The wedding took place in the US, and we got the apostille, but do I need to report it anywhere here in the UK? How should I inform HMRC? Should I scan the marriage certificate and simply send it to them? (I didn't change my name.)
Hello! I’m engaged and starting to think about my hen do in Summer 2027 - so very early planning stages. My wedding (Nov 27) is in the city where we all live so there’s no travel or accommodation costs There would be 6-8 of us I’d say and I was very happy to do an at home hen. However! After speaking to all of the girls they think we should do an away hen. I absolutely don’t want to put anyone out, but if I was going to do an away hen, I thought I’d look at locations and figure out costs.
About the group
All around 29-32 in age and none are related. I’m very close with all of them and they all have met each other and are familiar! All either single or DINKs bar one! Three of the girls are bridesmaids (I’m covering costs). One of my bridesmaids has a baby who will be 2 yrs by the time of hen but she was the first to say let’s go! All the girls drink alcohol but also want some culture so I guess not a non stop boozy weekend! Ideally cobblestones and sunshine.
We’re UK based but limited in our location and this is where we can fly to - or we can drive 2 hours to a bigger airport, which is fine but a little more hassle.
Would like to hear any experience you’ve had at hens with the below.
Further airports (2hr car ride + 3+hr flight)
Hello everyone! My fiancé and I are about to send out our wedding invitations for the full day and are in the process of making invitations to send to the people who we are only inviting to the evening reception. The wording is going to say something along the lines of “you’re invited to an evening reception to celebrate the marriage of bride and groom” but my (probably stupid) question is, do people need to RSVP to just the reception?? I’ve been to a few evening receptions myself and have never RSVPd, nor have I had to? We are using a wedding website to track our RSVPs and I’m not sure how to go about having an option to select if you’re there all day or just the evening, so I’m thinking I might not bother with RSVPing? Please help!
I bought my wedding dress a few months ago (Monique Lhullier Alexandra) and ever since then, I’ve had serious buyers remorse. I don’t look at it and feel that it is truly “me”, or that it is particularly flattering on my body (I’d always gravitated towards a line, sleek, non-sweetheart neckline dresses). Maybe this is because the photos I have of myself in the dress are all horrible and make me look bad, or that the dress just doesn’t fit super well from the initial try on in bridal store.
Sooo, I’m looking for some advice / to rant lol. First question, has anyone had the bodice of this specific dress (Alexandra, or any other ML dress that has similar structure) shortened during alterations? Or had the body made less “full” during alterations? My dress is due to arrive in September, so I’m wondering if I should try and interject now prior to going to the bridal shop for fittings.
Lastly, does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it less “princess” and more chic / cool / editorial? Jewelry suggestions, accessories, etc.? Thanks sm!!
I need some advice, I am looking for a dress that may be more suitable for Christian chapel wedding, it will be my second time getting married next year. The first time I was married I got my dress last minute on sale as I was on a very tight budget and if I’m honest I’m not sure it was the dress of my dreams, but I felt beautiful in it. Fast forward to today, am getting married for the second time next year and I’ve been thinking about what would be more me and the type of dress that would say this is who I am, and I can’t decide between two styles a very simple classy all satin / silk gown with no detail VS embroidered romantic dress with sleeves and cathedral train, but my dilemma is that I showed a pic of whimsical dress from a movie me and my fiancé watched a while back and it wasn’t even a wedding dress but had very nice romantic vibes to it and the style that I like and my fiancé said he didn’t like the style, I asked why and he said he didn’t like corset / bodice and that it would not be appropriate so something more modest would be preferred. I am now scrambling my brain as to what could be modest enough. All the wedding dresses I’ve seen that I like in the photos have a corset or a bodice. Granted I have not yet tried any on, so I will see how they look on me. But I am now worried I will struggle to find THE dress for me.. and I don’t want to settle for one second time around. Am I overthinking it all? Does anyone have some ideas of dresses that would be suitable for a religious chapel ceremony? FIY it would be my first religious wedding ceremony and I really don’t want to offend anyone especially his family. My first time getting married was at a registry palace. Please be kind I am going through a lot atm. Thank you 🙏🏻
So while my family is all from the UK, I was raised mostly in Australia. My partner is from the UK too and he has a huge family so we’ve decided it’s just easier to do our wedding there rather than over in Australia..
One thing that’s really stumping me for planning is what the alcohol expectations at a UK wedding? In Australia I’ve never really heard of a wedding that *doesnt* have an open bar, and I’ve heard a lot of friends over the years absolutely turn up their nose if they go to a wedding without alcohol fully provided and paid for.
My partner is pretty insistent that’s not expected at all in the UK. We’re planning on providing about 26 bottles of wine and 40 beers for 35 guests who drink and outside of that it’s a cash bar.. but I showed a few of my Australian girlfriend’s that plan and they’ve made me think I’ll be viewed as cheap!!
I was just wondering what everyone else’s experiences are?
Hey 👋🏿
So the long and short of it is I'm planning on getting engaged to my girlfriend and really want to propose with a special ring that encapsulates her in a design.
I have got some inspo already it's just about taking those parts and turning it into something.
My idea is:
Combining the wrapped vine idea with the leaves like in the silver ring with an oval center stone. She has a black lily tattoo so I want to emulate that in the ring. Also to add some blue sapphire detailing like the image with the green gems in, because that's her birth stone. And then for it to be made out of 14k yellow gold. Or you could flip it and make the sapphire the center stone and the diamonds the accent.
Any designers here that can help or anyone can point me in the right direction will be great, I'm in London so desingers in London hit me up too.
Thanks for the help and advice in advance.
Hello 👋 my partner and I are getting married in the Lake District next June and are currently trying to find a band to play in the evening. After doing some digging online and on this subReddit I saw a lot of recommendations for sites like function central, entertainment nation, fixthemusic etc
We have browsed endlessly on these sites and have found a couple of bands which may fit our style and vibe, however they are both 1.5k plus, which is a bit out of budget.
Also, a lot of the bands on those sites feel like the same but different versions of each other.
For reference, we're looking for funky/soulful groups playing classics from across different decades.
So, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for finding bands who are local to the venue, or nearby and willing to travel, but aren't generic 'wedding bands' charging a lot on one of these sites.
I know £1.5k isn't a huge amount for a band unfortunately, but I just think there must be another way of sourcing bands that we haven't considered!
How did you get yours? Is there any tips for searching online you'd recommend! Does anyone in the north of England have any band recommendations?
Any advice would be incredibly appreciated 👍
Thank you ❤️
I’m not Scottish myself but am marrying a Scot in a few months and we’re having a ceilidh band for the dance floor!
I’m wearing the 2 inch kitten heels in the picture attached here but trying to pick shoes for the dancing portion and he keeps half teasing that I’ll need sneakers for the ceilidh. I don’t think my 2 inch kitten heels will cut it lol but sneakers seem extreme and not really my thing.
Probably a silly question but for those who’ve been to weddings with ceilidhs, any shoe types you’d recommend? My dress is being altered to the 2 inch heel so would a different 2 inch heel with a strap be more secure/comfortable enough? Or maybe something like cowboy boots could be a sturdy but fun twist?
Or am I just overthinking this now haha
Hi everyone!
I’ve already got my dress and recently fell in love with a veil I saw on Etsy. I’m quite petite (155 cm), so I’m struggling a bit with figuring out the right length as I’ve never actually tried a veil on before. I’d ideally love a cathedral-length veil, but I’m not sure if it might end up overwhelming me.
I think trying one on in person would really help, but I’m not sure how it works. Do bridal shops usually let you try veils on their own, or is it typically only as part of a dress appointment? And do you normally need to book in advance just for that?
I’m based near Manchester if that makes any difference.
Thanks in advance!
Im planning an abroad hen do but not sure where yet, id love to do something like this on the first night where there’s dinner and dancing like this TikTok. I’ve seen very mixed reviews for this exact place and other videos where it doesn’t look like this at all, can anyone recommend something similar anywhere else? Anywhere in Europe considered xx
I got engaged in July last year within weeks I had reached out to this company to collaborate on creating an outfit. There was back and forth with design secured and my sizes sent and by Christmas I had received the trial outfit. There was only one alteration to make which was on the straps, I had given details of this alteration length at the start of January and had asked for the outfit to be completed by end of March allowing me to get alterations and accessories to suit. The outfit was also paid in full by this point.
For months I was chasing for updates as my wedding is in June bearing in mind this designer advertised a "6 week" turnaround for custom orders. I was told I would get the outfit in April, then it was beginning of May. Roll around last week (15th) I finally received the outfit and it was horrible. Even though this was a custom ordered made to measure, nothing fitted. The fit was completely different to the trial outfit, the top was too large, where they were supposed to take off length they seemed to put it on, the cup size was so much larger and the trousers bunched at the crotch. I reached out immediately to the designer who apologised and said that they are willing to pay for it to be altered seeing as it was 6 weeks out until the day itself. I also provided pictures of me in both the trial and actual outfit to highlight the difference and ill fit.
I took it to a seamstress who were appalled by the ill fit of the outfit, they said I'd be cheaper buying a new outfit but I was too embarrassed to admit how much I paid. After meeting with the bridal specialist of the team she will manage to alter the top part but the trousers are unable to be altered due to the fact they have put the crotch too high compared to the waist and there's not enough material to fix this so it has to be made into a skirt. All in all the alterations are costing £430 and I won't see a final result until the week of the wedding as I will now have to go back and forth to the seamstress to get fitted for the skirt.
I'm very stressed, upset and angry that this has happened but trying to remain calm, it's really stressful to not know what I'm wearing until basically the week of the wedding. On top of that it's upsetting that the vision I had has now changed and I have to just hope I like the alterations. I am also scared that I will tell the designer the price of alterations and she will fight me on it as it is almost the cost of what I paid for the outfit and I don't know what to do if that happens... Anyway thank you if you've stuck around to read all this, I really just needed to vent as I'm trying to keep calm to those all around me but inside I'm screaming.
Edit: I should have made clear, the designer I purchased the outfit from is based in a different location to me so I have had to take it to a local seamstress for alterations
How do I tell my best friend, that I can’t afford her second hen do, and I’m the MOH.
I’ll try and keep this fairly nondescript. I’m MOH for my best friend. When we first started discussing hen dos, I was aware there would be two. A “day event” for a larger group, and a long weekend abroad for a smaller, more intimate group.
The “day event” is now a long weekend abroad, with 15+ invited, at a cost of £400 without flights. That’s just accommodation and two activities. I’ve already paid the deposit for this.
The original long weekend abroad, is still a long weekend abroad, but when it was originally talked about, it would be a very relaxed affair with max 4 of us. It’s now 8-10, and has become a full blown second hen do, which I found out from another bridesmaid that she wants it to be a complete surprise. Again, looking at around £500 for just flights and accommodation.
I cannot afford both of these hen dos. I’ve already paid the deposit for the first hen, purely because it was arranged first. I feel SO guilty that I can’t afford to go, especially because she’s my best friend and I’m MOH. I desperately don’t want to upset her, but equally I’m not going to put myself under financial stress.
I’ve started wedding planning and struggling with finding a venue for under 20k for 100 people…
Does anyone have any recommendations! The main thing for us is that we can have a dance and invite all of our loved ones. We have very big families so 100 guests is the most we could cut down to.
We’ve started being a bit realistic but just wondering if anyone knew of any hidden gems, or pubs with a capacity for 100 people to hire?
Hi all,
We’re getting married in London this September (around 200 guests) and our caterer is quoting nearly £1,000 just to lay the tables and napkins, and that’s without even providing the linens themselves.
We don’t have a separate decorator/stylist, and it feels like we don’t really have many options.
Has anyone hired people separately just for table setup and napkin placement? If so, who did you use and was it noticeably cheaper?
I initially thought about Taskrabbit, but for our wedding that feels a bit risky lol
Would really appreciate any advice or experiences, or is this just one of those wedding costs you end up having to accept?
Thanks
Recently engaged and the bubble is beginning to burst as the reality of how much weddings actually cost is sinking in!
Please share any tips or examples of how you had a budget wedding!!
For context, my partner and I are looking at c.100 guests (we have big families) and don’t mind if it’s in the UK or abroad. Aiming for 2028.
Thanks 🫶🏻
Little research. increasingly we see people moving away from expensive venues and catering.
What would the general feedback be here wedding for £10k for Food. Decor. Venue. (Prob village hall). Tables chairs etc. excluding entertainment and alcohol basically.
Not promoting. Pure feedback appreciated.
Please could anyone share their bridal hair & makeup recommendations around the north west area? Thank you!
My sister has 2 young children with her partner who she's been with for over 20 years. They live in North East London and she's never been keen on marriage. However, now they have children, they're looking to have a civil partnership next year to legalise next of kin and - as romantic as it is.... Tax breaks.
I "joked" that I could plan it for her and she said she would genuinely love the idea. She really isn't bothered on anything and just wants to get it over and done with.... She said she'd give me the cash and I could plan away.
However - I know the kind of person she is - she's very eco conscious, is very passionate about supporting local charities and despite having a postage stamp garden - its focus is to support as much nature as possible.
I also think she would like her children to have a lovely day - she's a wonderful Mother (and her partner is a great Dad) so anything that gets the kids involved might be a nice touch.
So - has anyone got any really thoughtful suggestions of where they could have a civil partnership? (20 people max invited) Any suggestions on how their ceremony could benefit local charities or wildlife?
She's not even sure if she wants a wedding dress.... So any unusual / eco friendly / charity dress suggestions very welcome :-)
How much money is customary to gift for a UK wedding? How much would you say for a couple you would gift for a ceremony wedding verses for an evening invitation wedding? Thank you!