****2017 Brides****Currently 166 Brides and 1 Groom****

You are having similar to us and ours have come in around £700 which was loads cheaper than I was expecting! we aren't doing much decoration in the ceremony venue (church) though, just pew ends.

I basically want a florist who will decorate everything for me. I am not creative at all and I don't want the stress of having to set up or take things down! I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised with an under budget quote but we shall see!

Sounds like everyone is on track! Ha ha RomanticBrownFlowers, that sounds like exactly the kind of thing my OH would do. I'm not even bothering to bring him with me to these appointments!

I met with another videographer this evening. I was looking at amazing, cinematic masterpieces which were about 2.5K until I realised that the wedding will get watched for the first few weeks then probably never again! So I found this guy at a wedding fair who charges £895 for a blu ray video with all day coverage. The video seemed pretty good and he was a really nice man so I think I will book with him.

Also signed up to an intensive personal training an nutrition programme today. I seriously need to get my bum into gear and this sounds like it could be it! X

£895 sounds like a bargain!

Good luck with the PT and nutrition. I've joined slimming world but I'm struggling to find motivation at the minute. I want to lose a stone and a half before I go dress shopping and then lose another stone and a half before the wedding, but I can't afford a dress for a few months so I'm a bit fed up.

I'm going to get a PT a few months before the wedding to tone me up really well so I look amazing in my dress.

Hi all we are getting married on Sunday 22nd October 2017.

Wow!! Everyone seems so much more organised than me! So far all I have booked is the venue and church which was an uphill struggle in itself!! I haven't completely settled on colours etc yet so don't want to start buying things then changing my mind!

Next step is photographer, got meetings scheduled with 2 and I think it's going to be so hard to choose between them as I work with them both regularly and they're both so lovely and their work is amazing so hoping that when my OH meets them, he'll have a preference which will guide me!!

Xx

I haven't 100% settled on my colours yet either. I know I want a spectrum of golds - champagnes, rose gold etc and ivory to complement but don't know whether to add in touches of blush or not (flowers mainly)?

We went to our first wedding fayre today!! It was very successful

We booked:

- Pianist for the ceremony

- DJ for the reception

- Photobooth

- Magician

The magician was a bit of an impulse purchase if I'm honest haha I liked him but h2b wasn't convinced. We think the guests will enjoy him though and he was really good!

We also spoke to a florist and a venue decorator. The florist is going to send me a quote and we're going to book to see the venue decorator and speak in more detail

We're almost done with the invites now too - they're shaping up nicely

We've finally decided to have a vog. At first we thought we'd go with the one that our photographer recommends, but we were watching their example full video last night and it does look very slick and professional, but we were put off by the fact that they used music for all of the preparations, reception etc, so you couldn't hear what was going on. OH felt that it was too slick and he'd like to go for something more informal.

We're meeting with the vog this week anyway, just to make sure we're making an informed decision, but at the moment it looks like we'll be going with something like Shoot-it-Yourself. The videos on their website just look more fun, which fits more with some of the elements we're including (like the Chinese door games).

That's good - hope the meeting goes better than you expect!

We still haven't decided on a vog - we don't want a super slick video either! However, we both have film degrees so the idea of DIY videos seems a bit too much like 'work' for us haha sounds like a cool idea though!

I bought my dress today. I went with a few pictures of ones I'd seen online and one which I had my heart set on which I did love when I tried it on but then I ended up completely forgetting about it when I tried on these other two dresses which I was torn between. After much too'ing and fro'ing between them I went for a Maggie Sottero dress called Kirstie. I LOVE IT!!! I really can't wait to wear it.

Next job is to try and get OH to look at DJs

Wow that dress is lovely!

I booked the videographer this morning. He will film all day so the prep of bride and groom then stay until the very end. We get a lot of footage too so we have a full length video that lasts three hours (gulp) but with chapters, an hour's highlights video and a five minute highlight trailer. We also get the video on blu ray and on normal DVD too. I agonised over a videographer for so long that I have decided just to book it now! The quality is good and so is the price. I think it helps that he showed me a video of a wedding at our venue so that swung it for me!

We met with our caterers yesterday morning. We have decided to give people a choice of two options on the starter and the main and then the dessert will be a trio of desserts. This will cost us an extra £650 but it will be worth it to stop OH's parents sticking their oars in and moaning. His dad seems to think that he should be able to pick what he wants off the menu....I had to explain to him that it isn't an a la carte menu in a restaurant. So far, he is moaning that he wants duck as he is "paying for the food". Err no you're not, what they are giving us covers about half of the catering bill! Plus the duck will come with another supplement which I don't want to pay on top of the other £650! He can have either pork belly or chicken and like it or lump it!

Besides that, I met with my first florist yesterday. I absolutely loved her and she seemed so keen on my ideas and venue (not sure if she does that with everyone ha!) and she really understood what I wanted. The quote came in about £400 less than my maximum budget so that was good too. I have appointments with three more to get prices so I can decide after I meet with all of them.

I have also booked my cake maker and talked OH's uncle into making my post box, table numbers and table plan as he is a carpenter! X

We went to a wedding fayre today and booked a magician on impulse as well ? Had not even considered it before, but happy that we have xx

Haha glad it's not just us! Where was your fayre? X

That is an absolutely stunning dress.

We're very close on our vog and tog, it's so much money that I think I didn't want to make the wrong choice. So we have a few more questions but should have them tied down soon. And to make it better OH was given some money by a relative which will cover the deposits of them both. Makes things a bit easier for us.

Hi all! We get married on the 17th June 2017. ?

Sounds like everyone's doing well. I'm glad everyone else is at a similar stage or further along to us. Do you guys get lots of people raising their eyebrows at how much you have booked already? People don't seem to realise that it's not really that long and the time is going to fly by!

Yes! Constantly! But I remind them that if I'm looking at booking for next year then other brides will be too and I need to get in first!

I want to be able to relax nearer the time - not be stressing over suppliers not being booked!

Yep and this way you get your first choice - hopefully! We've been lucky so far and got all our first choice suppliers

Hi we are getting married on 22nd October 2017 think I've been added as 22nd sept ????

Yes and we have - don't know what we'd have done if we'd missed out on any of our favourites!

I went to two fairs today! Didn't book anything though! I've been making enquiries this afternoon with hair and make up though! Want to book them and photographer and then I'll think I'm ok until the summer time! Xx

It was only a small one in Great Yarmouth town hall. Wasn't much else there to be honest but then other than dress suits and flowers I have pretty much booked and decided everything else xx

Fair enough - ours was only a little one too. It was held at the venue though which was nice

I'm putting the feelers out for a Make up artist too RoseGoldSparkle - the hairdresser my Dad uses has a friend who does it so I'm going to talk to her first but I got some details of other people too

There are so many wedding fairs going on this time of year I exhibited at The London Vintage Wedding Fayre yesterday and it was lovely and relaxed -a lot of the brides were saying they found the big ones really stressful x

I've found some make up artists so pricey, charging £120-150 for make up on the day ? I'd want my face dipped in gold for that!!

Oh that's just made me literally LOL!! I'm struggling to justify paying out for a MUA - my plan is to go to one of the department store stands for some advice and then practice myself!

Hello everybody! I'm getting married 27Th May 2017 :-) x

Yay! Hello and welcome!

Hi brides-to-be! Joining the chat ahead of our wedding on 25th June 2017. We're getting married in Hampshire at a classic barn venue. Just started the planning process with stationary and have our first planning meeting with the venue next week. Looking forward to sharing!

What kind of quotes is everyone getting for their flowers? We went to a wedding fayre on the weekend and spoke to a florist who is very well known in the area, award winning and always top of the local wedding supplier lists. She sent me a quote yesterday and it was a lot less than I expected but I don't know if that is because my only comparison is my best friend who paid about £1,000 for flowers!

I was quoted c£100 for a bridal bouquet

£45 each for bridesmaids bouquets

£10 each for flower girls pomander balls

£6.95 each for buttonholes

£45 each for centrepieces (but I think I'm going for silk flowers instead)

I don't think I'm going for pew ends (not sure of the point for a half hour ceremony) but I will need to get a quote for a top table decoration. My only concern is that the florist is not very local to where I live (about 50 miles away) so they're quoting £100 for delivery and set up. I guess I could negotiate this down if there is nothing to 'set up' for the centrepieces.

Thank you!

Beckalina - the rough guide my florist gave me (without knowing which flowers I want!) is £50 handtied bridal, or £75 - £90 for a shower bouquet. £30 adult bridesmaid. £3 buttonhole. Add on the £100 travel fee and I think you could probably get it a bit cheaper than she is quoting but then again if she is winning all of these awards then you will have amazing flowers so might be worth the extra!

x