Something Totally Unique - For Meat Lovers!

Looking for something totally unique? Are you a family of meat lovers? Then look no further! The Ginger Pig will make you a three tier Pork Pie Wedding Cake!! Handmade by Les the baker at Grange Farm, he will work with you to create a Pork Pie Wedding Cake perfect for your special day.

The amazing Pork Pie Wedding Cakes are made up of three individually hand made layered pork pie cakes (Small – 7”, Medium – 10” and Large – 13”). Layered with rare breed pork and your choice of filling (think... smoked ham, chicken, game or venison) it will then be layered with your chosen herbs and fruits (think... apricots, red currents, cranberries or sun dried tomatoes). Your Pork Pie Cake can be decorated with hand made pastry flowers and hearts, pastry lettering, names, dates... what ever takes your fancy.  I think they look absolutely delicious!! Prices start from £325.

Wedding Shows

Feeling like you need some Wedding inspiration? Need some more ideas to pull it all together? Or just fancy a fun day out with your bridesmaids?  Your luck is in! The Wedding fair season is fast approaching (how on earth is it August already?!). There are so many fairs to choose from – just take a look online for ones near you.  I thought I would share with you some of the fairs that we are hoping to attend this year, and perhaps we will see some of you there... 

The National Wedding Show

Running in both London (28^th to 30^thSeptember 2012) and Birmingham (5^th to 7^th October 2012) The National Wedding Show houses over 250 exhibitors offering thousands of inspirational ideas for your big day whatever you’re looking for. From wedding gowns to wedding cars, venues to menus, gifts to grooms wear, you’re guaranteed to find exactly what you’re looking for whatever your budget and style! The beauty of it is that you can see, touch, taste and try on before you buy making the planning of your big day simple. Tickets are available herefrom £13.50.

The Designer Wedding Show

 Set in Battersea Park on 12-14^th October 2012 The Designer Wedding Show promises to bring together both high-profile designers and less well-known names. Presenting a collection of 130 companies offering everything for stylish weddings.  Including bridal fashion, stationery, millinery, menswear, bridesmaidsfashion, shoes, jewellery, fashion for the mother of the bride, photography, cakes,  venues, gift lists and flowers. Tickets are available herefrom £16.

The In Wedding Show

 The In Wedding Show on Sunday 9^th September is designed to help any bride (and groom) plan and prepare for their big day. The whole purpose of the show is to bring together a selection of companies, services and products for your special day all under one roof.  You can try cake samples, look at venue options, source wedding invitations, organise your wedding gift list, find the perfect floral arrangements speak to professional photographers. There is even a ‘grooms wear’ area to keep the leading man in your life happy! Tickets are a real bargain for this event, available herefrom £3.50.

The Luxury Wedding Show

 Taking place at Somerset House from 20^th to 21^st October 2012 the Luxury Wedding Show London promises to bring the UK’s most influential names in the wedding industry together.  From accessories, bridal wear, cakes, caterers, cosmetics, favours, flowers, gift list, honeymoon destinations, jewellery, lingerie, menswear, music and entertainment, occasion wear, photographers, shoes, stationery, tiaras, venues, venue stylists, videographers and wedding planners. Tickets are a tad expensive for this event, available here from £50, however they do offer an ‘early bird' discount offer if you get in quick!

Our First ‘Real life wedding’ – PART 2:

The Cake...

Made by my amazing Mum! I was so busy with other events work at the time of my own wedding that my Mum organised most of my wedding – she did all of the flowers and decorations, made and decorated the cake, liaised with all of the suppliers... she did such a fantastic job.

Personal touches to the day...

Areas for our guests to relax in were very important to us.

Jagermeister was a key feature of our wedding as it is my husband’s absolute favourite drink along with the best men (he had FIVE!) who requested their toasts to be made with Jagermeister instead of Champagne!

Sky lanterns were great (available at SkyLanterns) they created such a magical effect as they floated into the distance and the guests had great fun lighting them.

 Each guest’s placement card was attached to a lolly. This was designed, made and assembled by my lovely sister-in-law.

We had a ‘big hats and no black’ dress code for the ladies (as the bridesmaids were in black!) so the hat line was a great way to avoid squashed hats at the end of the evening and looked great in the marquee.

 I highly recommend having a photo booth at your Wedding. You get the most hilarious photos of all of your friends. This is the most tame photograph that I could find!

 My special guest! I even forgave him when he jumped on my dress!

 

The Bride's Top Tips:
1.  Invest in an amazing Wedding Photographer, who's work you love. A friend did my photographs and whilst he is a great photographer you really do need to have a lot of wedding experience to get those really treasured shots.  You keep your photographs forever, so it is worth splashing out on this aspect. It is also worth asking the photographer, before you confirm the booking, if they will give you a disk of all of the high resolution images to keep.
2. Test drive your shoes before the big day!
3. Have a Wedding Planner, or if the budget won't stretch ask a friend (or bridesmaid) to take control on your wedding day. I didn't do this and a lot fell onto my Mum's shoulders for the big day.

 Cake - made by my mum! / Photographer - William Sharp / Flowers - By my Mum! / Wedding Dress - Martin Charles / Bridesmaid Dresses - Karen Millen / Shoes - Marc Jacobs / Make up - FleurDeForce / Hair - Hensmans / Jewellery - vintage

Sweet Treats

Everyone loves a sweet treat at a wedding, utterly delicious and a great way to add some colour.  Chocolate Buttons is a company I use a lot for events. They have a great variety of sweets and chocolates on their website and provide a fantastic service. 

From their tasty selection...

Traditional sugared almonds are great if you are filling boxes or bags to make your own wedding favours.

I also love these colourful Jelly Belly lollies, you can chose the perfect flavour to match with your colour scheme and they look great in large glass vases or in jars on the bar.

Or if you are feeling a little naughty, the trick ‘mouth painting’ lollies in the shape of a heart are bound to cause a stir! You wouldn’t need to worry about finding a ‘something blue’ if all of your guest's mouths were!

Chocolate Buttons are also a fantastic one-stop-shop if you are making your own sweetie table for your wedding day.

                                                                                   Image from www.theknot.com

Tricycle Treats!

When the guests have been on their feet for hours and need a boost to carry on the dancing, what better way to give them a lift than an ‘Espresso Tricycle’... Quirky and fun, this gives a new and inspired twist to your wedding.

Supplied by IdeasBoxUK they can also provide funky trikes serving ice cream, crepes, candyfloss, popcorn or snow cones! A great accessory for a ‘colourful wedding’ and such fun for your guests! 

Also consider personalising the cups, boxes or packaging served to your guests for an added personal touch.