New research by CompareWeddingInsurance.org.uk has found that the amount spent on weddings has dropped from an average of £20,000 in 2008 to £15,500 in 2011. If it is the fear of a double-dip recession or that people are simply getting better at finding good deals we don’t know. But there appears to be a trend to cut back on guest numbers and remove the little (perhaps unnecessary?) extras to tighten the budget somewhat. Or are you brides just becoming more clever to source and compare online to get the best prices?
Personally I think talk about money and how much you’re spending should be between you and those on a need to know basis: your bank, your boyfriend (if you’re living together), your fiancée or husband. And this is particularly the case when you’re getting married. No-one else apart from your future spouse, parents and wedding planner need to know exactly how much the shindig is costing you. Just let them marvel in the beauty of the wedding you have planned and enjoy the champagne and cake.
But we’d love to know (anonymously of course) how much you’re planning on spending…
For most couples organising one wedding is enough to last a lifetime. But for Alex Pelling and Lisa Gant, one simply isn’t enough to celebrate their love for each other and they are planning to “wed” in 30 times as they travel the world in search of their perfect wedding location.
The couple organised a practice wedding in Manchester before they set off yesterday to test-drive different cultures’ big days in a £50,000, two-year tour which will see them return to their favourite destination to marry for real. First stop: Toronto, Canada.
As they travel the world – spending three months in each place – and immerse themselves in the culture of the countries they visit, Alex and Lisa will blog about their experience. So whether they are cutting cake under the canvas of a Berber tent in Morocco, or having their first dance under a remote waterfall in Tahiti, you will be able to follow their wedding trip.
We’re wondering what they will do for their honeymoon…
Even though we mostly float around on cloud 9 here in the Bridalwave offices – in a dream of wedding gowns, bridal accessories and wedding cakes – we also know that at times marriages don’t last, even if the ceremony was out of this world.
This morning we heard that Marie Osmond – of Donny and Marie Osmond fame – remarried her first husband yesterday, 4 May 2011. The singing star wed former basketball player Stephen Craig in Las Vegas almost 30 years after they first tied the knot – and she wore the SAME wedding dress as at their 1982 ceremony!!
Our first thought was “Aww isn’t that sweet. Rekindling their romance after all these years.” Then “Will it last?” popped into our heads. After all something did go wrong the first time around…
The late Dame Elizabeth Taylor famously wed and divorced Richard Burton twice. And while we hope for Marie’s sake that her second marriage to Stephen will last, we’d very much like to hear your views on this : Can marrying your ex-husband truly work?
Can you guess which of the gorgeous gowns was selected as your favourite ‘daily frock’ of 2009? The answer surprised me (even though I have to admit it got my vote) as it wasn’t the traditional look I expected to see coming out on top.
Read on to see which one won, and if you took part, let me know which one got your vote and why!
Thousands of brides voted in this years Bridal Buyer Awards to pick out their wedding dress of the year; a new category in the prestigious industry awards which took place on Monday. And results are now in!
Scooping the award was US designer Maggie Sottero, whose ivory strapless ‘Ireland’ dress (pictured) won the most votes. The dress appeared on a shortlist compiled by six of the UK’s top fashion editors, and with its elegant empire-line silhouette, it’s very much in keeping with the current trend for Grecian styling.
I’m intrigued to know whether Bridalwave readers agree with the thousands who loved this dress, so please let me know what you think! Vote after the jump.
Have you check out our Oscars Wedspiration Gallery yet? If so, you know that the ladies embraced white like no other color on the carpet and in the process fancied themselves a little bit bridal. Which Oscars dress would you wear as your wedding gown? Tell us in the poll below.
It can’t have escaped your notice that it was Valentine’s Day over the weekend – and I’m guessing that there’s a whole host of new brides to be out there! Tell us what happened in the poll below, and I’d love to know all about your romantic (or not!) proposals in the comments section.
It seems like everyone has a wedding show they’re obsessed with, and we want to know what’s yours. Like comparing yourself favorably (we hope) to the classless nightmares on Bridezillas? Or dreaming about where in the world you’d like to wed with the destination weddings on Married Away?
We want to know which shows you’d be most interested in hearing more about – whether it be liveblogging premieres or special events, or interviewing stars and participants. Let us know! If there are any shows not included in our poll, just leave it in the comments!
I know, I know, two polls in two days. You’re getting spoiled. Anyway, I want to ask about your Valentine’s Day plans because it’s the one day in every year when we go into lovey-dovey overdrive. I can only thank goodness that I work from home rather than having to endure some sort of office one-up-(wo)manship at the size of the bouquet, or, in an office I worked in during university one year – the delivery of a six foot teddy. How she got that home on the bus I really don’t know. Anyway, what are your plans for cupid fest?
Traditionally the bride’s parents paid for her wedding but we know that certainly isn’t always the case anymore. Changing family set-ups, the couple’s own earnings and potential power struggles between the cheque-wielder and the couple have all played a part in changing how weddings are financed.
Who’s paying for yours? I’ve left an ‘other’ slot open if you want to add any other comments.
They who work out together, stay together. Well, that’s not quite the saying but you know what I mean. It is important to have mutual hobbies, I think. Not every single one of course, it’s equally good to have some alone time. This week I want to know what you two do together. Not that, obviously.
One of the storylines in Bride Wars is that the characters have to deal with a mistake made in their venue booking. Now, I know we’re not all booking the plaza but it did make me wonder how many other couples struggled with the venue they wanted, got or didn’t get. How did it work out for you?
You know how every magazine trots out those ‘new year, new you’ articles for January where you can transform your life in several easy steps? Well, I think marriage is viewed a bit like that. There’s a whole lot of expectations in getting married, those from other people and the ones that have built up in your head. Getting married is viewed almost like a massive life laundry: get fit, shape up, new beauty regime, new routine as married couple and sort out the house! It makes my head spin! How are you viewing married life?
Well, maybe not Santa, but the Christmas season is hugely popular for proposals as is New Year… roll on Wednesday/Thursday! Did you find a ring amongst your stock of gifts? Or do you think you’ll be lucky enough to have a proposal – or prose yourself! – later this week?
New research by CompareWeddingInsurance.org.uk has found that the amount spent on weddings has dropped from an average of £20,000 in 2008 to £15,500 in 2011. If it is the fear of a double-dip recession or that people are simply getting better at finding good deals we don’t know. But there appears to be a trend to cut back on guest numbers and remove the little (perhaps unnecessary?) extras to tighten the budget somewhat. Or are you brides just becoming more clever to source and compare online to get the best prices?
From:Madeline Isaac-James launches two new collections