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How to find your ideal wedding venue

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find-your-wedding-venue
Finding a wedding venue is, I’m guessing,  right at the top  of your to-do list (as well as finding a  phenomenal dress of course!)  Aleisha McCormack,  author of the wedding planning guide Smart Wedding, and host of the Save The Date wedding podcast, is here  to tell you how to find and secure your ideal wedding venue  in a stress-free, easy-peasy and super-productive  way.

The ‘Perfect’ Wedding Venue doesn’t exist…

Your idea of a ‘perfect’ wedding venue (if there is such a thing) is, most likely, vastly different to mine. I’d say besides deciding that the person that you are marrying is ‘the one’, your wedding venue is the biggest choice that you will make when it comes to wedding planning… a big decision in which many smaller decisions rely and revolve around…so no pressure then!

Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, some fabulous new specialty apps and lateral thinking, the search for the venue that fits you is super easy.

Oval Space
Image: Oval Space wedding venue, London

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How much does wedding photography cost – and other such quandaries

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how-much-does-wedding-photography-cost
Image: John Nassari

After several requests from readers for such a piece, I asked the wonderful Anna MacDougall from Bride & Glory to educate us all about indicative pricing for each aspect of your wedding to give you an idea of what to expect budget-wise whilst you’re in the planning stages. I know it ranges hugely but for example, many new brides-to-be have no idea if a professional photographer costs £50 or £5000! 

Anna has put together this really helpful (and very readable!) post on pricing and why services/products cost what they do. She covers every aspect from photography to videography to the ceremony, the venue, catering, transport, wedding cake, hair + make up and more. Over to the lovely Anna…

And today, my Ducks, I shall talk to you about all things wedding budgeting — albeit not in my usual capacity of stressing the importance of setting, prioritising and (mostly) sticking to a budget. Instead, I’m venturing into the rather treacle-y and controversial terrain of trying to provide guide prices for some of the most common wedding suppliers you’ll be ticking off as you move through your wedding to-do list.

The reason why this is such a tricksy and much debated topic is the fact that it is the proverbial example of the ‘how long is a piece of string’ question. You’ll probably have seen a plethora of price guides in wedding magazines and, at the risk of alienating all editors collectively now, you’ll find that a lot of us wedding suppliers aren’t the biggest fans of their breakdowns. Not always but pretty often, they paint an unrealistic picture of average costs to expect, which leaves both you and the supplier feeling frustrated.

I honestly believe that there is no such thing as a representative ‘average cost’. Last year, I worked with one couple who spent £12,000 on their wedding day and another who spent £97,000. They both had the same main elements: ceremony, venue, catering, photographer, hair & make-up artists, florist, cake, DJ, transport — they were just very different in style and cost. Do you see why an average price is about as hard to find as a unicorn?

So rather than average costs, I’ll look at realistic starting points for professional services, and there’s a reason why I emphasise the word professional (and twice, no less).

How much does wedding photography cost
Image: Babb Photo taken from Missy & Yoni’s wedding

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5 details to make your wedding totally ‘YOU’… without breaking the bank

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wedding-DIY-ideas
This is a guest post by  Aleisha McCormack

I Love (with a capital L) seeing all the ways couples can truly express themselves with crafty wedding details (and usually a bit of a sense of humour).

All of the following projects are simple to produce…no glue gun required and are fairly inexpensive…saying that, you can go to town with anything, so if your budget is high, attach diamonds to everything, or use nicer card.

 1.  Ask your guests to send in  their favourite party anthems on their RSVP cards

This is a 2 for 1 tip. If you aren’t having a DJ or band then this request helps you compile a song list that guarantees that everyone coming to your wedding will have a tune that will get them up out of their seats and grooving. The old will be happy because one of their songs might get a look in and you aren’t having to come up with a list (if that isn’t your bag).

DIY wedding ideas
Free printable and image: United With Love

2.  Use free  printables

There are some wonderful free printables going around on the interwebs that are editable and super fun. One idea that I really have been digging is the quirky FAQ and fact lists about the couple that are being put on the back of menus and ceremony programs. This may sound pretentious but done in the right way, it can be a lot of fun, particularly if you reveal some little titbits about yourselves that even close friends might not know. Cheryl has 469 teaspoons from around the world. Michael has seen Ace of Bass in concert 6 times. OK, Cheryl and Michael are losers but you get the picture.

DIY wedding ideas
Image: Etsy

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Chitter Chatter with Nova Reid, editor and founder of Nu Bride

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Nova-Reid
Image:  David H Photography

With  the latest addition to our family there’ll be a few subtle changes to the schedule of the blog for the coming weeks  while I’m adjusting to life with our new baby.

I’ll still be posting the very coolest  real Jewish weddings  every week, but  there’ll also be  a brand new feature running where I interview all sorts of inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and in a lot of cases, raising a young family.

The series is called Chitter Chatter and the twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering to the super  amazing  Nova Reid of  Nu Bride. Nova is very special to me – we are BBFs (Best Blogging Friends) and I was literally beaming  with pride when she won her  Wedding Blog Award last year for recognition of her  work to inspire and encourage a more visually inclusive UK wedding industry.

Nu Bride, often described as more than just a wedding blog, was launched in 2012 during Nova’s own wedding planning  and  is a beautifully curated resource that  is informative and inclusive, whilst offering advice and guidance for the modern bride. She lives in London with her husband, David.

What was your first job?

Retail Assistant at Dolcis shoes. Paid £2.40 an hour. (See, I always had a thing for shoes!)

Tell me more about your career before launching Nu Bride

Busy, varied and eclectic! From professional singer and actress to a holistic therapist

What made you start Nu Bride ?

Inspired by my own wedding planning and the lack of inspiration for women who looked like me in wedding magazines.

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Chitter Chatter with Aleisha McCormack, founder and hostess of the Save The Date Wedding Podcast

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Aleisha McCormack
Image:  Louisa Bailey Photography

With  the latest addition to our family there’ll be a few subtle changes to the schedule of the blog for the coming weeks  while I’m adjusting to life with our new baby.

I’ll still be posting the very coolest  real Jewish weddings  every week, but  there’ll also be  a brand new feature running where I interview all sorts of inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and in a lot of cases, raising a young family.

The series is called Chitter Chatter and the twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering  with Aleisha McCormack, the brains and voice  behind the  Save the Date Wedding Podcast. I’ve been lucky enough to be a guest on Aleisha’s podcasts twice and you can hear the episodes here and here!

Aleisha has travelled the globe interviewing fascinating people including Richard Branson, Spice Girls and Prime Ministers, and with over a decade of experience on radio, screen and stage under her belt, Aleisha brings wit and game to the world of podcasting. Her hit wedding planning book Smart Wedding  will have a second print run in 2015. She  lives in London with her husband, Rich.

What was your first job?

I was 16 and selling home wares. I didn’t have a clue. I got really creative when it came to making stuff up at about crockery, if Wedgwood knew what I was promising their customers…

Tell me more about your career before launching the Save The Date podcast

How long have you got?! Lot’s of TV work both on camera and off, writing for panel shows and stand up comedy. The podcast is a perfect mesh of all of my skills.

What made you start  the Save The Date podcast?

I wrote a book  Smart Wedding  and after doing some promo for it, I realised just how much I love talking to people about weddings. I love listening to podcasts so it felt like it was meant to be.

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