Webbs Special Occasion Cars is run by Richard and Liz and they aim to provide the very best of service for couples who want to arrive in style. Liz spoke to us about the company. “We are a family run business who take a lot of pride in making the small part we play in your big day the very best we can.

When Richard and I got married we found that an awful lot of businesses treated us as a number, which did not feel personal enough when planning one of the most important occasions of our lives.

Our personal service will mirror the quality and experience befitting the occasion, and as a result we are fortunate enough to be within the category of people who enjoy their job!

We have dealt with a couple of potential mishaps…and rescue missions, but have always managed to “Get to the church on time” (or registry office, hotel etc…). despite hasty detours to pick up forgotten rings and even quick a Tesco stop to replace laddered tights! It certainly turns a few heads when a fully dressed wedding car pulls up in the pick-up/drop-off bay!

There is definitely a magic feeling in being chauffeur driven to your Wedding; when people see the car and do a double take realising the occasion and actually stand and wait for you to pass, hoping to get a glimpse of an outfit, or the flowers, and generally to share in the happiness of your day. We love what we do and we hope that our couples do too.”

Please feel free to contact Liz and Richard to talk through your transport requirements.

Telephone: 07510 814 448

Email: [email protected]

One Digital Image, Janet and Chris Hughes are from Northumberland and produce wedding films in various media both in the North East of England and throughout the UK. They are a husband and wife team, passionate about their work and committed to the high standards that are demanded by the professional body, the I.O.V, of which they are Master Members. Established exhibitors with the UK Wedding Shows they have this advice for couples wishing to have a film of their special day.

“Deciding who films your wedding is very important so we encourage anyone who is thinking about it to speak to us. We’ll give you honest answers to any questions and show you examples of our work from any venue. It is important that whoever you choose is a member of a professional body, fully insured and using professional equipment on the day, and more importantly you need to like the look of what they do and feel that you can get on well with them; after all, they will be at your wedding! We come from a creative background which gives us the vision to create a look and feel to our work that we are very proud of “

Janet and Chris can be contacted on 01661 831 935 or by email [email protected]

Our good friends over at Staggered have come up with this handy guide for everyone who is short of time, especially for the couples who are trying to organise their wedding….

Who has time to actually say things in full these days? For instance I could have shaved off at least ten seconds of work time by starting this post WHTTASTIFTD? And who’s to say that would have been wrong ?

Weddings are a breeding ground for shorthand and acronyms but unfortunately, the normal ones don’t go anything like far enough, so the Staggered crack writing team have added a few to the pot in the hope they will be adopted by wedding forums across the globe, thus saving you and your W2B (Wife To Be – you see how this works?) precious microseconds: time, it’s our gift to you.

ACTUAL WEDDING ACRONYMS

H2B - Husband To Be

B2B – Bride To Be

BM – Best Man

FOB/FOTB – Father Of The Bride

MOB/MOTB - Mother Of The Bride

DFH – Darling (or Dear) Future Husband

MOH – Maid of Honour/Honor

NWR – Not Wedding Related

HM – Honeymoon

HTH – Hope That Helps

STD…Save The Date (e.g. “Darling, have you sent out our STD to all our friends and relatives?”)

STAGGERED’S GENERAL ALL-PURPOSE NEW WEDDING ACRONYMS

SW…Shotgun Wedding

UPS…Unwanted Present Smile

OMG…Obligatory Mental Guest

FML…Forgot My Lapel-flower

FYI…Forgot Your Invitation

DNW…Divorce Next Week

SNOB…Seated Near the Open Bar

TARDIS…Girlfriend’s Handbag

WHEREFORE…Would’ve Heard Earnest Reading from Ecclesiastes but Football On Radio went into Extra time

BOG…Bride Or Groom

WTF…Weddings Tire Feet

MASH…Mime As they Sing the Hymns

RSVP…Reasonably Safe Voucher Present

NSFW…Never Say you’ll Film the Wedding

LGBT…Loitering Guests by the Buffet Table

TMWRNJ…Tomorrow Morning We Return that Non-essential Juicer

DATBIT…Distract her As The Bouquet Is Thrown

“Sparkle Wedding Stationery’s experience at the Manchester Central Wedding Show October 2010.

The anticipation and excitement of exhibiting at the Manchester UK Wedding Show began the day we booked our stand. New ranges, product creation and stand design began to take shape in our heads from the word go!

When, finally, the weekend of the show arrived, we could hardly wait to set up our stand and at last see the products of hours of thought, ribbon tying and sparkle placing in situ! The launch of our new ranges was imminent, and we were so excited to see the reaction to our designs.

Set up is always interesting; watching other stands take shape from an empty shell to a creative masterpiece with a few well placed drapes, mannequins, mirrors and diamonds! We left on the Friday night more than happy with our stand, impressed with the fantastic bridal dresses, amazed by flowers bursting out of birdcages and suitcases, and eagerly waiting to see what Saturday morning would bring.

And we were not disappointed. As promised the show was busy from the very start, with excited brides scouring the stands for inspiration and the tools to make their dreams become reality.

For Rachel, the test was whether her recently operated on foot would last the duration of the day, for me, whether my new shoes (obviously with bows and sparkles on – keeping on brand!) would stay on, or be replaced with the faithful ballerina flats. (The flats won at around 3pm!)

If we’re honest, we didn’t have time to think about feet, lunch or taking a breath until late afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday, with many brides having to return two or three times to get the chance to speak to us – the new ranges couldn’t have been better received! Lots of orders, enquiries, “oohs”, “aahs” and the ever popular “This is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for but haven’t been able to find it anywhere!”

The heady combination of bridal excitement, groom’s bemusement, bridesmaid giddiness and motherly indulgence is what makes these shows such a success.

The organisation from day one of booking, through to the final minutes of packing away is well worth it. Our order books have never looked healthier, we met hundreds of brides, suppliers and organisers and cannot wait for the Manchester Central show again next year.”

The team at The UK Wedding Shows work hard to organise the very best wedding exhibitions and welcome feedback from our exhibitors. Thanks to Helen Caunce for sending us this piece, we look forward to seeing you next year!

There are lots of elements that can make up the perfect wedding day, but where do you draw the line when you have to stick to a budget? Claire from English Wedding has this advice.

“There’s been plenty of focus on budgets across the wedding press recently, and more to come I’m sure. Experts say we’re spending too much while the wedding magazines tempt us with gorgeous little treats and accessories. So any bride can be forgiven for feeling stressed about budgets!

I tend to argue in favour of affordable weddings, and my advice for any bride on a budget is to be selective.

How to start spending wisely

Sit with your fiancé and work out what’s important to you. Splash out on the things you both want most, and save on the rest. You don’t need to buy everything! Ditch the dove release and chair covers – then spend on the things that will make your wedding day truly your own.

If memories are top of your list hire an outstanding photographer but save on the cake, catering and stationery. If your dream venue is essential, buy a vintage dress and save by having a buffet instead of a sit-down meal.

Top tips for savvy brides:

- Don’t buy many wedding magazines – the cover price and the accessories you didn’t know you needed can cost a fortune!

- Cut out one big thing – the cake, the sit down meal, or the Jimmy Choos could save you hundreds of pounds

- Splash out on a single statement of some kind – elaborate centrepieces or a great band will create wonderful memories

Whatever your personal style, your wedding should suit you perfectly. Don’t let the industry tell you what you need to buy – make your own dreams and then find the right wedding suppliers to bring them to life.

There’s more advice for savvy brides on the English Wedding blog. Read our Get Grounded articles for brides to help you save wisely.”

The wedding date has now been announced for Prince William and Kate Middleton. An official announcement names the date as Friday 29^th April and the venue will be Westminster Abbey. Love is said to be in the air in the spring season and it is appropriate for this young couple who look to be very much in love. The weather may be kind to them on the day, and to the thousands of people that will no doubt be lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the couple. William and Kate will be following in the footsteps of the Queen, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew who all married in Westminster Abbey. The Dean of Westminster Abbey, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall is delighted that this venue has been chosen, commenting that it is a “very special place”. The couple will be able to seat some 2000 guests under the vaulted arches of the Abbey and thousands of visitors may expect to see the ceremony televised outside on Parliament Square.

The question on everyone’s lips is who will be asked to design Kate Middleton’s dress? There is a wealth of designer talent in the UK and Kate will be able to have her choice of the top names. Designers who could be in the frame include Amanda Wakeley, Ian Stuart, Stella McCartney, Vera Wang and Jenny Packham.

Stewart Parvin who holds a Royal Warrant could also be a choice for Kate, but the name that is now emerging as a favourite is Phillipa Lepley who opened her first bridal boutique in 1990 and then her flagship shop in Chelsea in 2008. Phillipa is recognised for her elegance and simplicity, designing figure flattering gowns with exquisite detailing and embellishment. Phillipa believes that the gowns are like unique works of art and the pleasure of creating something personal to each bride is extremely rewarding. The dress will be the focus for a lot of royal watchers, just as Diana’s dress was almost thirty years ago.

The venue for the wedding has not been officially announced, although speculation that it will be Westminster Abbey, rather than St Paul’s Cathedral, intensified when Kate was pictured leaving the Abbey after a private visit. It is thought that the arrangements will closely follow those made for William’s grandparents rather than his parents, thus avoiding some of the inevitable comparisons being made.

The Royal family had traditionally been married at Windsor or at the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace and when Queen Victoria’s granddaughter was married in the Abbey in 1919 it was the first royal wedding there for 650 years. Although the couple will be mindful of the current climate of austerity, the popularity of a royal wedding cannot be disregarded, and they will be very aware that their wedding will be watched by millions of people worldwide making it impossible to do anything too understated. William and Kate have taken their time to make a strong relationship and will be committed to making a strong marriage, so it will be much more than a one day spectacular that will be important to them. William is said to have made a promise to look after Kate, and she has had a lot of time to consider what her life will be like within the Royal family, so wherever they choose to take their vows they can be sure that their mutual support will be invaluable as they start their married life.