you or the planner, but there is little, if any, communication with register offices and you may not meet your registrar until the wedding. How do you ensure it all comes together on the day?

Wedding School works in two ways: the group workshop, and one-to-one sessions. If you attend a workshop you will be greeted with a glass of wine. We then have the presentation followed by a Q&A session. If you still aren’t sure about anything after the event you can contact me for a further consultation at no additional cost. Workshops are great for swapping ideas too; after all, everyone there will be in the same boat as you so perhaps someone will know of the perfect bridal shop, or that great discount at the florist. I want to create a community feel where we can all help each other.

Group sessions aren’t for everyone so, alternatively, you can arrange to meet with me for an individual session. If you are planning to visit England from another country in order to get married I can assist you via Skype and email at a time that suits you, not the register office.

We cover the following:

Giving notice of intention: how to do it, where to do it, when to do it, and what is actually going to happen when you do it.

How to avoid common mistakes at registration.

Registrar versus celebrant - pros and cons.

Civil registration law - what you can and can’t do at a civil ceremony.

The composition of a ceremony script.

Top hints and tips for music, photography and venues.

What will happen at a civil ceremony.

Advice on pre-nuptial agreements and things to remember after you marry.

Plus, anything else you can think of: I am here for you to the bitter end!

So, if you are getting married why not speak to The Wedding School first and we will help you prepare the easy way. Happy planning everyone!”

If you are interested in attending The Wedding School, please visit their website: - http://www.theweddingschool.co.uk/

You can also connect with them on facebook and twitter 

Please leave your comments below too!

A Northern Wedding

Sarah and Michael tied the knot on 17th August 2012 at Cawthorne church and the reception was held at Nostell Priory in Wakefield.

Sarah had a stunning fitted brides dress with a long train while the bridesmaid dresses had short orange dresses. Bouquets consisted of orange and pink gerberas which looked simply elegant. Check out their double decker bus too! Continue reading

Hiring a wedding planner

Louise from Tighe the Knot tells her story and as to why couples should hire  a wedding planner.

“I was originally a teacher of Business Studies and Law but had helped friends with different parts of their weddings for around 2 years before I planned my own. I did love parts of teaching but I love organising and planning more so decided to do a diploma in wedding planning to gain some further knowledge and then set up my own business. I have only had the business for a 4 months but it is slowly getting there and I get to meet some very exciting venues and suppliers on a weekly basis.

I love wedding planning as very few people get to be a part of such a happy occasion as their full time job. Everyone loves a wedding and you usually deal with people who are excited and in love, what could be bad about that? Although there are stressful times, having been through the process myself I know what can help calm people and I hope that I am there to ease the stress so that they can enjoy the day!

I hope to be unique to others in the industry as I ensure I plan the day the way the couple want it, not based on my own ideas or the trends of the time. Although knowledge of fashions can help in the process it is important to realise that every wedding is unique and therefore should be special to the couple. I also help plan hen and stag parties which can be an additional stress to the couple. I like to think I am the go to person for everything wedding based and therefore can cut down the amount of time and research the couple have to conduct.

My main goal for the business is just to keep building fantastic links with some wonderful suppliers to ensure that the couples get the best deals possible, I like to think that everyone can afford a wedding and hopefully this will remain the case in the future. Wedding planners are not a luxury, but can save money and stress for the couple. This can be through discounts that the planner has negotiated, their knowledge of when to get the best deals or just the couple knowing that on the day everything will be sorted without them having to do anything but enjoy it!”

cake

You can view her website here:- http://www.tighetheknot.co.uk/

Or connect with her on facebook or twitter

North Cyprus wedding specialists

After getting engaged to her Turkish fiancé at a family meal, Jade Izzet had her heart set on sharing the breath taking views and beautiful weather of North Cyprus with her friends and family on her wedding day. For around half the price of a wedding inside the Euro Zone, the couple created a truly unique and memorable event. Inspired by her experiences, Jade now helps others organise their own personalised weddings in sun-drenched North Cyprus, with her events company Angelic Events. Continue reading