Honeymoon destinations by month 4

Half way through the list of honeymoon destinations by month are July and August with locations to help you make the most of your summer.

July
South Pacific: Unwind on picture-postcard beaches while the rainfall is at its lowest.
Italy: Enjoy the fantastic Italian cuisine in the country's heartland of romance: Florence, Venice, Tuscany and the lakes.
Tanzania: Nature lovers will certainly enjoy the awesome zebra/wildebeest migration that happens now.

August
Seychelles: A devine scenery with white sands, marine parks and buried treasure for you to discover.
Vietnam: The climate and temperature are ideal for exploring cultural and natural delights.
Namibia: Come here to witness the highest concentration of wild animals in Etosha National Park.


Photo credits:
Fiji: Pacific travel guides
Tuscan cuisine: La Rogaia
Etosha National Park: Travel to Africa

Acknowledgements:
The recommendations and information presented are extracted from Brides Wedding Planner 2009. All rights reserved.

Vintage wedding decoration tip

I would like to share this little table arrangement as I think it is really delicate and pretty. And ... it can also be a great money-saving tip.

For a vintage look for your reception, why not use your granny's teacup collection to decorate the venue. It can help save at least for two reasons:

• you don't have to hire vases ... you already have the cups
  
• the flowers that can be used should be cheaper, as the stem required for the arrangements is short (one florist once told me that the longer the stem and the richer the bud, the more expensive the flower is)

This lovely arrangement was made by Buds and Bows in Worcester. I highly recommend them as they've helped me when I was let down by someone else when preparing for a wedding fayre.

Honeymoon destinations by month 3

Today we'll continue with a little bit spring and a little bit of summer: May and June. These two months can offer options for both luxury and nature lovers.

May
Mexico: The Yucatan Peninsula welcomes you with its hip resorts, white sandy beaches and Mayan ruins
Crete: Explore this beautiful Greek island amidst colourful spring flowers under a balmy weather.
Montana, USA: Stay on a ranch, go riding or camp out under the starts. Watch Hallmark's "Straight from the heart" for a glimpse of what awaits you.

June
Cote d'azur: Mix with the jet-set in St Tropez, then stargaze in Cannes and Monaco
Across Europe on the Orient Express: Revel in romance, luxury and great scenery.
Alaska: For the Northern Lights, getting back to nature and even going salmon fishing.

Photo credits:
Montana, USA: pixdaus.com
Orient Express: wunderground.com

Acknowledgements:
The recommendations and information presented are extracted from Brides Wedding Planner 2009. All rights reserved.

Sunflower-inspired wedding theme

This theme uses mainly yellow, green and brown as colours. And if you are out of season, you can successfully replace sunflowers with gerberas.

Honeymoon destinations by month 2

If you are planning for an early spring honeymoon, here is what Brides Wedding Planner recommend for March and April, our next two months in the series of post presenting honeymoon destinations by month.

March
Australia - The heat is moderate, allowing you to enjoy both the cities and the beaches
Southern Spain - March is carnival time here: flamenco and fiestas for a truly entertaining honeymoon.
Oman - This Middle Eastern gem has unspoilt beaches, friendly people and pleasant temperatures.

April
Southern Thailand - Take advantage of the dry season and bliss out on one of the islands
Costa Rica - Go eco-crazy in the many national parks for now it is not too wet
Botswana - For wonderful water-based safaris in the sunny Okavango DeltaPhoto credits
Flamenco: andalucia.com
Okavango Delta: okavango-delta-safaris.com

Acknowledgements:
The recommendations and information presented are extracted from Brides Wedding Planner 2009. All rights reserved.

"Orchids" on a budget

Orchids and any exotic flowers are much more expensive that any other flowers. But if you still want an exotic feel for your reception, why not use tulips instead? They are much cheaper and can still be brought from Holland.

I found this idea on mayra, a foreign lifestyle site and I thought it was really clever as it might work perfectly within a limited budget while still offering the wow factor ;)

All you have to do is buy some tulips and slightly turn towards the outside the petals, like in the picture below. You suddenly have "orchids" on a budget (chuckle)

Photo credits:
Mayra

Honeymoon destinations by month 1

Today we'll start a new series of posts. Theme: honeymoons :)
After all the excitement of the wedding day, you will want to spend some time relaxing somewhere you both dreamt of going. However, not only the location is important, the time you go there can make a difference.

Earlier this year, Brides Wedding Planner presented a list of honeymoon destinations by the month which was the most recommended to visit them. We'll start with January and February.

..............................................................................................................................................

January
Philippines' 7000 islands offer plenty of choice to find your dream beach
Morocco - Discover souk life and North African exoticism on a just-right-f0r-sightseeing weather
Sweden - Enjoy a winter wonderland, even stay at an ice hotel, if you so desire!

February
Maldives - The rainfall is at the lowest and with only one resort per island you will enjoy complete privacy
South Africa - The sunny and dry weather now offers the best safari opportunities
New Zealand - the great summer here is the best time to enjoy the great outdoors on North or South Island.

Photo credits:
Philippines: Asian travel guide
South Africa: african reptiles and venom
Sweden: Etsy

Acknowledgements:
The recommendations and information presented are extracted from Brides Wedding Planner 2009. All rights reserved.

How a wedding planner can help you - part 7

Hello and welcome to the last part of the series presenting the ways in which wedding planners can help you! Today we'll focus on what wedding planners are best known and … feared for: full wedding co-ordination.

Full wedding planning is the service by which the planner takes care of all the aspects involved in the organisation of the wedding according to the specifications of their clients. This consists of putting together all the little bits and pieces presented in the earlier posts:

• source suppliers, negotiate prices and keep regular contact with them, thus acting as a link between you and the suppliers you choose to hire

• help you choose a theme and create a design to decorate the venue

• be there on the wedding day to make sure everything is ok

• advise you on the best way to do a certain activity

• act as a reality check for all your ideas and plans

A good wedding planner will never take over your wedding. They should help you bring to reality the vision that YOU have for YOUR wedding day … after all it is your wedding day. And if you're not happy with the service they provide, well ... you are more than entitled to give up their services.

Not everyone needs a wedding planner. But if you're not sure you need one, do go and speak with some. Yes, some, not one!!!! If you really need one, then you must feel comfortable with them and the way they are. If they are going to plan your wedding, that will require in average keeping in contact for about 12 months! So you would like to hire someone you get along easily with :)

You can find wedding planners at wedding fayres, in published or online directories like The Wedding Planner or White Wedding Pages or have them recommended by someone who has already used their services ;)

***

All in all, for the past 7 weeks I tried to shortly present the types of services a wedding planner can offer. The list does not aim to be exhaustive ... but at least it can give you an insight into how you can benefit from these services.

Hope it is of help,

Alina :)

Frozen snowflakes column

This post is related to the recent one on winter weddings decoration ideas.
When I saw this swan column with frozen snowflakes from Ice Fantastic, I couldn't but think that would integrate perfectly with a winter wedding.


Basically, you can have almost anything frozen and for different purposes: table centre piece, candle holder or simple decoration item ... and not only for winter weddings.
Check out Ice Fantastic's product gallery for some more ideas.

Photo credits:
Ice Fantastic

How a wedding planner can help you - part 6

As announced last week, today we'll be looking into wedding day management.

Having exhibited at some wedding fayres and talked to brides-to-be, I have come to the (obvious!!!) conclusion that brides-to-be really want to be involved in every aspect of the organisation of their wedding. And there is nothing wrong with this, after all, it is your wedding!!!

However, your wedding day is just one day. It flies quicker than you think and you wouldn't want to miss it by worrying if the cake has arrived in time or the chair bows are all tied up. You and your groom should really spend it celebrating your love together with your dear ones.


This is exactly what a wedding day management service aims to do. You will meet the wedding planner more or less a month before the big day and hand over the contact details of all the suppliers you've hired. You will also talk about how you want the events to unfold and create a schedule for the day. Afterwards, the planner will:
- contact all the suppliers and inform them about the schedule
- keep constant communication with both you and the suppliers
- be present at the reception venue
- co-ordinate the decoration process
- co-ordinate all suppliers: making sure they arrive in time, have a designed area to do their job
... in a nutshel, make sure everything run smoothly, according to the plan (or troubleshoot any problems in case there are any).

So do you really need a wedding planner on your wedding day?
It's your personal choice ... but 78% of the brides having just come through their wedding had wished they had had professional help even if for the wedding day itself (national survey results cited on UKAWP's blog)

Photo credits:
Style me pretty