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To help you prepare for your wedding day we have assembled a collection of "Tips", "Hints", "Ideas" and "Suggestions" to assist you in your preparations for your big day, also to help avoid the pitfalls you may encounter on the way.

If you have any money saving tips, hints or suggestions why not email them to us and if they merit inclusion your hint, tip or suggestion will be added to our list.

Wedding Cakes

Before your reception really begins the usual tradition of cutting the wedding cake takes place. Your wedding cake will feature in a lot of wedding photographs take by family and friends so you should take some time to choose the perfect wedding cake.

Traditional wedding cakes were covered with white or ivory royal icing, now soft fondant icing in many colours is more popular.
There are now hundreds of cake designs you can choose from. Your wedding cake can be customized to your own unique design and colours.

When you start looking for your perfect wedding cake, these are some of the factors you may want to take into account

Points to note

• How many tiers or what size you need, this will depend on the number of guests that are attending your wedding, also whether you intend to send some wedding cake to those who could not make it to your big day. A good wedding cake designer will be able to assist with amounts to meet your needs.

• What design to choose, since the days of the traditional wedding cake things have change quite a bit, it's now possible to have a wedding cake in nearly any shape, design, colour or size, discuss your ideas with your designer.

• Enquire about flavors available, most offer a wide range and some even offer samples.

• Ask if you can have different tiers, some fruit, some sponge for instance.

• Collect photo's from magazines of wedding cake designs you like and view them with or send them to your designer, this give your designer an idea of what you like.

• Ask if there is any addition charge for changing parts of your design or for decoration
  Always book your wedding cake in plenty of time, this secures your date and gives you time to make any changes.

A great way to save money on your wedding cake is to purchase a ready made wedding cake from one of the big supermarkets and decorate it with fresh flowers.

The drawbacks are that these wedding cakes are all fruit and not everyone likes wedding cake

Contributed by Ann from Cakes By Ann

Wedding Dress

With many thousands of wedding dress designs on the market it is easy to get confused, do you want an off the shoulder, a bell gown, A-Line etc.

It's a good idea to get some ideas before you decide, search the internet, most reputable wedding dress suppliers have a boutique and a web site, visit some wedding shows and see what brides will be wearing next year, look in magazines, get a good idea of what you like, then arrange a visit to a salon.

Take along you magazine clippings and discuss your idea for your wedding dress. Make clear from the start what size of budget you have, this will make it easier for the consultant to help you choose your wedding dress. Visit even if you don't intend to purchase your wedding dress as the information and advice will be invaluable when your deciding.

Never settle on a specific wedding dress without first having some time to think about it, you don't want to end up with a dress you don't feel comfortable in on your wedding day, give yourself a couple of days before you decide for sure, how many times have you bought something to find that you didn't really like it, need it or thought the others were better when you had time to think about it.

Stay within your budget, don't be tempted to overspend, If you overspend on everything you want you could start married life in debt, only spend what you can afford or what you have budgeted for.
Don't go alone, take your mother, friend, bridesmaid or someone who's judgment you trust, someone who will tell you what they think not what you want to hear.

It could take up to three fittings for your wedding dress, when your dress arrives at the salon you will need to try it on, the next visit will be to make sure any alterations are correct and the third to make sure everything is perfect a couple of weeks before your big day.

Questions to ask

• Does the price include alterations and accessories?

• How much is the deposit and when is the balance due?

• Do they store your dress until you collect it?

Wedding Entertainment

Choosing entertainment for your wedding can be a daunting task, band or DJ?
Whether you choose a band or a DJ you have to make sure they are going to make your event a celebration everyone will enjoy. This is the part of your day where the entertainment will decide whether your guests go home raving about a great wedding or disappointed.

The best and easiest way to find a band or DJ you would like is to hire one you have already seen. If you have been to a wedding or a party where the band or DJ was great, find out who he or she was, ask them for their business card or contact details, you can call them at a later date to find out prices etc.

If you haven’t seen a good band or DJ, ask your friends or family.

Points to ask

• Experience for wedding events

• Ask for references for previous clients and give them a call

• Find out if they are performing near to you so that you can hear what they sound like

Wedding Flowers & Florists

Start by collecting pictures of flowers and color schemes from bridal magazines, visit some florists and ask to view their work and to find out if they will listen to your ideas.

Visit florists web sites to get ideas, they usually have a section of wedding flowers and bouquets.

Don't be afraid to ask how many weddings they've done and ask to see photographs of their work.

Once you have decide on a florist leave a deposit to secure their services and agree a time to return to settle your colour scheme.

Points to note

• Choose flowers that will be in season on your wedding date.
• Smaller bouquets are less expensive and lets guests see more of your wedding dress.
• Ask your florist ahead of time how the flowers can be used for both ceremony and reception sites.
• Ask your florist if they will transport the flowers from the ceremony to the reception, If this is not possible ask a friend or family member to do it.
• Put your most expensive arrangements where you want to make the biggest impression or where they will be seen the most guests.

Wedding Photographers

Hopefully your wedding photographer will provide you with photo's that will be remembered fondly for being the happiest day in your life and should tell the story of your big day.

Think carefully before allowing a family member or friend with a camera to photograph you wedding day, although a nice thought if offered they will not have either the equipment or expertise of a professional photographer.

Visit as many photographers as possible and ask to see some of their previous clients wedding photographs, a good photographer will always have a portfolio to show you and it gives them the chance to impress you.
All photographers will have a different style, so make sure you like what they have done previously for other wedding couples.

Book as early as possible to avoid disappointment, leave your booking to the last minute and you could find yourself relying on a friend or family member.

Points to note

• What sort of packages do they offer? - Most offer photography/videography packages now.

• How many photographs does each package include? - Is there a set amount that you need to pay for.

• Do you get the proofs - If you ever lose your photo's you will be able to have them re-printed.

• How much do additional photographs cost - Can you have all the rest at a reduced price?

• How much of a deposit do you have to pay, when is it due and when do you pay the balance?

• Do they supply your photographs on a CD - Really useful for printing your own copies from a computer.

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UK Wedding Directory tips, hints, suggestions and ideas on how to save money on your wedding.