Hopefully, you're at least starting to think about taking a break from your wedding planning over the next few weeks to concentrate on other things like catching up with friends and family, parties, shopping, Christmas dinner, festive breaks etc.

If you think you will find it hard to switch off and you actually hear yourself saying, “I just want our wedding to be better than everyone else's so I can't possibly take a break now” here's a thought.

Every guest that comes to your wedding will spend an average of nearly £400 to attend (Credit Action Survey 2008).

They've agreed to come because they want to see two people they care about tie the knot (let's assume they're not just coming for the free meal!).

Don't you think you owe it to them to ensure you use your personalities rather than your bank balance to make your day one to remember?

Your guests will thank you for it and you'll be glad you did it when you're celebrating your one month wedding anniversary in style rather than sobbing over your credit card bill and another conversation that starts, “So remind me why we spent £1000 on a 10 minute fireworks display and now can't pay the mortgage?”.

Until next time,

Labels: budget, tips

I'm a big fan of finding ways to personalise your wedding celebration that are not only simple and stylish but that won't break the bank.
That's why I love the idea of using seasonal fruit - anything from oranges and lemons (with a small slice taken off the bottom so they sit still on the table!) to pomegranates and pears, even cherries with their stalks attached will work.

Yes, it may take a little bit of time and yes, you'll need someone you trust to set them up no sooner than a day or two before the wedding but the reward will be knowing that you have created something a bit special, your guests will appreciate the time and effort you have gone to, and you will have saved money on pointless favours that you can then choose to spend on something more important to you.

And what's not to love about that!

Until next time, happy planning,

Labels: budget, decoration, style, tips

TIP 8

Our advice to every couple planning a wedding, regardless of the time of year, is prioritise, prioritise, prioritise.

Delegate as much as possible to people you trust (and then leave them to it) and, perhaps most importantly, use your personalities not your bank account to make your day unique.

Until next time,

Labels: budget, style, tips

TIP 3

If you're really worried about rain, invest in some plain white golf umbrellas. We always have them on hand for every wedding and use them more often as sun shades than we do for rain so I think they're a good luck charm!

Until tomorrow's tip,

Labels: budget, style, tips

TIP 2

Always use seasonal flowers wherever possible to keep costs down. Or, don't use flowers at all, especially if you're getting married between Christmas and New Year when the flower markets are closed. Instead think candles, fairy lights and winter greenery - simple and visually stunning.

Until tomorrow's tip,

Labels: budget, decoration, florist, style, tips, venue

Hello and welcome to Wedding Tip Wednesday. This week I'm covering a topic very close to my heart - stationery.

Yes, my name is Tammy and I am a stationery addict! That said, I've learned to control my habit and am happy to pass on some tips that will help you to stay stylish, simple and within budget with your wedding stationery...




Until next time, happy planning!

Labels: budget, stationery, style, tips, wedding-tip-video

The easy answer to this question is no... There really is no need to spend a small fortune on professionally printed orders of service unless it's something you have identified as being very important to you.

There is, however, something to be said for letting your guests know what is going to happen and when on your wedding day. People tend to relax more quickly and pace themselves more effectively when they know what's to come.

A simple note either handed out by ushers or emailed to guests a few days before the wedding is ideal, and not too time-consuming. The added bonus is that you will both relax knowing that you're surrounded by relaxed, happy guests who aren't worrying about what time they're going to be eating and whether they've got enough time to get another drink before the speeches start.

If you do have a bit of time and are feeling creative, there are lots of ways to create programmes that can double up as attractive favours - favours that serve a purpose rather than just cluttering up the dinner tables!

It might be the end of October but allow me to transport you to a hot, sunny summer's day for a moment...

Imagine having printed your programme of events onto fan-shaped templates that offer guests not only an insight into proceedings but a much-needed respite from the heat (see Martha Stewart Weddings for more ideas).


Until next time,

Labels: budget, decoration, stationery, style, tips

Whilst I absolutely love to see what appears on the bridal catwalk I am a firm believer in 'style over fashion' every time. Remembering that you will, hopefully, be seeing your wedding photos on the mantelpiece for many years to come, should provide you with the reality check you need to steer clear of overtly fashionable gowns!

Finding a dress that you love, that suits you and makes you feel like a million dollars, is what is most important. All reasons why we suggest at least one trip to try on dresses on your own...

Occasionally a trend emerges that we think perfectly combines style with practicality and these are the trends that are easy to embrace. For 2010 jackets and boleros are on trend and can be used to fabulous effect by the bride looking for a simple way to transform her outfit between ceremony and reception, without the expense of a complete change of outfit.

Check out Martha Stewart's catwalk video to see a good selection of the styles on offer and don't be afraid to step away from the bridal market in order to find your ideal cover-up. I promise you that your budget will thank you for this!

High Street stores that specialise in party wear are a good place to look - think Coast and Monsoon for your first stops and hunt out smaller boutiques that stock unusual brands. If you can find something that you know you will definitely wear again, even better!

Until next time,

Labels: budget, fashion, style

As marquees become more and more sophisticated (not to mention expensive!) there are fewer reasons to think of them as exclusively for sunny summer days.

Some of our favourite weddings have been inside toasty marquees in the depths of winter and there are a few things we have learnt along the way that we thought we should share with you now. If it means that one person has one less sleepless night as a result of reading this then we'll be very happy!

TIP 1 - Make sure someone other than the couple getting married know how to use the heaters in the marquee and is prepared to take responsibility for them. It's a good job for an usher but they will need to be alert as the heaters can take a little while to warm up so they might have to go on earlier than you think!

TIP 2 - Why not buy up cheap 'pashmina' scarves in an array of colours and either use them as favours (wrapping them around the backs of the chairs will look fab AND keep the ladies warm!) or leave them near the entrance to the marquee in a big wicker basket with a note inviting guests to help themselves.

TIP 3 - Speak to your marquee company about providing - and laying - rush matting walkways outside the marquee. Not only will it save peoples shoes from the mud but it may end up saving you money as there will be less likelihood of damage to the marquee flooring.

Until next time,

Labels: budget, decoration, marquee, tips, venue

TIP 6

When it comes to bridesmaid gifts, remember that you shouldn't feel obliged to spend a fortune but a token of your appreciation for their support is always a good idea.

This may be a handwritten, heartfelt card or you may have the budget to buy a gift too. A piece of jewellery for them to wear on the day is an ideal gift and it doesn't have to be expensive.

Alternatively, you might want to arrange a girls night out for when you return from honeymoon and treat them to a pizza and a bottle of wine whilst you catch up on all the gossip!

Remember to do what feels right for you but never to let any support you have received go unappreciated.

We hope you've enjoyed our short series of tips about bridesmaids - keep your eye out for other topics over the next few months and please do contact us if you'd like us to cover anything in particular!

Until next time,

Labels: budget, jewellery, press, style, tips

TIP 5

As for hair and make-up, it really is up to you. As long as you manage peoples expectations - so bridesmaids know not to expect to have their hair and make-up done by a professional - and you've chosen the right people to be your bridesmaids, this will be perfectly acceptable.

Have a think about whether you have a friend whose make-up always looks fantastic and ask her if she'd consider helping you out on the day.

Until tomorrow's tip,

Labels: beauty, budget, press, style, tips

TIP 4

Think about the celebration you are planning and how your bridesmaids outfits will fit in with that. If you're going for a relaxed feel, an eclectic mix of bridesmaid dresses, perhaps tied together by everyone wearing the same shoes, will look great.

There's nothing wrong with asking your bridesmaids to wear a dress they already own to keep costs down. Chances are they'll feel more comfortable in something they chose themselves anyway!

Until tomorrow's tip,

Labels: budget, press, style, tips

If you're a regular reader of this blog you will know that, at Magic Dust, we are big believers in personalising your wedding celebrations with your personalities rather than your bank accounts. So we just love it when we work with couples who have taken this philosophy to heart!

Yesterday, the results of over a year's planning came to fruition for Helen & Peter, on a beautifully sunny day in Brighton. The attention to detail, love and care that they sank into every single aspect of their wedding celebration was a joy to witness and it was a real honour to provide On The Day co-ordination for this lovely couple.

The personal touches were everywhere, from choosing Brighton for their wedding as it was somewhere special to them as a couple, to the stunning 'tree' table plan handmade by Helen to perfectly complement the place name cards, table names and menu cards that she had obviously spent hours designing and making, and which looked more professional than some professional ones I've seen!

It's impossible to pinpoint an absolute favourite part of the day so I'm going to share 2 with you! The heart-felt wedding vows that left not a dry eye in the house - thank goodness for waterproof mascara - and the groom's speech that was an unexpected but utterly brilliant ode to his new wife, will stay with me for a very long time.

Catching up with Helen after the wedding breakfast, she smiled as she told me how lovely it was that her guests were telling her how relaxed they were, and how much they were enjoying every minute of the day. And that's the real, and unavoidable, benefit of infusing your wedding celebration with your personalities - guests immediately relax because they recognise the couple whose wedding they have been invited to in every aspect of the event, and consequently the whole day takes on a relaxed and joyous air that, if it could be bottled, would be worth an absolute fortune!

Helen & Peter, I'd like to thank you for choosing to work with Magic Dust and to wish you a long, happy and healthy marriage - you most definitely deserve it.

Until next time

Labels: budget, style, tips

In this week's Wedding Tip Wednesday video, we talk about the benefits of having a smaller, more intimate wedding - and how to make it personal & stylish.



Come back next week to see tips on questions you really must ask potential venues.

Until next time,

Labels: budget, style, tips, wedding-tip-video

Wedding fairs can be a useful way to gather information and inspiration for your celebration but make sure you're prepared. Here are a few tips for making the most of your wedding fair trips...



We hope you enjoyed this week's Wedding Tip Wednesday and look forward to seeing you back here next week!

Until then,

Labels: budget, supplier, tips

We love it when couples use their personalities, not just their bank accounts, to personalise their wedding day. Kenton & Jen became experts at this as they planned every aspect of their celebration to reflect their lives, their love and their shared interests. I was particularly excited to talk to them in the run up to their wedding about the wedding cake made of cheese that they had ordered. We have seen these at a number of weddings over the past couple of years and they are always a great talking, as well as focal, point.

Churchmouse Cheeses are based in Kirkby Lonsdale and have produced wedding cake cheeses since they opened in 2002. I had the pleasure of speaking with Julie in the weeks before the wedding, and to meeting and watching John at work on Saturday. They can and do deliver their cheeses across the country and so were understandably delighted that they could see their cheeses in situ for this wedding, less than 3 miles away from their gorgeous little shop.

Planned to tie in perfectly with the black and white theme, the combination of cheeses looked stunning as a simple tower, with 3 heart-shaped bries alongside. At this point John really got to work and produced a work of art. Super-shiny, almost black aubergines, whole garlic bulbs, sunflower seeds, blackberries, blueberries and strategically placed white stocks adorned the tower and the table it stood on. Within a very short space of time, John created a focal point that literally stopped guests in their tracks throughout the day, and delighted Kenton & Jen.

The staff at Hipping Hall then transformed the tower into delicious cheeseboards, delivered to guests on local slate tiles with the names of the individual cheeses chalked on. Their attention to detail was, as ever, exemplary and ensured this fantastic idea played a suitably important part at the wedding feast.

Now, I'm off to Churchmouse Cheeses website to indulge my own love of cheese!

Until tomorrow and the grand finale that lit up the night sky,

Labels: budget, caterer, decoration, style, supplier, testimonial, tips

It's no secret that we absolutely love our work - and we know how lucky we are to be able to say this. Every once in a while we have the privilege of working with a couple whose wedding plans literally take our breath away.

This is never about budget but is always about a couple who have prioritised early, chosen their suppliers carefully and understand that their best laid plans may go to waste without asking someone they trust, in this case Magic Dust, to ensure that everything goes to plan in the run up to, and on the wedding day itself.

Kenton & Jen's wedding this weekend was just such a celebration and has inspired me to devote a daily blog this week to tell you about some of the fabulous suppliers I had the pleasure of working with on Saturday. Do make a date with this blog tomorrow to read about a wonderful photographer, on Wednesday I'll be raving about cheese, Thursday a surprise planned by the bride and groom is made easy by an understanding, flexible supplier and on Friday I'll be summing up the things that Kenton & Jen did that made their day, in fact their entire wedding weekend, a truly wonderful celebration.

Today though, it's all about the venue. You know how important it is to choose the right venue and I've spoken in the past about the hard work that must go into finding it. The reward for taking your time and getting it right is that every other decision becomes easier as a result. Kenton & Jen chose Hipping Hall, a beautiful 17th century house nestled between the Yorkshire Dales & the Lake District near Kirkby Lonsdale.

Better known as a fantastic 'restaurant with rooms', the owners of Hipping Hall take bookings for a small number of weddings during the year. First and foremost this is an award-winning restaurant with spectacularly appointed rooms and is most definitely not a 'conveyor-belt style' wedding venue.

Long may this continue as it means there is flexibility for couples planning a small-ish celebration - usually less than 40 people - with Andrew Wildsmith, Hipping Hall's owner, taking personal responsibility for the management of the event. Exclusive use means a relaxed, informal atmosphere more like a very stylish house party than a traditional wedding venue and the opportunity to make a weekend of it.

In our experience it's the staff that can make or break otherwise fantastic venues and, at Hipping Hal, it's clear that every single member of staff not only thoroughly enjoys working there but is passionate about ensuring that guests have a wonderful experience. Without exception, everyone was flexible, approachable, friendly and focused on Kenton & Jen and their guests. I'd like to personally thank Andrew, Nicola, David & Jess for making my job thoroughly enjoyable and without a hint of stress, and to the wonderful people who worked so hard in the kitchen to produce delicious food on a seemingly never-ending basis. You have no idea just how rare your talents and excellent customer service are!

Before I started writing this post I was torn between telling you all about Hipping Hall and wanting to keep it a secret! I hope you've enjoyed reading about this gem of a venue and, if you get the chance, do visit for a meal, a weekend break or to discuss your wedding plans. I know you won't be disappointed!

Until tomorrow and a very special photographer,

Labels: budget, caterer, style, supplier, venue

It's Wedding Tip Wednesday and this week I've got some advice that is both green and credit crunch friendly. You won't have to compromise on style but you could end up saving significant amounts of money and that's something that always makes us smile!



Have a great week and look out for next week's Wedding Tip Wednesday video where we'll focus on weddings in France.

Labels: budget, style, tips, wedding-tip-video

Inviting children to a wedding should be a personal choice for the bride and groom. Children are often unpredictable and one can not expect them to behave perfectly. Think of how you might feel as you're reciting your vows with a baby, or three, crying in the background.

I see at the more formal wedding the bride and groom are often opting out of inviting children.

However at the more relaxed family type garden wedding children are plentiful.

Adults keep themselves occupied by catching up with family members, friends and having great conversations throughout the long day of the wedding. Children obviously need a different form of entertainment.

So why not provide them with a separate kids table scattered with toys, crayons, colouring in books and craft projects.

Give the girls some wings and fairy wands and the boys some swords and pirate hats.

Organize a tepee or a bouncy castle and if this is a budget-stretch too far, hire a professional from a child minding agency and they often will bring wonderful toys with them.

Spark the imagination of the children you do invite and ensure everyone enjoys the celebration!

Cathrin D'Entremont - Cathrin D'Entremont Weddings (Australia)

Labels: budget, guest-blogger, tips

When we discover fantastic suppliers it's all we can do not to shout it from the rooftops! Passionate people who are genuinely interested in the work that they do and care deeply about the service that they offer - these are the type of people we love working with at Magic Dust.

So you can imagine my delight at having the chance to get to know Carrie Harlington of Wines Unfurled a bit better this week. Wines Unfurled are the sole UK agents for nine independent wine producers and they pride themselves on working with undiscovered winemakers throughout the world who strive to produce the very best wines they can without compromise.

The result is a fantastic business, run by Carrie, her husband Jerome and father-in-law David, based in a beautiful converted chapel in Thame and dedicated to delighting people with their service, and of course, their wines!

If you're lucky enough to have found a venue for your wedding that allows you to either bring in your own wine, or where the corkage charges won't make this an unviable option, or if you're planning a marquee wedding on private land, you really should get in touch with Jerome and ask him for his advice about which wines to pair with your wedding breakfast. You'll almost certainly be pleasantly surprised by the cost of the wine and I know you'll be amazed at the level of customer service you'll enjoy.

If you live close to Thame then why not keep an eye on the dates of their wine tasting evenings. Excellent value for money and a wonderful opportunity to taste some new, exciting wines, find out about them from an expert, and enjoy canapes designed specifically to complement the wines on taste. A thoroughly lovely way to spend an evening - I'll see you there!

Until next time,

Labels: budget, caterer, supplier, tips

It's Wedding Tip Wednesday again and, as promised in last week's video, I'm sharing some tried and tested tips for setting your budget and making it work really hard for you throughout the wedding planning process.

If you haven't already worked out your priorities then please do watch this Wedding Tip video before the budgeting one - it will make your life easier, we promise!





And if you want more, you can read more of our tips on budgeting for your wedding here.

Until next time,

Labels: budget, tips, wedding-tip-video

We get really excited when our website guru tells us how many people read this blog and we're always looking for ways to thank you for your loyalty! So, I'm delighted to introduce a new guest-blogger to the Magic Dust family who is expertly placed to offer tips and advice that will help you choose a caterer, make decisions about menus and highlight pitfalls to avoid.

Sarah Whitmore runs Flametree Catering, an Oxfordshire-based company. I've had the pleasure of tasting - well, scoffing uncontrollably actually! - Flametree food and can thoroughly recommend it.

Sarah is far too modest to mention this but, if you'd like to read more of her tips then make sure you buy this month's Delicious Magazine (on sale 28th May) and check out the article about DIY weddings.

Sarah, over to you...


Here are 3 of my top tips for those thinking of self catering at their wedding. It's a trend we're seeing emerge as couples try to rein in the costs by employing the culinary skills of friends and family and is particularly popular when hosting a marquee wedding. The tips are also perfect should you be hosting a pre- or post- wedding barbeque or picnic...

1) Even if money is short, go to the expense of hiring the crockery & glassware. This is not a great cost, you can return everything dirty (unlike when you 'borrow' from a supermarket) and it is a huge relief to family and friends not to spend the day after the wedding (more often in the early hours!) in the kitchen washing & cleaning.

2) Invest in a professional/trained front of house to oversee the serving of the food, drinks etc. Even if you have friendly & kind volunteers, it can still be stressful not having the reassurance of somebody being in overall charge.

3) With regards to food, stuff that can be done in advance is far easier to manage which is why I would recommend hot foods that can be prepared weeks before and frozen - and easily mass produced. It's surprising how popular curries, tagines etc. are and such a great change from the bog standard chicken breast that graces most wedding menus in a bid to please all. Don't forget, most salads have to be prepared on the day and if you're catering for vast numbers this always takes longer than you think. Whilst on the subject of food, unless you plan to seriously over-cater, make sure you have somebody to serve at the buffet. However lovely your friends are, there are always the eyes-bigger-than-tum brigade who pile their plates and leave the last tables to be called with nothing but the dregs leaving you looking ungenerous and your guests hungry.

Labels: budget, caterer, guest-blogger, supplier, tips

We are in sunny Barcelona relaxing after a busy weekend but I couldn't take my mind off weddings completely so here's a Catalan wedding tradition that I thought you might enjoy...

When Catalans get engaged, they wear their engagement ring on their right hand. On their wedding day, the engagement ring becomes their wedding ring and is moved over to their left hand to 'seal the deal' so to speak. So, you can tell your single friends that just because that sparkly diamond isn't on that beautiful Spanish woman's left hand, it doesn't mean she hasn't already met the man of her dreams!

You know how much we love finding people in the wedding industry who are as committed as we are to helping couples plan the day they want, not the one everyone else thinks they should have. With this in mind, I wanted to introduce you to a website called Credit Card Pundit which has recently published a great piece about how to save money on your wedding. You can read it below but do also visit the site and have a browse as their advice is solid and definitely of the moment.

Weddings are (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you want to do everything you can to make the day a memorable one. When the economy was racing along, spending on weddings got out of control.

The good news is that it is possible to have a wonderful day without breaking the bank.

Here are some suggestions to help you keep costs down:

1. Go Back to Basics

When you get down to it, all you really need for your wedding is your beloved and yourself, a couple of rings, someone to officiate at the ceremony, and two witnesses. Anything else is really just window dressing. Do you really need to have a full formal wedding with a large wedding party? Make a list of the things that you 'must' have and be flexible about the parts of the day that would be 'nice to have'.

2. Think Out of Season Dates

The prime wedding season runs from Easter to September. If you are prepared to be flexible about the date, you can make your wedding budget go further if you decide to get married in the fall or winter. (The slowest time for weddings is January, by the way, and holding the ceremony then is one way to get your New Year off to a great start.)

3. Keep the Guest List Small

If you haven't seen or heard from someone in five years or more, then don't think that you are obligated to invite them to your wedding. The same rule applies to your boss, your co-workers, and the bowling team. You get the idea here. Invite only your nearest and dearest to share your wedding day with you; it will help to keep costs down.

4. Rethink the Formal Reception Idea

While your dream wedding may include a reception at a hotel for a few hundred guests and a multi-course sit-down dinner, that may not be in your budget. No problem; you just need to be a bit creative. When you are looking at possible wedding reception locations, ask to see a range of options for the meal. A buffet may be less expensive than a sit-down dinner, or you may choose to have an evening wedding with a cocktail reception afterward.

You may want to re-think the idea of an open bar all evening, too. One option is to have an open bar before dinner and serve a wine of your choosing with the meal. You could choose to serve beer and wine only if the alcohol will be on your tab to keep costs reasonable.

A wedding reception doesn't necessarily have to take place in the evening. You can also choose to have the ceremony earlier in the day with a brunch or luncheon following. Menu prices will be lower with this option.

5. Avoid the Words 'Wedding Cake'

Here's a way to save on the cost of the cake for your wedding. If you plan to serve the cake at the reception, buy a sheet cake instead of a formal wedding cake. Those two words tend to drive up the price. If you want a cake for show and will be serving a different dessert at the reception, then order a small one or ask about the cost of having one or more layers being fake.

There are many ways that you can save money but still have a lovely wedding. With a little creativity, you can have a wonderful celebration and keep some green in your pocket.

Until next week, happy planning!

Labels: budget, guest-blogger, tips

Labels: budget, jewellery, supplier

Labels: budget, supplier

News of the credit crunch sits uncomfortably alongside media interest in Wayne Rooney & Colleen McLoughlin's £2.5 million wedding. The nation's obsession with watching celebrities spend obscene amounts of money, whilst trying to emulate it on normal salaries with normal responsibilities, means more stress and less fun, especially when it comes to wedding planning.

A recent report estimates that nearly 125,000 people will need a personal loan to pay for a wedding in 2008 (source - Sainsbury's Finance) and our own research shows that many people worry about escalating wedding costs and feel pressurised to spend more than they can afford by the media, and by the wedding industry.

At Magic Dust, we've always believed that it's not how much money you spend but the way in which you spend it that really matters.

Setting a budget (as well as sticking to it!), discussing and deciding on priorities (then writing them down and carrying them with you) and remembering that your wedding day is the first day of your marriage, not the culmination of an expensive fantasy, are the first, and most important, things to do.

It is sensible in the current economic climate to curb unnecessary spending but, if you're planning a wedding, this doesn't mean you have to compromise on quality or style. It does mean that you'll need to be creative, clever and you'll have to plan everything incredibly well - and all of this takes time.

Time is one of the things a good wedding planner can offer couples and it's the premise on which Magic Dust was born. Our refreshing, simple & invaluable approach is a hit with couples precisely because they can choose how much help they want from us, and only pay for the time it takes us to do what they ask us to do.

We believe that everyone should have access to a professional, experienced wedding planner so we don't discriminate in terms of size of budget. We absolutely won't charge couples a percentage of their wedding budget (this seems utterly lazy and money-grabbing to us) nor do we have ready-made packages that people have to make-do with - every wedding is as individual as the couple getting married so the service a wedding planner offers should be too.

We practice what we preach too. A couple with a £49,000 wedding budget asked us to help them with just one task and they simply paid for the 3 hours of our time it took to complete it.

Another couple we worked with last year had a budget of £5000 and spent nearly 20% of that with us - it bought them a 'Girls Night In' planning session to kick start things, 12 hours of planning tasks and 'On The Day' co-ordination, and most valuable of all - it bought them the peace of mind that allowed them to sit back, relax and enjoy every single minute of their wedding day and the preparations.

And we see that, time and time again, it's not the budget that dictates how stylish, enjoyable and memorable a wedding is - being well-organised, feeling well supported and knowing exactly what's important to themselves as a couple, that's what makes for a successful celebration.

So, scale back by all means but don't immediately think that that means you can't afford to even contemplate talking to a wedding planner. A good wedding planner will be happy to talk to you about how they can help you - if they won't give you some time until you've handed over money to them then you obviously aren't speaking to Magic Dust!

Until next time,

Labels: budget

According to reports in yesterday's papers, the 'Hello! factor' is driving millions of people into debt. Instead of trying to 'keep up with the Joneses' many people now spend their lives trying to keep up with the celebrities whose lifestyles they read so much about in magazines. This comes as no surprise to me, particularly with over ten years of first-hand experience in the world of national newspaper and magazine publishing!

It's one of the reasons I decided to start my own wedding planning company. With costs spiraling out of control and magazines like Hello! and OK! selling more copies when they cover a 'celebrity' wedding than with any other issue, I knew I had to do my bit to stem this ridiculous pressure on couples to spend more money than they can afford, or need, to spend on their wedding day.

Research in 2006 showed that couples planning their weddings wanted their day to be 'better than anyone else's' more than anything else. What about the fact that this celebration marks the start of a long-term commitment to marriage? The real reasons for getting married were getting lost in the fickle, and increasingly transitory, world of celebrity. At Magic Dust we constantly question the need to spend a small fortune on your wedding day, and encourage couples to free themselves from this type of pressure.

Setting priorities early is our mantra and we frequently ask couples we're working with to remember these priorities as they plan to ensure that they're on track, and happy, with the celebration they're planning. It's so easy to get drawn into the 'wedding industry vortex' where spending money is the priority and nothing else. AAARRRGGGGHHH (that's me screaming in frustration by the way!).

Yes, working with Magic Dust costs money but the value is frequently much more than the cost of our services, and that's why people use us, and then recommend us to their friends. We negotiate on behalf of the couples we work with (and pass any discounts or commissions on to them), we have the experience that comes from working on nothing but weddings all day every day (and loving it) and we are realistic and honest in our communications with couples.

We're not in this industry to make huge amounts of money (I would still be in magazine publishing if that were the case!), but we have made a commitment to challenge the wedding industry to put its clients - couples getting married - first, not their bank balances. It might not make us popular with everyone in the 'wedding industry' but then we'd much rather be popular with our clients!

Oh dear, that's another rant then! Well, at least it gives you a bit of insight into the way we think, and do business, at Magic Dust and the reasons why we believe we are refreshing, simple and invaluable in everything we do.

Until tomorrow,

PS - It's nearly time for our regular Tips & Advice email newsletter to go out so if you want to sign up (and please feel free to tell anyone else you know who's planning their wedding) just click here to submit your email address

Labels: budget

We've had our 'responsible heads' on this month, especially as many of the couples we are working with are just starting to plan their weddings for next year and beyond. this means we've had lots of conversations about budgets - how to set them, and more importantly how to keep to them.

So if you find yourself suffering from 'Competitive Wedding Syndrome' and actually saying, "I just want our wedding to be better than everyone else's" here's a thought...

Every guest that comes to your wedding will spend an average of £386 to attend (according to a Credit Action report in October 2007). They've agreed to come because they want to see two people they care about tie the knot (let's assume they're not just coming for the free meal!). Don't you think you owe it to them to ensure you use your personalities rather than your bank balance to make your day one to remember? They'll thank you for it, and you'll be glad you did it when you're celebrating your one month wedding anniversary in style - rather than sobbing over your credit card bill and another conversation that starts, "So remind me why we spent £1,000 on a 10 minute fireworks display and now can't pay the mortgage?"!

Until next time,

Tammy Willson - wedding planner and wedding coordinator

http://www.magic-dust.co.uk

Labels: budget