I heard the horror story of someone who did not write a gift list and ended up with 10 photo albums. Recently, a work colleague of my fiance gave us a £100 voucher at John Lewis. Whilst the gift was so thoughtful, when you have a voucher, you end up walking around in the shop hardly finding something you really want. 
So instead of noting down a gift list, my fiance and I will be asking for money. I know this is looked upon in horror and my fiance’s friend suggested …

I’ve been keeping note of what other people spend on their weddings as a good reference for how much I should budget for my wedding. Of course, some people priorities and spend more on one area than the other. For e.g. I cant imagine someone spending so little on wedding and engagement rings – these are items you wear for the rest of your life!
Anyways, here they are, maybe they would be useful if you could make an excel sheet where you plot what the average cost is and then …

Originally, I planned to do a slideshow at my wedding with photos of my fiance and I from our childhood up to present day. I have an absolutely adorable picture of my bridesmaid Linda and I from when we were 5 years old. Our venue has two screens in the hall where we will be married. However, I will be getting married at the front of the hall and the screens are at the back. Also, the guests will be ushered into the hall so will not have time to …

Here is a list of wedding songs that you could play for your wedding. I listened to them all on youtube and have pasted the address for your hearing pleasure:

Crazy Little thing called love – Michael Bubble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xrlONMEpM&feature=related
 
Stuck on you – Lionel Ritchie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G392kLoGyaU
 
Your song – Elton John

 
It had to be you – Harry Connick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToiL_ryumBY
 
Can’t take my eyes off you – Andy Williams

 
Golden Touch – Razor Light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdA5IcjWcIs
 
Straighten Up and Fly Right – Robin Williams

 
Everlasting love – Jaime Cullum

 
Something Stupid – Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BdiAQmEaf0
 
Build me up Buttercup – yes the one …

Not sure how much you can really save but here they are. I would advise others to not over do some of the ideas because you just look really tacky and cheap:

 
Buy the plain white iced cakes from Marks &Spencer or similar and decorate with fresh flowers
 
Buy bridesmaids dresses from ebay or Monsoon/Coast in the sales
 
Rope your friends and family with any skills in to help – decorating rooms, floristry, neat handwriting for invitations and name places, musicians, people with nice cars to drive you, people with big gardens, photographers, …

BEFORE THE CEREMONY
1. Wedding dress hanging
2. Bride’s shoes
3. Bride’s bonquet
4. Bride getting hair and make up done.
5. Bride in wedding dress.
6. Bride with bridesmaids
7. Bride with mother / father/ parents
8. Bride getting into car
9. Groom getting ready
10. Groom with best man
11. Groom with ushers and bridesmaids
 
AT CEREMONY
1. Guests outside the venue, registering
2. Groom and best man outside venue
3. Ushers escorting guests
4. Music
5. Bride arriving
6. Bride and father walking down aisle
7. Bride and Groom hug/kiss the father
8. Bride and groom exchanging vow
9. Ring exchange
10. Signing register
11. Bride and groom walking up …

So I found these questions on a wedding forum that a professional photographer himself had written. Hope this helps!
 
1. Before you even look at a photographer set your budget, if you can only afford £200 for a photographer, you can only afford £200. Don’t you cutting back on other things as you have found a £1000 photographer otherwise you will be holding your wedding breakfast in MacDonald’s as that will be all that is left in the wedding fund.
2. Once you have your budget, STICK to it, don’t be frightened …

At my engagement party, I had the emcee of the event read out Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 which I love. I thought about incorporating it into my wedding, perhaps as a reading or even in my invitation. I saw an invitation where they had a poem in between the lines of the invitation. Like this one: 

Anyways, the poem is: 
 
 
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on …

Its been almost a month since my engagement party and as I was chatting to my friends, I realised I learnt so many tips that can prove useful for my wedding day. I know some of my comments may be a tad too bridezilla-esque but Im hoping that you can avoid my embarrassing mistakes:
1. Eat before the ceremony. My fiance and I were the last to eat at the engagement party as we had to meet and greet everyone. We hardly got to eat anything because we wanted to speak …

An alternative to the boozing Hen’s night, how about high tea? 
 
Here are a list of Hotels, what they offer and most importantly, the price:
 
1 Afternoon De-Light: organic, low-fat and health-conscious
Where: The Metropolitan Hotel, Mayfair
How much: £24. Eco-tinis and mock-tinis extra
 
2 Mens’ Afternoon Tea: more meaty, savoury selections aimed at men
Where: The Mandeville Hotel, Marylebone
How much: £22.50; wiskey option £30
 

 
3 Brunello Chocolate Afternoon Tea: chocoholics dream
Where: Baglioni Hotel, Kensington
How much: £28; £36 with glass of champagne
To book: 020 7368 5700
 
4 Laduree Afternoon Tea: famous French macaroons and patisseries
Where: The Athenaeum Hotel, Picadilly
How much: £40 including a glass of Laduree rose champagne
 
5 Afternoon Beats: sip tea …