Slim Weight Patch » Weddings

Wedding Shopping 6: How to save money

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:22:27 +0000

Great money-saving tips for couples tying the knot in the midst of the credit crunch.

Tip 1: Share the cost of the flowers

Most venues see two or three couples, at least, in the course of a weekend. Share the cost of the flowers with the party before or after your own. Local flowers are also cheaper and have a lower carbon footprint, but beware you probably won’t get roses.

Tip 2: Get the dress second hand

It won’t have confetti stains on or smell or someone else’s perfume. Ex-catwalk and display dresses are nearly new and will save you hundreds of pounds – try Oxfam.

Tip 3: Get a friend to DJ

Everyone knows someone who knows someone. Get them to do it as a wedding present or aim for mates rates.

Tip 4: Have a reception in the pub

Billy Piper did it, so its definitely now and chic. This also means that your meal will be considerably cheaper than a silver service three course.

Tip 5: Be radical with the guest list

Haven’t seen old aunt Dora for over six years? Don’t invite her. Steal yourself and keep it to treasured friends and family. You only need one or two witnesses.

Tip 6: Homemade is always best

Homemade invites, favour boxes, cake, flowers and dresses are all possible and not to difficult to make. They will take up time though, consider asking competent friends to do it as a wedding gift unless you really enjoy crafts.

Ask a photography student to do the photos with a digital camera and have a back-up on hand in case of problems. Most weddings these days see all of the guests take loads of digital snaps, so why not get them all e-mailed to you and just pick the best ones?

Tip 7: Decorate someone’s car

Think kitsch rather than cool. Tart up that old morris minor or Citroen 2CV for a touch of charm and humour in the day. Think tin cans and bits of ribbon. Novelty horns are an optional extra.

Tip 8: Have a candlelit dinner instead of hen and stag nights

For many people, the big day isn’t the first time they’ve gotten married. Ditch the hotel and fancy dress for a final relaxing evening with your chosen one before you have to cope with relatives and logistics.

Tip 9: Hire the suit

Ask yourself how many times the groom is likely to tie that cravat again. Then go to a shop and hire the it for a fraction of the price.

Tip 10: Individual cakes

Instead of spending £300 on a professionally made cake, why not distribute individual fairy cakes in the colour of your choice?

Alternatively, layer cheap highstreet chocolate cake yourself, pour a simple fudge icing over and stick chocolate curls onto it. However, be warned that chocolate cake doesn’t keep as well as the traditional fruit cake, so you may have to ask someone to do this for you a day or so before actual wedding.

Any tips of your own? Just leave them in the comments box below.

Wedding Shopping 6: The Perfect Bridesmaid / Guest Dress

admin — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:19:27 +0000

We’ve found some fantastic bridesmaid dresses over at Yoox, where you can pay anything from £10 to £3,000!! Thankfully, you can filter by colour, size and designer – making it easier to fit a group of women according to a colour scheme.

Prada Sport Knee Length Blue Dress £210 at Yoox

Wedding Shopping 5: Laura Bush’s Wedding

admin — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:24:43 +0000

Laura Bush, the daughter of President George W. Bush of the United States wed her fiance Henry Hager today in a “low-key Texan wedding”. Oscar de la Renta is out of the price-range of most modern brides, so here’s the high-street way to wed as though you’re the daughter of Mr President:

Laura Bush wears Oscar de la Renta

Get the perfect support for a low-backed dress by clicking on the image below:

Multiway Bras from John Lewis

White roses – perfect for Texan weddings and British nuptials alike:

White Roses from £12 at ValueFlora

Re-create the loose curls shown above with Babyliss Curling Press and some thermal curling wax to give you greater control – just click on the image:

Electrical Products at Boots from £7.99

Choose from heated rollers, hot styling brushes or versatile straighteners to help you achieve the curls you want. Click on the styling brush to browse the range at Boots.

Foxy curls High Definition Curl Spray from Tigi Bed Head £9.50

Once you’ve got the curls, you need to keep them. Have a look through the Tigi range of hari styling products by clicking on the Foxy Curls picture above.

President George W. Bush with his daughter, Laura:

The Father of the bride needs to look dapper. Get the tailored look with Savile Row suits online:

Men's Suits at Savile Row Company

Wedding Shopping 4: Marquees, Garden Structures & Seating

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:48:38 +0000

Following the success of many American films and TV shows depicting wedding scenes in gardens (Wedding Crashers, Numb3rs, Meet the Fockers etc…), many people opt to have a ceremony or reception in their own garden to cut down on the cost of a venue and accommodate more people. Here is a picture of Laura Bush’s nuptials:

There are lots of canopies and temporary garden structures to choose from and a wide array of lighting and heating options. Click on the images below to find out more:

Garden Arches from B&Q

Garden Party Gazebo £99.98 from B&Q

Don’t get lost in the garden – light the way with these subtle little path lights:

Solar Powered Outdoor Garden Lights from John Lewis

Keep your guests warm with this handy patio heater:

Outdoor Heating from £265

Small patio heater £265 from NotOnTheHighstreet

This patio heater is 2.3m tall – meaning that guests can stand underneath it.

Seating from £9.99

Resin Chair £9.99 from Focus DIY

Focus DIY do a range of outdoor furniture from gazebos and canopies to chairs and garden furniture of all kinds. To browse their range, just click on the image above. If money is no object, you could opt for some serious sculptural style with this range of varnished steel cafe furniture from Graham & Green:

Classic French Chair £175 from Graham & Green

Mens Suits: Outfits for Male Guests

admin — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:05:04 +0000

Looking for a suit or dinner jacket to wear at a wedding this summer? Find an outfit that will double up for dinner parties, the races and passing-out parades. Check out this selection from Shop-Online-4 Men. Click on the images to find out more:

Click on the image to read the Moss Bros Style Guide for Suits

The most important decision when buying an outfit for a wedding is whether to wear a morning suit, dinner jacket or a suit. Check the invite for directions to wear black tie (dinner jacket and bow tie) or morning suit (top hat and tails – this is also the dress code for the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot). Otherwise, assume that normal wedding dress codes apply, namely a suit, shirt and tie. Smart, plain coloured ties are the norm.

Moss Bros Full Morning Suit £429

Morning Suit

The breakdown is as follows; jacket £250, waistcoat £79, trousers £50, shirt £30, cravat £20.

Top Hat £199

Moss Bros Top Hat £199 - click on image to buy

Top hats are essential in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot but may also form part of a morning suit for a wedding.

Dinner Suit from £178

Dinner Suit from Moss Bros - click on the image to view

With dinner jackets (also known as tuxedos) you can choose between numbers of buttons, jackets collar style (notch or shawl), the number of vents at the back, velvet edging and even the colour of the jacket itself. Traditionally, you shouldn’t wear white or cream to a wedding if the bride is – it detracts from the white dress in photographs.

Next you have to decide upon the dress shirt, bow ties, cummerbunds (optional extra) and cufflinks. Most smart dinner suits won’t have buttons on the cuffs, so you’ll need a pair of cufflinks. They are often the opportunity for men to show some individualism and personality. Designs range from Scottish thistles and golf balls to anchors, playing cards and much more. You may also opt to wear braces, a shawl or cotton gloves depending on the formality and show of the occasion. You can view the full range of accessories by clicking on the images below:

Moss Bros Dress Accessories

Moss Bros Black Barathea Self Tie Bow Tie £18

Moss Bros have most things from bow tie (self-tie and ready-tied), braces, shawls, cufflinks and even gloves.

Gieves & Hawkes Dress Accessories

Crown Cufflinks £115 from Gieves & Hawkes

Gieves & Hawkes don’t just stock dinner suit accoutrements such as cufflinks – they also supply military dresswear to Her Majesty’s Armed Forces – buy your officer’s sword or Admiral’s cap online! To get to the military section, just click on the image above, then on the Gieves & Hawkes logo – you will see a special “military” section.

Savile Row Company Dress Accessories

Brushed Square Dome Cufflinks £18 from Savile Row Company

Savile Row Company have a good range of cufflinks and brightly coloured handkerchiefs in their dress accessories section. Just click on the image above to have a look.

Forzieri Dress Accessories

Forzieri Gold Bow Tie

Forzieri have a massive range of bow ties and cummerbunds. They also have a good international presence, so you should be able to order from outside the UK.

Most weddings won’t be anywhere near this formal – often, all you’ll need is an ordinary suit. Have a look at these fashion suits from Moss Bros and Yoox:

French Connection Fashion Suit

French Connection Suit from Moss Bros £243

Moss Bros have a selection of fashion suits from Ventuno, Ben Sherman and French Connection. These include shiny suits, slim fit jackets and waistcoats.

Summer Suits from Yoox

Berry & Brian cotton suit £204 from Yoox

At Yoox you can filter your search by colour, designer, size and much more. They stock thousands of garment and even have shiny gold suits for the extroverts out there – there’s something for everyone.

As for shoes, smart black shoes or matching colour shoes will do perfectly for suits, but patent leather shoes are required to accompany dinner suits. Click on the images below to visit retailers.

Smart Handmade Lace-ups from Samuel Windsor

Samuel Windsor Handmade Shoes

The handmade shoes from Samuel Windsor are exceptionally smart. There’s also an offer on at the moment whereby any pair purchased for £99.95 will entitle you to a second pair of shoes for free! Just click on the picture to visit the Samuel Windsor website.

Laced Shoes from Yoox

Comme des Garcon Shoes from Yoox £350

Yoox have a great range of lace-up shoes and moccassins from the most conservative formal wear right through to block colours, logos, prints, snakeskin and heels. If you fancy something a bit different, or just need to match a colour exactly, their huge range is very helpful. YOu can even filter your search results by colour.

Wedding Shopping 2: Outfits for female guests

admin — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:36:11 +0000

Looking for the perfect summer dress to attend a formal event this summer? These outfits will double up for the races, passing-out parades and weddings. Fun yet formal, Shop-Online-4 Women has the perfect summer formal wear for you. Check out these dresses, shoes and bags – click on the images to buy or find out more:

Fascinators from £7.50

Marks & Spencer do a range of fascinators and hair accesories for weddings and races.

Quiz Smart Dresses from £9.99

Coral Diamante Bubble Dress £39.99 from Quiz

Quiz are the leaders in cheap and cheerful highstreet dresses, but this satin dress could easily pass for an upmarket wedding outfit. Just click on the image to visit the retailer.

Wedding Guest Dresses from Coast £19 – £250

Flirt Duchess Satin Dress £145 from Coast

Coast’s wedding range is preppy, fitted and mostly 3/4 length satin with a few corset tops, blazers and maxi dresses. Super smart and made for purpose.

Try not to sink into the lawn by picking from these handy formal wedges:

Wedges from Jones £39-£95

Beige Cork Wedges £55 from Jones the Bootmaker

Pack your invite and GPS into these great day /night bags:

Ecoist Mirror Recycled Sweet Wrapper Shoulder Bag £40

Eco-Friendly Bags

These ethical bags from Ethical Superstore are great fun – they have bags made from recycled packaging, tradecraft embroidered clutches and big logo designer totes – all with a clear conscience and a low budget.

Designer Clutch Bags from Yoox £39 – £640

Prada Clutch Bag from Yoox £475

Swarovski Clutch Bags £245 – £2,935

Swarovski Evening Bags

Wedding Shopping 1: Favours, Jewellery, Lingerie and more

admin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:32:22 +0000

Wedding Shopping can be a nightmare – that’s why we’ve put together some helpful articles under a special category “Wedding”. Be sure to check the wedding category for handy hints and top tips in the stressful build up to the big day. First in the series; favours, wedding lingerie, wedding photo frames, jewellery, books, alcohol, stationery, insurance and relaxing massages to help unwind after all that thought.

Click on the pictures to visit the retailers.

Favours Box

Favours are traditionally given to guests at a wedding as a way of thanking those in attendant for coming along. They are placed on the tables at the reception or handed over as the bride and groom greet those entering the dining room at the reception (a master of ceremonies often organises this queue).

Favour boxes & fillings from Confetti

Confetti do a range of favour boxes and present to put in them. Just click on the image above to visit the retailer. The items range from small chocolates to mini botles of alcohol and bubble bath. You can use boxes, bags, ivory buckets or even Disney tins to put your favours in, should you wish to give them.

The boxes given are usually filled with sugared almonds but, to be honest, I have never seen anyone eat them. At a recent wedding I received some wine gums which were much more up-to-date. Find a selection of sweets to choose from here.

Wedding Lingerie

Once you’ve looked after everyone else, its time to think about yourself. Feel confident from the inside out with our range of bridal lingerie.

Bridal Lingerie at Fashionista - click on the image to visit the website

Wedding Photo Frames

Thank your bridesmaids or create a frame to remember for yourselves by engraving a photo frame with the dates and details of your wedding.

Bridesmaids gifts from Getting Personal - just click on the image

Jewellery

Engagement rings, matching wedding bands and the perfect necklace to go with the dress are all important factors.

Solitaire Rings at Jewellery.vg

Wedding Bands from Jewellery.vg

Necklaces from Jewellery.vg

Books

Books aren’t necessary for getting married – but they can help. See The Bride’s Diplomacy Guide for navigating the testy waters between mothers-in-law, bridesmaids, matrons of honour and everyone else who has an opinion on your nuptials.

Try the Cup of Comfort for Weddings if you want to remember what it’s all about and hear some success stories. Alternatively, cover all corners with “The Complete Wedding Guide” – for the modern bride who will probably be coughing up for her share of the wedding budget.

Stationery

Invites, place names, orders of service – weddings mean pretty paper. Order your own stationery or get the materials for your own design here.

Alcohol

Not everyone has alcohol at their wedding but for those who do it’s often an occasion for sparkling wine. The Wine Blokes offer great advice on picking champagne or mixed cases (for those matching courses with beverages). All wine, beer, spirits and water are delivered to an address of your choosing withing a few days.

Insurance

Many insurance companies offer special deals for weddings to cover expenses in case of postponement, accidents, damage to the dress beforehand and all sorts of other possibilities. They also cover those travelling abroad to get hitched. Click here to find out more about wedding insurance available online.

Relax

After all that you’ll both need a chance to unwind. Try a His’n’ Hers massage to let your mind and body relax before the wedding day itself.