June 2007 - Posts

• Luxury wedding catering

  There’s a lot of variety in wedding catering – a bit too much, in some cases, since some wedding food consists of rubbery chicken in a flavourless sauce! Of course you want every part of your luxury wedding to go off without a hitch, so it’s vital that you hook up with a caterer who can give you the very best in delicious luxury wedding food. Your guests will remember the sound of wedding music, the smell of perfume, and the dazzling sight of the bride and groom dressed beautifully – and the right caterer will add to them the flavours and tastes that will still bring back memories of the special day for years to come. So here are some things you should talk to your caterer about to make sure that they see eye to eye with you about the magnificent banquet and/or light buffet that needs to be laid on for your luxury wedding! Find out if there’s something that the caterer would particularly recommend for the occasion and time of year. If there are any old family recipes that you want included in the spread, make sure that the caterer knows how to make them and can do it well! If it’s a tradition for someone in the family to provide something that everyone will eat on these occasions, make sure the caterer knows that the family are getting involved in the food side, even if it’s in a small way! If you were the caterer, you’d want to know about it so that you could coordinate. Some caterers lay on tables, tablecloths, linens, place settings, silverware and everything else that contributes to the food at a luxury wedding. Most also prepare vegetarian, vegan and children’s options. If the caterers are providing a wedding cake or a groom’s cake, they’ll be delighted to change the style to fit your needs, and many provide cake-cutting services and other extras. You should take to the caterers about all this, because usually they’ll be more than happy to do it your way – it’s your special day, after all! Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | technorati it! | kick it! | live it! Posted Jun 22 2007, 05:00 PM by thebestman with 1 comment(s)

• Your wedding photos

  These days, the digital camera puts a lot of photographic power in the hands of even the ordinary wedding guest. In fact, many mobile phones can now take pictures that are better quality than those taken by a lot of cameras! That’s why some people think that traditional wedding photography is a dying art and that a luxury wedding is expensive enough without paying a professional to do something that the guests and wedding party can do for themselves.   But actually, there’s a lot more to wedding photography that might first appear, and the wedding photographer still has a very important role to play in making any luxury wedding into a magical occasion. A professional wedding photographer will retouch parts of the pictures, sharpen them, edit them, filter them, crop them and do dozens of other things that are beyond the latest high-tech camera phones. You’ll be amazed at how different a professional’s pictures are from the ones taken by your friends and family.   The other advantage of getting a professional photographer to take the pictures at your luxury wedding is that you get to call the shots and a good photographer will be willing take exactly the pictures you want! Remembering everything you want photographed can be tricky, so here’s a checklist of five things – some obvious, some not – to ask your photographer.  What’s your style? Do you shoot formal, traditionally-posed compositions, or creative, spontaneous and candid photos? Colour, or black and white? And can you make a black and white and colour version of each picture? Have you done a lot of other luxury weddings? Were they like this, or is this your first time handling the photos for this sort of occasion? Do you develop your own film? And can be buy the negatives from you? What input can we have? Can we decide the direction of shots, and can we give you a list of shots we want for you to work from? The photographs taken at a wedding will be part of the memories that will last a lifetime, so it’s well worth paying for a professional to do a wonderful job – although of course if you’re the lucky winner of a free luxury wedding from this website, you won’t have to worry about that! Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | technorati it! | kick it! | live it! Posted Jun 20 2007, 09:56 AM by thebestman with no comments

• Flower arrangements

  Even with a beautiful bride, a handsome groom, a smart venue and a wedding party all dressed in their finery, no luxury wedding is really complete without a helping hand from Mother Nature. That means, of course, flowers! The presence of beautiful bouquets and elegant floral decorations, exquisitely arranged, can really add the finishing touch to your luxury wedding, and help create lasting happy memories for years to come.   The bride’s bouquet is an important accompaniment to her dress and train, and it can be one of the most memorable and magical elements of a luxury wedding. The very best bouquets will be made up of delicate white and pale flowers only, so that there are no clashes with the bride’s dress, and so that all the attention is on the bride at her special moment. You can get lilies and white roses in a great variety of white shades, and picking colours that compliment the dresses of the bridesmaids and the colour scheme of the wedding decorations will really contribute to the wonderful atmosphere of the special occasion. Of course, white flowers are very traditional for a bride’s bouquet, and if the bride is dressed in a different or less formal style, you may prefer to opt for a different style of bouquet. Every luxury wedding is different, and it’s up to you to pick out the colours and style of flowers that will compliment the style and tone of the happy occasion.  In addition to decorating the venue, you’ll need bouquets and floral arrangements for a few other things. If you want, you can deck out almost the whole wedding party in flowers, and for family and friends who have helped to plan the wedding, being given a special flower as a gift can be a wonderful way of expressing your gratitude and affection. For ushers, pick a distinctive flower for their buttonholes, but make sure it matches the colours of the bouquets and decorative arrangements. A few small blossoms woven into the hair of the bridesmaids will create a wonderful, angelic appearance that will make your luxury wedding that little bit more magical.   A good wedding florist will have lots of hints and tips for you, whether you’re tying the knot or just making the arrangements. Everyone at a luxury wedding will appreciate beautiful floral arrangements, and it’s a great way of making the special day distinctive and memorable for all those who attend. Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | technorati it! | kick it! | live it! Posted Jun 08 2007, 05:08 PM by thebestman with 1 comment(s)

• Choosing the music

  Music is very evocative and emotive. The right piece of music can stick in the memory for a lifetime, and the music that plays at a wedding is something that everyone present ought to remember for years to come. So here are some tips on making sure that your luxury wedding music will forever carry the fond associations of the happy occasion.   Band or DJ? One of the big choices facing the organizer of a luxury wedding reception is whether to hire a live band, or just take on a DJ to manage the music. There are pros and cons on both sides. A live band is naturally livelier, but it can cost a lot, and if you’re looking forward to hearing songs that have real sentimental value and particular romantic associations, it can reduce the glamour of the moment if all the band can manage is a pale imitation of the real thing. A live band is more atmospheric, but they will need to take breaks, whereas a DJ can play continuous music, and have a much bigger library of songs because it’s all recorded! That means they’ll have modern stuff that’ll get the kids jumping, as well as more traditional numbers that’ll please all the great aunts!   Know what you’re getting! Music is very important to making your special day a wonderful memory for everyone, and it’s maybe the most important part of setting the tone for the reception, so be careful! If you’re hiring a live band, make sure you talk to them so you can coordinate on a playlist – putting together a must-play and a do-not-play roster can be a good idea. Try to pick a band that specializes in the kind of music you want, and get hold of a video of one of their recent performances so that you   Be distinctive! Obviously a great variety of popular and classical music gets played at wedding receptions. But many people forget that there’s also a lot of choice in music for the ceremony. The strong romantic and traditional associations of Wagner’s Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, or Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, are a timeless favourite. ‘Spring’ from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and ‘Morning’ from Grieg’s Peer Gynt are also popular. These classics can all lend a timeless, traditional feel to the special day, but more and more weddings nowadays are including modern, eclectic music as part of the ceremony. Just remember that it’s your special day and exactly what you want to hear is up to you! Something distinctive can really make your luxury wedding feel unique. Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | technorati it! | kick it! | live it! Posted Jun 07 2007, 05:10 PM by thebestman with no comments

• Bridesmaids

  If you’re organizing a luxury wedding – perhaps your own, or perhaps one for a friend or family member – then it’s up to you to organize the bridesmaids and the maid of honour. Some people will tell you that doing this is like trying to get cats to walk in a line! But of course it doesn’t have to be trying, and like any part of the preparations for a luxury wedding, the anticipation of the special day ought to make the job a pleasure.   If you’re the bride, you’ll first have to ask your friends and your sister (or sisters) to be the bridesmaids. Being asked to be a bridesmaid at a best friend’s wedding can be a girlfriend’s dream come true – and the next best thing to being the bride herself. Even asking the question and watching your friend’s response can be a magical moment, so get creative doing it! Ask your friends in a letter, a note, or a card, even one attached to a bunch of flowers. You should pick a Maid of Honour, but if you can’t face choosing between your female friends, you can join one of the increasing number of women who are having male friends perform the duties of the Maid of Honour at their luxury weddings.   If you’re the one charged with getting the bridesmaids arranged, you’ll have a lot of choices to make, and it’s a good idea to coordinate with the dresser, the florist and anyone else who is helping with the arrangements. A properly dressed group of bridesmaids is an essential ingredient of any memorable luxury wedding, and these days lots of bridesmaids are coordinating on less traditional styles to make the special occasion even more memorable and distinctive. So use your imagination! In the summer, use warm and vibrant colours which can really add to a bridal shower. Pick out bouquets of reds, pinks and purples for the bridesmaids’ flowers. If it’s a winter wedding, swap out the reds and pinks for lilacs and pale blues.   The bride’s train and the bridesmaids themselves are one of the most magical parts of a luxury wedding, and they are just one of endless ways to make sure that your special day is a wonderful, magical occasion for all the family and guests.   Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | technorati it! | kick it! | live it! Posted Jun 06 2007, 05:12 PM by thebestman with 2 comment(s)