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How much does wedding photography cost – and other such quandaries

24/06/2015 by Karen

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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Chitter Chatter with Louise Beukes, wedding stylist and blogger

19/06/2015 by Karen

Louise-Beukes
Image: Anneli Marinovich

Chitter Chatter  is a  series I’m running all about  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 ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering  to  Louise Beukes, founder and editor of  B.LOVED, a place where she indulges and shares her passions for weddings, interiors, fashion, travel, family and beauty. Super talented Louise also creates trend-led editorial shoots for  Louise Beukes Styling. This women certainly knows her ‘pretty’!

What was your first job?

My very first job was an assistant in a garden centre — I’ve no idea why this appealed, I’m the least green fingered person you know!

Tell me more about your career before launching b.loved

I worked as a commercial designer in London for 10 years, designing high quality offices for some of the world’s biggest (and smallest!) brands.

What made you start  b.loved  ?

I fell in love with being inspired, so decided to do a little inspiring of my own!

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

I think it’s innate in every business owner — the desire to do and be better drives me on.

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

Leaving my day job was the biggest psychological barrier, it takes a while to get used to not having a regular income!

Louise Beukes
Images:  CKB Photography

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Rachel & Nikki | Jewish lesbian wedding with a nature-inspired theme, at Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland, USA

16/06/2015 by Karen

Jewish-lesbian-wedding
Rachel and Nikki put together a Jewish wedding full of warmth and love with a very personal vibe. Their day was all about sharing, loving and being together, and they designed their entire ceremony so that every part of it was intentional and meaningful.  It was based on a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, with adaptations for their progressive values and the fact that they were two women.

One element I particularly love is that their processional to the chuppah was led by Nikki’s and Rachel’s 97-year-old and 87-year-old (respectively) grandmothers walking hand in hand down the aisle. Apparently there wasn’t a dry eye in the room from that moment on.

Sustainability was also central theme of their big day. For the centrepieces they chose bamboo, orchids, bonsai trees and succulents planted in driftwood. Guests were able to take these home with them and Nikki and Rachel said how wonderful it has since been to visit family and friends after the wedding and see the plants in people’s homes.

Rachel and Nikki are here to tell you more about their special day, along with images from Michael Temchine.

Temple Emanuel wedding
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Chitter Chatter with Anna MacDougall, Wedding Planner and your ‘Go-to Girl’ for all things weddings

12/06/2015 by Karen

Anna-MacDougall
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 Anna MacDougall, the ‘Go-to Girl’ for all things weddings. Simply put, she plans, preps, and provides the sense of calm you need if planning your wedding day becomes a little stormy. She’s one of the UK’s best wedding co-ordinators and I’m proud to also call her a guest writer for Smashing The Glass.

Anna lives in a small and crumbling (former) Chapel in Buckinghamshire with her husband Calum, and two dogs, Barley and Rufus. She runs her business full time from home, where the doors are always open for visitors.

What was your first job?

I guess my very first job was helping out at my granddad’s apple orchard during harvest. My first ‘real’ job was with an advertising agency.

Tell me more about your career before launching Bride & Glory

I worked in marketing and events for a London agency, mainly in and around Formula One. Lucky me, that also meant living overseas for a while.

What made you start Bride & Glory?

The realisation that today, couples plan their own weddings but have no one to hand over to so they don’t have to project manage the day itself.

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

I can’t say this less cornily: the unwavering belief in the value my service offers and the sheer love I have for my job and my couples.

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

Launching and running my own business has been the scariest thing I’ve done but what I’ve learnt through it is literally priceless.

Anna Macdougall
Image: CP Photography

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

10/06/2015 by Karen

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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