~~~*Wedding Thread*~~~

[muppetmummy]

Has anyone else noticed the price of wedding rings have gone through the roof since the credit crunch?
Having been engaged for almost 5 years I've spent years looking at rings and recently the prices have gone mad!

I want an 18ct gold two tone yellow and white gold ring and you could pick them up for around £100 a few months ago.
Now £100 will only get you 9ct gold! How rubbish

Where is everyone else getting/or got their ring? Who are the best pricewise?

I got my engagement ring from Ernest Jones but I doubt I could afford a decent ring from there now!

 

[abcd1234]

We bought ours from bay rings online, ours are platinum and it was by far the cheapest place, dunno what it's like for gold though but prob worth a look.

 

[muppetmummy]

Thanks Clare! That site is a lot cheaper than I've seen and they have some lovely two tone rings

My progress so far...

My jobs for this month are...

*liase with the hotel and registrar and come up with a time for the wedding-DONE
*get invites printed
*Print honeymoon money poem to send with invites
*ask hotel for accommodation flyers to put in with invites-DONE
*bought tiara & garter-DONE
*print maps to put in with invites
*send out invites
*select my vows and readings for ceremony-DONE
*choose colour scheme-DONE(Purple & Ivory)

which leaves in no particular order....

*get my dress altered and dry cleaned
*hire kilts for Neill, my boys and best man
*buy shoes and hopefully borrow MILs veil
*buy naughty wedding underwear
*buy rings
*cake
*evening entertainment
*hair and make up?
*honeymoon?
*organise my flowers (silk bouquet from ebay)
*table decorations (helium balloons weighed with organza bags of sweets)
*favours? (might not bother with them)
*choose menu for wedding breakfast & wine for tables/drink for toast
*table plan
*put in notice to marry 3 months before?
*meet with registrar to discuss ceremony
*choose music
*speeches
*Neill choose his vows

 

[bhe101]

My ring was another ebay bargain! Its sterling silver, Im really bad with losing pieces of jewellery so didnt want anything too fancy or expensive.

 

[poppy160]

Wow, MM! That's a mighty long list of jobs you have, seems like you're on top of it all though! Not long to go now!

As for me, feeling very deflated and stressed at the moment We went to look at a reception venue yesterday with high hopes. We'd heard really good things about it so we were looking forward to it. So, we got there, the manager seemed okay, he showed us down to the reception area which looked good IMO, we were happy until he said 'To be honest, this room is quite big and holds up to 120 people, so 50 guests would look very lost in here.' Which, in all fairness, was true So he took us back up to the reception and told us we could use the restaurant instead which we liked better, but there would be nowhere for dancing or anything. He asked us what time the ceremony would be, so we told him 2:30, we'd be at the hotel for around 4pm. He said he didn't want to shut his restaurant down for all that time..basically he had nothing positive to say.

My Mum said he may have been reluctant because we've only got a small party, and with it being a Saturday in the middle of Summer he may have been holding out for a bigger affair. Even so, just because we want something small it doesn't mean we're not entitled so the same amount of customer service as everyone else.

Oh well! We have 2 more venues to visit tomorrow so fingers crossed. The thing is, we decided to plan the wedding like, 2 weeks ago and want to do it this summer. The chances of booking a venue we love on the dates we want are slim..yet we don't want to settle for second best. In all honesty, do you think we're being unrealistic?

 

[muppetmummy]

I think your mum might be right poppy. There was no need for the manager to be so negative though, I hope the next venue you see is better

We're having our wedding on a Sunday because on a saturday you need a minimum of 70 adult guests (I think 120 is max), and we're thinking of nearer to 50.
On the sunday you only need a minimum of 30 and they throw in a piper, arrival drinks and top table flowers for no extra charge. It means paying more for the registrar though.
The room we're having our reception in is really big and we will be lost in there, but luckily they have a curtain they can pull accross so you only use half the room and it looks more cosy. Also means the kids can run riot on the other side of the curtain out of the way

I've found a ring I like....

http://www.bandsoflove.co.uk/p3796-18ct-gold-tc1-6.aspx

Won't be getting my ring till last thing though as I've got a lot of weight to lose!

 

[muppetmummy]

We went to the inlaws today and ended up talking about my fave subject....the wedding!

MIL and FIL to be don't think the poem about giving us money for a honeymoon would go down well with their side of the family so have suggested we either ask for gift vouchers, or don't say anything at all in the hope people will ask us what we want. They are going to have a think about how we can get honeymoon money without offending anyone and ending up with 10 toasters!

My sister has said she won't be coming to the wedding as my niece is due to have her 2nd baby a week after the wedding, and so my second niece won't be coming either (they live down in Devon).
This leaves me in a pickle about bridesmaids. Originally I wasn't gonna have any bridesmaids at all but OH and the inlaws aren't happy about that and say I need someone. I would have asked my sister or nieces but obviously they are not coming.
My best friend who is the only other person I would ask will be 8 and a half months pregnant at the time of the wedding, and she is also nearly 6ft tall while I am 5ft 1!!!! Would look odd and be too tiring for her.
Can't think of anyone else I would want for a bridesmaid. I'm really not bothered about having one myself but everyone else thinks I should I just see it as extra hassle, another dress to buy, another present.

The inlaws point is that Neill will have his best man and it will be odd if I don't have someone. The way I see it is after the ceremony Neill and me will be together all evening and his best man (his brother) will be spending time with his own fiancee.

Still haven't a clue what music I'm gonna walk down the aisle to, or if we'll have a first dance, and if we do what music we'll have for that

 

[Tadpole]

HELP!!

I've got myself all of a dither over the bridesmaid's dresses. Can you help me choose.

So you can compare to see what they have to go with - this is my dress

this is my maid of honour's dress

and these are the little bridesmaid dresses I ahve seen but can't decide between...

lilac

or ivory

I REALLY like the lilac one - but am not sure if it will go with the MoH dress. But as she is my age and the little ones are 6 & 9 I am not sure. I have over-thought the whole thing now...

 

[Tadpole]

MM - I love talking about the wedding as well. Not sure everyone else does though

I think a bridesmaid would be useful as don't they hold your bouquet when you are saying your vows?

I had the opposite problem btw - ALL my friends and Mike's friends have little girls and I had to be quite firm or I would have ended up with 15 bridemaids. SO I have my best friend as MoH and her 2 girls & Mike's niece as flower girls. And am having a stress with their dresses. (see above).

I have decided on the music to go down/come back up the aisle but we can't think of a first dance song. People keep asking if we have an 'our song' - which we do but you can't really slow dance to Stone Roses. Or Chili Peppers.

I have a wedding brochure from the church which gives some suggestions on music, if you want I can post them? Or are you having a civil ceremony? I can't remember now as my brain is a bit fried due to planning this, a house move and dealing with a poorly munchkin all week.

On the plus side, my dad's girlfriend is going to drive me there in her very nice, brand new beemer which save money on the car.

 

[muppetmummy]

I love all the dresses you've chosen I prefer the lilac for the bridesmaids myself.

I'm having a civil ceremony, and like you all the songs me and OH would consider 'our songs' are either rock or dance and not very appropriate for a wedding!

I think the plan atm is either the best man or FIL will drive me and my mum to the hotel and I will get changed into my dress there. Saves having to worry about wedding cars, its not like anyone is gonna see me arrive anyway!

 

[Suzie and Faith]

We had our first dance to lonestar - amazed. It wasn't our song as such until we chose it for the wedding. The words just said everything we wanted to.

We had some classy hymns at our wedding (church) we had:

Morning has broken
All things bright and beautiful
O Little town of Bethlehem

-they were all songs that meant something to us xx

 

[abcd1234]

OMG jsut wrote out a HUGE post and it got deleted!!!

MM it was mainly in response to your q, the basic point was i havnt a clue what music either, i'm having ava maria as guests enter the church as most will arrive together via our bus service. And you dont need bridesmaids if you dont want them, our bridesmaid dresses are costing £155 each, plus more for fitting, plus i've gotta buy shoes, and the head bands for their hair cost nearly £10 each, PLUS tally's dress was £40 and she'll need shoes, and they'll all need flowers of some kind, they cost more then me to dress!!!!

Tadpole i prefer the lilac, dont know if it's just the pic but your dress looks quite white and the ivory looks very ivory, i'm not sure the plain ivory would go well with it (then again Tally's dress matches mine perfectly in colour yet online it looks very white so may jsut be piccies)

this is her dress, i love it, i really wanted a baby dress for her rather then a little girl one, i was going to put a ribbon around it to match the other bridemaids but i think i'll leave it, she may well end up standing with us as we get married anyway so she'll match mummy

thought i would add, we got it from debenhams online, OH used some discount codes so it was meant to be £45 plus £5 postage and packageing but i got it for £38, if anyone's buying stuff off their i'll see if i can find the codes again and post them so you can use them too.

 

[bumblebee87]

hi everyone!!!! me and OH are getting married on 27th june!!! eeekkk

its going to be very small, registry office, then a BBQ garden party reception!!

 

[poppy160]

Hey Bumblebee congrats on setting the date!

My gosh you've all been so busy!

I haven't posted in here for a while, my planning ground to a halt! The good news is we've put the deposit down an our venue! We're so lucky, it's a gorgeous country hotel with beautiful interior and grounds and really friendly staff. The price is good too! I'm really excited! At the moment I'm just taking a step back for a while, it's a huge thing..It means I definately have to get married now It's definately for real!

I'm going to have to tell my best friend however, that her being a bridesmaid is for the best I'm gutted, she's pregnant with her first baby at the moment and is due mid July..Our wedding is on August 1st. If she does give birth earlier or on her due date, she may not feel up to the job..I know I wouldn't have. If she goes overdue she won't be able to attend at all (She lives in Hove, I live in Devon). Also, I can't afford to shell out for a bridesmaids dress which may not get used (That sound so selfish ) I'm totally at a loss

 

[suzie1011]

im starting to get abit fed up of wedding plans...ok im lying...im getting fed up of money for the wedding plans and actually considered a registry office with 2 witnesses and jeans and t-shirt today. kind of romantic in a way.
i do want a big white wedding, but most importantly i want a marriage. Robyn wont move the wedding forward to december 08...and he's probably got a point, im just getting impatient! lol

i've put Rob in charge of our wedding song (to which he replied "baby got back??!!") he said about Bryan Adams-everything i do. Our song is Warmness on the Soul by Avenged Sevenfold (but not really what our singer would sing). I quite like Shania Twain- from this moment. we danced to that at a party last saturday and it felt really romantic. Our friend's first dance was to Take that- Rule the world. it was very sweet.

 

[lisaspoon]

Well I have made progress!!

Have provisionally held two dates in October next year, at different venues, until we decide! Took my mum to both today and she loved the one that I really like

and...the date we have booked for the venue I like the band we really want are also free on that date! wooooo! all falling into place!

looks like everyone else's plans are coming along nicely too!

 

[Loola]

I am fully in the wedding spirit now, only 6 months to go!

I finished making my invitations last night, and they are very chic even if I do say so myself.

I have my shoes, my birdcage veil, my fascinator, a wishing well (to give donations towards my honeymoon if guests wish to as Im not having a gift list). I have bought 200 feathers to decorate my tables with.

And I have made this! Its my inspiration board for my wedding, as you can see I have a vintage 1920's theme, in gold and pearl I loved making mine! You should do them too ladies!

 

[muppetmummy]

I love your inspiration board Loola Your dress and head dresses are georgous!

Sarah...your hairdresser sounds fab I don't know what I'm gonna do about my hair as my weddings on a sunday. I guess it would be better to have a mobile hairdresser come to the house

I've ordered my invites, they should be here next week

 

[muppetmummy]

My progress so far...

My jobs for this month are...

*liase with the hotel and registrar and come up with a time for the wedding-DONE
*get invites printed-DONE
*ask hotel for accommodation flyers to put in with invites-DONE
*bought tiara & garter-DONE
*send out invites-DONE
*select my vows and readings for ceremony-DONE
*choose colour scheme-DONE(Purple & Ivory)

which leaves in no particular order....

*get my dress altered and dry cleaned
*hire kilts for Neill, my boys and best man
*buy shoes and hopefully borrow MILs veil
*buy naughty wedding underwear
*buy rings
*cake
*evening entertainment
*hair and make up?
*honeymoon?
*organise my flowers (silk bouquet from ebay)
*table decorations (helium balloons weighed with organza bags of sweets)
*favours? (might not bother with them)
*choose menu for wedding breakfast & wine for tables/drink for toast
*table plan
*put in notice to marry 3 months before?
*meet with registrar to discuss ceremony
*choose music
*speeches
*Neill choose his vows

 

[Bee]

God I completely forgot about the lack of hairdressers on a sunday

We've made some more progress too. Booked a photographer and sorted out some cars to get pictures with