Setting wedding date Setting the exact date for your wedding may require quite a lot of juggling and manoeuvring. You need to fit it in with your own personal diaries, and also to make sure that all your special guests will be able to join you on the day; you will also need to make sure that all the facilities that you want for the service, the reception and the honeymoon are available.

Personal diaries Your main priority will obviously be to choose a date when neither of you is inextricably booked up for anything else! You will need to look at your work calendars to check that you have no important appointments, and you may need to take your time off during a particular month to fit in with your colleagues at work. This is one good reason for choosing the date of your marriage early, (more…)

Broken engagement If the engagement is broken off before the wedding date has been set, let as many people know by word of mouth; you could also put a notice in the paper along the lines of; Mary Jones and David Smith announce that their engagement has been broken by mutual consent. If the invitations have already been sent out, the bride’s parents should send out a message of this kind: Mr and Mrs Harold Jones announce that the marriage of their daughter Mary to Mr David Smith will not now take place. If the wedding presents have been received they should be returned with a polite note from the girl or her mother. The girl may offer to return the engagement ring, and the man may or may not take up the offer. If the wedding dress has already been bought, most shops will take it back and refund the money without any difficulty; if they will not, or if the dress has been specially made, it should be possible to sell it quite easily. (more…)

Styles for bridesmaids dresses Bridesmaids’ dresses can come in almost any shape and color; the styles shown here are just some of the many options. 1 Formal plain satin dress with fitted bodice, puffed and gathered sleeves and gently gathered skirt. 2 Ruffled dress with sash and puffed sleeves. 3 Gingham dress with broderie anglaise apron and mob cap. 4 Ruffled and frilled dress that could be made up in a plain or printed fabric. 5 Striped dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves and square neckline. 6 White dress with sash and underskirt in a contrasting color. 7 Bride’s and bridesmaid’s dresses showing how the same basic style can be adapted. The bride’s dress has flowers along the neck ruffle and skirt, and a gathered overskirt that has been caught up with ribbons. The bridesmaid’s dress has a narrower neck frill and ruffle around the skirt. 8 Dresses for two bridesmaids of very different ages, made up in two shades of peach. Both dresses have gathered and ruffled sleeves and are trimmed with lace. 9 Matching bridesmaids’ dresses in white overlaid with spotted voile; these dresses would suit bridesmaids of any age from young girls to a matron of honor.

When you start planning your budget, try to spend enough money for your his and hers wedding rings because it is the only thing that remains after the wedding over the years and here the quality matters! (more…)

Grooms clothes Shown here are some options for the groom’s outfit; the men of the wedding party should wear clothes of the same style and degree of formality or informality. 1Lounge suit with waistcoat. 2Morning suit with wing collar, stock and top hat. 3Morning suit with ordinary collar and tie. 4Morning suit with darker jacket and gloves. 5Formal suit with dark jacket and striped waistcoat and trousers. Groom’s clothes – Choosing an outfit 6For a formal afternoon wedding followed by an evening reception, a dinner jacket with cummerbund, tartan trews, dress shirt and bow tie. 7White tie and tails – a short tail-jacket, stiff shirt, white bow tie and black top hat. 8Outfit for the traditional wedding of a Scot. 9Double-breasted suit. 10Morning suit with dark jacket, pale waistcoat, top hat and striped trousers. (more…)