Thank You

December 15th, 2011

As this is the season to be jolly, give thanks and reflect on the year we’ve had – this last post of 2011 is to firstly thank all our guest contributors who at very short notice kept this blog going whilst I have been on maternity leave.

All of their posts in my opinion gave insightful and helpful information which hopefully helped you with your wedding planning and is essentially what The Butterfly Journal, An Inspiring Wedding Guide is all about.

If you haven’t had the chance to read their inserts head to our archives starting from March this year or click on their names in this post. In the meantime Jemma Watts, Charlene Hutsebaut, Sarah Sowerby, Kathryn Reynolds, Tracey Denise and Jayne Denneny your support meant a lot.

And finally to our readers, we hope this year’s posts has been as good as the last and we ask you for just a moment of reflection.

What have you enjoyed reading on our blog? What would you like to see more of? Or what do you think needs improving? Because simply put in order for our blog to get better and better we really need your feedback. All we ask is just one minute of your time for your thoughts and suggestions, so please don’t be shy.

Merry Christmas and a prosperous, happy New Year. Enjoy yourselves and we’ll see you again in 2012.

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To keep or not to keep that Wedding Dress?

December 1st, 2011

With the year quickly drawing to a close we raise a topic that is prevalent with a lot of brides who have now got married – what do I do with my wedding dress?

With thoughts of starting a family or even saving up to buy a house, the year of planning is now over and with gorgeous photos, videos and happy memories to keep forever – the dress that took ages to find now tugs at the heart for a very different reason.

This dilemma is right at the top of one former bride and our final guest blogger for the year, Jayne Denneny, Sales Manager at catering company Payne & Gunter. Jayne got married two years ago and is now in a real quandary about what to do, so its only fitting for her to take centre stage and put her case to you to see if you can help her. Over to you Jayne.

‘Finding the right dress!

Most brides spend what seems like an eternity on this one element of their big day and then in 24 hours the moment has past, the dress has been worn, and its foreseeable resting place is locked away in a cupboard.

The dilemma now is, is that where it will stay or should I sell the dress to put towards our ‘future fund’ i.e. ‘babies and things’.  For a realistic bride this may be a no brainer however there is something that keeps holding me back from loading it onto a reputable site to help me sell it.

Essentially I LOVE my dress and as most brides believe, I looked my best in it. Memories of my celebration are locked into it and once it’s sold I’ll never be able to open up the wardrobe and look at it and let all the memories flood back. 

The other part of me thinks however – stop being so sentimental, it’s just a dress!

I’m torn. If I decide to keep the dress I love the thought that I may use it to make a christening gown for my first born or maybe it is purely the fact that it was the best day of my life and I want the memory to remain ‘hung in my wardrobe.’

On the other side I really believe that someone else would really like my Maggie Sottero, Adelaide dress. So why not give them the chance to have the perfect day in it just as I did.

So what do I do? I’m completely torn knowing that if I take the plunge I could regret it forever.

Jayne Denneny, Payne & Gunter

What do you think Jayne should do? We would love to hear your suggestions as you may provide the answer Jayne has been looking for.

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Tips for a Wedding Rehearsal Dinner

November 15th, 2011

1. Most definitely your wedding rehearsal dinner should have a different style and menu to your wedding.

2. It’s not a necessity to send out invitations, but if you have time it’s a good idea.

3. You can always invite other family members and out of town guests who are not part of the ceremony to join you, as it will be a great opportunity for you to spend time with them which you might not have on the day.

4. This is the ideal time to give gifts to your wedding party and thank them for their contribution in the wedding.

5. The wedding party can use this opportunity to show video clips of the couple when they were young. Some take baby pictures and enlarge them, but in all these make great ice breakers and are certainly lots of fun.

6. This is an great time to go over last minute details with relevant family members and the wedding party before the big day.

7. Finally, don’t drink a lot at the dinner and go home early so that you have lots of rest and look your best on your big day.

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The Wedding Rehearsal Dinner

November 1st, 2011

With the festive season just around the corner and the party spirit warmed up by the antics of Halloween, I thought this month we should focus on the celebrations that surround the wedding. At Pierre Carr we love a good party and as well as planning weddings we have been honoured to have organised a few wedding rehearsal dinners as well. But what are they I hear you ask?

Well essentially it is a meal after the wedding rehearsal (but no longer exclusively), that takes place the night before the wedding. It’s a great opportunity for the wedding party and guests to get to know each other better and a chance for the bride and groom to say thank you to all those who have helped them with the planning and give informal toasts.

For us the couple tends to foot the bill but another scenario would be for the parents to host the evening.

Back in the day the rehearsal dinner was only for the wedding party and immediate family. But with out of town and destination weddings its always nice for guests to be included so they aren’t left at a loose end in a strange place the day before the wedding and a real opportunity to break the ice.

It doesn’t have to be a big formal affair some of the nice ones tend to be in an informal setting like a bbq on the beach (shown here). But more importantly the relaxed setting is perfect for the bride and groom to really mix and mingle with their guests when on the day they may not get the chance too.

Next time on the blog: Look out for our  tips for a great rehearsal dinner.

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Consider St Lucia

October 15th, 2011

I’m not sure if you have watched the romantic, reality show The Bachelor before but I’m currently hooked on the UK version on Channel 5 with Gavin Henson, the Welsh international rugby player whose embarking on his quest to find the woman of his dreams.

As an old romantic I love to watch how he goes about wooing the girls who compete for his affections in order to ultimately become his girlfriend. However I was more excited to find that some of the episodes were shot in the Caribbean on the gorgeous island of St Lucia.

Now as a lover of all things Caribbean I won’t hesitate to tell you that St Lucia as a wedding or honeymoon destination oozes romance with a capital R, thanks to its natural landscape of waterfalls, rainforest and majestic Piton Mountains. But more importantly the tourist industry has only begun to flock there in recent years so it’s not  become oversaturated and its become increasingly important to preserve the natural charm of the island and its people, which Gavin definitely appreciated, just listen to what he had to say.

So if you are looking for an unspoilt island – St Lucia is definitely one to consider and with five direct flights a week from London it’s very easy to get to. But don’t take my word for it – just take a look at what you could be enjoying.

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Pierre Carr teams up with Elegant Resorts

October 1st, 2011

It’s not like us to blow our own trumpet but hey on this occasion we thought why not, as we can happily say we have now partnered with award winning tour operator Elegant Resorts.

Renowned for their exemplary travel service and attention to detail, what this means is that we can now offer clients the complete wedding destination service. With first class travel, an exclusive address book of worldwide destinations for honeymoons as well as our bespoke event management service, you will definitely be in safe hands.

Take a look at our  honeymoon and renewal of vows pages for more details.

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Tips for attending a wedding fair

September 15th, 2011

September sees the start of wedding fair season and with those sultry summer nights leading to many marriage proposals, engaged couples everywhere will now be looking for ideas and inspiration to plan the wedding of their dreams in the year to come.

Whether you opt to attend a large or small wedding show here are a few tips for you to consider when attending:

1)   If you have an idea of the colours you want for your wedding bring swatches with you, this will help suppliers make realistic suggestions.

2)   Bring your diary with you to arrange appointments with suppliers at a more convenient time to talk over your wedding details in more depth.

3)   Be open and take as much information as you can, because you may think you don’t need a specific supplier but things do change along the way in the planning process.

4)   Ask lots of questions, even the silliest of questions are relevant for you.

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Tips for a destination wedding part 4

September 1st, 2011

In the final part of our tips for a destination wedding – always decide on a wedding destination that you love.

And to make sure your ceremony and reception goes to plan,

Tip 1: Pick a team/wedding planner who knows the destination, which is well worth the cost in saving you time and hassle.

Tip 2: Pick venues that only have one wedding a day – as you want your day to be special

Tip 3: Once you have picked your destination and venue, get your invitations out as early as possible we suggest eight months prior to your wedding which will give guests enough time to budget for your wedding, put it in their schedule and sort out flights.

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Tips for a destination wedding part 3 (Legalities)

August 24th, 2011

Well I hope you have been enjoying our tips for a destination wedding! Any questions don’t hesitate to comment but for now our focus this week is on legalities.

So when you decide that you’ll like a destination wedding its important to understand the legal requirements needed for that particular country. For example how many days do you need to be there before you can get married? Do you need to take a blood test? And what paperwork do you have to provide?

Tip: Always check with your destination’s embassy for the exact details or hire a wedding planner to sort out the details for you.

For more information on tips to the Caribbean specifically check out our frequently asked page http://www.pierrecarr.com/faqs.html

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Tips for a destination wedding Part 2 (Cost)

August 8th, 2011

With the average wedding in the UK costing £20,000, your money can go a lot further abroad depending on the exchange rate. So here are some tips to help you make savings.

Tip 1: Hotels have a number of offers. If you stay in the hotel for x number of nights you can get your wedding free or if your guests stay for at least 3 nights you can get your accommodation free. So check the possibilities at your chosen venue.

Tip 2: One of the obvious ways of saving on cost with a destination wedding is to combine the wedding and honeymoon.

Tip 3: Keep travel costs down by avoiding having your wedding during Christmas, Easter or school holidays as these are the most expensive times to travel.

Tip 4: If you want amazing flowers at your wedding to save on cost pick locally grown exotic blooms which will be far more reasonable in price rather than imported flowers such as roses, which can prove quite costly.

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